[envisionary333]

I am wondering how discovering this site has made an impact on your life, both in the way you care for your guinea pigs, as well as how you view the world and animal welfare.

Before I found this wonderful resource, I only had two guinea pigs in a 40-gallon aquarium tank. I knew the tank wasn't ideal for air flow, but it was much bigger than the guinea pig cages and it seemed like there was no other option. The pigges were purchased from a pet store at a young age, and I had no clue about the conditions they came from, or the shelter piggies I had condemned by buying pet store piggies instead. I fed my guinea pigs the Kaytee Fiesta mix and put vitamin C drops in their water bottle every day. They would get a small plate of veggies every day, but I had no idea which ones to feed or how much. Mostly they just got lettuce and carrots. I decided to breed my guinea pigs so I could raise the babies on my own to be properly socialized, and ended up heartbroken with two stillborns.

Basically, I did just about EVERYTHING wrong. It's hard to believe that I was such a bad owner, but I think it's a testament to how little quality information there is out there on proper guinea pig care.

Now I have 11 guinea pigs, eight of which were adopted from my local rescue, and they share a 79-square-foot C and C cage in their very own bedroom. They eat a healthy and varied range of vegetables every day, have Oxbow pellets, and a mix of grass hays by Oxbow and Kleenmama's. My single boar is neutered, and I will never consider breeding again, it is simply out of the question.

My guinea pigs will live a long and happy life with me, and I owe it all to this site.

So what's your story?