Two years ago I would have preached all about the wrong doings of PP too. Since then I have learned quite a bit. So I will play devils advocate here, this is not to say that I do or don't support pocket pets.
In the last year or two PP has made some improvements.
1 they no longer sell the wodent wheel, they made some improvements to it and sell one without a center bar. It is still a solid track and needs to be cleaned regularly but it is a safer improvement.
2 They neuter all their males for a reason, they aren't promoting breeding, they are sold as pet only. If you want to breed buy a lineaged pair from a breeder that sells breed able gliders. PP intentionally neuters the males to preventing inbreeding, more back yard breeding by inexperienced owners.
If I want to be completely honest PP is actually more responsible than most breeders when it comes to the males. Why? most breeders don't neuter pet only males they just don't give you the lineage unless you pay for it. Which leads you to believe you CAN breed even though you don't know if the gliders are related or not.
Most breeders don't offer cages, and accessories that is the responsibility of the owner whether you like the cage and accessories PP offers or not at least they make sure you HAVE one and aren't sticking their gliders in shoebox or something.
All, or most breeders advertise somewhere, they also rely on impulse buyers they just use different platforms and methods. A lot of breeders don't educate the buyer at all, they don't offer any support after the glider is sold.
There are many happy PP owners out there, the community tries to make them feel ashamed for buying gliders from PP.
If your gonna have standards for PP, then why aren't breeders held to the same standards? I can assure you they aren't.
Why are they so hated?
They are a very large, successful, nationwide company that is making money, gobs of money and they are the BIGGEST competition localized breeders have. They are a large, BROKER. They don't not have their own breeding program they buy from breeders who may or may not be mill breeders.
The wheel, the heat rock, the bonding to pets etc are disliked yes, and used by the community and parrots, to create fear, and guilt to PP owners.
These are the reasons they are so disliked by the community.
Sure they do some things I don't personally agree with, I am not a fan of heat rocks and I disagree with some of their information. I also promote furthering your education on gliders, research on your own, use different sources, get involved in the glider community, ask questions. So your aware they give inaccurate information? GO FIND ACCURATE INFORMATION. That IS the responsibility as a glider owner, to educate yourself. To give yourself the knowledge to be able to make educated, sound decisions about your gliders and their care.
That being said, those are my personal opinions and my personal standards. Because I don't agree with some things, I don't support them monetarily, I don't buy their gliders, or their products. Same as I don't shop at Walmart but instead shop at local mom n pop stores when ever possible. That is where I chose to spend my money and support local businesses.
On the other hand I DO SUPPORT PP neutering males, making improvements, changing the wheel, starting to make changes in the diet, coming to the glider community elders and accepting their recommendations. I do support PP doing more than "reputable breeders" to provide continued support, even though I don't agree with some of the information they provide.
If YOU had a good previous experience with PP and YOU want to spend your money there on another glider, DO IT. It's YOUR money and YOUR decision to make, not ours. If you chose to go to a local breeder instead, that is also your decision to make.
PP owners are scared to come into the glider community because of how people treat them, like they don't love their glider because they obtained it from PP It's ridiculous. I see posts on a daily basis that start out saying " Unfortunately I am a victim of PP but I am here to try to learn more" or " Don't yell at me but my first glider came from PP we love him and I need help with his diet" There is NO reason to make owners feel guilty or victimized for where they bought their glider. We all start somewhere, and if people were more honest you would find they got their first glider from somewhere questionable themselves. Those first gliders open the door to the glider world no matter who sold them to you.
MY first glider came from a back yard breeder and I love her as much as if I had spent 3,000.00 on her from a "reputable breeder". Sure I wanted to breed her at first, but upon more research decided the responsible thing to do was keep her as pet only since she had no lineage.
Would I buy another glider from the same backyard breeder now 2 yrs later after all the things I have learned? Despite the fact that is she is healthy as a horse, my first glider love, great personality, NO I would not. He is still breeding, he is still selling, and he still has questionable glider husbandry and I would not give him my money.
It comes down to educating yourself, asking questions, making responsible decisions.