Any pet owner knows that pets can be unpredictable. From the picky dog or cat that only plays with certain toys, to the pet whose stomach gets upset easily, this can make it difficult to find the right pet food, treat, or toy. Enter the 30-day Petco return policy which makes it fairly easy to make returns on most of its products….usually.

Petco Gives You 30 Return Days

If you aren’t satisfied with your Petco purchase, you can return your in-store or online purchase within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.

Returns made in the 31-60 day window will have to settle for merchandise credit for the price you paid.

Don’t Throw Away Your Receipt

You need some form of receipt to serve as proof of purchase.

If you don’t have a receipt, be sure to also bring your government-issued ID when returning your items in-store.

Most managers will give you store credit on the lowest selling price of the item that you’re returning sans receipt.

Mileage can vary from store to store, especially if the items are opened or don’t have the original packaging.

See Also: The Chewy Return Policy is WAY Better Than Petco’s

PRO TIP: NO RECEIPT HACK

Join the FREE version of Petco Vital Care program called “Core”.

Not only will you get members-only pricing on certain items, but your receipts will be stored in the Petco system via your phone number.

You’ll never have to worry about losing your receipt again as it can be VERY hard to make a return at Petco without it.

Petco Fish Return Policy is Slightly Different

First of all, Petco has a 7-day “Stay Alive” guarantee where they’ll refund you in-full if the fish, invertebrate, or live plant die within 7 days of purchase.

Beyond the 7-days, Petco has 30-day return policy on freshwater fish that die in your tank.

A store associate will take care of the dead fish and properly dispose of it upon return.

Be sure to bring a water sample from your fish tank as that could determine whether they give you a refund or not.

Also, there is NO return policy on saltwater fish due to their delicate habitat requirements.

PRO TIP: YOU CAN’T CHANGE YOUR MIND ON FISH

Keep in mind that Petco will not take back live fish that you simply decide you don’t want.

So be sure that the fish you pick out are compatible and exactly what you want.

If you decide you made a mistake, contact an independent aquarium store in your town as many will take any fish that you don’t want.

Bring Back Sick Animals Right Away

You can return sick animals bought at Petco within their 30-day return policy window.

As always, remember to bring your government-issued ID and receipt of when you bought the animal.

Be sure to call ahead and explain the issues going on with your pet and they’ll tell you how to proceed.

Keep in mind that they may not want you bringing the sick animal back into the store, exposing it to healthy animals.

Also See: The PetSmart Return Policy: Here’s the Lowdown on Pet Food Returns

PRO TIP: ALWAYS RETURN “BAD-QUALITY” ITEMS TO PETCO

I have a labradoodle puppy that is a BIG TIME chewer. I bought a dog chew that claimed to be the “most durable” on the market.

Within an hour, he had chewed off a HUGE chunk of it. I took it back and they gave me my money back with ZERO hassles.

I asked the manager if this was standard practice and she said “yes, if it says it’s durable and it clearly isn’t, you deserve your money back”. Good job Petco, excellent customer service.

You Can Return Opened Pet Food

If you aren’t 100% satisfied, you can definitely return opened pet food to Petco.

This is great news for pet owners as many dogs and cats can be quite the picky eater.

Therefore, Petco accepting open pet food is a game-changer because you can return the food, especially if your pet doesn’t like the food or it doesn’t sit well with their stomach.

You Can Also Return Online Purchases In-Store

As long as you have a receipt and ID as proof you purchased the item, you can return online purchases in-store.

There are several ways to show proof of purchase from an online purchase that Petco will accept as a valid return in-store. This includes:

• Store Return Receipt: On your Petco account, go to your Order History and locate the item(s) you want to return. Here, you should find a ‘Store Return Receipt’ that you can either print out and bring in-store or show on your smartphone at the store

• Confirmation Email Of Purchase: Another way is to print out or show your confirmation email on your phone that you should have received after making the purchase.

It’s important to remember that online purchase returns will only be accepted 30 days after the initial shipment date.

Therefore, be aware that your 30-day return window DOES NOT start when you receive your Petco order, but RATHER from when your order is shipped.

PRO TIP: DON’T GIFT ANIMALS. BUT IF YOU DO, PETCO HAS YOUR BACK

Some Petco employees will refuse to sell an animal to someone who’s gifting it.

Gifting small animals like hamsters and Guinea pigs often results in the animal being returned, which stresses them out as they have to be quarantined.

Petco will definitely take the animal back, but they’d rather have the person who’s going to be responsible for the animal buy it themselves.

Clearance Items Are Also Returnable

If you aren’t happy with your clearance item purchase, and its within the 30-day policy window, you can return your Petco clearance order.

See Also: Target Return Policy: Make Your Next Tarzhay Return a Breeze

The Items That Petco Will NOT Accept

There are a few items that Petco doesn’t accept returns for.

This includes pet prescriptions/ medicine, pharmacy pet products, and personalized pet products.

Other nonrefundable Petco purchases include services like grooming or dog training and you cannot return any saltwater fish purchased at Petco.

How To Make an Online Return

You can either return an online Petco purchase in-store (with valid proof of purchase and ID) or you can ship it back for a complete refund.

Just be sure to make your return within Petco’s 30-day return policy window.

To ship back your online Petco purchase by mail, CLICK HERE to start the process by entering your order number.

Ask the Reader: Have you ever had trouble with the Petco return policy? What was the situation and eventual outcome?

By Kyle James

Kyle James( Owner/Founder )

I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)