PetstoreAbout the shop
Petstore opened in 2011 in a former hardware store. Two of us run it: one behind the counter, one on deliveries. We keep the range small on purpose — about four hundred lines — because a shop that sells everything tends to know nothing well.
We are not part of a chain and we do not sell animals. What we do sell is the boring part of keeping an animal well: bedding that does not smell, food that has not sat in a warehouse for a year, and the small metal parts that stop a run falling apart.
How we pick stock
| Rule | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Dates on everything | Hay and pelleted food carry the packing date, not just a best-before. |
| Loose before bagged | You can buy a week's food before committing to a sack. |
| Two suppliers minimum | If one runs out we can still fill the shelf. |
| No impulse livestock | We hand over rescue leaflets instead of cages with animals in them. |
Local rescues we work with
Mill Lane Small Animal Rescue takes guinea pigs and rabbits; the Riverside Aviary Trust handles birds. Both keep collection boxes by our till, and both will talk to you before you buy anything for a new animal.