The cute mouse you saw in Petco yesterday is about to be fed alive to someone’s snake.
The Truth about Rats and Mice in Pet Stores
The dirty secret that the pet industry doesn’t want you to know is that some of the small mammals sold in stores aren’t destined to be companions, they’re bred to be eaten alive. The “feeder rodent industry” refers to breeding small mammals, primarily mice and Norway rats, to be sold as food for reptiles, often snakes. People who keep reptiles may also feed them guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, and rabbits. “Feeder animals” are sold alive or frozen.
The number of animals hurt and killed by the “feeder” industry is massive. The American Pet Products Association estimates close to six million households in the US have at least one reptile.
No Laws Protect Most “Feeder Animals”
Mice and rats (along with reptiles, amphibians, and fishes) aren’t protected by the federal law that’s supposed to regulate the pet industry. The Animal Welfare Act provides some minimal protections for certain animals, including guinea pigs, parakeets, and puppies. The law has weak standards for animal care and is not meaningfully enforced.
But mice and rats are excluded, so the industry is free to do whatever it wants with these animals. We know regulated mills have long track records of horrific animal cruelty. Can you imagine what’s happening to the animals who have been left behind?
Shut Down the “Feeder Animal” Industry
Yes, snakes and other reptiles eat mice and rats in the wild. But those animals didn’t suffer every day before their deaths. They were free to explore their habitats, be with their families, and choose where and how to spend their time. Animals sold in the pet industry are bred in cruel mills where they’re crammed into small cages and denied veterinary care and enrichment. The life of a “feeder animal” is one of pain and fear.
The reptiles trapped in the pet industry are also suffering. Most of the reptiles sold in the US for use as “companions” are also bred in mills, though some are captured from their homes in the wild. Either way, every reptile in a pet store will spend their entire life in a small cage or tank. Neither reptiles nor “feeder animals” belong in stores.
End the “feeder animal” industry by ending the sale of animals in pet stores. Tell PetSmart and Petco to stop selling animals and ask your local legislators to ban retail animal sales.