Pets @ Home 😭

Kindness

Kindness

Junior Guinea Pig
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Jul 2, 2018
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Pets @ Home told me they no longer stock the 120 cm cages in store and you can only get them online, so when I asked what cage is recommended if you buy 2 or more guinea pigs in store I was told that they have 2 options for a group of guinea pigs depending on my budget, either the 80 cm cage or the 100 cm cage. On further inspection the books sold at my local store had minimum cage sizes for two guinea pigs as 51cm x 51cm. I have attached pictures below. According to the guidelines i could keep upto 10 guinea pigs happily in the 120cm cage. Does anyone else's store not stock the larger cages anymore? 20180812_091852.webp20180812_092003.webp20180812_091919.webp20180812_092018.webp20180812_091936.webp
 
I have no idea as I don't buy cages from stores, I've always brought mine online. I would guess that pets at home hasn't read the books but then I wouldn't really expect them to as those guidelines clearly don't match the size requirements pinned on to the cages/hutches they have in store. Might be worth complaining to the head office about this as it could be that they choose to remove the books from sale
 
That looks like such an old book! I’d definitely report it to head office; hopefully they’ll take it off the shelves as it doesn’t even meet the RSPCA minimum standards.

I think it’s terrible that 120 cages are the largest they sell. It should be the smallest option available. 80cm is only suitable as a hospital cage for one sick piggy.
 
I'm the same as Claire, I have a hospital cage which is 80cm.
my mantra is 'if you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly' i.e. go big!, be the best!

So don't despair if you can't buy in shop, defo buy online and and frankly the shop will want to move stock regardless.
 
Very old book. Please have a look at our cage size guide in the housing section.
 
Guineapigfeet said:
That looks like such an old book! I’d definitely report it to head office; hopefully they’ll take it off the shelves as it doesn’t even meet the RSPCA minimum standards.

I think it’s terrible that 120 cages are the largest they sell. It should be the smallest option available. 80cm is only suitable as a hospital cage for one sick piggy.
Click to expand...

It's quite sad to see that when I was talking with the lady in store, I told her about the RSPCA minimum and she said ' it's just a recommendation and not necessary for guinea pigs who go out in a run in the garden during the summer'.

Unfortunately until there is some kind of law passed in the UK which states a minimum sized cage for all rodents and pets then it appears companies can get away with selling cages as small as they like and the RSPCA has no control over small cruel cages and so these cages are very much legal sadly. So any book claiming cruel cage sizes are not going againts the law. I feel most sad for the poor hamsters, oh my goodness they literally sell shoe box cages for poor Hammies. These are not the only small cages Chinchillas, rats, birds, fish and other species are all subjected to a tiny plastic box with no room for exercise. The other thing which makes me sad is that I see people buying single rats or single guinea pigs, with little or no advice, which I assume is why so many are abandoned due to impulse buys, due to cheap tiny cages.😭
 
The rspca and Pets at Home work closely together, it might be worth questioning the rspca why they have (in their own words to me) 'an engagement' with a chain that ignores their suggested minimum housing sizes...although they took down their minimum guideline for hamsters so not sure what good that will do as they seem happy to support the smaller cages they sell now :(
 
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