Austin Guinea Wanted

[manhattan kat]

I am looking to adopt a young female guinea to be a buddy for my current 7 month old female, Piper.

I've tried most of the shelters and I'm just not finding a fit. I live in San Marcos but I'm willing to go to Austin or even all the way to Houston.

[SkinnyPiggys]

Have you checked Petfinder Reception Desk?

Good luck!

[manhattan kat]

yes. i have already tried petfinder.


Please dont suggest the same websites that you've all suggested to others in this section. I read a lot of the threads before posting and already tried the other sites.

[wickedrodent]

I am not sure which sites you have been refered to.. but here are a couple that I know of... I live in Houston by the way

Rabbits - Small Pets.
Home Page

Also, try checking
Petfinder.com: Adopt a pet and help an animal shelter rescue a puppy or kitten.
Classified Ads
craigslist: san francisco bay area classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

By the way.. Piper is such a cute name! Do you watch Charmed?

[Texas Cavys]

Originally Posted by wickedrodent

I live in Houston by the way Rabbits - Small Pets.
Home Page

I live in Houston too, And I got 2 of my Piggies from C-A-P. (that link)

[manhattan kat]

See those are all of the sites most people suggest. And no luck on craigslist, or newspaper ads online, or petfinder (shelter here in Austin has to come to your house and see the animals environment. And after recently having my apartment burglarized I dont want strangers in here). So I'll just keep looking.

And yes I do watch charmed!! I like Phoebe better as a character but I figured with how popular Friends is that everyone would think that Phoebe. So I went with Piper. Thanks!

[manhattan kat]

You know everyone keeps giving me that one with the rabbits and if you look its all rabbits, and pets that are already adopted, and male guineas. I really want to get another girl. I hate that they show all of the adopted ones because I look at the picture and I'm like "awww, she's cute." Then I see the astrick and adopted posted.

[Susan9608]

Why don't you check out Texas Rustlers? If you find a pig that suits you, perhaps we could arrange a pig train from Dallas to San Marcos.

[manhattan kat]

the rustlers say that they dont adopt to people that have store bought cages. And being a new guinea pig owner I didnt know about the C&C cages. But I have this huge pen area that I put in my livingroom and let Piper run around with all of her toys for like 4 hours a day. Plus she gets lap time. I emailed one of them saying that I live in a one bedroom apartment so I dont have a lot of room but she gets plenty of fun time. Even outside time at night. But that wasnt good enough for them. Which I find humerous. Considering that I want to adopt a pig and will give it a great, loving home they said no because the cage where she sleeps isnt the size of a room like a lot of you have. They'd rather her sit at the shelter for who knows how long instead of starting a happy life now.

do you work for them?

[Susan9608]

Originally Posted by manhattan kat

do you work for them?

Um ... no. I don't work for them. But I do support their work and the work of other shelters.

It seems to me that you're finding problems with every avenue of adoptions you're coming across.

Why can't you build a C&C cage? A 2x3 would accomodate 2 pigs, would be acceptable to most rescues, and wouldn't take up that much more room than your current store bought cage.

[manhattan kat]

That's true. Yes, I am having problems with most of the adoption places. They either will accept me but dont have what I want, or dont accecpt my accomidations and have what I want. How ironic. But after looking at the C&C cages they seem to be a lot cheaper than what I actually paid for the cage I currently have.

[Percy's Mom]

C&C cages are phenominally cheaper than what you most likely paid for your cage. You can build a 2X3 C&C that will easily fit 2 pigs for $30-40 or less and is larger than a store bought cage that would normally cost $60+. There are lots of forum members who also live in small apartments and have been able to rearrange furniture, still have adequate living space, and manage to fit in cages larger than a 2X3. I honestly can't think of a store bought cage that I would put more than 1 pig in for any length of time, and now that I know about C&C cages, I'd only leave 1 pig in a store bought cage for quarantine or if I needed a hospital cage.

As far as your trepidation about home visits, that's very common amongst rescues, shelters, and adoption agencies. They want what is best for the animals they are adopting out, and checking out the home they are going to is one of the best ways to do that.

Requiring certain living requirements, asking for references or who your vet is going to be, and home checks are part of making sure that they are adopting out to qualified pet parents, and submitting to any of the above, including an application and adoption fee, proves that you are indeed the person they want to place their animals with. Rescues and shelters aren't JUST about finding a place for each animal to live. They're there for the welfare of the animals and educating their new families.

[manhattan kat]

So I know that most people get the grids from Target. But I havent seen a lot of cages with lids on them. I have 2 cats, who dont even mess with Piper when shes out of her cage. But if I leave the cage open when Piper's getting lap time my kitty Luna gets in the cage and lounges around. Can you use the same grids as lids? And where do you get the thing to make the bottom out of? (I know this isnt the right forum but its a continuation of the thread) I've seen the other forums where it comes in a roll but I have no idea where to buy that at.

[manhattan kat]

you're right I would have room for a 2x3. I just measured my cage (because I didn't remember the measurements from when I bought it.) It's a 1x3. So the new one would just be wider. Thanks!

[Percy's Mom]

You can get the coroplast to make the cage tray at sign shops, art shops, or occasionally hardware stores. Linoleum can also be used, and you can find that at hardware stores or flooring stores. For the lid, measure across the top of the cage and buy 2 pieces of wire closet shelving that are slightly longer. You can use cable ties to attach the pieces of shelving in the middle. Make sure you buy a package of rubber tips to put on the cut tips of the shelves. You can get all of the parts for the lid at Lowes or Home Depot, and they will cut the shelving for you for free.

Build the C&C cage and contact Texas Rustlers again. They will most likely be more than thrilled that you made the necessary changes for the welfare of your pigs and work with you to get Piper a piggy friend.

[Susan9608]

Actually, why don't you explore some options closer to home? Have you put your name on a list with all the vets in your area? Vets are often the first to know of unplanned, accidental guinea pig pregnancies or of individuals wanting to rehome their pigs.

Check out CraigsList, freecycle, and your local newspaper, too. Do you get the greensheet? There are often guinea pigs available for rehoming there.

[manhattan kat]

Like I said, I already tried craigslist and the Austin animals shelters (they currently dont have any piggys).

I know I'm gonna offend people by saying this since everyone has a C&C cage, but most peoples dont look that safe. I mean things that are suppose to be shoe racks (thats what the grids are for and thats why they're by the closet stuff) and tying them up with wires and what not. And most peoples are open with ways for the to scurry out. I just figured that a store bought cage, that has the wires close enough for them not to get out or get hurt would be best. And now everyone is saying that that is a sign of a "bad piggy owner."

But the idea about talking to the vets is a good idea!

Also, with the rescue place in Dallas, do I have to bring my C&C cage to them or just take pictures. I have a saturn. So I'd have to take it apart to drive it there and show them. And then drive it back and put it together.

[Susan9608]

Have you checked out freecycle and/or the newspaper/greensheet?

I'm not sure what the rescue up here requires in the way of cage proof. You should contact them directly.

If you don't like the look of the C&C cages, check out the photo gallery and see some of the alternative cages. Some of them look very easy to put together and will give your pig plenty of space.

[Percy's Mom]

I know you mentioned that you want a young pig, but this little cutie is only 2 years old, and an adult with your young lady Piper would be a great match. Since well cared for guinea pigs can live 5-7 years or longer, you would have many many years to love your new family member if you take her home.
Petfinder PetNotes
Vision Hills Sanctuary also has a pair of girls, what they describe as a senior girl, and 2 pairs of boys. Obviously, the boys wouldn't do you any good in your situation, but if you know anyone looking for pigs, maybe you could guide them in this direction.

[manhattan kat]

yeah, we already talked about this one (the brown girl). I live in San Marcos and they're in Austin (which is 30 minutes to an hour and 1/2 based on traffic and location in Austin.) I dont have a problem with that drive, but it says that they have to see your house. I might give them a call and see if they're willing to go that far.

Someone else in this thread said that it's normal for them to want to come and see your place but growing up my parents adopted 5 dogs from shelters and I've adopted 2 cats, and I used to work at a shelter. And we never requested to go to their place and look around. Maybe bring pictures and we always had to have references and addresses of the vet they were going to and we'd check up that way, but not going to their place...its weird to me.


What do you guys think about adopting from the Petsmart. There are 2 threads circulating right now about the guinea pigs that have been returned to the stores and when I went to Petsmart the girl was telling me that they put those in the back. So they have even less chance of being adopted.

Is that a good idea because since they can't resell them, I dont know what happens to them if they stay in the back too long and arent adopted. I know hampsters and rats that arent adopted quickly are given as snake food by petco.