BEWARE: Pets Unlimited in Sackville,NS is Mistreating Rats!!

Question:
 This is something a friend of mine showed me today. She was at the Pets Unlimited in Sackville, and this is what she whitnessed. Its sick, especially where she just bought a prego female and she has 3 week old babies at home...i really feel bad for her!! Is there anything you can do against this? Or is it all hopeless?? Im half tempted to take the bf's car and go to Halifax for a nice long winded visit with this manager!!
From: Agouti_Attitude (Original Message) Sent: 11/19/2004 7:53 PM

I witnessed something tonight that no rattie EVER DESERVES to go through. Me and my boyfriend Chris stopped at Pets Unlimited to take a look at the rats. Well we saw these 3 adult rats in one tank, and what seemed to be some mice babies... but upon closer inspection they indeed were NOT. These were EXTREAMILY SMALL AND MALNURISHED baby rats. And to give you a idea of how mal-nurashed they were, they were probably around 3 weeks old (had all of there fur and looked like my babies but smaller) but they were only the size of a SMALL mouse! You could see there ribs and hips... two of the black ones seemed to be dead, if not dying, and the two beige ones were basically standing and not moving, or conscious really. I immediatly called over and asked the staff what was going on. I said these babies should be double if not triple that size, and he said I'm not sure. He proceeded to open and touch the black one, the one who was fighting for a breath when I walked in indeed died when I was there. He said one of the VOLUNTEERS may have sold the mother. Which sickens me not only cause a volunteer handled the animal sales, or that it was allowed, but more so that no one HAD NOTICED these poor animals starving to death. After him informing me the manager would come try to bottle feed the ones still kicking. I Waited a HALF HOUR for the manager to come over, and I let him know I had a nursing mother at home and as a long shot could try to get her to nurse them back to heath. He denied my offer and said he would attempt to bottle feed. Yet when he walked away he only took the dead ones away, and left the two beige staggaring ones. I was purely sicked by this site and wish there was more I could have done about it.
Thank you for letting me vent.. I need to go calm down now.


Answer:
 You should (or your friend) should report it to the Humane Society or SCPA. Right away!


Answer:
 Please, have your friend report them. That is so sad.


Answer:
 Can you report them?? How would i do that? SPCA.com and file report...or should i call? Never had to do this before


Answer:
 I just found this on the Nova Scotia SPCA website:
Anyone wishing to report acts of cruelty to neglect to animals, organize branches in their area, or obtain information on the Society and its' activities, should contact the Provincial Office of the NSSPC at the following address:
The Nova Scotia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
Provincial Office
1600 Bedford Highway
Suite 422
Bedford, Nova Scotia B4A 1E8
Phone: (902) 835-4798
Fax: (902) 835-7885
Email: animals@spcans.ca


Answer:
 OK, i email that adress to ask what standing the rats woul dhave at a pet store....although at the moment, if the rats are still at the store when they open tomorrow, those babies will be out of there im surre of it!


Answer:
 Report them anyway. Hopefully the SPCA will keep an eye on them so something like this won't happen again.


Answer:
 Done and done Thanks!


Answer:
 You could also try contacting Pets Unlimited head office and tell them of this horror story.
It's truly sad.


Answer:
 Sadly, this is not unusual for Pets Unlimited. I've been boycotting them for a few years now. Please do not just take the rats out of there and leave it at that -- guaranteed there will be more to replace them tomorrow.
Typical they blamed a volunteer. Let me assure you, the paid staff is no more knowledgeable (and prolly even less caring). The sad truth is, Pets Unlimited doesn't care about the health, safety and welfare of the animals in their care. The animals to them are not pets -- they are merchandise.
Contact the SPCA and file a complaint, and keep on them about it. Lodge a formal complaint with the manager of Pets Unlimited. If need be, keep going back and complaining about any infractions you find in the store. Write everything down. Take photos. Importantly: when you're there, do NOT buy anything. If you need to find something, have a look round on the internet and see if there is another store in your area that carries that product. Tell all of your friends what a horrible store Pets Unlimited is and urge them to boycott the store. Write letters to Pets Unlimited expressing your feelings and advising them that until they clean up their act neither you nor your friends and colleagues will be spending a penny in their store.