Central Iowa, seeking baby sow - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Valerie711** · #1 12-30-05, 02:01 pm

[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][size=2]We are a furry household , currently without fur...

Our beloved Phoebe has passed on and after taking stock of things for a few days, we know that it is time to seek another piglet... Phoebe would have wanted it that way.

We are not in a hurry, rather just beginning an adoptive journey. When the right pig comes along, we'll be there for her.

We are seeking a baby sow with short hair. (Sow because of the glandular issues with boars, and because we loved Phoebe. Short hair because I have a 2 year old, and seek a piglet to lavish with attention and love as opposed to hair products

To the right piglet, we offer a loving home with a large linoleum diningroom to pop about in, a toddler who will coo at you and pet you while saying "gentle, nice" and the opportunity to participate in family fun and photos, and live a rather adventuresome GP life with plentiful salads, pellets and hay.[/size][/font]

**JennG** · #2 12-30-05, 02:58 pm

There is a link in this forum regarding a huge rescue that took place in Wisconsin. I believe Ladyveg who is running the rescue has a few sows in foster care somewhere in Iowa. Please consider giving her sows a look. I just adopted my last girls from her. We did a piggie train and it was well worth it. Thanks.

Here's the link for you www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24583. This is the first 50 pages on it.

Here's the most current link www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=25647 .

**aqh88** · #3 12-30-05, 09:12 pm

Aside from the pigs in Baraboo, WI there are usually several here in eastern Iowa. The cedar rapids shelter has an adult grey female and muscatine usually has some younger ones but I'd have to call them since they don't list on petfinder. There was a paper on the bulletin board where I get pet supplies with an adult female and baby female for adoption and there's also a brown and white abby in Grinnell. If your not too far from Coralville I'm sure I could come up with a pig in need of a home but guinea pigs are social animals and you've only mentioned one. You should always keep at least 2 pigs together and the cage should be at least 7.5sq ft. Check the home page of this site. The baraboo rescue probably has the same restrictions and won't adopt out pigs to live alone.
If you haven't it would be good to look through the rest of this site and http://guinealynx.info/ especially the diet info.

**Valerie711** · #4 12-30-05, 10:15 pm

Eeek... squeek! I really wish I could do 2, but I don't have the room... I had a singleton before and kept her quite happy for over 5 years, and though I can respect your convictions on the matter, I maintain mine as well...

**Valerie711** · #5 12-30-05, 10:15 pm

ADOPTING ONE is, after all, better than BUYING ONE from Petco or the like

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #6 12-31-05, 02:01 am

Have you read http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm ?

If you only want one, you could probably find one in an animal shelter, or someone who doesn't want theirs anymore.

A pair of sows can co-exist in a 2 by 3 C&C fine. That is also the min. recommended for one gp too.

**smokeyandsnuggl** · #7 12-31-05, 08:13 pm

Please read the following link about a previous adopter:

http://www.guinealynx.com/forums/vie...=asc&highlight=

**Valerie711** · #8 01-01-06, 08:46 am

Thanks. It was nice to see, but hubby and I are still in a one piggie mindset. IF that piggie were to neeeeeeed a piggie, I am certainly the kind that does for my pets as I do for my upright family members, but I/we are still hopeful at this point that we can find a piglet much like our previous piglet (one who can be happy alone as long as she is a very well attended to little princess)

I have seen a solo pig who was atrocious to all but her 15 year old owner. (I babysat the pig during my cousins vacation and literally picked her up with oven mits she was so mean and meat-seeking!)

**smokeyandsnuggl** · #9 01-01-06, 10:39 am

Ouch! and good luck!

**JennG** · #10 01-01-06, 11:03 am

I understand the mindset of adopting just one piggie but it's really been shown over & over again that piggies do much better with a friend. I understand that you will show your piggie much love but consider the times when there is no one home. I work full time and the kids are in school. My girls have each other to play with and be socialable with. Please, please reconsider two piggies. My brother had one piggie in a very small store bought cage (a few years ago) and he only had Quentin for a year to 2yrs. I'm sure he would've been much happier in a bigger cage and with a friend.

**aqh88** · #11 01-02-06, 12:12 am

Guinea pigs do need companionship. It's very very rare to have one that can't get along with any pigs and even then they benefit from being caged near another. Their personality is quite different and they often live longer and healthier. It doesn't matter how much attention you give them you are not a guinea pig. You cannot play like a guinea pig, eat with your guinea pig, communicate in guinea pig, sleep with your guinea pig anywhere near the same as another guinea pig can. You are also not there 24hours a day. Even if you do nothing else you have to sleep and guinea pigs do not sleep all night or even for an hour straight. A guinea pig alone and a guinea pig with friends is usually not even comparable. That's why any good guinea pig rescue will not adopt one out to live alone and in my opinion aside from a very few animals it is just plain cruel to keep 1 of any species alone but even more so when we are talking about herd animals that evolved to live in large groups and never alone.

**JennG** · #12 01-02-06, 04:20 pm

Valerie posted on GL that she's considering adopting a pair of piggies if she & hubby can figure out a 2 story C&C cage.

**Valerie711** · #13 01-06-06, 11:42 pm

Can't seem to get the pigtures to post, but here's the update:

We adopted Tortilla and Tamale, American Tri-color smooth coat sows!!! They're gorgeous! I fell in love with them on the ARL Iowa website! Hubby finally "cavyed into it" after days of begging. (And it didn't hurt that my 2 year old demanded to mail her banana peel to Phoebe in heaven

)

**JennG** · #14 01-06-06, 11:45 pm

Yeah! I'm so happy to hear that you adopted two. It'll be so much fun. They sound adorable. Can't wait to see pictures! Congrats!

PS Kids are sooooo good at making parents feel bad, huh?

**Valerie711** · #15 01-06-06, 11:54 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by JennG

Yeah! I'm so happy to hear that you adopted two. It'll be so much fun. They sound adorable. Can't wait to see pictures! Congrats!

PS Kids are sooooo good at making parents feel bad, huh?

Yeah! I put her down for the nap and cried about Phoebe some more... I didn't realize she got so much out of going to the post office with me to mail gifts and receiving gifts from the UPS guy who always asks for her as the receipient... she DEMANDED that they get mailed to Phoebe in heaven... when I finally figured it out I nearly fell over!

**JennG** · #16 01-06-06, 11:57 pm

That is so sweet. It just shows how much she cared and will care for her pets. It also shows everyone what a great little person you've brought into this world. It's ok to grieve. No other piggie will take the place of Phoebe but there's always room for love. I had to put my favorite dog to sleep and I still miss her. We had to do it back in 1991 and I still miss her. She was a great dog.

**smokeyandsnuggl** · #17 01-07-06, 04:32 am

I grabbed the pics for you:

Tortilla

Tamale

Congratulations! They are gorgeous!

**Valerie711** · #18 01-07-06, 08:48 am

Thank you for posting the pics... those are my girls!

They've been hiding in the pigloo since I showed them they could (I felt bad for them... I remember taking Phoebe home was hard for her at first)

They did, however, sometime after 1am, eat the kale and cilantro peace-offering I set lust at the pigloo door...

**JennG** · #19 01-07-06, 09:28 am

I'm sure it'll get easier as time goes on. My new trio is finally settling in with the quintet set I introduced them too. Good luck.

**BabyGrl** · #20 01-07-06, 11:22 am

Ohhh how cute!!!!