Adoption fees -- what is reasonable? - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**PhoenixFeather** · #1 11-18-07, 10:59 pm

I found a piggy on Craigslist that we might want to adopt. The adoption fee is $50, which is a bit more than I'd like, but I'm willing to pay it. But they are also insisting that I buy his "stuff" (food, bowls and water bottles) for $30 if I want to adopt him. I don't need his stuff. I Have bowls and water bottles, and his food is most likely junk. They're trying to guilt trip me by saying that if they can't sell his stuff with him, that they'll just have to make time for him instead of giving him up. (Um, fine, if you can make time for your piggy, why'd you list him?) This situation is really starting to give me a bad feeling.

I actually did a search in the email address to see if they do this regularly or anything (thinking maybe it was a breeder, trying to turn a nice profit on the babies -- the piggy is only 2 mos old), and they don't, at least not with the same email.

Anyhow, is $50 really a standard adoption fee? How much do piggies cost in a pet store? They say they just paid $50 for him 2 mos ago.

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #2 11-18-07, 11:01 pm

They probably want to "recoup" their losses by selling his supplies. It's usually $20-30 in most pet shops.

**PhoenixFeather** · #3 11-18-07, 11:05 pm

It feels to me like they're trying to turn a profit, not just cover their expenses. And I just am not getting the feeling that finding a good home for their pet is a priority for them.

At least, for what they're asking, we can be confident he won't become snake food....

**wickedrodent** · #4 11-19-07, 12:07 am

For rescue pigs the adoption fee is usually around $25 each.

I was lucky in adopting my three. Daphne and Delilah came from a friend of my mothers that could no longer care for them. Dudley was adopted from a rescue but she waved his fee since I was getting him neutered ($200)

. I would offer to take him for $25 and if they don't agree then try looking elsewhere.

**PhoenixFeather** · #5 11-19-07, 12:40 am

Thanks Wicked. We adopted Frisky for $5 so I know we were spoiled.

I agreed to pay the $50 if she will meet me halfway (she is 2 hours drive from me) but I am not buying her supplies. We'll see what she says to that.

It's frustrating because we've been looking for months now and there just aren't that many piggies to be rescued in my area, and there also aren't that many boars available alone, which is what I'm looking for (or a spayed female).

I think she will find that she is unlikely to get any better offers, and may come back to me after waiting out the responses a bit longer. We'll see.

She said she wanted to insist on selling the supplies with the pig, since she won't be needing them anymore. I suggested she donate them to a local animal shelter.

Oh, yeah, I'm not even 100% sure it is a male, since it was sexed as a baby by a petstore. I sent her the link to the sexing page and asked her to double-check. I suppose petstores are more accurate when they say male than when they say female, at any rate.

**samoews** · #6 11-19-07, 06:20 pm

I think this seller is delusional! $80.00 for pig and supplies is similar to what you would pay for everything in a pet store; not what one would expect to pay for an adoption fee.

**babybunny** · #7 11-20-07, 11:23 am

All the piggies I've come across that were available for adoption have been $10. Back before I knew about adoptable piggies, I paid about $36 for my baby from a store.

**gpigluver14** · #8 11-28-07, 02:49 pm

My local SPCA has them for $5. But this covers the vet check-up and any medical expenses on the pig right? So how is it so cheap?

**Ally has U's** · #9 11-28-07, 03:47 pm

the place I am adopting from is going to charge me $20 and she says she is giving me all the piggies food and hay and whatever other treats she has for them. All my piggies have been $20.

**Jenni_Feathers** · #10 11-28-07, 04:15 pm

I got my piggys from a county animal control/pound for $15 each.

**Tulia&Susie** · #11 11-28-07, 04:41 pm

At my local shelter the adoption fee is 5$.

**petz-r-life** · #12 12-19-07, 08:28 pm

I adopted mine for $15 each, $22.50 for two.

**LonePig** · #13 12-19-07, 08:37 pm

I didn't pay any fees for the two pigs I adopted, one was being fostered and needed a home. The second was an "unwanted" guinea pig from someone at my work. She was more than happy to get rid of everything.

Now when I bought my first pig at the pet store BEFORE I found this forum, I paid 40 dollars for the guinea pig, and about 120 dollars on a cage and supplies.

I would tell them you are only willing to pay for the guinea pig, you don't need the supplies, and leave it at that. Sounds like they are just trying to make money.

**wickedrodent** · #14 12-19-07, 08:41 pm

Its likely that she either has the pig or gave up on adopting him since it has been a month since this thread was started.

Phoenix- We need an update!!

**GuineaPinny** · #15 12-19-07, 11:12 pm

$5 is such a worrying adoption fee. That's around the price of snake food. A lot of shelters price animals they don't have space for, or training to care for, that low to move them faster. It's a really frustrating and worrying habit. I've written to my local $3 shelter trying to ask them to raise their price and not heard anything back.