Anybody order hay and/or pellets from Chewy?

[tiggyswift]

I just wondered if anybody ordered from Chewy and what you think of it. I used them recently for both hay and pellets (ordered separately) and both times I received my orders in less than 24 hours! I was very impressed by this and wondered if this is normal for them or if I just got lucky.

[SSLee]

I love Chewy.com and try to order all my pet supplies through them whenever possible. Their customer service is top notch and they have 15 sites across the country. I live in California and it usually takes several days before I receive my orders, as the closest site to me is in Nevada. You must live near one of their sites if you were able to receive your orders in less than 24 hours.

[Catie Cavy]

I too get my orders in about 24 hours, 48 at the most. I hear they are a big supporter of rescues, too.

[ItsaZoo]

Chewy has been excellent. I use auto ship and their customer service is great.

Last year I ordered a 9 lb bag of Oxbow Timothy instead of the 90 ounce I usually get. The quality wasn’t great, it was short cuttings of very course hay and my pig didn’t care for it. I wrote a 3-star review based on the quality, which is not their fault, and mentioned Chewy’s quick delivery time. Chewy saw the review and sent me an email stating they want their customers to be 100% satisfied. They refunded the purchase price and recommended I donate the hay to a local rescue. I was stunned!

[Lynx]

Make sure you promptly take in deliveries! I posted a while ago about the local bear that made off with my neighbor's cat food!

[Sef]

I order from them regularly. Unfortunately, I think they are a subsidiary of Petco. They are very customer-focused, though, and I have been very impressed by the level of service and how quickly my orders arrive.

[tiggyswift]

Lynx, that’s kinda funny. My dogs always alert me when a leaf blows down the street so I always know when my order arrives, ha ha.

Sef, I did not know that. I don’t like supporting pet stores if I can help it.

Itsazoo, I’m very impressed by that! I haven’t dealt with customer service yet but it’s nice to know that if I ever do have to contact them for some reason.

[SSLee]

PetSmart bought Chewy in 2017 and my sister practically cried when I told her the news that Chewy was no longer independent. Her dog was on medication and died just before a refill was delivered. When my sister told the customer service rep that her dog had died, the rep refunded her the cost of the medication order.

[tiggyswift]

SSLee I’m sorry to hear about the passing of your sister’s dog. That’s nice that they refunded the cost of the med.

[ItsaZoo]

I have mixed feelings about pet stores, I don't like the selling of live animals and not knowing the source of the animals. However, PetSmart provides space for rescued animals and they host rescue organizations in their stores. They also have PetSmart Charities which is an animal welfare organization that is highly rated by Charity Navigator.

[tiggyswift]

I know they do all of that but I wish they didn’t sell small animals.

[Waddles]

If you have a Pet People near you , they don't sell animals.
https://www.petpeoplestores.com/home.html

I don't like stores that sell animals either. That said, Petsmart does offer free space for adoptions and offer cash rewards to rescues through their in store adoption program. I guess it's an incentive to have adoptions in store as the adopters will most likely be buying supplies for the newly adopted pet from them.

[Renonvsparky]

I've been getting my guinea pigs from rescue since I joined this forum. Still, I feel terrible for the poor animals in the pet store. They're every bit as adorable as the rescue animals and just as deserving of a good home and a happy, healthy life. I've been giving a lot of thought to moving to the rural area of Missouri and getting together a breeding farm and rescue for guinea pigs.

If I did that, I would make sure there was an exotic vet who has experience with guinea pigs available and under contract to supervise the breeding. I would limit the sows to no more than 2 litters and space them out enough to make sure the sows make a full recovery between litters. I would also make sure they are healthy enough to have a litter in the first place.

There would be nothing short of the best possible conditions. Everything would be clean and sanitary. No selling to pet stores. It will be a breed to order for private sale directly to people who want guinea pigs. No delivery of babies on pallets in tiny boxes stacked several feet high either. If I can't do all of that or I can't maintain it, I'm not doing it. My goal is to set a precedent for the proper breeding and delivery of these animals to people who want them and have been properly vetted.

[Sef]

I'm going to bite my tongue, Renonvsparky, because I know you love guinea pigs and it's clear that you're always looking for ways to help them. I will just say that breeding is not a good idea, no matter how clean or sanitary or careful you are. It is extremely risky, and I do hope you'll reconsider:
http://www.cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm

[Renonvsparky]

I am only thinking of it as an alternative to breeder mills that are giving us the abused, sickly animals we have at the big pet stores. If I do it, it's going to be done after much research, supervision by a competent exotic vet to monitor things and not on a large scale. I have no plans in motion at this time. My hope, if I decide to do it is to set an example of how to do it right.

[Lynx]

I have to say, I agree with Sef 100%

Even "good" show breeders recognize the risks to the sow, the losses that occur in their quest for more guinea pigs.

[ItsaZoo]

I understand where you're coming from, Renonvsparky.

Ages ago my parents raised dogs. All pedigreed, AKC, with good health and good bloodlines. Mom had poodles, Dad had labradors. He also trained dogs for hunting and field trial. All the dogs got personal attention daily. They dogs had large kennels, cleaned at least twice daily, high-quality food, a large fenced yard with grass and shade to spend hours running around, vaccinated and vet checked, etc.

Mom did the grooming and kept health and vaccination records. The large dogs outside had extra-insulated dog houses and hot meals in the winter.

It was a ton of work and never made any money except to cover expenses. But the dogs were well cared for, and a lot of people got really great dogs that were strong and healthy. A much better alternative to mass breeding facilities today that make a profit on sickly animals.

[Renonvsparky]

I'm not on a quest for more Guinea pigs. People are going to have them either way. My goal is not to keep the species going or to get rich selling them. My only interest, if I were to breed Guinea pigs is to provide them only to people who I can be sure want them, will care for them and don't have to go through pet stores which support the awful places they get their piggies from. If I can't find a good vet to supervise and monitor the health of the sows and pups; or if I can't be 1000% sure everything is the most optimal it can be; then I'm not going to be doing any breeding. I know that the very mention of having pups gets people who are knowledgeable about them on the defensive and I share your concerns. Just know that this is nothing but a thought at this point.

I'm going to open a rescue as soon as I have a proper place and the means to make sure any pigs I take in have the best care possible. The breeding, if I were to do it would be totally separate. I understand the concern about breeding; even when every precaution has been taken, it's very risky. It is something I don't take lightly and will not just jump into.

[M1dn1ght]

SSLee -

I was in to PetSmart right before all the pandemic stuff hit and one of the employees told me that Chewy isn't owned by PetSmart anymore.

I'm an absolute Chewy.com maniac. I order everything from them. If there's any reason at all I'm not satisfied, they refund my money, send me a replacement, AND tell me to keep the product I got.

I once got a package from them right after my birthday and was puzzled because I hadn't ordered anything. I opened it up and it was a little painting of my cavy Wynn, signed by the artist.

Chewy.com commissioned a custom painting of my guinea pig as a birthday present for me.

I have never been a customer of a company more devoted to keeping me happy.

[bpatters]

I can't find anything about PetSmart selling Chewy. They spun them off as a publicly traded company, but as far as I can tell, they're by far the largest shareholder.