Pickering Valley Feed & Farm Store

This used to be my FAVORITE place to go to. Until recently they started to put baby bunnies in this big plastic container so everyone and their mother can touch and pick up the rabbits with no supervision at all. I am a rabbit owner and I know exactly how rabbits should be treated and handled.
I went to talk to an employee about my concern about the rabbits being exposed like that. However, her response was neither reassuring or factual. She said rabbits should be exposed so they become more social. This can be true to an extent. However, I don’t see any rabbit or even a human wanting to be picked up, touched, screamed at, etc while they’re trying to rest.
I went in there today for rabbit food, and walked out with nothing but disgust. I honestly won’t be coming back here. I used to recommend this place to others but I now will be doing the opposite.

We bought our kitten from here and she was in terrible shape. She was malnourished, has a respiratory infection, filthy, had ear mites, fleas, and WORMS. I took her to the vet immediately after we got her. I have another cat and know how to properly care for animals. DO NOT buy animals here unless you’re prepared for that. You’re better off picking up a feral cat off the street.

Education folks! I want to comment on an earlier review about how the rabbits were being
housed in the store. I certainly hope the store owners have upgraded the housing and husbandry. Rabbits need space to run, such as an exercise pen with a litter box with paper based bedding such as carefresh, plenty of unlimited fresh hay and fresh veggies. Wire bottom cages are the WORST housing for rabbits. The House Rabbit Society is the best resource for rabbit care. Rabbits need to be spayed/​neutered just like dogs and cats. They are VERY sensitive to heat and cold and will perish in extreme temperatures. Guinea pigs have specific needs also. The best sites for Guinea pig care are Guinea Lynx and Cavy Spirit. Ferret universe is a great site for ferret care. Please consider the lifetime care and expense before acquiring a pet! Many of the animals sold at this store end up dumped at the Chester County SPCA. The SPCA is not educated on the care of these animals so they are always at
risk. SPCA’s should not be partnering with stores that sell animals. If you decide to add a small pet to your family, go to a rescue group. You will get a healthy pet, it will be sexed correctly, altered if appropriate, and you will get proper care information, and best of all, you
will be saving a life. We don’t need any more animals being bred and sold, when so many
are discarded.

I love this place with all my heart. The prices are reasonable for my guinea pigs food, hay and bedding. Every time I go in there, they are very friendly towards me and helpful. I got my baby guinea pig from there (she’s a peruvian) and she’s wonderful. The vet told me that as a baby, she was extremely friendly and gentle (usually baby pigs are squirmy) and she said it’s probably because of how the farm raised her. At the store, you can take out the animals and play with them before you decide to buy, and I love that about this store. It’s an hour away from me, but I drive the distance as it’s worth it. Next time I adopt a guinea pig, I will be coming here!

Wonderful store, wonderful people who care for the animals. Always friendly and welcoming, helpful too. My dog enjoys coming with me here as well, because of the relaxed atmosphere. I have been coming here for years and see the conditions many animals are kept in at other pet stores, and can say Pickering is very tidy and looks to me as though they give about the same space, or more, to its animals than other pet stores.

Great staff!!! Everyone is always so friendly and helpful. To whoever hires these workers— you have wonderful taste

The staff here is very courteous and helpful. They genuinely seem to care and are knowledgeable. They have some amazing rewards for purchasing the same items over and over. Today we got a free bag of cat food! Live to support local business!

Fantastic store! Not sure why people are slandering the place with negative reviews — if you have issues with the rabbits please go to the store and speak with someone in charge instead of sitting behind your computer and saying nasty things about a fantastic organization! They actually help place animals that are rescued from local kill-​shelters and are an amazing asset to the community! I’ve been there dozens of times and have never once seen any sort of issue with any of their animals!

Just as an update the business was once again checked by the SPCA as a random check, because of a complaint that was filed, and once again passed with flying colors as it did with all previous. And that check was on all animals. This check was within the last five days.

Very upsetting visit to their store. Went to get supplies for my rabbits, and saw the way they «care’ for small animals there. Horrifying. Absolutely no hay, multiple rabbits in tiny tiny cages, they all seemed to be experiencing heat stroke. Rabbits cannot tolerate heat, they didn’t even have a fan or anything!
I did say something to an employee, I felt like they just brushed it off as no big deal that animals they are supposed to be caring for, before they go to their forever homes, are not taken care of at all.
There were also kittens in extremely tiny metal cages, crammed in together. So sad for the animals they sell.

Just bought a kitten from them today. Kitten is very sweet and I’m happy to have him. But when I got him home I noticed that he is covered in fleas and that makes me think he might have worms. I called the store, and their response was to bring him back. Luckily I work with animals and I know how to take care of fleas on a young kitten. When I expressed my concerns I was told by the employee. «Well we just got the kittens in not that long ago so I guess they weren’t checked well. And you really only spent 25 dollars on it so there’s not much I can do.» Not only is that sort of attitude completely unacceptable and rude, but it’s disheartening to know that those kind of people work with living creatures. I will be buying my raw food somewhere else from now on.

Great selection of pond plants and koi. Staff was very friendly and helped me pick out the perfect specimens for my pond. We picked out several nice looking koi and put them in a «maybe» bucket so I could get a better view and select the ones I wanted.