so i know this forum is against buying from pet stores but...

[rachelappel]

...this makes me really sad.

there is a skinny pig (he is SUPER cute) at the pet store where i purchase my pig litter. he's been there since BEFORE new years. when i first saw him there way back when he was just a baby, now he's about 9ish or so months old. that is no way for a pig to grow up. every time i go in there i just want to snatch him up and love him because living in a 2' x 1' cage is just not a good life, at least for as long as he's been in there.

i know it'll probably open up a can of worms, but is it really right to let a poor animal sit in those conditions? i'm in there quite often and their turnover for their "live animal stock" is pretty fast, but this guy just isn't having any luck. would it be so wrong to save him and give him the love he deserves?

[pinky]

Don't do it. They'll just breed more to replace him. There are tons of guinea pigs that have lived in horrific conditions that need homes that are available at rescues and shelters. If you want to save one that's had a really tough life, contact your local guinea pig rescue and let them know you're interested in one that's been abused or really neglected and spoil that one instead. That'll make room for another one that REALLY needs a home.

[HannibalLecter]

If they cannot sell their "stock", it's too expensive to keep them for that many months. And they will stop ordering more, or at least that many from the breeder.

I know what you mean, but we cannot save them all.
You can tell the store manager that you are willing to take him for free if they plan to put him to sleep though. Still there's the issue of them getting the room for more pigs.

Is there another place you can purchase litter where they don't sell live animals?

[rachelappel]

yes i've told the store manager that i'd take him since they couldn't find a home for him but he seems intent on selling it, which is sad. when i was in there yesterday picking up my litter he was marked down to $40 from $80. i've asked about him pretty much every time i'm in there and it seems to bother them that i know he's been there for so long. i guess at least their keeping his feet trimmed up and they do a better job than most pet stores around here at keeping the cages clean. i unfortunately cannot find this litter at any other pet store around here, nor anywhere online. and they special order it in 50 pound bags for me at no extra cost when they order their regular shipment, and its pretty cheap and works much better than the other pig litters out there. so it'd be hard to part with it.

[nibbler100]

you could talk to the mangaer of the place, explain to them that you will take the pig for free.. because its been there soo long

Edit: explain to them that your a reguler costermer (thay have already made a profite on you.. and there clearly losing profite on the pig.. i dont even think they will be abile to get 40 out of the little guy anymore.. hes almost full grown know.. and for most people doesnt have the apeal to little kids.. because the lake of hair.

[pinky]

yes i've told the store manager that i'd take him since they couldn't find a home for him but he seems intent on selling it, which is sad. when i was in there yesterday picking up my litter he was marked down to $40 from $80. i've asked about him pretty much every time i'm in there and it seems to bother them that i know he's been there for so long. i guess at least their keeping his feet trimmed up and they do a better job than most pet stores around here at keeping the cages clean. i unfortunately cannot find this litter at any other pet store around here, nor anywhere online. and they special order it in 50 pound bags for me at no extra cost when they order their regular shipment, and its pretty cheap and works much better than the other pig litters out there. so it'd be hard to part with it.

Approximately where are you located in MN? I'll bet someone on here will find a place to buy bedding from that doesn't sell animals.... and I still wouldn't buy the skinny because the owner still wants to make a profit off him.

[rachelappel]

i'm north of the twin cities. i've called every pet store and feed store, none of them carry this brand, most of them carry only the critter litter brand. its not so much bedding as it is the litter for my litter boxes.

i do agree that he's probably not going to find a home now that he's older and not "cute" anymore (even though he seriously is super cute). i think he might be a baldwin pig though as he's got a lot of fur on his face. not that it matters really. its just sad watching him grow up without anyone to love him.

[pinky]

i'm north of the twin cities. i've called every pet store and feed store, none of them carry this brand, most of them carry only the critter litter brand. its not so much bedding as it is the litter for my litter boxes.

i do agree that he's probably not going to find a home now that he's older and not "cute" anymore (even though he seriously is super cute). i think he might be a baldwin pig though as he's got a lot of fur on his face. not that it matters really. its just sad watching him grow up without anyone to love him.

There are hundreds on Petfinder growing up without someone to love them. He's being fed and is surviving there. If you're really worried about him, drop off some veggies to give him but don't buy him.

[pinky]

There are a lot of good brands of litter so you might find a better brand at another store, anyway. I've used Carefresh, unscented Yesterday's News, Fresh News, Sun Seed, Soft Sorbent, kiln dried pine, aspen and now use fleece which is a lot less expensive than buying litter.

[mufasa]

As bad as it is for that poor piggy to be stuck growing up there, it's GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD that no one is buying him. If he sits around there for a few more months, I doubt the pet store owner will be so quick to order more skinny pigs. I've seen pigs spend months in the pet stores around here, and while it breaks my heart, it also heartens me to see so little demand. Shops will sell small animals as long as people buy them. No buy = discontinuing the "unpopular" merchandise and putting the breeding mills out of business. It's sad that individual pigs have to suffer, but it's all about the big picture.

Besides, most of the time when you adopt, you're rescuing a pet store pig anyway. That's where the vast majority of piggies come from before they wind up at a shelter or rescue.

[aemsva]

If you buy this pig, you are opening a spot for hundereds of more pigs to be put into his place again. Please don't get him! The cycle of abuse and neglect will never end if people continue to support these corporations.

[Zuidy]

It's hard not to do something like take a Pig from a pet store. But trust me, you are NOT by any means the first person who has felt the same.

Truth be told, I wouldn't take the Pig unless the manager would let me have him.

There are many cases where a Piggy stays in a store for a long time. Well, the longer the same Pigs stay in a store, the better: If they are being treated well enough to be living that long, then the pet store is losing money not only for the Pig itself not selling, but it means they are using their stock of hay and pellets as well, then it will be OK.

__

So many people want to help a "poor piggy at a pet store"

Truth be told, all Guinea Pigs at pet stores are "poor" Piggies that could be treated better.

It will just never end, the endless back-breeding and horrid conditions, if you help one Pig at a store by purchasing it.

__

Don't do it, it is a lose-lose situation.

[mufasa]

Truth be told, I wouldn't take the Pig unless the manager would let me have him.

Actually, I wouldn't take that pig even in those circumstances because it still benefits the pet store. It's like taking a breeder's culls or worn-out breeding stock for free. You still free up space for more living "stock," and you take a problem off the pet store's hands. Let that place be responsible for its own stupidity in getting a pig that won't sell.

The only way I would get a pig at a pet store is if it was dumped there, and if the store made no money whatsoever from the transaction. That's how it worked with my Quinn. Woman dumped her at Petco, "fee" was a donation straight to the spay/neuter fund. It broke my heart to see the older sale piggies in the store when I picked Quinn up, but ethically I could never take one of them.

[rachelappel]

pinky, i use fleece as a main bedding, but as far as litter, this is the best stuff i've used. far better than carefresh and way cheaper (a 50 pound bag for only $15). its not dusty and even if i don't change the litter boxes everyday, it still comes out easily and does clump to the bottom like other brands. trust me, i've tried all the other brands, and nothing really compares to it. plus, i'm kind of loyal to the local "small town" stores.

thankfully most pet stores don't stock a whole lot of animals around here (besides fish) thanks to an over abundance of rescues and shelters. but like i said, they're at least taking care of him better than most pet stores.

[pinky]

pinky, i use fleece as a main bedding, but as far as litter, this is the best stuff i've used. far better than carefresh and way cheaper (a 50 pound bag for only $15). its not dusty and even if i don't change the litter boxes everyday, it still comes out easily and does clump to the bottom like other brands. trust me, i've tried all the other brands, and nothing really compares to it. plus, i'm kind of loyal to the local "small town" stores.

thankfully most pet stores don't stock a whole lot of animals around here (besides fish) thanks to an over abundance of rescues and shelters. but like i said, they're at least taking care of him better than most pet stores.

Since they're taking care of him, that's all the more reason to let him be. ....I agree that Carefresh IS expensive. I prefer Sun Seed and Fresh News when I use regular bedding

[pinky]

Someone I know in Fargo said that Fargo Natural Pet Center and Moorhead Tractor Supply don't sell live pets. Tractor Supply is a chain store so there might be another one even closer to you.

[pinky]

Twin Cities Guinea Pig Rescue is located in the Twin Cities and you could contact them to find sources for guinea pig products where live animals aren't sold. Here's the link:

Twin Cities Guinea Pig Rescue

[bpatters]

Some Tractor Supplies do sell pets. Unfortunately, I've seen baby chicks and rabbits in there at Easter.

[cibrown]

I also live north of the twin cities. Not far from St. Cloud. I can help you find some bedding if you want.

[schavarry]

pinky, i use fleece as a main bedding, but as far as litter, this is the best stuff i've used. far better than carefresh and way cheaper (a 50 pound bag for only $15).

Do you mind if I ask what kind of litter you're using - the actual brand? Have you tried looking online? Some place like Amazon maybe that would ship to your HOUSE for free (which would save you on gas and stop funding the pet store). Just my two cents.