#animal neglect

[monqii]

[homeofhousechickens]

I hate humanity

[purrplexed]

ok I know y’all probably have heard this before, but PetSmart is incredibly negligent for their care of aquatic pets. Especially Betta Fish.

This is how PetSmart wants you to see them:

A happy, healthy Betta Fish. Well, this is how they look in their stores:

Betta fish need a minimum 3 gallon tank, a heater, filter, plants and hiding places, and to be out of sight of other male bettas. These Bettas being sold are in literal plastic cups. They stay there until they are bought or die. They swim in their own waste, get fungal and bacterial infections, and even self-mutilate due to stress and boredom.

THIS is an ideal setup for a single Betta:

After feeling feisty today, I decided to interact with them to see how they’d respond:

They haven’t responded, which I totally expected. This is just a reminder that pet store corporations don’t give a shit about the animals in their care. Don’t buy Bettas from PetSmart, and if you have, do your research to provide them the proper care they need.

[kedreeva]

"my chicken can't walk and is flopping over/weak, but she's eating and drinking fine" ma'am I can guarantee you that she is Not, i am begging you to learn what a body condition score is and to feel your bird's keel once in a while

*rubs face with both hands* this is the same problem I ran into a few weeks ago doing an NPIP test, I got to their peafowl and they were all BAR but they were emaciated. I told them, you gotta do something, you've gotta get them on a better feed first of all, but something is Wrong. I showed them how to feel, told them what they're feeling for. They had ONE bird that was still almost normal (the bird they got from me a few years ago, and while I'm still very annoyed, I'm very pleased my guy was resistant) that I was able to use to show them comparison.

but like.... please. I'm begging. put your hands on your birds. feel them up. actually touching bird breasts is an essential part of health checking fowl... they have Many Feathers and that contour isn't going to change much unless they're dying. They're prey animals that will do their goddamn best to look normal and healthy until they are dying and physically cannot hide it anymore. But you can catch it before then!! you can feel the keel!! give 'em a lil belly rub for their health!

[woozymitts]

Hiiii I’ve been looking at FB groups and online forums for animal information lately and I’m going so insane that I made a fucking bingo card.

FIRST ROW:

Ignores every single file/pinned post, asks questions already answered in said posts/files

Gets an exotic pet without first making sure there’s a knowledgeable vet in the area

Brings up politics for no reason

Feeding their animal the worst diet/treats possible, is surprised when it gets sick

Buys a rodent from the feeder bin and brags about how they “rescued” it

SECOND ROW:

Gets a pet, asks questions about basic care they should have already known before getting said pet

Asks for help, proceeds to get angry and ignores all advice

Animal is clearly sick or dying, asks people online instead of contacting vet

Does nothing to train pet, wonders why it’s misbehaving

Gives animal zero enrichment or ability to express natural behaviors (digging, climbing, etc.)

THIRD ROW

Clearly did not read the group/forum rules at all

Complains about people owning undomesticated, wild or exotic pets while also owning an undomesticated, wild or exotic species

Free Space

Complains no one wants to get into the breed/hobby, yet acts extremely hostile to newcomers for no reason

Roleplaying as their pet

FOURTH ROW

Handles and drops a fragile species, is shocked when it dies

Can’t tell the sex of their very sexually dimorphic species

Gets a pet without being able to afford the most basic care like food, toys, etc.

Old people complaining about the younger generation

Gets an animal with a high prey drive, is shocked and upset when it kills other animals

FIFTH ROW

Gets a high energy working breed, gives it no job or enrichment, is shocked when it destroys their house

Anthropomorphizes their animal to the point that it’s very clearly sick and/or dying

Gets an obligate carnivore or insectivore, upset that animal needs to eat meat or insects

Angrily announces their departure from the group/forum after being yelled at by mods

Cage is way too big or way too small 

I tried to keep these funny/lighthearted but there’s so many people openly neglecting their animals that it drives me nuts. I also tried to keep this as pet-neutral as possible so that it can apply to pretty much any species, but there are mentions of specific species.

[moveslikekeithrichards]

i get a call this morning saying i need to bring betta food & a plant to work bc the school cop has a betta fish on his desk in just a piss-poor setup & im like Huh?????????????? & i get there & i go "hey officer ed what the FUCK is up with this fish" & he goes I Dont Know Where It Came From And Now Its On My Desk and it turns out some numbnut came up with the bright idea to get a Real Live Fish to lure this stubborn preschooler munchie off the bus so she can carry it down the hall in what i can only assume is a full-blown finding nemo situation & now i have to go to petsmart to get Fish Supplies so officer ed (clueless) can take care of this fish he never signed up for (which munchie is definitely going to kill) bc whoever bought the damn thing didnt think to get anything whatsoever except a dinky little tank to put it in. basically a ton of work for a bunch of people who had nothing to do with this fish thats definitely going to die and also not serve its intended purpose at all bc munchie has already lost interest in it

[pines-pokemon-center]

[@pokebreedsadoption] It's always lovely seeing more people helping Pokémon get adopted! I'd suggest to go ahead and share the less 'stereotypically pretty' Pokémon-they're all beautiful inside, I'd say! I also have to ask, what was the weirdest Pokémon you guys got in?

-Caretaker Hiroshi

Okay I'll share a picture of her... but be warned! It might be a little hard to look at ):

This is our girl, Succulent! Or at least that's what we've named her right now. She didn't have a name when we got her. ): She's a mix of a Leafon and a Glaceon. A very rare case of an Eevee getting exposed to two stones at once and picking both instead of just one! How cool is that?!

We got her from a small lab that got shut down for mistreating its Pokemon ): She's pretty thin right now and we're slowly building up her weight again. She's having some slight trouble gaining weight and we've decided to not adopt her out until she's nice and healthy. Give this girl love and support!!

-Mike

[todaysbird]

Budgie anon, thanks for the advice! I didn’t think of trying dried veggies, my birds were rescued from a hoarder and are just barely starting to find things like toys interesting so something I could mix into their pellets seems like a good stopgap until they get a bit more willing to try new things. Getting them on pellets was really easy so maybe this will help them realize that they can eat literally anything other than pellets, nutriberries, and millet. I love them so so much but they can be a little stubborn about this stuff

I’m glad you found it helpful! I’m thankful you rescued your budgies from that situation. I can definitely empathize, it’s definitely not your fault that your birds don’t like foods that were never offered to them previously! I’d also like to link this easy birdie bread recipe as a place to start to get them trying new things :)

On that note, another trick I used for my originally very finicky parrotlets - sprinkling millet, their favorite food, on a soft food like mashed sweet potato (just broken up, not prepared for humans with added salt/butter etc). Once a little got in their beaks, they got more used to the novel taste/texture and ended up being willing to try more after a few times.

[intersexfairy]

i firmly believe that if you are not willing to take care of a pet you should not have a child - especially if the pet or child is disabled. why would you force a living being to depend on you when you won't care for it? that is a good way to get them traumatized, permanently harmed, or dead. so unless that's your goal, don't have a pet or child until you're actually going to care for one.

[skybound-joys]

There is an animal at the end of the hall, waiting for an apology that will never arrive.

Round wet eyes stare blankly as it leaves

Swaddled tightly in a towel made of fiberglass and spun sugar.

Guilt caught and splintered underneath overgrown nails

Copper and candy blended seamlessly with drool dripping down a stinking jaw.

The animal did not bark. It was unable to.

The animal did not bite. It would never.

But the house was stained with piss and viscera trash piling next to the tv held up with only a box.

Soft cries drowning in the static

Having the gall to demand an ounce of kindness from the walls it lived in, unable to find pity in a rotting house

The animal was put down last Tuesday

Nothing more than another bloated and soft body covered in fleas and mats.

The world moved on without a skipped breath unaware that anything was missing.

There is no longer an animal at the end of the hall.

It has gotten its apology.

[russetfur1128]

I have a sad announcement to make:

I signed over my service dog today.

I made a post in the local pets Facebook group the other day calling out what was going on with my service dog. I got a lot of rightful outrage from people, as well as a few people offering legal resources and many people praying for his return.

Well, today the officer showed up to "answer questions" and just danced around the issue. She claimed that she wasn't required to give any paperwork as to why he was taken, that it wasn't up to her when he got returned, that she wasn't in charge of what goes on at the shelter, that he was at large (then the neighbor who was outside told her that he wasn't because she saw him being walked by my aunt) that he didn't have his tags, that he didn't have his license (she didn't know about that until 3 days after she took him), and then settled back on me being homeless like she had before. Then later said that she only took him because it's policy to take every animal in the household when there's even one they have to take. (Which isn't true because the other two times she's taken animals, she hasn't taken them all, and she didn't do it this time, either)

The conversation ended up veering to my cats that I signed over for adoption, and she mentioned that "A couple" had been euthanized due to illness. I figured that Gravy had been one of them, as he had a bad ear infection when she took him. I asked if she could tell me which cats were put down, and she went to her car to look them up.

All but 4 of my cats were euthanized. Gravy for his ear infection, the rest for upper respiratory infection. For those who don't know what a URI is, it's a cold that is easily treated using antibiotics. They killed my cats because they couldn't be bothered to treat a cold.

Aphrodite, Scooter, Boo, and Vegas were adopted.

Angel, Marcy, Sully, Pepper, and Kristoph were killed.

Angel, Sully, and Kristoph who were just babies. Marcy who survived parvo at 2 months old. Pepper who survived 3 years alone and abandoned. These cats who deserved so much better, yet they didn't even get to have their names when they died, because the officer "Doesn't have time to enter that many names"

I understand that Gravy had a very severe ear infection. That I could understand. But then to go on to put Angel down, and leave Vegas the only survivor of her litter was cruel. To put down Sully and adopt Boo, splitting up a bonded pair, was cruel. To adopt out Aphrodite, but put down her brother was cruel.

After all of this, she mentions the two cats she had left in my care and says that she will be trying again to get an injunction against me. She then says that she could drop the whole thing if I just signed over Dudley, my service dog. I told her that I had told her before that I didn't want to do that, and she reiterated that she would be refiling the paperwork for the injunction if I didn't, and that if it went through, I would lose the two cats I had left.

I didn't want to risk losing any more animals, so I reluctantly signed Dudley over.

This whole situation was absolutely disgusting. I have been in contact with a lawyer a few times, and I know for a fact that they ARE required to give the owner paperwork regarding the reason they take an animal. I know for a fact that they are not required to take every animal at the residence. On top of it all, this officer decides to BLACKMAIL me in order to get my service dog.

To say I am unhappy is putting it lightly.

[bee-whistler]

Got the chance to do the “I would totally do the thing” today when this lil shaver ran out into the road and two of us stopped just in time.

I wish I’d had the luxury of choosing where to take her but I’m new to the area and found her while in an unfamiliar city. I know it might upset some people to suggest this so I’ll tag the post, but if she doesn’t find a home it’s better to just go to sleep with a full belly than to get run over.