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Petco
Rating Details »
Categories: Pet Services, Pet Stores [Edit]
Neighborhood: East Cambridge119 1st St
Cambridge, MA 02141
(617) 868-3474
- Nearest Transit:
-
Lechmere (Green)
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
28 reviews for Petco
This Petco is conveniently located and they do rabies shots (illegal not to have one for your cat or dog) and micro-chip implants for very cheap. I paid around $40 for both procedures total for my cat and the staff was very good with her. The guy who administered the shot was a little ornery with me, but he was gentle and quick overall, and the guy at the counter was quite friendly. Any vet would charge a lot more for these procedures, and so this Petco was right for me at the time.
I'm not writing this review to criticize the integrity of pet stores in general. I don't think it's fair to breed animals to sell at the level some places do, and reading some of the other reviews on this place has made me think a little harder about the way these stores sell gerbils and other animals that breed and sell quickly. I think, when you're looking around for a pet, it's important to visit humane societies or adopt a friend's extra kittens or puppies. Many, many animals adopted from stores turn out to be unhealthy, and their quality of life in the store is usually mediocre to deplorable. I guess, when it's about those issues, every pet store is at fault. But that isn't what this review is about. I'm talking about my experiences with this place in the whole scheme of pet stores, and I'm saying that if you're looking for a quick, convenient, and inexpensive place to take care of your pet's needs, this Petco is a good choice.
I also want to note that in my case the smell wasn't as horrible as people say, and the service was fine. And I want to thank the other people who reviewed this store- your input really got me thinking.
Right off the top, minus one entire star for that piece of **** parking lot that you can barely get in and out of.
I come here for dog gear, so I can't comment on their other services. Their fish section seems very thorough, and the tanks are fun to look at. But back to dogs.. lots of toys and bones to choose from, and a great selection of shampoos, brushes, leashes, dog beds, flea/tick control, canned and dry foods, etc.. Plus, they have a rewards card that sends you coupons when you spend a certain amount of money. Just got my $7 gift certificate in the mail yesterday.
Neat fact - if you have a new dog or cat, make sure you ask the person at the register for the new pet coupon book. Seriously - don't buy anything for your new pet until you look through this. You can get free bags and cans of food, and greatly discounted essential items that you will have to buy anyway.
I purchased my hermit crab at a different Petco store, but I needed some shells for my crab (they molt, and switch shells). Anyway, I head to the store and they had a pathetic selection. All they had was some plastic superhero shells. I was looking for natural shells, the kind most hermit crabs prefer.
Anyway, the main reason I'm only giving the place 1 star is because of the "service". I was basically scolded by an employee because he disagreed how I took care of hermit crab. (A crab who turned out to have a virus and died) For the record, I was taking care of my crab properly and the employee was totally out of line.
Since then I have had new pets but refuse to go back to this particular Petco. I've had more success at other stores.
This store smells like pet ass more than Woofie smells like pet ass, but it's still okay.
Right across from the Cambridgeside Galleria, I learned today that you can park in their lot, grab some pet items, and probably not get towed if you head to the mall.
The selection of dog toys is on par with the other locations, but there was like one girl working a register, who was answering bizarre phone call questions about snapping turtles.
Three stars for being the only place within a reasonable distance I can buy bunny supplies at. I mean really. Bunnies are fucking cute. Doesn't anyone else have one that needs things? Mine sure does. He demands top-quality food at reasonable prices (he's grown frugal with age). Unfortunately since Petco is the only joint in town he gets top-quality food, that you have to inspect for rodent damage, at inflated prices.
The store is DEPRESSING. They've improved the lighting cleaned it up a bit so thankfully it's not nearly as grim inside but it sucks to see all those animals. We walked through the bird room a few weeks ago and not only are they really expensive but they're really sad. The little rodents scurry about all sad (except the ones that roam free feasting in the aisles). The ferrets, well they were all asleep, but I'm assuming they too were sad :'(
Aside from all the sad it's what you would expect. Decent selection, mid to high prices, strange odors, absent help, sullen cashiers, Petco!
I bought a hamster from Petco in September, and only after I got home did I notice that the hamster was severely sick--like, on its deathbed. It had wet tail, which is common, BUT very easily preventable by simply putting anti-wet tail meds in the hamster water. I took the hamster back to the store to return her and they acted like this happened all the time and showed no remorse that they had almost killed an animal. They made no comments like "wow, we better make sure all the other hamsters from her cage aren't sick too" or even an apology. They told me that they'd take her to a vet, but I have no faith they did...the store is so dingy and depressing and all of the animals seem unhappy, especially the ferrets packed into a tiny little cage.
Sadly this is the store I go to for hamster supplies for my new hamster (who I bought from a different store) just because it's the most convenient for me to get to.
I do not recommend this store. They do not take good care of their animals, the store is dirty and gross, and even the parking lot is a mess.
Unfortunately, Petco is the closet pet store to my home (in the Fenway area) where I can purchase good cat food and litter. While the needs of my pets are important to me, it's hard to muster the motivation to travel all the way to Lechmere just to visit this dark, smelly hole. Every time I walk there I get this unreasonable but persistent fear I'm going to get shanked. The storefront, parkinglot, and store itself are almost enough for me to doubt that this place is actually open for business. Even worse, some aisles are so close together that you can barely fit a shopping cart down them.
To be fair, I've had great experiences with the employees here. They really have some great input on pet health, grooming, and products. Most of the time I spend an extra ten minutes babbling about my cats with an equally-enthusiastic clerk. Any place who's willing to put up with a crazy cat lady is okay in my book.
This place is absolutely deplorable. We brought our Italian Greyhound here this past weekend for grooming services (mainly to get his nails cut), and were told that we could pick up our dog in 3 HOURS! Keep in mind that we had made an appointment for grooming services. We decided that we could get a lot of errands completed, and that our dog would realistically be ready in 2 hours, at most. That was our first mistake.
After 2 hours had passed, we called to see if our dog was ready to be picked up. They informed us that they were just getting to him, and that he would be done in 30 - 45 minutes. We showed up an hour later, ruffly 3 hours and 15 minutes after drop off, and they informed us that OUR DOG HAD NOT EVEN BENN BATHED OR LET OUT OF HIS CAGE. We immediately asked for our dog, and left the store. Our dog was very dehydrated and over heated.
I WILL NEVER TAKE MY DOG BACK TO PET CO...
There's one major burning question I've had about within-city pet-related stores I've encountered in Boston for some time now: Where are all the pets?!? I know it's cruel to go look at animals and give them love, only to leave them in the shop saddened and all alone since you don't take them home with you, but honestly sometimes I just want to go to a pet store and oodle at all the adorable animals that I *wish* I could take home with me. It sucks that I always end up asking myself "wait, do they actually have pets in there?" when I see an animal-related store. Strange.
Well anyway, this particular store, as some people say, is a bit disorganized. Staff are relatively polite, but they are pretty scatterbrained. And as Liz said, it's good for satisfying small animal needs. I'm not sure if they still have them anymore, but there was a time where they still had bunnies and other rodenty-type creatures. This also happens to be one of the easier to get to petstores in the area, as it's so close to the Lechmere T station.
Even if it sometimes smells stale, or is a bit of a mess (in many senses), this place will always hold a special place in my heart since this is where I once got my lovely dear mini Russian hamster, 'Lil Romeo (RIP). And I loved him very much, that adorable little fluffball with the sweetest disposition a hamster could have.
It's large enough that you would be most likely to find what you need here, and prices (as Liz D. also said) are fair - compare to their website and/or other brands and they're reasonable. I agree that it's probably best for stocking up on food and supplies though, and that if you were searching for a pet, you should seek one elsewhere. Unless you want to rescue some sweet thing they have and take it home. A part of me wants to know if they still have bunnies in there or not, but the other part is too scared to check it out - if they do still have them, I'm pretty sure I'd fall in love with one and take it home against all sense and reason in my current situation. *sigh* I miss you Lil Romeo.
Update:
I went in here recently, hoping to take a gander at some bunnies and see how strong my restraint was if it came to taking one home. Either that or a Russian Dwarf Hamster that would be as adorable as the one I had in high school, Marmalade.
They had: random birds, small animals (rats, mice, hamsters), some fish here and there among the rows of empty tanks, and a row of reptiles. All in all, not a very large selection, and I felt a bit bad for the "fancy" ugly hermit crabs that had their shells painted with rando designs, prints, or cartoons like the Incredible Hulk. No bunnies.
I especially loved how the mouse 'cages' said "Petco STRONGLY advises the feeding of your reptiles with frozen food." *snigger* *giggle* Ok I know that's evil, poor little mousies. :( I'm glad they have that sign. But the staff didn't even notice we were in there. Good that they didn't bother us, but not good for the store. I probably could have plucked a ferret through the bars of their cage and run off with it, and they might not have bat an eyelid.
I bought my hamster here about a week and a half ago, and instantly fell in love with her. Unfortunately, she fell sick a couple of days later with wet tail and, fortunately, was able to take her back during my "warranty period."
As mentioned before, wet tail is preventable but I'm not going to blame Petco for that. However, when I brought my hamster into the stinky, dark, and dingy store on a bleak Wednesday morning, the clueless staff had no idea how to deal with a sick hamster. When the manager (?) came, she acted quite repulsed with the hamster and refused to even touch her and basically left her with the clueless staff. They said that they would call me back by Friday latest, which they never did. So I went in on Saturday afternoon and asked about her and a) had no clue about a hamster although it was the same clueless staff, and b) told me that they really didn't know anything and I would have to check back on Monday. They even had the nerve to tell me that she wasn't doing well although they obviously had no clue what was going on.
So today is Monday. I called and when I asked about my hamster the lady on the phone said "yeah... about that... I was about to call you" and told me that my hamster died. I asked her how and she basically said no idea so I asked her when, and she told me that she "thinks" it was Saturday night. What???
My hamster was eating and drinking and super active when I brought her in. If she had died on Saturday night like they said and not earlier, they had more than 5 days to cure her. What BS.
Why buy supplies from a chain that sells animals? Guinea pigs are pets too! The horrible overpopulation of pet guinea pigs is out of control as much as dogs. You should see the horrible pig mills that these guinea pigs come from.
In addition, it is considered the worst offender in selling sick guinea pigs that are covered in lice, mites or have respiratory infections or other illnesses. They give you that guarantee because they HOPE you won't bring it back. If you do, they just sell it again at anohter store.
Don't shop at Petco or any other store that sells living creatures!! Get your guinea pigs from the shelter or rescue and buy your supplies from a GOOD pet store, that REFUSES to sell animals!
Please?
Just say no to big box pet store chains with a history of cruelty to animals. Shop locally-owned stores that DON'T sell live animals instead!
Why didn't I give this place NO stars? Yelp won't let you.
This place is NOT puppy approved!
This is a great place for satisfying my small animal needs. I have a rat, and am able to pick up her bedding/food/toys/chew things no problem. There is a wide variety of different brands etc, for small animals which is a non-existent market in the North End where I live. I have found it difficult to find exotic animal food etc, in Boston in general so this location is easy to get to(just off the Lechmere T)
The store is massive and should be able to meet all your pet needs, they even have those little bomber jackets for your poodle, you jerk.
The have an avian room, and tanks of guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets, etc.
There is also a large fish area, and I agree with the other yelpers who are wary of the fish. Many of the betas especially look sickly/dead. You just have to really check them out to make sure. I looked at a bunch before purchasing my beta, and he is still going strong.
I even did a little price comparison with tanks/feed etc, and they are pretty fair.
I would only deal with the senior staff there as I've had great success with them, as opposed to the 15 yr old hood rats(rats...petstore..HA..) who seem scatterbrained and unknowledgable.
One time i went in and there was a rat that had escpaed out of its cage and was kind of stuck in this little area, that they removed after I alerted them because she looked sickly :/
Advice:get your food here. get your animals elsewhere(like at a reputable breeder).
So for location I guess it's ok. It's fairly close to my house, but WTF could the parking lot be any more difficult to get in and out of. It's always packed and it's hard to back out (because cars parallel park behind the row of cars). And tt always seems kind of dirty in here. Not that it's filthy, but other Petco's seem to be cleaner.
I buy the organics, nature's balance, and Nutro max cat food. Their selection is smaller than the one in Burlington. My boys get picky and like lots of variety in their food and I don't buy anything with meat by-products - so I like to have a wide variety of those types of food. This location has many of them, just not all the ones Burlington's Petco does.
Dear lord.
This place is disgusting. Yes...I know it is a pet store. But it smells. I mean, I have been in plenty of pet stores and their isn't such a vile smell that exists in this store. Also, EVERY TIME I go there, I see a mouse out of the corner of my eye....I have only gone here to get pet food if I run out....but I would NEVER recommend using their grooming service.....I have watched the guys through the large glass and he was doing a horrible job and very ruff with the poodle while he was brushing it.........Just...do yourself a favor. Don't enter and if you must do NOT bring your pet in there.
I went to buy a Betta fish + supplies, and was pretty satisfied with my trip. I did some price checking before I went to buy my fish (my roommates bought their betta at a smaller non-chain store and ended up paying more and getting less supplies.) Being a broke, jobless college freshman, I went for it.
My original betta ended up dying four days after I brought him home. I called the store the next day and they were completely helpful and exchanged my poor dead fish for a new betta. (Who is still very much alive and well.) My other roommate bought a hermit crab from this store and the salesperson who helped us was awesome in getting her all set up with supplies, and little tips about how to keep her little crab happy.
The place to get good quality dog food.. Buster nibbles! They also have a groomer, who is really attuned to dogs and is really sweet. They have a big selection of collars, leashes, treats, and toys for dogs. They also have massive bargin bins to scavenge through! It's good cause you can park your car in the lot, and leave you dog in it, if your dog is barker, like mine. Or bring your dog in with you shopping. The last visit, I saw some cute ferrets for sale, if that is your cup of tea.
About the staff...I agree, they are some weirdos and aren't or unable to be that helpful, but the groomer is really cool.
I go to this specific location a lot more due to the fact my friend lives in the area and it's easier to pick up last minute goods for my dog. Compared to other chat pet stores I've been to that's stand alone, this location is relatively small, which means they offer less. They have a limited selection of dog food as well as dog toys, which is understandable due to size; however, they should have items in stock due to the amount of business they recieve for being right across a mall and one of the few (chained) pet stores in the city.
Everytime I come to this location they don't have my dog's canned food in stock, which drives me crazy considering the fact that the dog food is sold in few stores. The staff is always friendly and helpful. The store is somewhat organized and clean (due to the amount of business they may not be able to keep it 100% clean). Overall this store serves its purpose to purcahse toys for my dog and dry dog food, otherwise I have to wait until I'm able to go elsewhere to buy the canned dog food or other goods.
The staff here just doesn't sit right with me. They always look like they'd rather be somewhere else, and I've never seen them behave as though they enjoy animals. I HATE going here, but it's the closest pet-store to home (for now). The supplies are never grimey, but the floors are.
I would NEVER get an animal here, though it would be an improved situation to come home with me. They use wire wheels for the small critters, even though it's common knowledge you shouldn't.
And the parking situation sucks.
I prefer to go to an AGWAY up in NH to get our hamster bedding and food. It's a little cheaper, and I feel much better about the exchange.
Big Petco and includes grooming services. It's really convenient to drop off your cat (or dog) for a bath and go to the mall right next door while they clean/dry him for about 3 hours. They're very nice though they've recently changed management and raised prices for grooming. They do an excellent and thorough job and now have scented milk baths for them!
This place also carries lots of little animals and birds for sale. So cute! Parking is tight though.
I am not the biggest fan of chain pet stores. And the majority of PetCo's I have been to, I have not had good experiences with. I read the reviews for this one, and I don't completely agree. Maybe I caught them on a good day.
First, yes, it smells a little like animal. But it wasn't nauseating, or overpowering. Second, it was a A LOT cleaner than other PetCo's I have seen. In fact that was the first thing I noticed. That it was cleaner. Granted, not the cleanest, but really I have seen much worse. Third, yes, the employees are a little scraggly. Their shirts are a little dirty and they are slightly odd. It didn't bother me much though.
As far as animals go, maybe I didn't explore the whole store because I just saw 3 ferrets, a wall of reptiles, and fish. The ferrets were in a clean and very large glass cage and seemed healthy enough. The wall of reptiles seemed to have clean cages as well and nothing alarmed me. There was an employee giving them all new water and food whilst we were there. The fish. Again, they all seemed pretty healthy to me. In fact, I was actually pleased that the aquariums were clean. No algae on them. Only one tank seemed to have too many fish in it. They had signs up too encouraging adoption by finding pets through PetFinder.
I would never buy cat food here. I only buy organic, natural pet food. However, I did buy some litter here. They also had Booda boxes, cat trees, toys, basically any supply you could need. They also had a good supply for small animals. So, yeah, I wouldn't shop here often but if I am at the Galleria and need some litter, I would come in and get it (that was the case when I went). So, yes, it is an "evil" PetCo, but really it wasn't all that bad.
This place is filthy and what I refer to as a "pet graveyard."
The only big box pet store in the area. Sells large pet supplies at the cheapest prices you will find in the area. Good place to buy accessories for your aquarium but NOT fish. They fish there often look ill, dead fish in tanks, etc
I avoid this store if at all possible. My dog eats Natural Balance food and Petco is one of the only places to buy it, but when I learned that a place in South End carries it I stopped going to Petco. I'd rather pay an extra dollar a bag not to have to deal with the rude salespeople. I was in line once and watched someone walk out of the front office to a plume of pungent pot smoke. That was the last time I patronized Petco.
pros: only big box pet store that is easily accessible by T, work with st. meows, a local cat adoption agency, to help place its cats with customers at an open house of sorts once/week
cons: very weird staff, the outside looks like it's always closed even when it's not, noticeably very high prices (even when compared with the ripoff "pet food outlet" store in alewife), and, inexplicably, it only seems to carry massively large amounts of kitty litter -- how are people (i.e. myself) supposed to carry a 20 pound bag of jonny cat home?!
This PetCo always creeps me out. The whole place is dirty, and the animals look like they're on the brink of life. The prices are (as to be expected next to Cambridgeside) pricey. You're better off visiting a suburban store if you can.
this is where i'd go to get my kitty his food and accessories. right next to the mall, i could walk here from my house (which is what i usually did) but if you're farther or lazy, you can take the T. not a very big store, but it has most of what you need for your pet. in fact, it is the only pet store we were able to find in boston for people without cars, unless you go to some boutique one. so, stock up on your healthy pet food, toys and collars!
I don't like this store. I find it really disorganized and the salespeople aren't very helpful. I do like the fact that you can adopt pets from Second Chance animal shelter on certain days and that they have some parking.
