Pet Habitat

If I could put 0 starts I would.
Absolutely disgusting that they keep puppies in a small glass cage like fish. This place needs to be shut down. Do not shop here or buy puppies here. Go to a breeder or a rescue

They are horrible they overcharge people for animals I went in asked for a cat first they as 2.9k after 1 person talk to them I ask them again 3.6k even though the breed is worth about $ 700 (when I search it) and alot of the time you gotta learn to turn away they will try to get your biz but don’t help this store they don’t even hold some animals properly
Also really nice excuse «rare» breed you won’t find it anywhere else nice lies I know does a American Shorthair seem rare to you a manx?

What was supposed to be a fun trip to the mall ended up breaking my heart. At least I — unlike the pets — could walk away though. Puppies and kittens have no place in a pet store and no reputable breeder would ever sell their puppies and kittens to one. That aside, most of the puppy cages did not have water in the water bowls, and several of the puppies seemed very upset. A puppy needs a lot of activity, what’s the activity schedule here? Many of them didn’t even have toys in their cages as a bare minimum. I’m surprised this is even legal and I’m very, very disappointed in the city of Burnaby (and Canada) for allowing the commodification of pets. Please do not support this store even if you’re just going in for pet supplies as there are plenty of pet stores in the region that are run by people who actually love and care about pets, and they deserve your business more.

First of all, ADOPT DO NOT SHOP. Second of all, the owner’s knowledge about the pets is basically 0. When I asked to look at a kitten, I right away noticed that he has feline acne on his chin. I pointed it out to the owner and he simply replied «he has what?». I didn’t even know if he understood me. I mean he’s the typical kind of older Chinese guy whose english skill is limited to «hello» and «how are you». To top off all those, the living condition of the pets are HORRENDOUS. Tiny glass cages. Litter in the food. When he opened the larger showcase where the kittens usually are to show me the kitten, I nearly puked. They also have betta fish with fin rot. If it’s not bad enough, it’s also overpriced. I also love how they always play the «this color is rare» card. I have a thing with beige (diluted/​light orange) cats, so I asked to take a look at a beige kitten (the said one with feline acne). I felt utterly disgusted when the owner told me that he would cost me $ 900. Like seriously, color aside, he’s just a domestic short hair! As for the color? I have four boys in this color, all obtained since their kittenhood. I paid $ 120 in total. Yup that’s right people. ADOPT DO NOT SHOP.

I walked through the other day and was mortified at the age of the kittens they were selling. At most, they had to be 6 weeks old or severely malnourished. In no way old enough to be separate from their mother. Not to mention, the horrible enclosures they have for them.
I’m glad to see the petitions to stop the selling of the mistreated animals here. Check out the Facebook group: «The Pet Habitat Project» for updates.
If this wasn’t bad enough, everything is overpriced here.
I left completely disgusted. Greedy people with no heart.
Adopt your pets from the wonderful people and no kill animal shelter, LAPS or the SPCA.

I went into pet habitat today and by the time we were driving away I was in tears. There is no excuse for having puppies in a pet store at all and I was disgusted to see that they advertise on their website, they can bring in any of 100 dog breeds. Aside from dogs, the rabbits were particularly being poorly cared for. First of all a rabbits diet should consist of 80% timothy hay and pet habitat provided none. instead they were being fed unlimited alfalfa pellets. This not only deprives them of the necessary tooth ware but alfalfa is far too high in protein to be fed to adult rabbits. Although for rabbits under 6 months alfalfa is recommended it should be fed in a max of a few table spoons per day making up a total of 5% of their diet … MAX! (timothy hay should be unlimited at all times). Rabbits also need enough space to get proper exercise or they can go into stasis where their gastrointestinal tract literally shuts down, the space provided for them at pet habitat was far from adequate. Please do your research before getting any animal as the most common faults in pet owners are caused by ignorance. Everyone wants to do right by their pet but you would be surprised how many people are harming their animals without knowing it, due to pet stores selling poor quality housing and accessories. Be aware that many products labeled for your animal may even be toxic to them. Just like we can buy cigarettes etc. many pet stores will sell things like cedar shavings, pine shavings, seed based guinea pig foods, heat rocks… the list goes on and on. There are good stores out there but pet habitat is far from the mark.

DEPRESSING! Kittens in cages, standing on nothing but wire and puppies scared hiding behind their water bottles. I can’t believe this place is still open! Please do not support this store by giving them your money. They will only go and buy more sick animals from pyuppy/​kitten mills. I’ve had friends buy pets from here who have been riddled with eye problems and other diseases and die a couple of weeks after purchase :(

Went by Pet Habitat Oct ³⁰⁄₁₅ and seen all those poor dogs penned up in many fish aquarium tanks. The dogs were begging for attention, but I could tell they were not going to get it from the owners! If there is a dog you like to check out, they will bring the dog out on the floor in a fenced off area. When some customers were finished checking out a dog, this Asian lady picked up the dog holding it by the arm pits under one arm almost strangling the poor pup! The woman had a very nasty look on her face, probably because she didn’t make a sale!!! This place made me absolutely sick to my stomach! I hope someone stuffs the owners in those aquariums!!!

Only reason I went, was to find new toys for my cats.
If I could give zero stars I would, and take every animal home. I saw an employee of the store about to open up, and just dumped the kittens out of a carrier, which was faaaar too small to hold that many! Just awful! I also saw what looked like eye infections in some of the kittens! I could barely take anymore when I came too the dogs.
Mercy for Animals Canada, HELP!

I am in support of bans for pet stores not being able to sell animals. The impulsive decision for mall shoppers to buy a pet, without doing any prior research on where the animal comes from and how best to care for it is negligent.
A woman who purchased a sick dog from Pet Habitat in 2011 says the dogs you are purchasing have been brokered by a pet broker whose job it is to pick up dogs for resale purposes in the US. These pups come from just about anywhere, including puppy mills and backyard breeders with low standards of animal welfare. It is very easy for these organizations to obtain «USDA approval» and licenses, as well as import approvals.
There is a problem with rabbits being abandoned in local parks and surrounds, by pet owners who probably didn’t understand rabbit needs in the first place. Though they make a wonderful pet, rabbits aren’t suitable pets for children.
The betta fish are kept in solitary confinement, when females can be housed together and males can be kept with other species of fish. Keeping them in miniature tanks is inhumane.
Shop at pet stores that don’t sell live animals and look to adopt when wanting a pet.

Whenever I go into Pet Habitat its only to buy essentials for my beta or look at the puppies!
Its always soo hard to find someone to assist which can be frustrating. I need a plant every few months so I just need to be in and out. Also, there have been a few times at the checkout counter that the cashiers have had conversations amongst themselves and have not acknowledged my presence– rude!
…The puppies are cute but they always look so sad :(
I only go here out of convenience otherwise I would go elsewhere. If the customer service was better, I would have no problem with Pet Habitat.

Just stopped in there last week… and was the most heartbreaking thing ever. All the animals were basically in tight compacted spaces.
They had bunny rabbits… and they were in woodchip bedding… a huge bowl of pellets. no fresh veggies and barely any water… and they were in a little glass box the size of one for the guinea pigs.
I’ll never go back in there again…

Avoid Pet Habitat if you are looking for a hamster and any other small animals. This is the 3^rd time I’ve come to this store to inquire regarding baby Syrian hamsters. The staff never have any idea where the hamsters are from, how old they are, or even what gender they are. The workers always seem extremely reluctant to handle or allow you to handle the small animals. In fact, one young male staff member from my first visit many months ago was so scared of the baby hamsters that he said I was not allowed to inspect or do a health check on them before choosing one to take home. When asked how a potential pet owner was supposed to choose and purchase an small animal without checking its body for problems, he shrugged slightly and said «They’re fine. If you take it home and it’s sick you can bring it back.» That’s very strange logic.
Be aware also, that there is no health guarantee on the small animals unless you spend an extra $ 10 on a bottle of some «Probiotic drops». If you do, then you get a 10-​day guarantee period (Maybe? one worker said so and the other said «I have no idea»). So in total, if you wanted just a hamster + 10-​day guarantee, it’s $ 40 after tax. Petsmart sells hamsters for $ 12.99 that comes with a 14 day guarantee. This is how much a mall pet store rips you off.
In the end I adopted adorable baby hamsters through Kijiji ads, and in the future will continue to do so. I don’t want to support a business that continuously sells live pets when its employees cannot even provide pet owners with knowledge or guidance.
To the sour-​faced owner of Pet Habitat in metrotown who constantly sits behind the front counter — hire better employees or train them better. Their lack of knowledge is laughable.

Recently I received a gift hamster purchased from this location as part of the «cage + hamster» promotion. I was really disappointed by the support of the staff… or anyone who thinks a 10″ by 14″ cage is appropriate for a 5″ and then some long Syrian hamster.
Syrian hamsters can grow to be quite large, it is not ok to unload an expensive cage on someone just because it is the only cage you have to offer or in stock. In no way is it an appreciated recommendation. Nor is the «exchange only» policy, when there are no other cages to choose from. The poor creature does not even have enough space to drink from the cramped bottle-​to-​cage-​floor ratio.
For shame
–unprofessional staff
–limited and over-​priced stock

Everytime I walk in there, I walk out with tears running down my cheeks.
I wish they would keep the animals in a more humane environment and not sell them for such high prices.
Their animals are sick looking and super sad.

This place should be closed down. I just walked in there and had to walk out because I could not stand to see these poor animals. Eating and sleeping in thier own feces. Sickening! This is animal abuse and neglect. The cages are TINY. The dogs couldn’t even walk around let alone play like puppies love to do! They were all just laying there motionless depressed looking:(they were all in small separate cages couldn’t even see each other or play. Just to lay there all day in a tiny box being gawked at my people. Please everyone don’t support places like this. As much as you want to take home and help these little babies it will only make this animal cruelty keep happening! Adopt! :(:(:(

Store always reeks of amonia. The animals all look sick and starved of attention. I’ve often seen the dogs with pink eyes…
I’m no vet but that doesn’t look healthy. The only good thing about this store is the wide variety of fish food and care products. (Soul reason for the second star) Although last week I wanted to buy a plant, a sales woman vaguely pointed at the various plants and told me the prices but left before I could tell her which one I wanted.

I like to go in pet stores to see the animals. This one was kinda disappointing. The cages for the animals (most noticeably the puppies) appeared small for the animal. I know animals don’t need a huge caged space however with the all the animals and the size of the cages it felt overcrowded.
The cages themselves didn’t have much for the animals. The puppies didn’t even a proper bed. They were sleeping/​chewing/​urinating on a layer of shredded paper.
Only did the slightly larger display areas was there a bed and toys.
There was a variety of pet products but again it felt like too much. It feels like with all the animals and merchandise the store needs a bigger location to accommodate everything better.
Another thing about the store was the smell. Yes it’s normal for a pet store to have animal smells but this one just seemed to have a very strong urine smell among other odors. I don’t know how often cages are cleaned but the smell was defiantly noticeable and a reason not to stay in the store too long.

When I first got my puppy, Pet Habitat owner Tom, could not have been better about it. He walked me through each toy and treat, and we pick ones that we the best. Some of the ‘tough’ ones are still great, two years later! They have great brands and always friendly.
Too bad about the negative reviews. I didnt see it. Highly recommended.

We purchased a puppy from the Metrotown Pet Habitat in the summer of 2011. As an animal rescue worker this is not something I normally do, but if there was one thing that came from this experience, it was learning what kind of puppy you can expect from this store.
This is the series of events:
First our pup was supposed to come with UKC registration papers. When we did not receive them, we launched into a weeks-​long battle to obtain this paperwork. We were told by store owner Tom that he didn’t have the money to pay someone to look through all the boxes it would take to find our paperwork. we did get our paperwork in the end, but definitely after a major fight with the store owner. In addition, our pup was supposed to come with a ‘pedigree’, which ended up being a very unofficial document that looked like it had been printed from a home printer.
Moving on. The puppy came to us sick with Giardia, right from the store, which is a parasite (and quite tricky to get rid of sometimes). The staff at the store gave us misinformation as to why the pup had soft stools, and a week after we had her home, we ended up in the ER with her due to what we found out was Giardia.
She came with chronic, absolutely –chronic– and severe antibiotic-​resistant Urinary Tract Infections. We spent 6 months and a lot of money fighting these infections and eventually I had to write the Pet Habitat itself and demand they assist us.
The store owner, Tom, was incredibly rude to me and I ended up speaking with the General Manager of the chain. Eventually they agreed to take care of Samantha’s vet bills «from here on out», but refused to assist with her past vet bills, even though all the problems had existed since the moment she left the store.
And I guess I should also mention that store owner Tom continued to be extremely rude until I started threatening BBB complaints, and only then suddenly he was good as gold and I was able to talk to the general manager. that was the first time anything started happening toward a resolution with regard to vet bills, but by then it was far too late, we had expended a lot of money and even the general manager was less than forthcoming with assistance.
We were lucky to beat the resistant bacteria not long later, so really they weren’t out of pocket much money at all. It was all my money that ended up down the toilet.
Had we not been able to beat the infection, the bacteria could have gone on to require surgical procedures, and may have even ended up incurable.
Our pup also had something called a ‘recessed vulva’ which contributed to the problem. These
Next, as our pup began to grow up, we noticed extreme behavior problems with her despite proper socialization and training of the dog. After consultations with many different professionals, it was eventually determined that our pup is the product of extremely bad breeding. She has severe anxiety that is basically hard-​wired in her brain and very difficult to rehabilitate. But we love our pup and are committed to her best interests, no matter how difficult.
And finally… the research. I launched into a campaign of months upon months of research about my pup to finally track down her kennel in Missouri USA. I found out that our pup came from a kennel that had USDA health violations. I also found out that the pets Pet Habitat brings in are brokered by a puppy-​mill broker who is known to get pets from mills and sub-​standard kennels. In addition, I found out that kennels being ‘USDA certified’ can mean almost nothing, as many can have violations upon violations and still be in business, while others may not even be certified to begin with but the puppy broker of course may never pass that information along.
I have confirmed through my experienced with having a puppy from Pet Habitat that their sale of animals and the health and origin of these animals is, at best, suspect and at worst should perhaps be considered criminal.
I recommend people avoid this store at all costs and petition the city of Burnaby to BAN live animal sales in all pet stores including Pet Habitat at Metrotown.