Complaint Review: PetsMart - Waite Park Minnesota

When I first read the title of this, I thought this might be a legitimate complaint. My rats are from PetSmart and they were nothing but nice and helpful to me---the manager made sure to give me her name because I'd had to drive an hour just in case special arrangements had to be made if one of them was sick---but PetSmart is a franchise store and thus some are terrible and some are great. Reading this, though . . . Well, you sound like an idiot. Why would you immediately put your new animal into a cage with the old, especially if you spent so much on your old one? Surely the fact that you have children, if nothing else, has told you that disease pass from creature to creature rather rapidly. If that was your only cage then that's also moronic. You would have just ended up breeding the female to death even if the young weren't eaten (which they probably would have been). That is how it works when rodents of different genders are housed together. Ever heard the phrase breeding like rabbits? The two animals are very similar in that respect, something which you really should have thought of also. Do you really want to have to find homes for that many baby hamsters? Beyond that, immediately breeding an animal without having gotten to know it or essentially having a care for it at all is not what one expects of a pet owner. It sounds like this animal was simply used as breeding stock, given that you just seemed to immediately expect her to breed. Moreover, not eating or moving is a sign of sickness in any animal. Or person. Really, that should have been obvious. All of these are the mistake that should have been avoidable even without research---which you really should have done. It's a pet. You need to be able to take care of them and that doesn't mean simply feeding and watering them. The reason you got burned here is because you took no precautions against it. It was stupid. I can think of nothing that your local PetSmart did wrong in this situation. They're not responsible for your stupidity and that's what has made your other hamster sick. They fulfulled their obligation to you by covering the cost of the hamster they sold to you that died. I hope your hamster lives, but the sad fact of the matter is that if he does you have only yourself to blame. Also, hamster and children? I wouldn't touch that one with a ten foot pole. Hamsters are biters and that doesn't mix with children in my opinion, especially ones that apparently are too young to handle the death of animal.

go to this website to read more details.. (((Redacted))) they are known for selling sick animals and they treat their animals terribly....people need to know this... CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.

Be sure to read all information that is given to you. The contract you sign (which is also like a receipt), also has the dangers of the diseases. Also, be sure to have the habitat ready for the pet, because a lot of bedding has a lot of dust. (Believe me, I had crazy allergies when I worked there.) It's like bringing a new baby home, you don't stick the baby in with an older child immediately and everything has to be set up before you take them home. I am sorry for your loss though. Petsmart tries to accomodate everybody... As for the guy saying he did an outburst in the store. You're only embarassing yourself. Why would you be saying you have a dead hamster with you where kids are at? Be considerate. Also, be sure to take the pet immediately home and don't let your kids grab all over it until after it's been in the habitat for a while. READ THE CARE GUIDES!!

We aren't insinuating that research can prevent an animal from becoming sick. The animal that he bought from PetSmart may or may not have been sick when he bought it. In any case, they refunded the money that he spent on that sick hamster. However, if he had done some research he would have known what the warning signs of illness were, or even better, known to isolate his new hamster from his older one until he could determine her health. Had he done these things, his male hamster would be alive and healthy, no vet bill required, and he would have been out no money. You, on the other hand, seem to have done no research at all, unless there's reputable sites or books that accept 'hampster' as an appropriate alternative spelling. (doubtful.) Are you sure it isn't a toy or bedding that's killing your 'hampsters?' Iceburg lettuce, for instance, can make them really sick.

Okay since I couldn't file a complaint I have to file a rebuttal but it isn't one. My daughter bought a hampster from PetSmart in Mentor, Ohio and it died overnight. Then we got another and it died a day later. By this time I was pretty aggrevated by the situation and took the hampster in a brown paper bag to their store. I went to the front register to request a manager and was promptly directed to go to the back of the store where the fishes were. After about 45 minutes of these people running around for others buying crickets and fish and whatnot I got way more pissed off. So I went to the front again and declared quite loudly that I had a DEAD hampster in my bag bought from THEIR store and I wanted a manager NOW. They FINALLY got around to me after I informed half the store of the situation and they had the nerve not to REPLACE the hampster because...mysteriously they didn't HAVE any more of that kind of that sort of hampster but I had to shell out 15 more bucks for a NEW hampster because my child wanted one and was so upset. As for the people who say 'do your research' or 'it isn't their fault' it obviously IS and they have defective pets..perhaps they dont clean their cages properly nor keep the rodents apart so I gotta say...DONT BUY ANIMALS FROM PETSMART nor ANY other chain store. If you do, you're an idiot who is asking for trouble and vet bills.

Several years ago, I purchased a baby guinea pig from PetSmart. The next morning I noticed she was sick. PetSmart and the vet at PetSmart went out of their way to help me make our little gal better. They offered to exchange her at first, and when I told them no, they footed the Vet bill. She ended up getting well, and I still own her to this day. In my opinion, PetSmart lived up to their obligation to you when they refunded your money for the hamster you purchased. As a pet owner, you did not live up to your obligation to your pet. Before you bring any new animal into your home, do a little research. The internet has an endless supply of information. Had you done what you should have done, as a responsible pet owner, Chances are that your teddy bear Hamster would not have become sick. I am sorry for your loss, but in my opinion, you are giving PetSmart a bad rap....

Wet-tail (Proliferative Ileitis) is caused by stress. The stress of you placing her in a cage with a male hamster who was probably older then her may have caused the stress. When buying a new animal it is never a good idea to just place them together right away. This is done for stress and health risks reasons. This is recommended for all animals. When Petsmart receives their animals they are isolated for a week. We watch for signs of disease and stress. If after a week they show no signs of this they are placed on the sales floor for purchasing. I recommend learning more about these animals before having them as pets. There is only so much a store employee can tell you. The information is right in front of you. Do an internet search of your animal. Read about them and talk to other owners. And please do more research on breeding hamsters. The hamster your purchased may have also been under 3 months old. It is not advised to breed a hamster under 3 months old. There are a lot of things that you need to know before throwing a male and a female together in a cage.

first of all, i do believe that you are a retard, whenever buying a live animal do all your homework, i work my butt off all day explaining the risk of wet-tail and other possible disease hazards such as that. if you read the contract you signed it states spicificly, on the back "in signing this you understand all the disease warnings" and guess what... you signed it! and a question i have for you, the hmster was in the cage for how long? because you stated you thought she had a miscarage, which because our stores sell either only males, or females means that you had her in the cage a good four weeks and wet tail will kill them in a week. all hamsters on earth can get wet-tail at any time, weather it be from stress, or too fatty a diet. and no, PETsMART buys every single live animal at the same price we sell them, with a small vet checkup before entering our store.

Im sorry about your hampster, and the loss for your children, although I do have to ask why you didnt do research on the animal. If you would have, you would've known that hampsters are solitary creatures and dont do well with others. Why you wanted to breed them without research is beyond me. With research you also would have known that most hampsters, expecially if left with the male, will eat their young. Did you really want to put your child through that? The last thing that I have to ask is, when you buy your hampster, you get a care sheet. That little sheet tells you everything you need to know about your new pet. Did you read it??

It is generally a good idea to keep new pets separate from your older ones for a period of time. This allows you to observe the new animal and make sure that it is healthy. Wet Tail is a common condition for hamsters. Anyone interested in purchasing a hamster should do some research in advance on the signs of this illness and how best to treat it. Information can be found online, at your library, or at a bookstore.

Before I purchased my Gerbil at my local mall's pet store (about 1 year ago), I did some online quick research. I found out that they like to chew, they like to hide, they eat seeds, nuts, corn kernnels, alfalfa bale, and enjoyed the exercise ball. What I didn't know was that I couldn't use cedar or pine bedding. My gerbil, Speedy, got sick from the pine. I went online and typed in his symptoms and found the cure, a bird antibiotic, costing $10 for 1 bottle. I put the antibiotic in his water bottle and within one week he was up to 100%. I understand how you feel, honestly I do. However, if you would have simply typed in the females syptoms, or brought her to the vet at first signs, she could have been saved. Never assume anything. I hope your hamster survives and does well. By the way, first signs of sickness, is hiding in the dark, and not being active.

Before I purchased my Gerbil at my local mall's pet store (about 1 year ago), I did some online quick research. I found out that they like to chew, they like to hide, they eat seeds, nuts, corn kernnels, alfalfa bale, and enjoyed the exercise ball. What I didn't know was that I couldn't use cedar or pine bedding. My gerbil, Speedy, got sick from the pine. I went online and typed in his symptoms and found the cure, a bird antibiotic, costing $10 for 1 bottle. I put the antibiotic in his water bottle and within one week he was up to 100%. I understand how you feel, honestly I do. However, if you would have simply typed in the females syptoms, or brought her to the vet at first signs, she could have been saved. Never assume anything. I hope your hamster survives and does well. By the way, first signs of sickness, is hiding in the dark, and not being active.

Mistake Number 1: Buying any animal from a pet store. Mistake Number 2: Not having your own exotic vet. Mistake Number 3: Not being aware of illness and symptoms that exotic pets can have. Solution? Find yourself a good exotic vet, purchase exotic medical books and get informed. I do hope that your hamster does not die. They have a short enough life span without suffering from an illness.