Anyone here foster or run a Guinea Pig rescue?

[alm_nin]

I was just wondering if anyone here fosters Guinea Pigs or runs a rescue for them? I am thinking about fostering for a local small animal rescue. I just don't know if I would be able to give them up when they got adopted, and I was wondering how other people deal with this. Also, do you keep them completely separate from your own piggies, or do you let them play together after a quarantine period? I have heard that some rescues routinely treat even healthy looking pigs for parasites, is this common and necessary? Also, how do you make sure that an adopter isn't going to breed them? I know there are adoption forms, but people can easily lie on them, and I've heard that spaying/neutering pigs is very high risk compared to cats and dogs.

[alm_nin]

Anyone?
Does anyone at least know where I can find more information on fostering guinea pigs?

[Ly&Pigs]

There are a few of us who either rescue part time or full time. I do rescue when I can (rats, hamsters and gerbils these days because I have no room to take in anymore pigs). If you are interested in fostering, your best bet would be to contact the agency you'd like to foster for and get information from them. Different agencies may have different policies.

It's very common for rescues to treat incoming pigs for parasites and to do a vet checkup.

To make sure they go to good homes, you screen the potential adopters very well and they do fill out forms for adoption (if you are fostering for a rescue/shelter then they would do the screening). Some rescues do home visits.

Spaying carries more of a risk than neutering but if the vet is very experienced then the risk should decrease, but as with any surgery there can always be complications.

[clotho]

Fostering is one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had!!! I foster for a local guinea pig rescue. I took in a pregnant female and her sister. I needed to have space in a separate room so I could quarantine these new additions for the first few weeks. They had been rescued right from a shelter, so needed to be treated for mites and watched to make sure they were eating, etc.

The rewarding part was watching these two scared little piggies gradually learn to trust a little, to eat veggies (most of which they had never seen before), and to eat hay. The transformation in one of the girls was amazing - she had lost half her hair due to mites and as she got better, she looked like a whole new guinea pig!!! It was amazing and gratifying to watch.

I will admit though, we adopted the mom, the sister, and one of the babies - so be careful and don't take on more than you can handle - because odds are you might not want to give up your fosters. You could start small.

I introduced the mom, sister, and all 6 babies to my existing two girls and they lived with them until they were adopted, or in the male's case, until they needed to be separated at 21 days old. I still have one foster girl living with my girls.

You might want to check with the rescue about their policies. I always know that if I am fostering a piggie - I always have first "dibs" on that piggie if I want to keep him/her.

My older boar, Stripes, was living alone since his cagemate died. I have now taken on fostering an older male piggie who has become a wonderful companion for my male.

Fostering is a very necessary and important job - and it takes very special people to be able to do it. Give it a try - it's a wonderful feeling - but start slowly is my best advice. Good luck!

[Wheek Weak]

Originally Posted by alm_nin

I just don't know if I would be able to give them up when they got adopted, and I was wondering how other people deal with this.
I have heard that some rescues routinely treat even healthy looking pigs for parasites, is this common and necessary?

I don't know if this will be much help to you because we rescue on a "permanent home" basis. Once they're here...they live out their lives here.

We always treat for mites when our new rescues are in the 3-week quarantine period. That's because most (if not all) of them had/have been purchased at pet stores.

We share in clotho's excitement of rescuing unwanted, neglected pigs. To take in a malnourished, mangy, matted, mite-infested piggy and care for it to the peak of health is such a joy beyond words.

Not a day goes by that I'm not amazed at how healthy our babies look, or how shiny their hair is now, or how active and happy they are compared to when we took them in.

Good luck in your decision. Keep trying to find rescues who can answer your questions for you. I know there are several good ones out there. Ask on GuineaLynx and Pigloo.net. You should be able to find rescues there to get some more information.

[RufussMom]

My grandmother fosters/adopts Golden Retrievers so I know a good amount about fostering. It is different with pigs though, obviously. For her it is not hard to give the fosters up because she knows they have finally found a home!

Most shelters/rescues have an adoption fee. This is partly to help keep the facility going, but also tells them that if the adopter is willing to pay for the animal, they probably have enough money to take care of it in the long run and they probably truly do want a pet. Most people who would want to breed for money would go to the petstore where they are sometimes cheaper, or look in the newspaper for people who are desperate to get rid of their animal.

You just have to trust the adopters, if you do not own the rescue and are just helping them by fostering, you probably cant say no to an adopter anyways, so you just have to think about the positives!

Fostering is a great thing to do because many rescues are packed full of animals and they just dont have the room or money to take care of many more. Can you imagine being a rescue and having to turn down people who want to give up there pet. You have to wonder whether that person is just going to throw the pet out the window on the ride home...