Pet Section @ Chatuchak Weekend Market

Further to my original post HERE, Chatuchak (or Jatujak) weekend market takes up such a big space with thousands of stalls, i will normally recommend two days for most visitors.

The first day (Saturday) is purely to see what they offer and last day (Sunday) for all your purchases! There will always be some stalls you miss out on the first day!

One section (or soi as Thais call them) i particularly enjoy every time is the pet's section. Not surprisingly since i am quite an animal lover myself.

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Buying a small, simple dog bed may set you back by around S$20 in Singapore. In Chatuchak, you will be spoiled for choices and a high quality bed may only have a price tag of S$10! Well, the thought of dragging it back to Singapore seems mentally tiring enough to deter me from taking out my wallet!

Some stalls have dogs caged up in incredibly tight enclosures that make moving a continual, difficult chore. With Rubee having the free run of my house, seeing this lack of freedom was an eyesore for me! And mind you, i have seen worse in Singapore.

Compared to most Singapore's pet shops that sell live animals, i have to agree with most people that the animals in this market are well groomed and there's no hint (okay, maybe only minimal) of the obnoxious doggy smell!

So well groomed to the extent that some animals are clothed!! Looking real adorable and staying still within the tiny cages, i sometimes wonder if the animals are drugged. C'mon, how can they stay so perfectly still!?! Except for the moving nostrils.

When pet's fashion first reached the lion city eons ago, prices were sky high just for a normal t-shirt. However, Pampet (imported from Thailand) changed the pet fashion landscape entirely with attractive designs at a much more affordable price. And needless to say, you have a lot more choices here in Chatuchak at even cheaper pricing!

Just now, i showed small animals in cages. In fact, most shops adopt a partial open concept with animals placed on an elevated "table" and mixing with one another! Psychologically, the open concept gave the impression that the shop owners are giving the animals breathing space.

Realistically, the open concept is an easier access to sell you the animals due to the higher human traffic in Chatuchak. Grab and pass instead of "unlock cage", "grab a frightened puppy", " attempt to push it to a corner", "finally grab it", "pull it out from the too small door" and "pass it to you"!

With so many pet accessories imported from Thailand, there's no question that you can get the same thing at only a fraction of the cost you pay in Singapore!

At times, the price is so low your brain will tell you to buy dozens of them so that you can sell them to Singapore's pet owners at 400% profit margin (estimation)!

Before the rise of China, the cheapest rawhide came from Thailand! These chewy edible treats/toys are still bloody cheap in Thailand! Just that you can get them at dirt cheap prices in China.

This knotted rawhide only cost 120 Thai Baht (roughly S$6)!!! How much would you think it costs in Singapore??!?!?

Let's continue with more animal pictures! A big sized hamster that never seemed to stop munching when i was looking at it!

Short Coat Guinea pigs! Do you know they are very vocal rodents? Especially when they are hungry!!!

These are called sugar gliders and though i have not come across pet shops in Singapore selling them, the Singapore's pet forums seem to suggest otherwise.

More pet beds! These are the kind my elderly Rubee prefers since it involves less strenuous motor movements!

You may find other pet related products in Chatuchak like the purse with dog images. For me, i bought 15 (yes, one five) t-shirts that have pictures of canines and felines!

Some collars and doggie hair bands displayed nicely in a shop! In terms of product section within Chatuchak, the dog section has one of the highest numbers of air-conditioned stalls! This is a plus factor when the high temperature sets in at noon!

Besides basic clothing, accessories like hairbands are also used to spruce up the cute factor! Gosh, the puppies look like a perfect, angelic addition to any house!

The cutest has to go to the rabbits! They looked like furry ballerinas! And with the rabbit year coming, this will definitely be a big hit!!!

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Remember!!! You need a permit to bring animals to Singapore! And to me, it's good to "look see look see" but note that some shop owners can be very fierce when it comes to taking pictures and touching the animals.

Additional Information

Getting to Chatuchak weekend market is very easy with public transportation. It’s within walking distance from Mo Chit station (BTS Skytrain) and Chatuchak Park MRT station.

My original post on Chatuchak can be found at http://cavinteo.blogspot.com/2010/12/chatuchak-weekend-market-bangkok.html.