Good question! As far as the bunnies, I wouldn't be surprised if they sold. I used to have a friend who owned a pet store and bunny sells really increased around Easter!

I sell cull rabbits(healthy but off color or other faults) to the pet stores and if they dont sell they go for pet feed, like for snakes, etc. There are also rabbit buyers who slaughter rabbits and use for natural dog feed also shipo to processors near cities for human consumption.

That's terrible,but thanks for answering my question fancifowl.
Anyone know about the puppies though?

Rabbit used to be "poor people's" food when I was a kid in Germany - for those who could not afford chicken. How times have changed! Rabbit, well prepared,is really a very nice food, it's just the "bunny" idea that makes it not so attractive to most people -

My stepdad hunts and still eats rabbits too lilod. They are at the bottom of the food chain so I guess I can understand that. Although I'd feel bad for one getting fed to a snake.

I am no snake fan, but, they gotta eat too!!! Even the lady who owns the pet store doesnt like the idea but its a part of the facts of life!& death.

I know,but I couldnt do it myself.I watched a friend feed his snake once with a mouse.The poor thing had a heart attack before it was eaten.

Snakes have to eat too...it's not like they can feed them toast? HA! I've been at a pet shop when a man came in to buy feeder mice for his snakes. If people keep snakes in captivity, they have to provide for them what they eat in the wild.

The pups that are slow to sell are sometimes sold at discounted prices ( hopefully at a loss to the store)
They are not going to put them to sleep after paying money for them.
If they lost enough money or made only a little profit, they soon would stop selling them altogether and the puppymills would go out of business.
Everytime someone buys a cute little puppy for a ridiculous high price, another order goes in to the mill to replace it.

Unfortunatly pets stores do not loose money. They pay puppy mills and puppy brokers "MINIMAL" amounts for the pups they buy and charge the ridiculous price you mentioned. And you are right every one sold gets replaced keeping the mills going.

So,would you all say ALL pet stores are bad then and you shouldnt buy from them? I just wondered if none of us ever did,what happens to the pups at the pet store. Thanks for sharing! I will probably never buy a pup at a petstore now.

The better stores have rescue groups in to showcase their avalable animals and you have to go thru the rescue to get the pet.I don't really know if there are any such stores around anymore but I've known a couple that would refuse a sale if they were not convinced the pet would have a good home. I have a friend that used to breed parrots and sold some of them thru his retail store. I've seen him turn down a $3000 sale on a macaw for that reason.

Lisa

I do know that breed specific rescues will keep an eye on pet stores for puppies that become to old to sell. They ask or wait for the store to drop their price very low. Sometimes, the pet store will just give the animal to the rescue.

Being a business owner myself I can tell you that a lot more goes into a sale price then just creating a "minimum price." The longer the store has this animal in its possesion, the longer it becomes more of a financial liability. There are food, housing and vet costs to consider. Not to mention the fact that the undesirable animal is taking the space that could be used for an easier sale. So, the pet store will then probably consider how many sales they could have made in that spot while this undesirable dog sits their.

This is a very common business strategy, their are always many variables. Just like at a car dealership, after a while a vehicle begins costing the dealer money and it is in their best interest to sell, even if at a loss.

Point is, to partially answer the OP's question, sometimes these animals will go to breed specific rescues for little or no money. Although, I am sure the store will attempt to reduce the price drastically before giving them to the rescue.

Thanks,the adams!
We actually did buy a bunny from a petstore around Christmas time. I was shocked how little they knew about the animal and how they didnt ask us any questions at all. They were even using a bedding,that as far as I know can be deadly if the bunny ingests it.It is a very cramped pet store that is always packed to the max with people looking.Yet,it is the ONLY pet store I know of.All the others have closed down.

I don't buy anything from petstores that sell puppies and kittens and prefer not to buy from stores that sell any live animals at all but since Petco supports rescues I do make the occasional exception.

We all should support Petco and Petsmart. If I could afford it, I'd buy all my pet needs there. They chose not to sell puppies and kittens and to offer space to rescues instead. I was really hoping that by now, more would be following their lead. Unfortunately, as long as the consumer is buying, they will be selling. One thing consumers can do, is refuse to buy anything from them. Good for you Buyorsell.

I do not support Petco because they sell live animals. Just because they don't sell cats or dogs is not an excuse. What makes these other pets less valuable or worth our while, because one does not deem them a "standard" pet.

Petco sells ferrets. To anyone who has ever owned and loved a ferret they know how much these little guys and gals can captivate and steal your heart. Not only does Petco sell ferrets but they buy from Marshall Farms, the largest Ferret and BEAGLE mill in the US. Also, like most mills, their pets are not just sold as pets, they are also sold as research animals. (I personally support animals for medical and certain scientific research, not for cosmetic or goverment uses. Just adding this piece of info for those that would want to know.)

See, just because they do not sell Dogs does not mean they are not supporting puppy mills!

Here is a link that might be useful: Please Do Not Buy From Marshall Farms

Well the Adams,
Sorry to hear about where Petcos ferrets come from. Maybe ferrets should be against the law to sell or own to begin with, except with a permit.
So you are against the selling of any live animals?
I bought my gorgeous betta at a Petsmart. I couldn't find a reputable breeder in my area. By the way, I was surprised they weren't in those tiny cups anymore but set up in tanks with dividers. Another gold star for Petsmart. :-)

No, I'm not against the sale of live animals. I am against animal mills and ANY company that supports these mills with the sale of live animals from them.

I really know very little about where Beta Fish come from! Anyone know?

Why do you think ferrets should be against the law? The ferret has been domesticated for a very long time. It is not known exactly when but we do know that the ancient Greeks kept them as pets.

Like I said, I was sorry to hear where Petco gets it's ferrets. I would think there would be better breeders they could buy from.
As far as them being against the law, I believe they already are in some states or at least some counties.
It seems to me, even though domesticated, they are more of an exotic and maybe a permit should be required. I've known a couple ferret owners. One good and one bad. The bad one just wanted a designer pet and would let hers run loose outside while she was with it. Yep, you guessed it. One day in the blink of an eye, it was gone. I'm not sure they can survive outside,in Texas, but if they do, they would just be another predator, like our domesticated cats preying on the natural wildlife.

As far as I know, bettas would come from breeders of tropical fish. I've bred them before and sold the babies back to the tropical fish store.

Actually, the endangered (not domesticated) Black Footed Ferret is native to areas such as Arizona and Texas.

They are outlawd in certain states, such as HI and CA, due to their ecosystem and the fear of disruption. HI inpaticular is more strict on this note, not allowing reptiles to be imported. When my sister moved to HI they had to place their cat in quarentine for a while also!

Permits for exotic animals is a whole new debate. I don't agree with owning most exotics because they are wild caught and not domesticated, whereas the ferret is domesticated and breed.
And, yes, Petco could choose to purchase their ferrets form Canadian Ferrets, but they do not! The cost isn't even a huge factor; on average a ferret runs $100 and the Canadians are usually sold for $120.

I just thought I would add - No one that is a caring breeder, be it dogs, cats, birds, fish, ferrets, gerbils etc would ever place their "offspring" in a pet shop or any other shop. It is my opinion that it is an impulse buyer that would buy in a shop vs contacting a reputable breeder of the pet you are looking for. Anything you find in a shop is being bred for one reason only, MONEY, with no concern for the animal.

animals found in shops are not always bred for money, tho a majority may be. I breed rabbits to improve the breed by breeding to a standard, Not all of the kits will be show or breeding quality. Only so many can be eaten . That leaves only a few options, sell culls to pet shops, sell culls to be used as feed for other animals or cull by killing and bury(this option seems wrong and allows for 0 economic recovery).

It is so easy to throw a male dog with a female in heat and end up with a pregnant female that gives birth to pups. Same with cats. That is not so with all creatures. Birds will not breed and hatch young unless they are happy in their environment and have a proper diet. Same with fish. So if you purchase a bird or fish from a pet store, I promise you do not have to worry about the mother of your new pet. If she's not happy, your pet wouldn't be here to begin with. Unlike the Momma dog that lives her whole life for the sole purpose to breed, give birth, nurse, and then start over again until she dies or no longer produces. Then, who knows what happens.
Ever wonder why you don't hear about Bird Mills, or Fish Mills? There is no easy money to be made. Not so with dogs/cats. That's why I will still support Petstores that refuse to sell them, yet still sell other live animals.

fancifowl, Of course no animal would produce litters of all show/breeding quality. What about keeping them until you are able to sell them as pets yourself. That is what reputable dog breeders do. They don't put them in pet shops to be sold as they care where and to whom they are going. This is the only way they can interview potential owners.

I dont want strangers coming into my barns(bio security). I dont have extra holes to spare for culls. I actually dont sell that many to pet shops.

Just a public information note: ALL puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills. They will deny it if you ask them, but they are lying. It's that simple.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Truth About Commercial Dog Breeding

FYI
The native Black Footed Ferret and the petstore ferret are not the same animal.

The ferrets sold in petstores are domestic animals bred from European ferrets long ago.

Black Footed Ferrets are highly endangered and native to the Prairies of the USA. They depended on Prairie Dogs for food and for their burrows and when cattlemen slaughtered the Prairie Dogs the ferrets died off.

Captive breeding has returned some to the wild but habitat loss and years of prejudice towards Prairie Dogs is still a problem.

Cattlemen fear their cattle might break a leg in a Prairie Dog burrow and that they eat too much grass.

I do know a petshop in the town where I used to live, got busted for throwing a puppy that had died into it's dumpster. (Hello - biohazard!!) they got into big trouble over it and the pet shop closed (yay!). Disgusting.

I have known aquarium people that have sold their fish back to the fish stores 1. when they have bred too many or 2. their fish have outgrown their tanks.

Never buy a puppy from a pet shop - every person I have ever known that did this (even AFTER I lectured them on it - I probably sound like a broken record - this is a big subject with me!) has gotten a dog that has health problems, problems due to poor socialization, likely because they were taken away from their moms too early, or the dogs are just in-bred psycho in the head dogs that you can barely train.

And if all this isn't enough...

I am sure that we can all agree that puppies int he pet stores are from mills and have been weaned too early. Some of the consequences to this are compulsive licking. Not only themselves, but your carpet, furniture, you, etc. etc. I have a 10lb Min Pin that was weened too early, he had licked a hole in the side of a couch!

Another side effect is the eating of feces. Both my Min Pin and Dobe do this, the were both weaned too early. It's really not fun when you have company and your dog brings in some treats!

Heck, it's really not fun when he brings it in, period! :-)

Cheers - Sarah

There is a small petshop in the town my boyfriend is from.

It's a great petshop. It started out just as lizards, and honestly, mostly bugs for feed. He got so big just running it out of his house, that he had to make a shop.

He now sells puppies and kittens. HOWEVER he does not get them from just anywhere. He uses local breeders. GOOD breeders. And ALL the money goes to the breeders. And they have last say of who takes an animal home. He offers space for the kittens or puppies who are getting too big, or there is no longer room for, for free. Sometimes its hard in a small town to get exposure for breeds, especially common breeds. More petshops should be like his. He makes no profit, the puppies and kittens don't come from mills, and they don't go home with just anybody. Win-Win.

Anyways, Petsmart here is the ONLY petstore (commercialized) that sells puppies and kittens. Always the same breeds, or mixes, or domestics, all the time. It's sad really.

We went there once and they had 'beagle types' who were CLEARLY hardly beagle anything at all, other than markings. And they were $1000. I nearly died. I paid not even half that for my full, pure bred and papered beagle.

Sickening.