Thieves broke into a pet store in Salt Lake over the weekend, taking an estimated $10,000, more than a dozen rabbits and a rare tortoise in what the owner said bore the marks of an inside job.

In addition, a guinea pig's back was broken during the burglary, which occurred sometime between 8:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. yesterday at Pet's Discount Warehouse's main outlet at 4384 Mala'ai St. in Salt Lake, police said.

A manager opening the store at 9 a.m. yesterday discovered the thefts and called police, business owner Dan McDougal said.

The burglary had to have been done with the help of an insider, McDougal said, because the outlet's alarm system, phone lines and computer network were disabled before the burglary took place. "Someone knew our company well," he said yesterday. "They knew where to go, what to take and the hours (of operation). They cut the phone lines and they knew exactly what to cut to kill the alarms."

The office was ransacked, McDougal said, "just like the movies."

Thieves used crowbars or other objects to smash open doors, drawers and cash registers. Paper files, computer monitors and hard drives were scattered across the floor, he said. Two safes, one made of concrete and steel, were smashed open.

The burglars took four computer monitors along with one day's deposits from the company's six stores. An initial estimate put the cash loss between $10,000 and $12,000, McDougal said.

McDougal also lost a dozen lop-eared rabbits that retail for $50 each, and a Sulcatta tortoise that sells for $150. Also missing was a large amount of frozen fish food, one of many lost items that makes McDougal believe the thieves are affiliated with the pet business.

"The fish food is a dead giveaway. It's someone who is either in the pet business or into pets," he said. "You don't take a dozen bunny rabbits, a tortoise, and frozen fish food unless you're somehow related to pets."

McDougal was also upset about the injury to the guinea pig. Thieves apparently stepped on the animal, dropped it or let something fall on it, he said.

"We have to take it over (to the veterinarian) to see if it can be saved or if it has to be euthanized," McDougal said.

"We're just kind of numb right now; we're a local company and this affects a lot of people here."

Police investigators were still gathering evidence and no arrests had been made by 4 p.m. yesterday, police said.

Officers took fingerprints and other evidence from the scene, and detectives were scheduled to follow up, McDougal said.

There is concern about identity theft stemming from the burglary because personal checks used by customers at the company's six stores were included with the cash that was stolen, police said.

Pet's Discount was founded in 1983. McDougal employs more than 70 people.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.