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> From: Gerbil Maniac <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: C:Re: another gerbil project
> Date: 08 August 2000 16:32
>
> Hi Cinthia:
>
> Consider yourself lucky to have found out. Most pet stores guard the
names of their animal sources almost as state secrets! I presume they fear
that potential customers will eliminate the middleman [that is, the pet
store].
>
In the UK this is not true of small owner run pet stores. They get their
stock from local breeders and are obliged by law to keep a written record
of all the stock they take in and the name/address of the breeder. You are
within your rights to ask to see these records.
However, the multiples like Petsmart get round this law by only getting
stock from "approved" suppliers. I was once approached by one of these
companies and asked if I would supply gerbils. However, they were only
interested in people who could supply 100+ animals per month. As I only
have one or two breeding pair of gerbils at a time, this was totally out of
the question. What they did was had a scheduled collection day once a
month. A van would come and collect your 100+ animals and animals from
other breeders in your area and take them to a holding depot. From here
they were sent out to stores all over the UK as and when they were needed.
Sounds like a recipe for disaster as it encourages breeders to breed for
quantity, not quality. Also the mass gathering of stock, already
traumatized by being moved, is likely to lead to the spread of disease.
Sue
