Man Finds Live Hamster in Petco Dumpster, Sparking Debate on Their Live Animal Practices

Dumpster diving isn't the most glamorous of ways to try and earn some extra cash, but there are some folks who manage to find some great hauls that they can go on to re-sell, sometimes earning themselves big bucks in the process.

It's no secret that retail stores will often toss unsold products still in their packaging that they can't sell wholesale at a discount in order to make way for new inventory, which can lead to some exciting finds for committed dumpster divers.

Unfortunately, folks also come across some pretty tragic finds inside these dumpsters, like this group of deal scouters who found a baby thrown away by a teen mom.

TikToker @zaymfarechiga recently uploaded a video that has the internet up in arms against Petco.

In the now viral clip the TikTok user said was sent to him by his father (the one doing the dumpster diving) he holds up a box containing a live hamster he says he found in the trash behind a Petco store location.

@zaymfarechiga writes in a caption for the clip: "My dad sent me this video of him finding a hamster in the trashcan at petco in dallas! The neglect these animals receive from large corporations is insane and nobody pays attention to this!"

His father could be heard saying in the clip as he walks near the dumpster: "So I was driving by and I remember a long time ago I used to come back here find stuff in the trash. So I come in here and dumpster dive yeah I propped this thing open, and look what I find..."

At this point in the clip his dad holds up a box containing the hamster which can be seen scurrying inside of the box. "Look what I find, walking around on the trash, I found a little cricket box and put it in there. This is crazy dude. They're dumping away live animals."

Petco has previously been accused of throwing away live animals in the trash, according to various reports online. PETA condemned the Fort Myers, Fla. location for discarding live fish and shrimp in a dumpster located directly outside of the store.

The report goes on to claim that some of the fish were stomped to death in the bag and that there were dozens of the creatures that died while in the dumpster, with 30 or so still struggling to stay alive.

TikTokers who saw @zaymfarechiga's father's video decried the treatment of the hamster and tagged Petco to provide an explanation and look into the matter. Other referenced the widely disseminated fish-tossing story.

There were others who claimed that large pet retail chains have been engaging in practices similar to this for years: "Petco &PetSmart been doing this for years especially with live fish. I stop shopping from those places for this reason," one commenter wrote.

Another penned, "They have been doing this for years. I saw a video of a man found a baby iguana ALIVE inside a box smh."