[Nikki+2]

Originally Posted by Erin

Don't most of the small animals in pet stores come from mills, just like puppies in pet stores do?

They do. HelpingAnimals.com // Help An Animal // Factsheets // Pet Shops: No Bargain for Animals

Birds, rabbits, and mice and other rodents are often mistakenly thought of as “starter pets” and sell very well, so pet shops keep their stores stocked with them. They, too, come from mill-like breeding facilities or from mom-and-pop operations that aren’t even minimally regulated.

Sugar gliders, chinchillas, tarantulas, some bird and reptile species, and others are often called “exotics.” The journey for many of these animals begins in places such as Australia, Africa, and the jungles of Brazil. Closer to home, 20,000 prairie dogs are torn from their homes in Texas every year and shipped to pet stores.(1) The few laws and penalties that exist hardly dissuade dealers when compared to the money that can be made from smuggling: Prices on animals’ heads range from a few bucks for a giant cockroach to tens of thousands of dollars for a hyacinth macaw.(2,3)

I was pretty surprised at a previous post expressing concern that pet stores could be affected negatively. Animal lovers should want to see the end to every store that sells animals.