Tell PetSmart and Petco Animals Aren’t Products!

Animals don’t belong on store shelves. Yet PetSmart and Petco sell wild animals like turtles and birds, along with small mammals like guinea pigs and hamsters, stacked in cages and tanks near leashes and toys. 

But animals aren’t products. And whether they’re caught from the wild or bred in cruel mills, these animals are suffering.  

By selling wild animals, PetSmart and Petco are contributing to the destructive multibillion-dollar wildlife trade that exploits wild animals on an industrial scale. Wild animals belong in the wild, not our homes.

Wild animal sales create a number of problems, including: 

• Pushing more animals into shelters that struggle to find appropriate placements
• Disrupting ecosystems when animals are abandoned into unfamiliar habitats
• Increasing zoonotic disease risk by pushing humans and animals into greater proximity  

It’s time for the two biggest pet retailers in the US to take the first step to recognizing that animals aren’t products and exit the cruel wildlife trade. Urge PetSmart and Petco to phase out the sale of reptiles and amphibians in their stores.