Now most of the big cooperate pet stores no longer sell dogs or cats. But they still do sell smallies. Guinea pigs, gerbils, mice, hamsters, ferrets, and rabbits just to name a few. When an individual goes and buys an animal from these stores, there are no requirements besides being at least 18. Individuals selling these animals may not be entirely trained on the care requirements each of the animals require themselves and therefore are not able to educate those who are purchasing these animals. Now thankfully, I'd like to note, this is not always the case. Coming from a personal background of working at a pet store, I have met and learned a lot from individuals working there, and I respect and appreciate all that they do to try their best educating the public while still being required to allow sales. But it's not always the case. A lot of these purchases are on the spot. So with little to no knowledge, individuals are relying on marketing and advertising which is directly available in front of them to get supplies for the animal. This immediately is a problem.
Although it has improved a bit over the years, a lot of the habitats sold in stores, are not size appropriate for the creatures that they are being advertised for. I myself have even fallen for this, when I first purchased my guinea pig (I worked at the pet store at the time and I was unaware of how many were in the shelter. Please adopt, don't shop.) I purchased a starter kid advertised for being for guinea pigs. The cage was so small, that by less than six months of age, I could tell it was way too small! He did not have enough room to run around. Today, my guinea pig lives in a cage that was advertised as being for a rabbit. Now I am also the owner of a lionhead rabbit, and that cage, would be nowhere near big enough for her to live in. Truthfully, the cage is not even big enough for two guinea pigs to live in and probably is the smallest size a single guinea pig can live comfortably in.
Bedding, is a huge problem. The paper based bedding like carefresh is expensive. The wood shavings that are available in stores, advertised for smallies, are more bedding for a smaller price tag. To people who don't know any better, it's a no brainer. But the wood shavings create a toxin when they are urinated on and harm the lungs of the creatures living in it. And remember, they're living in a confined space with this toxin so it can cause a significant amount of damage. In order for wood to be safe for use as litter, it must be kiln dried. The horse pellets that are sold at farm stores are often a good affordable option. As for the cage bedding, for animals that don't burrow, using fleece is the most affordable option and creates less waste. Animals that do burrow, although the paper bedding is more expensive, it's the safest option. Even the paper bedding has things to look out for though. Some of the bedding is colored with dyes and or scented with fragrances. Some smallies have more sensitive skin than others and the dyes can cause skin irritations, I have also seen the dye bleed onto the fur of the animals living on it (after all, the paper is ultimately going to get wet). The fragrances can be toxic as well, the sensitive little respiratory systems are not designed to live in lavender fields. Smell is also a way of communication and way of marking territory, so by messing with the smell of your pet's home, it makes it more difficult for them to feel safe.
Food is overwhelming. There are so many different varieties, colors, and prices. The food available for pets on the market varying in quality is not a problem exclusive to small animals, but this is a small animal blog, so we are going to stick to them. The healthiest foods are usually the ones with no seeds in them. But of course, the ones with the seeds in them are the ones that are the most affordable, and they are also more readily available. You can go to Walmart and get a bag of cheap guinea pig food, that contains seeds and high amounts of fat and sugars, but there isn't any high quality food or brands. This causes not only a high amount of animals becoming obese, but they're also developing medical issues that can be contributed to the poor diet. This includes bladder stones, GI stasis, and diarrhea. People are often unaware that for rabbits and guinea pigs, hay needs to be the main part of their diet and they require an unlimited amount, without the hay, these species teeth may develop issues which can lead to more serious problems and can even result in death. Even hay has varsities individuals need to be educated about. Timothy hay is the healthiest everyday hay variety for most species. Using different hays such as oat hay and orchard hay are a great way to add different textures for enrichment and as treats, but they don't have the correct nutritional needs. Alfalfa hay has a high concentration of calcium, it again can be used for enrichment or as a treat, but it really should only be readily given to very young guinea pigs and nursing/ pregnant mothers who need higher levels of calcium for development. Using Alfalfa as the everyday hay can cause further issues with bladder stones from too high of a calcium intake.
Now this is a lot of information. Most of which I have acquired from working with the smallies for years. So what is causing people to buy these animals without any of this information? I'd like to think that it's the societal need for instant gratification. Especially during the pandemic, people had more time, there was some extra funds coming from government assistance, and there was not a whole lot to do. Pets stores were still open, and there were possible companions there that were able to come home instantly. There are no requirements, all you have to do is sign a quick form. Then everything (in theory) you need for them is right there in the store. People also are not educated on the lifespans of these animals. Many people don't realize that some of these species are not just a 1 or 2 year commitment. While some are, some species such as rabbits, can be as much as a 12 year commitment. The oldest I've heard for guinea pigs is 9 years. Today, at the shelter, we have seen in increase in the surrender of animals that were purchased during the pandemic. People are back to work, there are more housing issues, and inflation makes keeping them difficult, people may not have realized just how long they would have these animals. There is also a few reasons for surrender that are far too common, and unfair to the animals themselves, that are just evidence of the irresponsible purchasing, such as they poop too much, or the kids lost interest.
Now this post has not even begun to address that smallies are also very neglected when it comes to medical needs/ care. But I wanted to try and paint a picture of just why so many small animals end up in the shelters, and how society has contributed to this. I also wanted to try and address why so many of these animals are not getting their basics needs met. It is not a simple problem to be solved, and proper education is one of biggest needs in helping to solve the problem. Supply and demand with proper education will force stores to (again in theory) have proper resources and supplies that pet owners need, they will have to change their marketing to meet the needs of responsible owners. There's still many issues in the animal welfare world that pet stores contribute to, but that was not the purpose of this post. I wanted to show just how the societal need for instant gratification is affecting the lives of smallies. An animal is not a toy and is not an easy investment, they are not gifts, they are a responsibility. They each have their own needs, personality, emotions, and they all are full of love. We just need to be responsible in this society to recognize that.
