Advice: Is this Okay?

[JD In Van]

I buy all my guinea pig supplies from a store that typically only sells a few fish other wise it's a feed only shop that mostly specializes in rural supplies.

Any how they had a litter of guinea pigs arrive there that someone abandoned. He figured that someone had an accidental litter and couldn't find homes for them so they left them on the pet store's stoop. So he's selling them since... well what else is he going to do with them? And he says if he gives them away for free they'll wind up as snake food.

Over the years at random he's wound up with animals this way, neighborhood folks who's pets had babies they couldn't find homes for. He doesn't pay for them, often they're abandoned at his door, other times people ask him to take them. (Infact he gave me one of my cats when I worked at the coffee shop next door years and years ago from an abandoned litter)

I never really thought a great deal about it because it's so rare that he has animals there, no more then once or twice a year, but there I go in to get my hay tonight and there's two little tiny baby pigs in a pen beside it.

Has anyone else encountered this sort of thing? Is this the same as the 'evil pet stores' we talk about? Or is it a 'lesser evil'? Moreover, is there anything I can suggest to him as an alternative?

[Tessa Bea]

I think it's a lesser evil... but at the same time, I thank my lucky stars that he isn't selling them as feeders! Is there a local rescue he could take them to? Maybe even begin to refer people to who ask him about small animals?

[JD In Van]

I have fostered for the local small animal rescue and we are full at the moment (and most of the time to be honest since we have an explosion of rabbits right now in the city ) I will suggest he talk to the humane society though.

[akstrohm]

Maybe he could get the application that the local rescue/shelter uses and carry out the adoption on the same terms (and give the money to them). Basically they would be adopting out the animal and he would be the foster home.

If he doesn't know how to sex pigs, you might want to help him out before it's too late.

[azalea]

Back last century when I was feeding a horse, a calf and several dozen chicken hens we frequented a feed store that mainly caters to the horse crowd; tack, saddles, bedding and assorted medical supply.
Mike kept a couple of bunny hutches out front because in a farm and ranching area, stuff happens. Someone orders 50 hens and some are mis-sexed, it happens. City cousins or grandchildren spend a vacation or the summer and extra pets happen.
I picked up a very handsome red cochin rooster there. We also rehomed our first cavy from Mike when his daughter wanted to do something else for 4H. He was a prize winning pig but the daughter wanted something bigger, sheep, horse, calf...

As far as I know he never sold any that were dropped, but would feed, water and shelter until a new home came along. I think it's call customer service. He also lets a body post a business card or note on a board by the door of things for sale. Cards show up for riding lessons, furriers, pool cleaning, deer leases, all sorts of jetsam and flotsam from the service industry.

[JD In Van]

I called him and told him if one of them went (they're both boys, I checked) I would take (not buy) the second one but to encourage someone to take them both if he could. I don't want to break them up and I only have room for one more.