Please help stop this at Petco

Celestrina wrote: I read this on another message board and got very angry. Please send an email to help stop this.

cameragirl21 replied: Petco gets a lot of bad press, much of which turns out not to be true, as an animal lover and vegetarian, i LOVE your concern for these animals but i'd like to see some proof of this upcoming event in order to believe it is really happening and to take action.
i will be at petco today or tomorrow so i'll ask them if they know anything about this.
thanks for the info.

Celestrina replied: Click on the link in the post. It goes to the petco site. There you can find out which store is closest to you and what events are being held there. If you find out there is one holding this, give them a call.

cameragirl21 replied: interesting. i personally think those hamster balls are mean because the hamster keeps moving and doesn't really get anywhere but i can't really presume to know what is bothersome or not bothersome for a hamster.
as long as each animal is kept to his ball then the chances of disease spreading, etc are really low. clearly petco is trying to bring in customers as they sell rats, gerbils, etc and all the accessories that these sorts of pets would need.
i will contact petco and lodge a complaint, thanks for the info.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: I wonder if we take our hampster and he wins-will someone want to buy him-like a race hampster stud or something.....that thing is evil-I just might try that!

Celestrina replied: The worst thing about it is that guinea pigs do not have as flexible a spine as other rodents and running in balls could possibly cause spinal damage. As far as hamsters, they seem to love it. Keep in mind they enjoy running on a wheel in their cage and they certainly don't get very far in those!

Thank you for your support in this matter.

redchief replied: Looks like fun. I don't see where the animals are being harmed.

holley79 replied:
When I was in Petsmart they had rather large balls for Guinea pigs to run around in. I don't know, I would have to further investigate this. As for the rats the domestic rats carry no more disease then any other domesticated animals you bring into pet stores.

Crystalina replied: I understand your concern and with that being said they do have bigger balls for bigger animals ( ). These are balls that people are bringing from home so if the hampsters/gerbils (or any other of those critters) are put in the race more then likely they do it at home also. You'd really have to start with the company making the balls. I'm an animal lover and I would be concerned for the Guinea pigs as well but you just have to hope that the person bringing the animal in has a ball big enough. They make them pretty big. I'm not sure you can really fault the store.

They also say which is good because I'm sure some real brains would show up with a ferret or rabbit shoved in a ball. I would look more at the people who are participating and make sure they have their little critter in the appropriate size never ending hell ball.

luvbug00 replied: maybe i'm just mean but i thought it was hilrious when my gerbals would bump into walls and roll everywhere. they loved it ( except the occasional misscalulation and trip down our 3 stairs in the frount area.LOL!)

Boo&BugsMom replied: I would love to see them try to fit anything but a dwarf hamster or mouse inside one of those balls. Aside from them, most rodents hate those balls. I don't like those balls. I had a dwarf hamster who fell down the stairs in one of those. I never put her back in it after that. I felt so bad, she got a bloody nose from the fall. I hate those ball things. I don't see the entertainment value, personally.

gr33n3y3z replied: it sounds like fun so they do have many rules and what not ok then I have no problems with it at all

indywndy_04 replied:

punkeemunkee'smom replied: I was thinking about this lastnight and from personal experience our hampster LOVES to run around. as a matter of fact he opens his own cage and gets out to do so and the guiena pig is never happier than when Taylor puts him down and lets him run (we block him off) We even have a leash for the guiena pig (he doesn't like the cats so we don't let him outside). I don't see any harm AT ALL from this activity. I asked our vet about a ball for the guiena pig and he said as long as they have room to be flat- ie. their backs are not arched or bowed when the ball is at rest they are fine....I mean seriously it is not like the loser of the hampster race gets fed to the lizards....

Calimama replied:
I agree. As long as people are careful I see no problem with it.

Crystalina replied:
OH no you didn't!

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Really? Every animal I have had never liked the ball...hamsters, rats, mice, and a gerbil. Hum. Maybe it's just my animals. Of course, if I fell down the stairs in it I wouldn't have liked it after that either. They all liked to run around the house though, but not in the balls, just roaming free. That, they always got plenty of.

punkeemunkee'smom replied:
Well you can't let Tanner and Troy play soccer with that ball!

punkeemunkee'smom replied:
Well, that would be more understandably upsetting don't ya think?

cameragirl21 replied: i have never owned a hamster or any animal that could be considered a "rodent" so i have no idea but i don't like those balls. i don't see myself owning a pet like that so i'll probably never find out.
i will say that i think Petco could better serve the community and could better get business into their stores if they offered a low cost spay/neuter clinic. it would serve a better purpose than hamster races, that's for sure.

Calimama replied:
LOL.

punkeemunkee'smom replied:

They do around here...I ,as a parent, will promise you that hampster races may not be a community service BUT it will bring kids in DROVES to watch and in turn BEG for a cute furry friend!

ETA~ PETCO also offers obedience classes for dogs...IS that wrong? I mean actually dogs by nature do not want to obey they are pack animals and wild by ancestry so isn't it a question of placing your will on your dog too....I don't really understand where the lines get drawn.

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Our Petco in town also works with the local animal shelters. They take in so many animals each week to try to adopt them out for the local shelters. So does our local Petsmart.

luvbug00 replied: Lars got yana threw one of those adoption things at the local pet --somthing or other..

gr33n3y3z replied: [QUOTE=Boo&BugsMom,Aug 8 2007, 04:21 PM] [/QUOTE]
Our Petco in town also works with the local animal shelters. They take in so many animals each week to try to adopt them out for the local shelters. So does our local Petsmart. [/QUOTE]
ours does also for Cats and they bring in dogs for 4 hours or so a few times a month or more for adoption

holley79 replied:
ABBIE I am shocked!! J/k you ain't right.