A PetSmart worker found eggs in one of the bird cages, and decided to take matters into his own hands. His actions earned the approval of fellow TikTokers.
The employee, who posts as the.lil.snot (@the.lil.snot), shared the moment he found a surprise in one of the bird cages. In the short video, which has over 438,000 views, the content creator also contemplated what to do.
“Guys, oh my God. I work at PetSmart, and look what I just found in this bird cage,” he begins, turning the camera to face a cage full of birds. He grabs a round, straw-like structure hanging from the top of the cage and shows the five small white eggs inside.
“I know we’re supposed to like, throw them away. I can’t do that bro. If they die I’m going to be so sad,” he says as the video ends.
Users weigh in
In the comments, users reacted to his claim that store protocol dictates he should “throw them away.”
“Hold up. You are told to toss them??” one horrified user wondered.
“They throw the babies out?? Are they fertilized?” another asked.
Many commenters also gave the PetSmart worker advice on how to take care of the eggs.
“Take em home ur a mom now,” said one person.
“Please consider researching if you have a bird rehaber or bird hobbiest in your area. Also maybe reach out to other creators on here for help. You did great saving them,” a second wrote.
“Take them to a wildlife rescue or bird rescue. They’ll take care of them,” another said.
“You can use a flashlight to see if they are fertilized,” someone else suggested.
@the.lil.snot Plz help me how do i save them #petsmart #pet #bird #relatable #funny #viral #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #fypageシ #fy ♬ original sound – the.lil.snot
Were the PetSmart eggs fertilized?
In a follow-up video, the PetSmart worker reveals that he followed the commenter’s advice. He checked the eggs with a flashlight and saw signs of life.
“I saw veins and stuff in them. So I’m assuming that means there is a living being inside of them,” he says.
He also provides an important update—he’s decided to take the eggs home.
“It’s like a secret mission dude, I’m so scared,” he says.
In a second update, the PetSmart employee successfully brings the fertilized eggs back to his home. He shows them wrapped in a heated blanket under his bed.
“My plan is to keep these guys until they hatch, and then I’m gonna donate them to The Humane Society, who already said they would take them,” he shares.
After thanking viewers for their helpful tips, the TikToker promises future updates.
“I go to work today so let’s see if I get fired,” he also adds.
In the comments of that video, viewers strongly recommend that the TikToker get an incubator for the eggs.
“You need humidity too! Incubator is key,” one such user wrote, with another replying, “This!! Humidity helps keep the eggs hydrated so they don’t dry out in the shell from the heat and helps with successful hatching.”
Does PetSmart throw out eggs and live animals?
PetSmart has been accused of throwing out live animals in the past, sparking outrage among animal lovers.
The Independent reported in 2021 on two “dumpster divers” who reportedly found a box of three live hamsters in the dumpster of a PetSmart location in Pennsylvania. The Daily Dot reported on a similar incident in which a another dumpster diver found a box of live fish behind a PetSmart in 2023.
A PetSmart spokesperson told The Independent, “Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of pets in our care … We are actively reviewing these situations, and we have taken steps to ensure the pets in question are receiving appropriate care.”
Other PetSmart employees weigh in
Workers from PetSmart shared a different viewpoint about discarded animals in a Reddit thread on the subject.
“Honestly, if someone actually found an animal in a pet store dumpster and it wasn’t planted there for the video, it was 100% another customer that left it there,” a commenter said.
They continued, “Sometimes people will come in and try to abandon an animal with us. They want to do a return that we can’t accept for whatever reason, they think we can act as a rescue to take in pets that they don’t want anymore, etc. Petsmart is very strict about what animals we can actually accept back as returns, but when we turn people away, sometimes they’ll just abandon the animal in the store or outside it to force us to take it in.”
“As a person who has worked for petsmart for 6 years, this person is 100% right. We do not condone this type of behavior,” another PetSmart employee responded in the same thread.
While accusations about how PetSmart handles live animals continue to circulate, it seems policies for handling eggs differ by location.
As one user under @the.lil.snot’s video wrote, “I used to work at Petsmart, we would keep the eggs and try our best to raise them! Every store must be different.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok direct message, and to PetSmart via email.
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