Petsmart Guinea Pig Suffers Neglect

(1 June 2008; Dickson City, Pennsylvania)

A guinea pig at the Petsmart in Dickson City, Pennsylvania appears to be sick. It was reported to the employees there a day ago, but unfortunately is still not receiving vet care. When told, an employee said, "They were just running around a few minutes ago". According to Pennsylvania state law, it is illegal to not provide an animal with necessary vet care. The Lackawanna County Humane Society has been informed about the neglect with photographs and video of the situation.

A few months ago, the same Petsmart was reported to the Humane Society for not cleaning their guinea pig tanks properly. Someone had also contacted Petsmart through e-mail about the situation. After a while, they cleaned up their act.

Recently, however, they've been keeping their cages clean. Their guinea pigs don't seem to healthy, however. The guinea pig reported to the Humane Society was quite lethargic, had his eye half-closed, and was breathing heavy - signs of an upper respiratory infection.

They also usually mess up with their hermit crab care one way or another. Usually, it's their humidity that is not properly maintained. It often drops under 50%. Hermit crabs need humidity of 70% or more, preferably 75-85%. They also usually use gravel. Hermit crabs cannot molt in gravel. Instead, they have to have sand as a substrate.

The video can be watched at Petsmartnepa.