I WENT UNDERCOVER AT A PETSTORE 🐹🐰🔍 

15 years dang!

Dang

Thank you so much for your input it might be helpful for someone else down the road especially coming from someone with experience 😊

Honestly in too lazy to read that.

@@patimalysek4409then why even comment-

Exactly how I felt, kept 16 rats over 4 years (I have 5 rn) and it broke my heart, especially as most ppl will impulse buy and they'll probably end up in tiny cages for their whole lives 💔 I'm endlessly glad I put the proper research in before getting these amazing animals so at least my babies have all had amazing lives. I just wish other ppl would also put in the research before getting any animal 😢

@@pigeoncrow6157 I know- I don’t get how people can abuse them and neglect them like that. If I saw my boys in those conditions I would take them and never let go 💔 it hits extra close to home since my rats are rescues from a hoarding and neglect situation 😢

Yeah, especially the glass!? It’ll be a miracle if they don’t have severe respiratory illness! It should be illegal to keep rats in aquariums like that.

Same! I don’t have rats but I do have mice so I am semi-familiar with rat care and those cages were heartbreaking.

@@Alexa-xl1gi Mice don’t get any better treatment, idk about mouse care but I’ve been looking into it (might start keeping mice), and mice in those conditions wouldn’t be good either, let alone a rodent 3x as big

That's incredible! I'm so glad places like that exist! Personally I'd always feel more comfortable rescuing or going to an ethical breeder than a pet shop, but for the ppl who are likely to impulse buy from a pet shop this is amazing and probably prevents so many situations where the rat parent genuinely cares about their animals but are just uneducated

@@pigeoncrow6157 absolutely! My last 8 ratties are all from my local shelter. I used to work there and now volunteer and help with their small animal care and education. There is so much people don’t realize about small animal care so the more we can get the info out there the better!

@@superfreakified. makes me proud of all the rattie RU-vidrs putting so much info out there. These animals honestly deserve the world, I don't think I would be here today without my rattie babies, past and present, and I more people definitely need to realise that they're not vermin and that they need more care than most people think. I am glad that the vast majority of people now recognise that rats need other rats, even if the rest of the care is horrific, though. It's sad when the cage etc is awful but personally I find it even more distressing to see when the rat is also alone Glad more people are learning to love them tho, they deserve it

I actually worked at a pet store (Not a chain pet store) for a while in petcare when I was young, as my first job. I loved working there. Though we did have a few more animals per cage than we should have, they had nice big cages and enclosures, clean food and water, love from the employees, and plenty of treats (Freshly cut fruits, veggies, hay treats, yogurt drops, etc... They were the same fruits and vegetables I'd have for lunch when my work got pizza. They were great to me. I have Celiac Disease and they'd make sure I had food, but also give the animals the fresh food, so you know it was good.). Many would also be gone in the next day or two, so the amount of animals per cage would dwindle quickly. We made sure they had proper medication, vet visits, and as much attention as we could give them. When people bashed pet stores, I used to be so upset because I remember working so hard to make sure they got proper care and attention. We even bonded many of our animals to be sure they would get along well before putting them together permanently and attempting to sell them together. We checked for proof that our customers to be sure they had the proper materials necessary to adopt our animals or had them buy them prior to adopting the animal. We did have to reject a few people coming in to adopt at times because we did not have assurance that they were going to offer the animal proper care. They did get angry, but it was in best interest of the animal. We had a rat that stayed out basically all day, every day. He would be on our shoulder or in our laps or on the counter in a safe spot while we monitored him. One of our lizards that had been with us for a while would sit on one of our reptile employees' head or shoulder throughout the day. Now, I know that the quality of care heavily depends on ownership, regulations in the store, and the employees, but I was naive to the thought that a store could treat their animals so poorly. I knew it wasn't great, but I didn't know even close to the extent of how bad it could be until I recently went to a Pet Smart and my heart broke. This rat had fur that looked worse than Ariel's fur when she was first rescued. She looked greatly malnourished and her fur was thin, like a midlength, smashed peach fuzz, and her eyes were half shut. She was so young. I was shocked. If she was at our store, we would have isolated her from the other rats temporarily, taking her to our backroom until we knew she was healthy, given her a high calorie mix in a syringe (I can't remember the name, but it might've been Nutrical), and taken her to our vet that treated all of our animals.

I spent 400 on an X-ray and meds 😭

@@guineapigtalks Omgosh They are making bank on these little guys. I started a small Guinea pig rescue just by happenstance about 15 years ago while I was a dog foster for a local rescue. One person ask if I could take there’s and once that word got out SO MANY people were surrendering their pigs.The first 3 months I had taken over 20 and not one had ever been to a vet. I really hate how expensive it is. 😞

@@carris2scents57 I’m in the u.s I’m glad you were able to save all those piggies

@@guineapigtalks It was 500 for one of mine!!! Absolutely crazy

Sorry but inflation is real

Also, this is coming from someone who fully understands the struggle of exotic pet surgery prices and rescuing animals who needed $700, $900+ surgeries for years before I even entered the vet med field

He said $900-$1100 range, not 500-700. Seems like 500-700 is pretty high even for a simple under skin cyst removal. I spent $1000 on my cat on Sunday night at a emergency 24 hr. Vet she stayed over night, had pain meds for a week or two and had a shunt in her debrided wound. Im in a very expensive area in general in CA. I think he is in the mid Atlantic, less expensive area than me. I mean, there isn't a hospital fee, anesthesiologist fee, ect. It's in clinic, seems excessive.

@@srhmcs1 at the end of the vid he states he payed around 500.

Imo i think its dumb that you have to pay that much to help out your companions. People have bills to pay, rent just to even stay afloat. Its sad honestly and it's understandable why hes upset

@@mollysequoia7127 that's because he opted out of multiple things that most people couldn't opt out of, as well as getting a refund of a hundred and fifty for something unrelated. The price they stated is still the usual price they charge, and is very expensive.

Completly agree. For a small animal the risks are much much higher. Thus price is higher because they need more hands on. I would have never not done pre surgery bloodwork. That helps with anthesia.

Yes!

As a LVT I completely agree. I took my rabbit to an exotics vet and paid $750 for exam/rads/bloodwork(some sent out tests) and considered this very reasonable. I even received a discount as a vet professional. The cost of care is high and staff are greatly underpaid, but do the job for the love of animals. Those who are not in the industry don’t always understand how expensive medicine is.

It's called free speech...vets have really elevated their prices...greed has taken over

what is it ?

That’s a real shame you’ve dedicated such a long time to animal medicine and you’ve been pushed out! Do you mind me asking what you’ve gone into now?

@@maisies515 It is in ways, I'm sure I'll go back to veterinary in some capacity but maybe something a little different - diagnostics or exotics perhaps. And not at all! I'm still working with animals but reptiles, inverts and aquatics in a specialist retail shop. Very different but very interesting! Veterinary is a wonderful profession but unfortunately not managed the best where I live - at least for general practice.

@@Akatsuki3519 that’s cool, I always wanted to be a vet and now I’m in clinical research. I wish animal medicine was managed better I see a lot of burnt out vets…

@@maisies515 Sounds interesting! I also considered research at one point. Yes, unfortunately burn out is far too common.

@@Akatsuki3519 I wish you luck!

Well said. I usually am all for these vlogs but this one didn't sit as well. Definitely make sure you get a vet that you trust but price shouldn't be the primary reason to pick.

Actually some vets are money hungry! I just had an experience Friday at one that I learned after from other vets and specialists in the area that they are known for over pricing!

Some vets just want money for sure! I had a horrible vet experience where I called and asked if they took in guinea pigs. They said "yea, we do"! But then when I got there, they took me and my piggy to the exam room, they took one look at her and said, "sorry we don't see guinea pigs". Ummm, what? When I went to leave the room, they made sure to tell me to pay at the checkout up front for even coming in at all... yea vets can be money hungry. They lied to me and stated they see piggies and when I arrived, they said they can't see her, but still made me pay for a consultation.

This is a good perspective, as the majority of vets aren’t money hungry & are sincerely doing their job in an underpaid under appreciated field. As someone working in human healthcare in a hospital, I can confirm human healthcare is also accused of being money hungry and can also be hugely underpaid and under appreciated. Those facing health struggles and steep medical prices will always try to find something to blame as one of their stages of grief. It’s human nature. That being said: Just because the majority is good intentioned doesn’t mean there aren’t any bad vets or bad doctors. It’s terrible to make a generalization about all of them based off of one bad one, but we still have to acknowledge it can happen and try to be understanding and patient with those it happens to. Because their trust is broken due to their experience and trust is earned. Just my thoughts. It seems Austin was very close with his vet and felt betrayed and trust had been broken. To state all vets can be money hungry was a terrible generalization, but to tell him his negative experience isn’t valid won’t help him heal and regain trust in the field.

I also think people forget about mortgage /rent, property taxes, utilities, and city-specific business fees and permits. Some cities are MUCH more expensive to operate a business in and the business isn't going to survive if they foot all those extra costs.

I had a guinea pig with beutiful hair that had to have a cyst removed. It'll grow back just as cute as ever.

Same in Lithuania! Every time I learn how much they pay to their vets I feel so lucky I don't live there lol :D

My 2/3 boys are costing me around 600 (+) for their eyes, meds, & my 1 (Slash) for x rays & more x rays. They told me they can't tell if he's having internal problems or teeth problems. I hafta drop him off for a day bc I think they said they had to give Slash anesthesia to thoroughly check him. But they did leave me w/ some get fat quick food for him. So that's good. Bc he really was getting skinny 😭. Was calling him my little caterpillar for a bit. Anything for my messes tho. They're so extra w/ everything. Even tho they all have their own things. Sometimes I catch them sitting in their own food bowels bc I guess they're that greedy. Pooping in them sometimes too. Lol, my guys can't be the only 1s doing this? There health problems make me feel so bad & guilty as a pet owner tho. Bc its like do they fight? Me: not that I really notice. .. Bc they do enjoy bugging each other 😔 ... But it's not full blown fights tho. drom what I c anyways. Also my boys: hiding under 1 hidey sometimes bc y not. They're that smol. How big is their cage? Me: ? Idk but it's the size of a living room. A room that's only theirs. w/ a little fun maze 😁😍. At least I'd like to believe we're trying our best at being the "perfectest" owners

$325?!??? DUDE! guess I really know nothing abt guinea pigs (?) I guess bc they're so small or something? Idk man, a neuter is cheaper from what's I've seen for most animals so EEK!

I KNOWW ☹️☹️

So lucky! My bunny has E.C and my exotic vet is in NYC. I live in NJ with no car. I'm still paying off $4,000 in vet fees for him :(

We spent about $2500 on our dog's Valley Fever treatment and testing. No surgery. Also in Phoenix.

I live in Canada too, and that price still seems a bit high. I payed a similar price to have my rabbits eye removed. But i know vets located outside the city Cost a lot less.

@@Specogecko there is only one exotics vet in my city, so unfortunately they do charge above average. Even though I’m in a big city in Alberta.

I think the suicide rate is so high because of all the animals they have to turn away/watch suffer and can’t help due to costs. Many of them have huge hearts and want to help but if they did they’d go broke. Not to mention the people who bring dogs to be put down that don’t ‘need’ to be put down. You save them all you drown yourself. As an animal lover I couldn’t go into that field without worrying for my mental health.

Idk, we had a 30 minute emergency checkup that charged $300 for our cat when he stopped eating. They gave us mouth numbing medication. Took him in 2 days later when he started peeing blood and they said it'd either cost us several thousand just to have them do tests and everything to figure out what is going wrong or put him down & we ended up having him put down because they said at that point that his chances of surviving were too low.

He said he paid 500 in the end not 900

Welcome to the family! I sell the bunk beds and they can be purchase at my website www.thepigroom.com 💕

I will definitely be shopping there! Thank you!