Does anyone have any tips?

We're buying a pet store that has been in business for only a year and a half, so pratically brand new..

does anyone have tips or any advice?

thanks for all your help in advance!
James

Well, what kind of animals will you be selling? All kinds, or small animals?

I will tell you one thing, I get a lot of information on how different animals are selling by a buddy of mine who works at a pet store. I have heard that lizards and reptiles are not selling very well. Word of caution.

I love lizards and am working on helping keep my buddy's store in business by purchasing animals he can't seem to get rid of. I am working on getting his Sandfish (which are quite rare) because they aren't doing too well and no one wants them.

Hermit crabs tend not to sell too well unless you have a maniac like me in town. But also, hermies a lot of times get sold to the wrong people. If you do sell them, be sure to have care packets on hand (I can send them to you if need them) so they at least have some information on how to take care of their new hermies.

My buddy says salt water set ups are doing alright. He is changing his store into basically a salt water palace because that seems to be the only big seller. That, and birds. Birds seem to go fast also. Especially African Greys and Lovebirds.

Any other help you need, feel free to ask. You can e-mail me if you wish at LilWurm@comcast.net

Good luck with your business and please keep up on your animals! I see far too many pet stores who just don't take good care of their animals and it makes me sad. :cry:

I would gladly be available for consultation on the housing and care etc of hamsters, rats, guineas, or rabbits. I'll will give you a few tips right now-

don't put them on cedar
give them a wheel
seperate by sex
call the hamsters their REAL names, and none of that teddy-bear, panda-bear nonsense

what do you recc. I use for the bottoms of the cages of the small animals.... (hamsters, mice, bunnies, etc.)....
I used to use the grey all recycled stuff for my hamsters when I used to have them a few years back....

thanks for any help!!!
jjfedas@yahoo.com

If you sell guniea pigs, make sure to seperate them by sex. Also, make sure they are not living in a glass tank. They need a cage with good ventilation, and a cage where they can run around in. The general rule is 1 guniea pig for cage. Make sure each cage has water, pellets, and hay available to the guniea pigs at all times. For the bedding of a guniea pig, use a good kiln dried pine, or just use a bedding like carefresh. Never use cedar shavings.

The gray recycled stuff is called Carefresh. That is a very good bedding to use. You can also use a bedding called Critter Care.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask here, or e-mail me at matrey7@ptd.net

Baby rabbits should get Alfalfa hay.. When they become an adult, thats when you give them Timothy hay. For food, make sure you give the babies Natural. None of that crap that contains dried bananas, sunflower seeds, etc, its usually called "Mardi Gras", because it will get stuck between their teeth. And its not good. Check up on their feces.. If during the day, there is WET feces (clumped up, looks really wet, nothing close to the normal day poop), keep a close eye on them. Rabbits have two different types of feces; Day feces, and Night feces.. They are supposed to eat their night feces. If they dont, something could be wrong..

Make sure the hamsters are seperated, between size and type.

If you sell feeder mice. Make sure that the lid is on tight. And if you do happen to find mice running rapid through out the store (it will happen). Do NOT put them in with the feeder mice. Due to not know whats on the ground, chemicals, rat poisoning, etc. And if you put one of the mice in with the rest of the mice, the other mice will sense that the mouse is weak, and they will eat it. Sprending what ever that mouse had to the rest of them. And when another gets weak from it, they will eat that one, and so on. And you cant sell these mice, because if they ate rat poisoning, and someone feeds it to their snake, the snake will die.

Be careful about letting customers just hold things. For instance a rabbit, if its picked up wrong it could become paralyzed. Dont take the chance.

Reptiles, in my store, they sell very well. Make sure your crickets are stocked.

Dont wash the aquarium glass with ANY type of cleaner. Water works perfectly, (doesnt streak either). Because cleaners contain the same ammonia that causes problems in fish tanks, dont take the chance.

AND PLEASE!!! DO NOT ACCEPT ANY ANIMALS THAT YOU DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE TAKING BECAUSE YOU THINK THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG. YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO SAY NO.

If you need help with anything else, just let me know. I'm a small animals manager at Pet Supplies "Plus". And I've worked here for over 3 years now. So if you have any questions, just lemmie know.

And please please please. If you can control it. Try keeping Bio-Spot and Hartz flea medication off your shelves. It causes cancer in dogs and cats.

wow.. thanks everyone for you info.....

I dont plan on selling reptiles right away as I am not confterable around them enought to handle them and I dont know if the demand will be huge in the Boston area....

I know I am doing puppies, kittens, mice, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, hermit crabs, freshwater fish, betta fish....

oh, does anyone know of a good pet wholesale, for any animals please... this is the info I cant find..

where do you get your fish from for pet pupplies plus?? If you can share...

thanks everyone, keep the great info coming!
James

Oreo, all I can say is don't buy your puppies or kittens from puppy/kitten mills.

no I wont..
i cant even find a puppy mill or a pet breeder!!!!

Are puppy mills all over the place? most articles Ive read says they are in like Mi and MN... I dunno....

no but I def wont buy from them! no worries!

If you can't find breeders in Boston, just go to www.google.com and search 'Dog Breeders In Boston' in something like that.

The pet stores in my area invite local rescues to set up in their stores instead of selling puppies and kittens themselves. It sells tons of puppy and kitten supplies, but they don't have to pay for any of the animals or their upkeep, so it seems to work really well.

For sure keep care sheets on hand, and make sure that your staff actually knows about the animals you're selling. I can't tell you how many animals my family has killed because we didn't know any better than to trust what the people in the pet store were telling us. I personally would pay much more to buy from a store that actually cared for the animals, and would direct people to more appropirate pets for their situation.

more to add on guinea pigs and rabbits and such DO NOT house them on a wire floor, it causes bumblefoot! and they can get their legs broken.....

separating them by sex is a MUST a person DOES NOT want to buy a cute guinea pig or rabbit (etc) , and end up with several!

Guinea pigs do NOT need an exercise wheel or ball, thier backs are not made to bend like that!

I do small animal rescue (guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets...etc...) so if you need any additional info, please email me @ jrosler04@wmconnect.com

thanks
I think i am all set on the small animals
I am having ahard time finding a breeder of puppies for pet stores...
does anyone know of anybody ??

James

well when u get info on keeping pets be sure to get 2nd opinion because some people use bad handling techniqes meaning if u sart bad techniqes thenu tell ur employes about the techniqes they will use those bad techiqes the pets will be in pain and not live as long then the owners set mad because the pet didnt live long so get a 2nd opinion even a 3rd if u dont feel safe about it and if u cant get any more opinions then test with 1 animal and check for all signs of pain, but make sure they r already alright becasue it could be a good tech. but the animal sick. make sure the factors are good to start off with. you can get info on breeding pups from dog forums and breeding other animals from there respective forum and make sure that they have big enough cages so they can move and get exosice to prevent obiseity.

Another thing to add...Please read around the internet, and find the proper ways to hold all small animals. For example, you should not pick a guniea pig up by squezzing it's sides, as that may break the piggie's ribs. You should put one hand underneath the guniea pig, and one hand on the back end of the guniea pig, and pick it up. Also, make sure that no one other then store employees pick the animals up.

Another good idea would be to make a care sheet for all animals that you will be selling. This way, when a animal is bought, the consumer knows how to care for the animal properly. Very cheap to do, but could save the lives of many.

How are you. Congrads. I know just how hard it is to go into business for yourself. And how stressfull it can be. That's great. I actually opened www..com in Toronto, Canada. And it has been going pretty well. I find that people are interested in Fashion items more so then basics for their pets. If you have any questions and if I can help in anyway please feel free to ask. I wish I had someone to talk to about this while in the process of getting started. So that I would have to learn from my own mistakes.

<< Moderator Note: Self Promotion not allowed. Warning. >>

check the newspapers and like someone suggested earlier, look on google.

but it IS a lot better to support the local shelter instead of buying puppies. they take animals off the streets that otherwise would be destroyed, they spend time with them to get to know the personality and friendliness, they take good care of the animals, they ensure neuter/spays, along with checks for multiple diseases.. for instance, some kitten breeder could check them for worms and give them advantage, but do you really think they'll be FiV checked? or for leukemia? think about this before you get all your animals from a crazy woman with 18 chihuahua pups, 42 kittens and only one litter box.

Why don't you contract out for local breeders? They sell their puppies in your store and you take a percentage plus charge them a fee for food and care as long as the puppy stays. Our local petstore does this- they only carry shih tzus, poodles, and cockers, though- I guess for that reason. :)

I like the shelter idea better- get them to bring their cute puppies and dogs and kittens up- and you can make a little, but mainly help animals that need a home- AND give yourself a good image in the process!

oh yeah I do understand completly....

the pet store would literally be a mile down the street from the local shelter, but they NEVER get puppies (from personal exp. and from volunteers/doctors).. and when they do they are gone within the first day...

the store would not have space for full grown dogs, (which is what the animal shelter has)...the store is only 900 sqft...

I hear a lot from people who do not want to adopt puppies, while there are a lot of misconseptions, many people I have talked to would not adopt and will only buy from a breeder or petstore! I myself would do either, and have!

I am just trying to figure out if the Boston market is right for selling puppies, I would have no more then 8 pup's at a time, thats all the space I could hold.

Plus I dont want to take away from teh shelter, but on the other hand it IS a service that people DO want.....

Can I ask you please not to carry hairless hamsters? I don't think a petstore can properly police who they are sold to. I am making this request of all pet stores- not just you. I am making a little progress with Petco, though petsmart was quite rude tome about it- but it is important to know that hairless hamsters are not like other hamsters in a lot of ways and they need to be homes with 100% educated persons.

I've never heard of hairless ahmsters,,, just hairless G. Pigs,,, dont worry they sound scarey to me! LOL

Well... meet Gillette... she had a sad beginning, but is the happiest of hamsters now. :)

http://www.smartgroups.com/picvault/24100346.jpg/rooftop.jpg


I am very pleased to know that you are doing your best to insure the utmost quality for your animals. I would very much be blessed to have such a quality store in my area. :)

omg! toooooo cute
is she eating an ice cream come? I never knew hammies ate those, I had for years and never knew cool!!!

Yes- Gillette loves her icecream cones- excellent sugarless treat!

Caresheets for small animals are a very good thing- and I mentioned before- proper labeling- it is important to call a syrian a syrian. Kids will argue you down that they have two black bears and the can, too live together!!! I hate all that cosmetic name stuff- something else I've been bugging petstores about! I am a computer-chair lobbyist, it seems. :)

I'm a petco/petsmart frequenter and I've never seen or heard of a hairless hamster OR guinea pig.. my mother is afraid of rodents, so I haven't had much experience in that field..

back to the pups though, you could do shelter days like someone suggested and let them bring some animals in. I live in San Diego so I don't know anything about Boston or their pet overpopulation issues, but here we always have tons of extra kittens and the like needing homes. Adoption fees are so high though!

.. maybe you could frequent the shelter (I guessed from the fact that you've adopted from them means you already do), and get them to bring a couple of the nicest dogs over for a visit. Maybe you could even adopt another dog as sort of a "store mascot," letting people understand he was a shelter dog with a wonderful disposition and so on. If you do have puppies, advertising for the shelter might take away a customer or two, but you're saving a dog's life and getting the animal loving community on your side, which is a wonderful thing for a pet store owner.

When you can make a differance in the world even if it is just a little by helping a few steet animals out why not. Congrads again.

.com deals with high end pet fashion and accessories. I would love to be able to help out the way you are. More people should think like you in the world. And good luck!
Kristina
.com

<< Moderator Note: Self Promotion not allowed. In this thread alone, you've already spammed your url 3 times. Last Warning. >>

Does anyone have any tips?

We're buying a pet store that has been in business for only a year and a half, so pratically brand new..

does anyone have tips or any advice?

thanks for all your help in advance!
James


My advice is to have adoptions! Do not sell aniamsl but have adoption of all differnt kinds, birds, cats, dogs etc!

Have a staff trainined with handouts for people looking for a pet. Give them rescue information and how to choose a responsible breeder!

Customer service, carry good foods (innova, california natural and a prepackage raw food among others) trian your staff in choosing dog foods and reading lables.

Personally you couldnt just "adopt" pets. Because you will be spending money on bedding, food, water, health problems, etc. And from being a manager in Small Animals at Pet Supplies Plus, and taking business classes to open up a pet store of my own, I have learned this is a bad idea, and the cost of bedding, food, water, etc, does add up. I thought about the entire "adopt a pet" because I mean, you go to other stores that have puppy mills right? Those places dont have much respect, because well, the puppy mills. And the dogs are priced so high, and theres so many, most likely they are going to be there for a while, BUT, when a kid comes into a store with a "free" dog aka adoption, and goes mommy mommy look this dog is free. Yes, you would probably get rid of more dogs the the pound due to bringing customers in for dog food, cat food, cages, etc. BUT you are not going to be making any money yourself. You can sell it for a low cost, yes. But just "adopting" pets, is not going to make you any money. Yes it is a thoughtful idea, but in order to have a running pet store, you must have something to bring in money. And dog food, and every other product in a pet store, is not going to make up for the money you spent taking care of those animals in the long run. And you can not give rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters away.. You just cant. Because then people take them for FOOD for their SNAKES, or their SOFTSHELL Turtle. And believe me, many snake owners and other reptile owners that own something that do eat these things, would LOVE to get ahold of animals like this. Then YOU lose respect from people that love these animals, and there goes a group of customers. And believe it or not, it will be very costly to hire a veterinarian to neuter or spay these animals. Even to just look over them.

YOU personally will not adopt the pets, you / your store will not be dealing anything with the adoptions. That is what the rescues and shelters do. You donate the space, they take care of everything else. INCLUDING walking the adopter around the store showing them some items they will need.

You loose nothing, you do not supply anything except the space.

Yes, it is a hudge success.

Countdown to the 2 Millionth Adoption:
1,982,189 as of September 19, 2004.

http://www.petsmart.com/adoptions/index.shtml

I love these forums for this exact reason you see on this thread. Everyone has different views and its so interesting to see all sides of things. This is an excellent THREAD.

You know the answers to all those questions that's why your in business. You did however come across as being a little frustrated. I know this sounds strange but if you take a step back. Maybe even a time out, I find it really helps and the rest will all come. Good Luck.

I apologise I was only trying to help. I won't comment again. I wasn't giving you life edvise. I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE HELPFUL. I AM SORRY AGAIN. Hope you feel better I didn't mean to upset you. I will however start relating more to thread.

The reason why I enjoy these threads is beCause of everyones different opinion on things. I'm sorry you took my comment so seriously. I write online, because I might need help with something.
Sincerely Sorry;
Kristina

1) Which animals do you have experience of caring for? (What species, and how much experience for each?) I have had everything from dogs and cats, to fish, to hermit crabs... If its a domestic animal I have had it as a pet!!

2) Who will care for the animals? I will

3) Do you envisage your profit coming primarily from the sale of animals, or fromthe sale of food and accessories? I think a lot of sales on puppies and fish, but also supplies.

4) What animals, exactly, do you intend to sell? What percentage of each will make up your stock? Most basic pet shop animals...

5) What experience do you have of the retail business? I have been a manager in retail for 5+ years

6) what provision will you make for people to whom you sell a sick animal by mistake? Will you insure all the animals so that you can get veterinary treatment easily? In my state we have a 14 day health warranty required by law on all puppies and kittens. Other animals will be either 5 or 7 day retun policy. I expect most animals will leave healthy.

7) If someone comes to you to tell you that an animal you sold them is sick. how will you deal with that? Do you have a plan whereby you can take the animal to the vet? How will you advise the customer? this will be based upon my return policy, as long as its within the first 2 weeks I am required by law to take the animal back.

8) How do you intend to maintain your stock of animals for sale? Will you breed yourself, or will you have suppliers? If you wil have suppliers, how will you make sure that the animals you buy will have been well-cared for? I will have dog suppliers, already have some lined up (and they are NOT puppy millers), small animals I will breed myself.

9) If you intend to breed animals for sale yourself, how will you make sure that (a) you make sufficient money while (b) taking good care of the animals? I will start with a healthy stock from a wholesaler and just breed as necessary.

thanks!

hope you can help me!

James,

You can have a successful store without selling puppies or kittens! Puppymills & brokers are horrible. No reputable breeder will sell a litter of puppies to a pet shop. If you feel you must have dogs, let Greyhound rescue & other non profit rescues come so these poor dogs that have been through h-l can find good permanent homes. People are getting educated these days about not buying pups & kitties from pet stores. Do yourself & the animals a favor.

Rhonda

we at our store have 5 people now worknig to run the store. 1 groomer, 1 orderer, and we all work to run the front of the store. i deal with the water changes on fish and turtles. the otheres mostly handle the kittens, and puppies. i clean pans, litter boxes, lizards, snakes.i started a year ago, i know alot about fish so they snagged me up. but we do have a problem wiht upper respiratory infections, eye colds, and mange 2 x's now. if you are gonna take in animals the health and appearance is the utmost importance. i so i could tell you alot about different animals but not everything about them. so if you hire staff get there knowledge. enjoy its a fun experience.

ps. fleas and earmites must be inspected prior to accepting them, if its a dirty animal turn it away tell them to wash it before they bring it back with a problem.

Pet Store Puppies, Puppy Mills, Commercial and Backyard Breeders
You might not be as aware as you think!

http://www.wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm#puppymills

Well, I bought a pet store in Baltimore, MD in 1993. I kept that store in business for 8 years and the mall that i was in decided to end my stay when my contract was ending. I passed around the thought of moving to a new location but decided that it was too much work for the little money you make. Now i am a police officer on the Eastern Shore of MD.

I can tell you that you will not make much money on any reptiles you try to sell. There isnt much market for them and tehy are sometimes a liability due to staff always wanting to feed them. You have to be very strict with who feeds your animals. Otherwise you will have 8 people trying to feed one snake. THat snake will most likly eat all 8 mice then be sick and then you have problems. Also DO NOT GET INVOLVED WITH LARGE BIRDS. This is a mistake that i made that cost me thousands!!!!!!!! They are hard to sell and very hard to care for. They cost you about $1,000 and you only make about 500-1000 on the sale profit. The problem is most breeders wont give you a warranty so if anything happens its on you!! Puppies were always my bread and butter. You have to physically check this placed out before you get in business thought. There are alot of mills out there that will sell you crap that has been bred in cages 3x3 and left for days without food and water. They should be shot on site if you ask me. I can honestly say that i never had any problems with any of my pups. Kittens are a goldmine depending on where you are. Kittens are usually given to you and you get there shots and wormings and sell for around $79-$139 depending on time of year. Fish are also very high prfit for you. But you have to make them look appealining. Plain tanks wont sell!!!!! I had no lights int he back(thats where i had the tanks) so the aquarium lighting would shine and it looked amazing. I had over $10,000 in fish sales per week. I never messed with salt water due to the area i was in but a buddy of mine does very well. If you need any other advise feel free to email me and i will keep in touch with you.....dennycampbell@comcast.net

See, that is all puppies/kittens are, money makers and that is it. A product, bread and butter. Dollar signs in the stores eyes.

Resist the greed future store owners.

www.nopuppymills.com

Glad you are now a cop, what a great job. Stay safe.

Yes, definitely STAY AWAY from puppy mills, those animals are usually unhealthy and sick. Invite local shelters in for adoption days, or find a reputable breeder. The same goes for small pets. Try Kim's Ark Rat Rescue (these rats are pets NOT feeders) at http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/ and the House Rabbit Society at http://www.rabbit.org/ for starters. These are both great organizations and are very honest and committed to finding animals good homes.

Yes, definitely STAY AWAY from puppy mills, those animals are usually unhealthy and sick. Invite local shelters in for adoption days, or find a reputable breeder. The same goes for small pets. Try Kim's Ark Rat Rescue (these rats are pets NOT feeders) at http://www.kimsarkrescue.org/ and the House Rabbit Society at http://www.rabbit.org/ for starters. These are both great organizations and are very honest and committed to finding animals good homes.
Good post, just a friendly reminder that no repituble breeder of puppies/kittens would sell thru a pet store. So puppies and kittens should not be sold in a store, but an adoption agency should be invited in as stated. :undecided

Ooh I hope I didn't sound evil or anything!! :) I get very um emotional and get on my soap box about this sort of thing... hehe

LOL no, just wanted to clarify that no puppy/kittens are ever responsibly sold in pet stores. Adoptions are great though!

I agree 100% with ya! Working with rescue & adoption is the only way to go!

Rhonda

Brandy is deffenitly right, no good breeder would EVER give their pups to a petstore to sell. Why would anyone want to breed their dog just so someone else could sell the pups? The only reason would be money. I know I would never sell any of my puppies to any store, no matter how good the conditions were. A good breeder will want to screen the puppy buyer firsthand. I can tell you right now that whoever is "supplying" you with puppies is not a good breeder. Anyone who will sell a store their pups obviously does not care about anything but making money and getting rid of the litter. I hope that if nothing else the puppies are at least 8 weeks old when you get them from the "breeder"/puppy miller. As for the kittens, who in their right mind would buy a kitten(unregistered) for 79-150 when they could just go to thier local shelter or get a free one from someone whose cat had an unwanted litter? They are probably healthier then any petstore kitten.

about the dog breeders in bosten if u go to www.akc.org then go to the breeder registrey and you might be able to find one or to or maby more

and my aunt got a rat terrier pup from a pet store and it was 9 weeks old and it atacked a lil girl AT 9Weeks pet store ppl did not care the just traded the dod for a new one now jada rose the bichon is doing good

thanks
I think i am all set on the small animals
I am having ahard time finding a breeder of puppies for pet stores...
does anyone know of anybody ??

James
Hi!

You are better off letting the local shelters come in with dogs and cats to adopt and making your money from the food and supplies people would need. I can guarantee that no responsible dog breeder will sell puppies to a pet store. Any breeder that would sell to a pet store would probably not be breeding for the right reasons and you could have pups with serious temperment and health problems. Remember, just because it is purebred and has or will have AKC papers does not guarantee you of the quality and lineage of the puppy. I have three dogs and have owned and trained plenty so if you have any questions just let me know.(also have cat, rats, mice, hamster, horse,fish and a goat )

Written for a Kerry Blue Terrier but can be for any puppy/kitten.
Pet Store Puppies
Why you should NEVER, EVER buy a puppy from a pet store.
by Janet Joers and John Van den Bergh based upon discussions on the KerryBlues-L Newslist.



The overwhelming majority of pet store puppies come from puppy mills. Puppy mills are nothing more than inhumane breeding factories. If you ever see a Kerry in pet store, DON'T BUY IT. Not only will you be perpetuating the abomination of puppy mills and condemning its parents to a life of untold misery (despite what the shopkeepers tell you!), but that puppy in the window will cause you untold heartache and expense.

Behavior problems
A Kerry should remain with its mother for 10 weeks. However the younger the puppy is when it gets to the store, the cuter--and more marketable--it is. Puppies are taken from their mothers often at 4 to 6-weeks of age, sold to a broker, sometimes "fattened up," then sold and shipped to pet stores by the time they are 8 weeks old. "Separated from their mother too soon, and deprived of any meaningful human contact, many puppy mill dogs are poorly socialized. They may not get along with other dogs and are often not good with people, especially young children."(1) And because of overcrowded conditions and continuous inbreeding, puppy mill puppies are likely to have unsound temperaments. Aggression is common.

Pet store puppies require extra training effort and some of them may be beyond any hope of reform. You will be faced with expensive training bills or the prospect of euthanasia of your "cute" puppy because of unstable temperament.

Sanitation
According to animal control in Inyo and Mono counties (CA), most puppy mills they raid are "filthy, the dogs are not fed on a regular basis, and many times had no water. Often the dogs are very thin, dirty, matted, and many had coccidia." (1) During the first ten weeks, sanitation is extremely important to allow the puppy to be healthy during its development phase.

Squalid conditions in puppy mills are breeding grounds for the following conditions that are common in pet store puppies: worms, upper respiratory infections, ear and eye infections, mange, coccidia, and giardia.

Health
Lack of sanitation during early puppyhood will cause lingering health problems. According to the HSUS, "half the puppies sold in pet stores are ill or incubating a disease." (1) Parvo, distemper, and innumerable genetic defects are common in pet store puppies, and their symptoms may not appear right away. Poor circulation and close quarters in pet stores also contribute to the passing of contagious diseases.

Puppy mills don't care about the health of the mother either. They are bred every season until they are four or five years old, receive little or no veterinary attention, are given only enough food to keep them alive, and then are euthanized, shot, or bludgeoned to death when they can no longer produce puppies.

Poor genetics
Kerries bred by responsible breeders have few genetic problems. Pet store puppies are far more likely to carry serious genetic defects, including hip dysplasia, thyroid conditions, eye diseases leading to blindness (such as PRA--progressive retinal atrophy), liver and heart diseases, skin and allergy disorders, autoimmune disorders, and seizures. The parents of pet store puppies have not been screened by OFA for hip dysplasia, or been certified by CERF against genetic eye diseases. Neither have they been tested for Factor IX, von Willibrands, thyroid, or had any other tests for genetic abnormalities. Indiscriminate breeding in puppy mills creates serious health risks, as well as serious behavior problems. (3)

Unsound breeding practices
Puppy mills have no incentive to bred selectively to improve the breed. The AKC itself admits that its seal has never guaranteed either the pet's health or the quality of its upbringing; the papers simply record what the dog's breeder has told the AKC. AKC puppies are NOT necessarily purebred dogs! Puppy mills who have been suspended from AKC registration (often for noncompliance with AKC regulations regarding record-keeping) are simply registering their puppies with sham registries, such as the Continental Kennel Club (CKC), ACA (American Canine Association), APR (American Purebred Registry), and others.

Pet store Kerries often have incorrectly docked tails (either too long or too short). (3) And they bear little resemblance to the breed standard adopted by the AKC, put forth by the United States Kerry Blue Terrier Club. Poor head structure, body structure, and coat color and texture means that the pet store puppy will never look anything like the champion show Kerry that may have attracted you to the breed in the first place.

No support
Pet stores won't help you match your life style with a particular breed. They will sell you whatever you like. Nor will you be able to get advice for the particular needs of the breed you selected, let alone referrals for ear pasting (recommended for all Kerry puppies--not just show prospects), grooming, training, or anything else. A respectable breeder provides all that, and much more.

A survey done by the local humane society shows that only 4% of people who bought a puppy in a pet store would go back to the store for another one. (1)

Don't perpetuate the problem
"People who think they are 'rescuing' a puppy by purchasing it from a pet store are only perpetuating this cruel business." (2) Does anyone really believe that pet stores care who is paying for their puppies, what their motive is, and what the future life of the dog will be? "It is heartbreaking to see a puppy sitting lonely and possibly ill in a pet shop display cage. But you have to look at the big picture -- how many puppies will be condemned to the same fate?" (2) Each puppy your "rescue" will be replaced with another one, while its mother is literally bred to death.

According to some vets, almost all pet store puppies with medical problems brought in by their customers were returned to the store. (3) And what happens to them then?



In summary, don't ever, ever buy your pet from a pet store. Instead interview several Kerry breeders and do your research about the breed. To find a responsible breeder, see How Do You Choose a Kerry Breeder?, by Janet Joers and Finding a Responsible Kerry Breeder, by Lisa Frankland. Adding a new member to your family--one who will hopefully be with you for 15 years or more--is an important decision. Do it right.

TRUTH IN PET STORE PUPS
http://dogs.about.com/cs/petstorepuppies/index.htm

This is what pet stores selling puppies support
USDA
http://www.petshoppuppies.com/how_to_read_your_puppy_report.htm

This is what pet stores selling puppies support
USDA
http://www.petshoppuppies.com/how_to_read_your_puppy_report.htm
http://www.petshoppuppies.com/s.jpg
This was taken a a USDA licensed facility in Missouri. The facility had absolutely no violations of the Animal Welfare Act. In other words, it met all the minimum standards

I too live in Alabama, and there really aren't very many pets shops around my area. Good luck, and I hope to visit you one day. It's good to know that animal lovers get to have thier dream jobs!!!!

you need to be a good business person. having animals are a must but stratagize on selling products. dog/catfoods(not brands that you can buy at grocery or department stores. you need to find a unique way. you see people buy a pet, okay well they may not come back to buy more pets but they will for food & supplies. bulk bird/rabbit/hamster/guinea pig food by the pound is a good way to keep bringing customers back. supplies. consentrate most your effort on that stuff. animals are the least buoght items in a pet store. customer relations is also a +. get to know them. ask them questions. you can find good reseources through word of mouth. most people think just because they have bred a hamster or rabbit that it will be fun and easy to own a pet store. if by any chance that happens they will find no time for breeding and will have to order from mills to catch up to the demand. and one hard thing is salt water. try finding someone who is knowleageable to take care of the stores system and that will commit to yoo for years. good luck in that. i am not trying to talk you out of it im just telling you the short version of what you are up against. i sure do wish you luck. get advice from your product/distributer reps. most do come oiut and visit.they are alot of help. i wish you many luck in this adventure. it is a fun business if you know how to run it.

it takes more than just breeding a hamster or two.pets are the least sold items in a pet store. food and supplies is what you have to focus on. it is about money not for the love of animals, althought it starts out that way. you make money on supplies. dont just focus on one kind of animal. you will only get that clientel. you need a full line store. get every kind of pet owner to visit. and always be patient and smile. have knowleadge. dont fake like you know. dont be afraid to tell your customers that you dont know the answer. point them to the book section. and if time allowed read parts of it with them. they will come back to you again. this type of service is not given at your big pet store chains.

Ok I only read the first page so if anyone has said this then sorry I would have a paper or box for suggestions and another for if they want a certain animal or certain supply that you can get it for them and I would also let people that their dogs had puppies give/sell you the puppies but make sure they have all there papers and have seen a vet etc. It would be helpful to the neighborhood instead of adding more dogs you can help people sell what they need to get rid of and it would probably be cheaper too.

Oh no it would not be helpful to the public twinkle. That is a HUGE dis service to the community.

That is taking the responsiblitly away from the people irresponsible enough to breed their dog purpusly or accidental.

What ever you do DO NOT take in peoples unwanted pets and litters. What happend when one bites someone? Or breeds and keeps breeding or ends up dead from neglect or abuse?

LET THE PEOPLE EXPIENCED WITH ADOPTIONS FINDS THE HOMES.
http://www.brandypup.com/petstores/livingmerchandise.htm
l
The BEST public service you can do is have a shelter or rescue group come in and hold adoption and educate the public on responsible ownership.

That also would make you a puppy broker which is one of the lowest forms of humans on the planet. No better the the byb the pups came from.

I don't know alot about how to run a pet store, but i do know some products that are a no-no to sell. Do not sell any type of ceder bedding. It's just plain harmfull to animals eyes and skin. Do not sell Vitkraft or any type of hedgehog food for that matter (spikes delight is somewhat ok, but extremely hard to find). Chicken soup for the pet lover's soul cat and dog food is a good brand both for dog, cats, any many other types of critters. It's wholsome, fresh and nutritious. The thing i don't like about my local pet store is that the people there know Vitakraft is bad, but they told me as long as someone buys it we keep selling it. The best thing is to just not carry a product like that so no one buys it (this goes for ceder and any other harmfull pet product too). Another good idea is if you have a type of trial period for interested pet buyers. You know, give them info on the pet they'd like, interview them, have them spend time with the animal(s), anything you can think of to make sure the pet they are buying will be properly cared for and to make sure it's really what they want. Also, i don't like it when pet stores hire teenagers that are just their to make money and know sqwat about their job.

I work in a family run pet store and have for quite some time now. We do not sell cats or dogs because mostly what you will get are not of good quality anyhow. Any true breeders would not consider putting their puppies in a pet store. Kittens are great but now you have to be sure they are all tested for Feline lukimia etc etc-- by the time you finish all of that the cost to you is already high and the price you would have to put on the kittens to make profit is nill and void. You should ask the previous owner what fish wholseller he got his fish from. Most pet stores that sell fish have 2 or more available to them. If he has salt water tanks set up that is great if not it takes quite awhile to get them cycled--not as easy as fresh water. Great tho once you have established tanks. Be very careful tho of what salt water fish you put together A good rule of thumb is no 2 yellow fish together. Your freshwater tanks will need to have a weekly 10% water change done because of the amount of fish coming thru. Good idea to treat all freas water with Ick cure once a month because you will get it. We have one person who does reptiles and another person who does small animals. This way the animals are observed by one person only and they will spot a problem quick. I monitor all the fish tanks and do all birds. Feel free to ask me any questions I have been doing this for a few yrs now. Work with rescue groups this brings a nice crowd to your store.

DocT

dont use these - advertize for a regular suply of kittens/puppies from the public! good luck jo x

bale844 - The public is not a good place to get puppies and kittens. STORES SHOULD NOT BE SELLING PUPPIES AND KITTENS

bale844 - The public is not a good place to get puppies and kittens. STORES SHOULD NOT BE SELLING PUPPIES AND KITTENS becuase NO RESPONSIBLE brreder would ever allow their pets sold in a store.

Let the stores do what they do best. SELL MERCHANDISE FOR PETS and leave the pet raising to the responsible breeders, shelters and rescues.

FINDING A RESPONSIBLE BREEDER
http://members.tripod.com/antique_fcr/goodbreeder.html

HOW TO PURCHASE A PUPPY
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/breeding/index.html

Breeding and Breeder info
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm

How to choose a breeder and puppy
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/breeding.html

I believe I posted on this awhile back but I work in a family run pet store. We never have sold puppies or kittens in our store. We work with the rescue organizations, this is a worthy cause and helps unwanted pets to find homes. We do sell birds in our store but I only deal with a handful of reputable breeders. Even then we don't usually have but one or two larger birds at any time. We sell the conures and cockatiels. I am always afraid with the bigger birds people will impulse buy and they have something that will most likely out live them. We do try to screen the people who buy our pets and give them proper care sheets to include books with the purchase of animals. Our main business is in food and supplies for pets. If anyone thinks they will get rich from selling animals they better think again.

DocT

I saw some talk about having animal shelter pets in stores, and thought I'd give my two cents about it...

We have this amazing petstore (Iowa Pet Food Supply and Seascapes...I think they name could've used some work)here. It's a specialty fish store, mostly salt but they sell fresh and lots of pet supplies as well. About two years back they let the Animal Rescue League of Iowa use a small strip in the back for four dog kennels, then on top of the kennels they have about 11 cat kennels, two rabbit cages, and a stackable cage of rats, mice and guinea pigs. "ARL West"

It definitely brings ALOT of people into Seascapes. I volunteer at this shelter's location every other Saturday, and it gets paaaacked. 30 people on one Saturday morning while I'm there is average. Generally, I see these people looking around the store after they have finished looking at the League's dogs and cats.

Plus, when people adopt a cat or dog or small animal, they are right in the pet shop so they generally will buy their supplies there. When I guide someone through buying supplies for say, a rabbit, I take them shopping around Seascapes while we are faxing paper work. Usually while I'm there to volunteer for the League I save myself a trip and buy alot of my aquarium supplies and fish there.

When the Animal Rescue League advertises ARL West, they are basically advertising Seascapes.

The shelter then takes care of all the medical work for the animals, bedding, food, employes people and has volunteers. It's a good deal for Seascapes as well as the Animal Rescue League, plus it's not contributing to the massive pet overpopulation.

Overall, it's a fool proof idea. I would recommend it to any pet store

i dont even think its a good idea to sell dogs & cats in pet stores.. too much a compulsive buy then. (then where do you think it will end up... in a shelter, or your door step)

hi people, im from Australia (Sydney) and im currently writing up my business plan as I see it as a great business opportunity (as I ad :heartbeat re animals) to open up a pet store! =] .. I'd just like to know what are the costs for running the business? must cost quite a fair bit keeping the animals happy and comfy along with foods and such. Any help would be much appreciated!

So far I have checked many things including property costs, and other kinds of products i'd like to sell. Also I could link my business to other's like pet grooming services and such. Any help on this matter would also be a helping hand :hyper:

Ooo, have you found a shop yet?
Because I saw a Pet Shop for sale in Port Douglas, near Cairns. (It's quite a bit away from you I know, but I loved it down there when I went on holiday. I mean, Sydney was nice, but PD was really relaxing, but with a bunch of shops ;) )
And good luck - what types of animals are you going to sell? (me being nosy, sorry :D )

hehe Cairns is too far awaY!.. funny to mention it though.. =P but yeah. I'm just wanting to plan it all out first. Would love help on where to get top quality pet products (food, accessories, medical etc), as that would be where my profit will come to run my half charity organisation! thats if it will actually happen. So.. can anyone hook me up with some cool pet product sites? =) and from my earlier post I'd still love help on costs of running a pet store! eheh.. thanks people~

Does anyone have any tips?

We're buying a pet store that has been in business for only a year and a half, so pratically brand new..

does anyone have tips or any advice?

thanks for all your help in advance!
James


Don't have any advice but you might be interested in what im selling. Thanks and good luck!

PET STORE CLOSED

*4 fish store display tanks, sump system filtration w/ UV steralizer & protein skimmer.

*20 to 50 lights for fish tanks

*tons of fish food & chemicals

*500g water storage

*250g water storage

~ SUPER DUPER DEAL~

well over $8000 in equipment & supplies, letting it all go for $3500 or best offer. the display tanks are less than 3yrs old. ! local pick-up only! Its a steal! Steal it before someone else does!

IF PURCHASED BEFORE SEP.28, WILL KNOCK OFF AN EXTRA $500. WOW!!!!

A lot of posts on here so I doubt you'll even read this by now but from experience the most important things are:

* Keep the animals looking clean and fed. It's amazing how many customers think you're not feewing your animals if they've knocked their food over etc.
* Clean out in the evening. It looks bad and is really inconvenient if you have to clean out the animals while the shop is open. If you do have to then do it when the shop is quiet.
* Stay well stocked. If customers see empty shelves they assume you're always like that and will tend to go else where.
*Always look busy. Customers find it hard to approach staff gossiping in the shop.
* Keep small items near of behind the counter and have a good security system. It is amazing how many things will get shop lifted.

Hi I am going to open a pet store and does anyone know where I can by animals at wholesale?

you want to buy animals at wholesale?! im not usually abusive but that's an awful thing to say. any "wholesale" animals will be from animal mills, they'll be unhealthy and inbred and probably badly-tempermented.
if you want to sell pets at your store, you need to inspect good local breeders, not mills. you should be able to see the parents, inspect their records of EVERY animal they've bred etc.
what kind of pets do you plan on selling? i really hope you're not talking about puppies and kittens.
have you considered doing proper research??? i dont know how much pet stores pay per hamster, but i do know that a member of the public can buy one from a good breeder for a lot less than at a pet store, and it will be nice, healthy, and properly bred. most good breeders wont sell to a pet store though.
how are you keeping animals in your store? ie in what cages, what will you do with them overnight etc?
as far as i understand there is no profit in selling animals, the pets are only a way to get customers to buy poorly-designed plastic cages and unhealthy foods. have you considered this?
a lot of animal lovers will not go into a store that sells animals, only to pet supply stores. i dont mind good pet stores that have animals, like my local one - they only have a few pets in at a time, they frequently run out of dwarf hamsters, gerbils, rats etc becasue they dont overstock. this to me indicates a good store who cares. but i wont enter or support any store that sells large animals, like cats or dogs, nor any store who are obviously buying from mills, or who mistreat their pets.

i've done a lot of research into opening a pet store, so if you want some advice then im happy to share it, but i'd like to hear why you're opening a pet store that sells animals, how much you know about pet care etc.

No reputable breeder is going to ever sell to a pet store! They want to know who there pups go to, right home environment etc. Selling Pets in case you haven't heard is pretty much taboo now a days! More are learning about the mills etc they come from. Any preutable store owner wouldn't participate in it either.

If you must have "pets" then ask a Recue group to rent part of the floor space from you so they can find good homes for them. The last thing we need is more un fixed animals adding to the over pet population. Rescues are already fixed.

Does anyone have any tips?

We're buying a pet store that has been in business for only a year and a half, so pratically brand new..

does anyone have tips or any advice?

thanks for all your help in advance!
James
:headshake Are you planning to have real living animals to sell? Maybe you would do better if you only sold stuffed animals. Nothing against you so please don't take this the wrong way, but no matter how good of a person you are, or how much you love animals and would never harm them there will always be some jerk out there that will get by you and supply you "SO CALLED" healthy animals when in fact they are from puppy mills, kitty mills, etc. I don't trust and never will trust a pet store. I don't even by any products from them because they shouldn't be in business. Also are you taking over all the animals, etc that belonged to the owner before you or are you having to almost start from scratch with most of everything. You just might be inheriting the previous owners problems. I wish you luck but think about opening up a stuffed animal store. I would be there for sure.

I agree.

I wish i could have a dollar for everyone who said having pets at a petstore is the point. haha.

There is this petstore down the street that i used to love..supplies only..now they got pets there and im so mad i might stop going there. That would leave like 1 supply store within a 30 minute radius..

oh look... the same old aruments... not ALL breeders selling to pet shops are crap... as i have been through a thousand times there are the odd few shops that are fantastic and vet new owners thouroughly before selling etc. I'm a fantastic breeder and even I sell to two shops very very occassionally when I get mucked about by some one on a waiting list.

Kat

As there are exceptions to every rule, the majority overwhelms the minority and the good of selling pets is outweighed by the bad.

oh look... the same old aruments... not ALL breeders selling to pet shops are crap... as i have been through a thousand times there are the odd few shops that are fantastic and vet new owners thouroughly before selling etc. I'm a fantastic breeder and even I sell to two shops very very occassionally when I get mucked about by some one on a waiting list.

Kat

No, there is no such thing as a good pet shop that sells dogs no matter who they get their dogs from. Pet shops rely on impluse buying. Anyone with the cash can walk in and walk out with a puppy. No questions asked. No reputable breeder would sell to a store because of that reason, and a million others like it. There is no screening of potential buyers. Health warranties rarely last over a year, and even than they almost never include any genetic defects that were inherited by the parents (the breeders dogs) that could have been prevented by genetic testing of the parent dog's blood. They don't do this because it drives up the cost of the dogs which drives down the profit making. It's all about supply and demand. And, It's all about buying low and selling high.

No, there is no such thing as a good pet shop that sells dogs no matter who they get their dogs from. Pet shops rely on impluse buying. Anyone with the cash can walk in and walk out with a puppy. No questions asked. No reputable breeder would sell to a store because of that reason, and a million others like it. There is no screening of potential buyers. Health warranties rarely last over a year, and even than they almost never include any genetic defects that were inherited by the parents (the breeders dogs) that could have been prevented by genetic testing of the parent dog's blood. They don't do this because it drives up the cost of the dogs which drives down the profit making. It's all about supply and demand. And, It's all about buying low and selling high.



This thread is really old..

This thread is really old..
....but the messages are timeless.


Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter~anonymous

There was no need to bring it up;)

Because you've NEVER brought up an old thread, right? ;)