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Petco, which is among the most important and well-known pet stores in the U.S. said Tuesday that it has no more connection with Holmes Chinchilla Ranch and Other Small Animals Inc.

The announcement follows a federal probe into their mistreatment of animals at their Pennsylvania region, says Newser.

Petco spokeswoman Lisa Start asserted that Holmes was not able to rise up to the company's "animal care standards."

The probe by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was started when a representative from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) "went undercover", working in Holmes and finding that most of the animals were treated badly, reported USA Today.

The list of atrocities is quite long: a number of animals were stuffed in small, crowded crates. Animals who were sick were killed off in many, inhumane ways. For instance, live rats got imprisoned in Ziploc bags and allowed to asphyxiate. More sick animals got piled into a cooler and killed with carbon dioxide.

In response to the charges, Holmes said that it will get into an arrangement with the USDA in order to "satisfactorily resolve any concerns that they have now or arise in the future," according to Fox News.