Each year, millions of animals are bred in cruel mills or captured from their natural habitats just to be sold in pet stores alongside chew toys, grooming supplies, and leashes.
In recent years, more people have become aware that dogs and cats suffer immensely when bred and sold for profit. But, snakes, parrots, turtles, gerbils, and even monkeys are just some of the other animals bred in captivity or removed from the wild to fuel the commercial pet trade.
Whether they are born in captivity or poached from the wild, whether it’s legal to possess them or not – it’s all cruel. And this trade is growing fast.
Watch our video showing content captured by US Department of Agriculture inspectors of a major small animal supplier, Sun Pets, to learn more about the suffering behind the pet trade.
Why is it bad to buy animals from a pet store?
- Basic needs not met: Most animals suffer immensely without the space and freedom to express their natural behaviors, such as foraging, flying, or socializing. At least 75% of snakes, lizards, tortoises and turtles purchased from a pet store die within one year.
- Cruel captive breeding: The vast majority of animals sold in stores are bred in mills where they are crowded together and mortality is high.
- Shipping and transport: These animals suffer long before they reach store shelves or our homes. Many animals suffocate and die in transit on the long journeys from the breeders. Animals who are captured from the wild may be taken to different countries or continents.
- Insufficient nutrition: It’s challenging to replicate animal diets, leading to malnutrition. For example, captive green iguanas can suffer from soft bones due to poor diet
- Dangerous contact with humans: Handling small mammals, like hamsters and guinea pigs, or wild animals like birds and turtles, is extremely distressing to the animals, especially if handled by small children. Handling reptiles and amphibians can also make humans seriously ill.
- Confined in tiny spaces: Reptiles are usually kept in tanks while birds are caged. In the wild, these animals fly or roam for miles.
Adopt an animal instead.
While we fight to end the commercial pet trade, shelters and rescues around the US are struggling to care for the animals surrendered to their care. We encourage those who are able to provide safe, secure homes for animals to contact a local rescue group to inquire about fostering or adopting animals in need.
Sign our #AnimalsNotProducts pledge to never buy an animal from a pet store.
We know animals can bring joy to our lives.
However, many people who buy animals from pet stores are unaware of the incredible suffering these animals endure and cruel system of breeding mills they are supporting by doing so.
We encourage everyone to help protect animals from commercial exploitation.
