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Post by Kat on Sept 9, 2011 15:12:54 GMT
Whan I got Scrat from the adoption zone at my local P@H they told me to buy that gerbilarium. Its even smaller than the thickets house cage. Looking back, I am thankfull it was out of stock at the time.
Did they say anything about the exposed wire shelving in this cage?
Kat x
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 9, 2011 15:14:45 GMT
WOW! That's a really cute tank . . . but NOT for degus. Fred, can I ask what you said in your letter to her? Because it seems to me that you would have given her the RSPCA size guildlines at the very least, as well as health information etc.. So, assuming you did do that . . . DID SHE EVEN READ YOUR LETTER?? Good grief!! Does she even know what a degu is, the size difference between it and a gerbil, and the basic living patterns a degu requires? It would seem that she doen't. It seems she needs some other real life comparisons to help her see the ridiculousness of the cages she provides. Like . . . would she put a Parakeet and an African Grey Parrot in the same kind of cage? One of those pretty little ones that look like a miniature pagoda! They are after all, sort of similar birds. Same kind of beaks, feathers, wings, clawed feet . . . . ;D How about a gold fish and a Japanese Carp, each in it's own "spacious" 40 litre tank??
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Post by amie on Sept 9, 2011 15:31:07 GMT
As promised, the response from Kate Jones, the Customer and Culture Manager at Pets at Home regarding the Thickets House cage: “In relation to the cage, we advise a number of choices for Degu’s, a wire cage is a good choice but it’s important that it has a solid (rather than mesh) base to prevent degus developing problems with their paws, the thickets cage has a tray that can be turned upside down to prevent the wire being exposed. Alternatively, we advise that customers can keep degus in a Pets at Home large gerbilarium or even in a fish tank with a suitable top” Before I reply, I would love to hear what others think about this response. This is the gerbilarium she must be referring to www.petsathome.com/shop/extra-large-gerbilarium-by-pets-at-home-15972Absolute trifle! and I HATE trifle! Ask them if they'd recommend such a small cage for say a chipmonk or a squirrel?! Would they keep one of those in ANY KIND OF FISH TANK!
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Post by squeakyandbubbles on Sept 9, 2011 15:44:07 GMT
It's called a Gerbilarium, not a Deguarium! My 2 gerbils are kept in that tank, but I still personally think it's a tiny bit on the small side for gerbils, let alone degus!! It makes the thickets cage look like a mansion. Sorry for my little rant there
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Post by amie on Sept 9, 2011 16:10:59 GMT
Rant all you like! This cage sucks. That woman obviously hasn't got a clue.
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Post by fred on Sept 9, 2011 16:16:20 GMT
I wrote to her that I found the Thickets cage absolutely unsuitable for degus and that it falls foul of the RSPCA recommendations. To completely ignore this and come back the suggestion of a "cage" half the size is xxxxxxxx (please fill in your own choice of words here).
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Post by Maravilla on Sept 9, 2011 16:25:04 GMT
Without having read everything carefully... why don't you guys from UK write all to P@H? It can be the same content. But show them that it isn't Fred alone who is wondering about these small cages but that there are more people worried about them. Let them recognise that you don't believe any longer the strange things they are telling you because you found new sources with other information. One person alone cannot provoke anything, but if different people from different parts of the UK write them letters, maybe there is a chance to convince them to do it better in future.
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Post by amie on Sept 9, 2011 16:47:57 GMT
Fred, if you can post the details of the person to email then I, and others can write to them too.
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Post by fred on Sept 9, 2011 16:52:27 GMT
I already posted it on the “Shocked by Pets at Home” thread. We have so many issues here we need more that one thread Cservice@petsathome.co.uk, care of Kate Jones, Customer and Culture Manager, reference Customer Service: 08003284204.
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Post by squeakyandbubbles on Sept 9, 2011 17:20:47 GMT
I really want to write, but not sure if I'd be able to stay 'polite' in my letter! My local pets at home looks after it's degus reasonably well, but the fact that they still recommend this cage for up to 4 degus is disgusting.
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 9, 2011 19:34:15 GMT
I have made a sticky of this information and have made it an announcement on all the boards. It is at the top of the page. Easy to find . . . it's called . . . "Problems with P@H? Check here!" The information is in bold red.
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Post by degualot on Sept 10, 2011 10:09:42 GMT
I think that responce just shows her complete lack of understanding in a nutshell. It seems to me that deep down she knows P@H have no decent cages for Degus. So instead she offers another product from P@H as an alternative. When it comes down to it, she hasn't got the guts to just admit that P@H is a business and businesses like in any pet store money always comes first before good practice..
The gerbilarium is way to small to be offered to the Degus, ok it has a tank to dig in, that doesn't impress me.Iit still offers no real running distance and is just way to small. I can see her meetings with Chloe has been effective.
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Post by dumbblondie on Sept 10, 2011 20:14:14 GMT
i brought 1 of those cages as en emergancy cagewhen i found out i was sold males & females i then went to another pet shop & brought a 3tier cage for just under £80
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Post by squeakyandbubbles on Sept 11, 2011 8:05:13 GMT
OOooh, which shop did you get your 3 tier cage from?
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Post by littlesqueek on Sept 12, 2011 15:39:14 GMT
Well I have a question. Since all of you agree that the Thickets House Cage is useless as a full time home unless 2 or even 3 of them are joined together; What cages would you recommend to first time degu owners with a pair of degus and building a cage wasn’t an option for XYZ reasons? It makes me sad to say this but when I bought a second hand TH Cage for Marco and Nemo it was an upgrade from the cage they had been living in for years. Their old cage measured 72.5 x 33 x 61cm. I bought it off ebay because the product said it was suitable for Degu's, of course back then I didn't realise how much space they needed
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Post by squeakyandbubbles on Sept 12, 2011 21:10:44 GMT
John hopewell makes fab spacious cages which are suitable for degus The only problem is, they're a tad pricey when you add up all the p&p and stuff, but you get what you pay for The ferret nations are good, but need some modification (e.g. adding wooden shelves) 'liberta' does some cool cages, which are really big! They are also pretty cheap for all the space you get. Some people get bird cages and do some modifications, that turns out pretty well Or you could just stack the pets at home thickets cage! The savic royal double suite is really good. It looks the same as the liberta explorer but is better quality (and £100 more expensive lol!) Oh, and the liberta explorer cage is quite good, not as good quality as the savic, but still amazing for the price. You can usually find most of these cages cheap or secondhand online, as some of them are a tad expensive
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molly
Newborn Degu
Posts: 22
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Post by molly on Sept 12, 2011 22:59:49 GMT
Sorry but thats worse in my opinion! We kept 1 degu in a plastic box for 1 night as an emergency measure...by the time we got up the next morning he was nearly free! That gerbilarium wouldn't last 10 minutes!!
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Post by squeakyandbubbles on Sept 15, 2011 18:39:28 GMT
This is a bit random, but i just saw a thread in the adoption centre on this site, eho was selling 6 degus in a thickets house cage It made me really upset, to think of them all cooped up in there. Having 2 in a single thickets house is bad enough, let alone 6!
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Post by squeakyandbubbles on Sept 15, 2011 18:39:57 GMT
*who
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heidi
Warbling Degu
Posts: 30
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Post by heidi on Sept 15, 2011 21:05:26 GMT
It seems to me that no one likes Pets At Home, its a wonder they stay in business. As a member of other animal forums, Ive been reading that no one is impressed about anything they do, from the animal care advice or lack of, to cage sizes, for farming live animals in bad conditions to sell and extortionate prices they charge for anything. Google boycott Pets at Home, theres a good many people feel the same way.
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