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Small pets

Petition site to stop Gumtree advertising live animals

19 replies

guineapiglet · 28/01/2013 09:28

Hi All

You will all remember a recent thread full of rants about guinea pigs and many other animals on Gumtree. I have done some digging and found a live petition run by Care2 which I have some links with, urging people to sign to stop advertising live animals in this way! Hurrah! Please do sign up to it, it may make a difference to many animals being sold this way :)

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BonkeyMollocks · 28/01/2013 10:21

I'm up for that!

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guineapiglet · 28/01/2013 11:00

Hi Bonkey - because I am so technically rubbish, havent been able to transfer the link, but if you google Care2 their website should come up - lots of animal petition type things on there, but I really hope this will get lots of support from all animal lovers of whatever pet, furry, feathery or scaley!

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silver73 · 28/01/2013 12:28
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KRITIQ · 28/01/2013 23:15

Done it!

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fridayfreedom · 28/01/2013 23:34

Spoke to the Guinea pig rescue lady today who said gp's who are advertised free eg on gum tree often end up as snake food!!!! And even worse can be given to the snake when still alive....shudder

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BonkeyMollocks · 28/01/2013 23:36

I knew that :(
Bastards!

Not just guineas! Kittens, puppys, anything free and small enough for a snake! Angry

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fridayfreedom · 28/01/2013 23:38

Why would you do that??? Psychos!!!

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BonkeyMollocks · 28/01/2013 23:40

Do you remember the youtube video that got in the papers?

Kitten and snake :(

I don't know if they ever caught him, but they were tracking him down because feeding live animals to animals is illegal in this country!

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JessAst · 29/01/2013 11:23

Have signed! That's awful.

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guineapiglet · 29/01/2013 12:31

Oh no. :( I really wish I hadn't read these last few posts, rather naiively I had no idea of such deliberate cruelty, although I can't say I am surprised.

Please everyone, spread the word/link so that as many people as poss can sign. IF you sign up to Care2, they do tend to bombard you with different causes and you can get bogged down in it all, but mostly they are good animal related protests and petitions. No one should be able to sell live animals in this unregulated way. Poor little creatures.

I have been a lifelong member of CIWF ( Compassion in World Farming) - I cannot even bear to open their magazine, some of the welfare issues are so horrendous, but many of these issues only get public profile if enough people get involved...

.< somewhere I am sure, there is another 'reality' where animals are in charge and all these b@st@rds who treat animals badly are duly rewarded>

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Jins · 29/01/2013 12:35

I don't know if they ever caught him, but they were tracking him down because feeding live animals to animals is illegal in this country!

Yeah they got him but for something else entirely. Luka Magnotta.

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BonkeyMollocks · 29/01/2013 12:39

Sorry guinea - although until the kitten thing in the papers - I was the same.

I know know there are fuckwits in the world who take pleasure from it! They should all be locked up because if they can do it to a animal then whats to stop them doing it to a human ?

I feel bad enough when I cut the pigs nails too short by accident and they flinch ... I could never imagine doing harm deliberately to a animal! :(

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guineapiglet · 29/01/2013 12:48

Oh Bonkey, strangely I might find it easier to feed SOME humans to a snake than I would small animals.......like I said before, there are people who really just don't give a toss about their feelings or welfare. I just Thank God that there are people willing to run rescues, work for animal charities and generally put themselves out there for these creatures. I keep getting stuff from the WWF about the plight of donkeys in many countries, and it makes me wish I could just go and rescue them all, I just cannot understand what makes humans treat other beings like this.

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KRITIQ · 29/01/2013 15:12

Luka Magnotta?

OMG, well there's evidence if you need it of a link between cruelty to animals and cruelty to humans. Angry

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BonkeyMollocks · 29/01/2013 15:43

Ahh yes, I remember now Angry .

I knew that they were looking for him for other reasons too.

What a absolute fucker! Angry

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 29/01/2013 23:35

The Gumtree adverts annoy me sooo much because the animals are just viewed as dispensible.
OK some have a sound reason (but they could just write anything couldn't they) but they are really in it to make money from these poor creatures.

"I've got a lovely guinea-pig . Sadly I need to rehome him,he's all cuddly and friendly.Comes with cage and food only £££"

Why are they rehoming? Breeders? If they are ,just say it.
They want to sell them to insure they get a good home?
I could take my £30 to P@H and get a baby GP for the price they are "selling their much-loved pet" for.
Doesn't really inspire me to pay out.

And 2 spring to mind in the blood boiling stakes:
The dad who wanted his DDs guinea rehomed- while she was at school.Basically anyone who would come and collect it.Would he even check if they wanted snakefood?

And the very special sow who needed a lovely retirement home. A breeding sow that had done her duty , now the breeder wanted rid of her Sad Angry

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GingerJulep · 09/02/2013 12:26

I've owned of several small (snake-snack-sized) animals from Gumtree over the years.

They've been up for re-homing due to

  • redundancy (hamster owner needed to move to cheaper flat that didn't allow pets)
  • marital breakdown (again, move to rented accommodation that didn't allow pets)
  • just plain mistakes (hamster bought for 4 yr old child without realising it would be asleep when he was awake/chinchillas bought from a friend without knowledge of the mess they make etc)


Mostly I've not paid anything for them (exception was something for the chinchillas' cage as that was expensive).

I'm not saying that all outcomes are happy (indeed I do regard a few of these as 'rescues' would have been really concerned about other possible futures for the animals) but without the ability to advertise for homes for free I'm pretty sure a lot of outcomes would have been worse.

These weren't always even people who could have afforded to have their animals PTS by a vet and rescue centres are already overflowing...
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GingerJulep · 09/02/2013 12:29

So, whilst I AM a totally hippy vegan who cares about small fluffies... and DO know that there are some horrible stories on that site I'm also not sure that closing down the animals section would be of net benefit to domestic animals in general.

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guineapiglet · 09/02/2013 16:13

Ginger you make a very fair point, and it is helpful to hear the other side of the argument, I have always used Gumtree and found it a brilliant way to sell things on - well objects of furniture etc. I take your point about the cost of advertising and it is an issue. Also a vet nurse friend of mine has reported an increase in the number of pets being either brought in or abandoned as people are struggling to find the money to pay for operations and daily care ( I got several of my rescues this way). I just don't think live animals should be sold on without any regulation or checking, to prevent them being used for live food and/or worse ( if there is a worse fate) - I feel very strongly about this, and the issue of live animals being transported for food etc - so I think there should be some way of adverts being checked and followed up by the RSPCA or such like - but accept there would be a huge cost involved.

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