Adopting: Adopting questions??

[IluvePiggies]

After learning so much from this site and talking with my parents, we decided to wait and see what turns up at our local shelters and Craigslist and since the latest Guinea Pig raige at Petsmart($10 off Guinea Pigs), I'm sure some will be put on Craigslist or at shelters. But I've got a few questions:

1: If the Guinea Pig has been around other Guinea Pigs, will it still need to be quarantened?

2: Will it take more time to tame the adopted one if she came from a home where the kids were neglectant of the pet?

3: Is there special food I need to give them even if they aren't special need?

4: Should I give it a quick bath and groom before letting her meet the others?


Thanks for all your help!

[Rnd210]

1. If the guinea pig come from a different place meaning it was not in your home when you get her then you need to quarentine for 3 weeks.

2. This will depend on the piggie itself.

3. If it doesn't havee any problems then I don't see why it couldn't eat oxbow pellets, grass hay, and fruit and veggies.


4. Only bath if it is visibly dirty otherwise it is not needed.

[IluvePiggies]

Oh ok. I found 2 Guinea Pig rescues in my area and a shelter that sometimes carries Guinea Pigs but the 2 rescues seem to be not found...hmm

[Wednesday_12]

I had to actually phone the rescues in my area, because they didn't have webpages. See if you can track down a telephone number. Otherwise call your local RSPCA and see if they have a number for a place where you can adopt guinea pigs from. My local RSPCA rescues guinea pigs, but does not house them on the premises, so you have to specifically request for them.

I adopted 2 guinea pigs who had been neglected for 3 years, but they were both very well socialised. I think this is because of the time they then spent at the shelter, as they learned to be around a lot of other animals and people. Both guinea pigs loved being handled now, although it took them about 4 weeks to get used to being with me.

My guineas do not need any special foods, although they both have foods that they like and dislike- it was just a matter of me trying new foods with them to see what they eat and don't eat. I do have trouble getting one of them to drink any water, and I am still not sure why this is! I have tried different approaches, and he still seems unwilling to drink anything. I make sure to give him fruits/veggies that have a high liquid content.

I did not quarentine my guineas (I did not know about this!), one of them had mites, but did not pass it on to my other guinea pig (thankfully). The mites showed up after about 3 months of me having him, so I took him to the vet for an injection, and he is much happier now

Oh, and I did bath my guinea pigs when I got them from the rescue. I like bathing them, and I wanted to see if they enjoyed water or not. (One of them does, one of them doesn't). Hope this helps you out!