Pet Lovers Centre Parkway Parade

I received this in the email regarding Pet Lovers Centre at Parkway Parade. You readers be the judge if the actions were called for from the staff. I have only edited the grammar but the essence of the story remains the same.

Name : GZ
Date & Time : Late Feburary 2009
Place/Website address : Pet's Lover Center at Parkway
Person Serving Me : Various
What Did I Intend to Buy/What I Bought : Hamster Items/Food
My Experience : After about 6 years of not taking care of animals, I decided to get a pair of hamsters to keep my girlfriend and I company.

A bit about my past here. I used to own a pair of hamsters, but poor birth control measures allowed them to procreate, up to about 30 hamsters at its peak. After the last hamster passed away, I decided that's that and stopped having any animals for a while. So you can say that I have experience in dealing with hamsters, especially baby hamsters.

We went to quite a few pet shops to look for hamsters, and the particular breed we were interested in is Winter White. They are much easier to tame and get along with compared to other breeds. I also did quite a bit of research before this on their habitat, food and items they need so as to refresh my memory.

We ended up at PLC (Pet Lovers Centre) where I saw the Winter Whites in the cage and proceeded to ask the staff how old the hamsters were. At first I was attended to by a Chinese staff, who told me they were about 3 weeks old. I take a second look at the critters again and felt that their size definitely put them in the 1 and half month range, rather than 3 weeks.

In the end, I didn't buy the hamsters from them, as I wanted a pair of young hamsters, about 3 weeks to 1 month old. This is because young hamsters are easier to tame and they get used to the owner's scent compared to the older ones. I never got to tame my first 2 hamsters before (about 2 months old) and they would often bite me, whereas their offspring are much better behaved.

I bought the WW from another shop near the area, but decide to go back to PLC to buy the items and food over there as they have a larger selection. I refused to let my girlfriend into PLC as I felt that it's rude if we walked into the shop with hamsters bought from another store (Editor's note - I see nothing wrong with that but I guess some people prefer not to, which is perfectly fine).

Unfortunately, for some reason or other, she followed her friend into the store while I was halfway through buying the items for the hamsters. What followed next is disastrous to say the least.

One of the store helpers wanted to see the hamsters, so my girlfriend showed them, and he then loudly exclaimed that the hamsters are too young to be sold. Mind you, this was during a weekend afternoon and there's a bit of crowd in the store. He proceed to dig inside the box and took out the hamster and showed it to his fellow keeper who start agreeing that it's "too young", and kept saying why the other store did that. I gave my girlfriend a "See, I told you not to come in" look, but the damage had been done. I was holding a pack of hamster mix food from a brand called "Marukan" and the shop owner keep telling my gf that this particular hamster mix is not good for the hamsters, as they were too young. He then start moving around the shelves and took down some small packs of food for the hamsters, which consists of meal worms, milk tablets and shrimps. He kept insisting that they need this as they are young, even after I told them I have had hamsters before and it is safe for them to eat the mix, since they are fully weaned.

Nonetheless, after constant persuasion from my gf, I bought those items instead of the Marukan mix so that I'm not labeled as "BAD OWNER" by the crowd, and probably, my gf.

I also intended to buy bathing sand for my hamsters but they didn't have stock on the one I wanted, which is the Sluis Chinchilla Sand, as many hamster owners on the net rave about it. The shop keeper brought this packet of sand which is scented, and claimed that a lot of people have brought it. I was very doubtful about it and kept asking whether it is safe to use, as I heard stories of hamsters having problems with some types of bathing sand and he keeps insisting it's good. He also kept trying to get me to get the bigger pack saying that its better for value but in the end I get the smallest pack on the pretext of trying it out.

At the same time, another member of staff kept trying to persuade my gf to buy coloured cotton balls for the hamsters, which he claims will give them warmth. I told my gf not to get it as I have never used cotton balls before for the hamsters. Also cotton does not break down easily compared to paper and tissues, which I have used for the hamsters. Not to mention that these critters will actually chew on any stuff and might accidentally choke on the cotton. They also tried to get me to buy the coloured version of the bedding I'm getting, which they claim gives more warmth.

By that time I was getting irritated by them and quickly made my purchase, which included a silent wheel, the 3 packs of small food, the white bedding which I originally wanted, the scented bathing scent and a toilet house.

Fast forward 3 weeks later. These 2 little critters have grown bigger and become fatter (lazier too). Here's the surprise...

The first thing, the food. THOSE ARE NOT FOR THEIR DAILY MEALS. It is meant for treats to the hamsters. Too much of it is unhealthy for them. It was only when I reached home that day and managed to look through the food topic that I realized it. I was right all along that hamster food mix is enough for them.

The second thing, which I'm peeved about, is the scented bathing sand. As seen in this topic, this owner apparently also bought the same brand of bathing sand from another PLC branch and it caused her hamster to develop rashes and drop fur. Luckily, I stopped my usage after reading this and promptly went out to buy Sluis bathing sand from another shop. It's also apparent that this brand and other brands of scented bathing sand have had compaints but PLCs still stock them when I last checked this Saturday at the Simei Branch.

Thirdly, the cotton balls? Those are dangerous for the little critters as they will actually choke on the balls if they start chewing on it, and who knows what the cotton balls are made from. Not to mention that it's dyed in colour. I have no idea what kind of chemicals they use.

Lastly, about the hamsters being too young. Well, they are currently running about in my cage.

I'm severely upset by the way the shop keepers drove down a lot of incorrect facts and how they tried to sell the products despite the numerous complaints received. It's as though they have no regard over the little lives. This is not the first time PLC has been under fire by other pet owners but obviously this is not going to improve either.

Overall Rating : 3 Brickbats, for the workers who are clueless and try to bullshit their way through, for providing incorrect facts and hard selling and finally for the fact that they still sell products that has problems even though there have been complaints about it.

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