Pet Store Piggies

***LovesGinny*** · #1 11-17-04, 11:56 pm

Hello all Guinea Pig lovers!

Ok, this may have already been brought up somewhere else, but i can't find the thread, so here goes. I really really want a guinea pig, and i have one that lives at my Aunt's house in Kamloops (BC) and i finally convinced my parents (My dad was with me all along, he helped my convince my mom!) that i was mature enough to have her. I will hopefully be getting her soon and in the meantime i'm allowed to find a companion for her. There are absolutely no rescue shelters for small animals in my area and no adoption places that i have heard of or know of (and i've been asking around A LOT). The only place left is the pet store.

Now, from what i've heard here, pet stores are bad and most guinea pigs come home with mites or pregnant. The pet store here is really nice, all the animals are checked every month by the staff vet. They are in huge cages and i know that they are well taken care of. Is it still ok to buy from there if the pigs are being treated properly? Should i wait and try to find an adoption in my area? (the closest i can get to is a 10 hour drive, and my parents aren't willing to drive all the way to Vancouver for a pig). Any ideas?

Also, i'm new to the world of guineas and i'd just like to day HI! My guinea's name (the one that lives with my Aunt) is Ginny (hence my name) and i've had my eye on a black long-haired female at the pet store (I'll name her Harry, so then i'll follow my pact with my buddies and name everything after Harry Potter characters {Don't Ask...

})

Wow, that was long! hee hee.
*LovesGinny*

**three_piggies** · #2 11-18-04, 12:39 am

If are absolutly sure you can not adopt then go ahead and buy one from the pet store. It is more important that your piggy has a friend than no friend.
But before you buy from your local pet store make sure the cavy you buy is housed with all girls (this means you actually finding out for your self, maybe 10% {just an estimate from what I have heard} of pet stores can be sure when it comes to sexing), otherwise most likely she will be pregnant. This may require you learning how to sex guinea pigs unless you already know how, see here- http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm
Also check your guinea pig over before you buy and after, look for clear eyes, no red skin, or dandrift, no discharge from nose or eyes, no red bloody scabs, no excessive sneezing, over all make sure the guinea pig looks healthy and alert (not sleepy and just laying there when you got to pet it). Don't always believe the pet store when they say their guinea pigs are healthy. And quarentine you new guinea pig- http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm#Quarantine

And it is crazy to drive 10 hours for a guinea pig

, my parents would never agree to that!

Hehehehehe I love the Harry Potter books! I started naming all my pets after HP characters too

. But I decided to not name my guinea pigs after HP characters, although I may name my new gp I am getting on Saturday Ron. Not positive.

Nice to meet you!

Three_piggies

**loves2travel** · #3 11-18-04, 02:45 pm

i see you live in canada, and Im assuming this wonderful pet store isnt petco or petsmart. It seems to me like it is a single store, and they take care of their pets. Like said above, go ahead and get your piggy if there is no other place. It is better they are in pairs, even if that means one must come from a petstore.

***LovesGinny*** · #4 11-18-04, 07:39 pm

thanks! i never knew about the quarentine thing, so now i know. I get my first guinea tomorrow from the store and then i still have to hear from my aunt about the other one, so i'll quarentine my aunt's when it gets here (if she'll let me have it!) The petstore i was talking about is a single store, locally owned and not part of a chain, like petco or petland. can you get coroplast at Walmart?

**cinn&sprinslave** · #5 11-18-04, 08:55 pm

No coroplast (aka Corregated Plastic, Correx) can be purchased at a sign store http://cavycages.com/where.htm , look in your phone book and search google for places get coroplast near you, you really shouldn't pay more than $25 for a 4ftx8ft peirce, some people can get coroplast as low as $6 for 4ftx8ft. Right now in the US a lot of people can get free coroplast from election signs. You can get the cubes at Walmart though.
You can also use linolium if you can't find coroplast.

**mncavylover** · #6 11-18-04, 08:58 pm

See www.cavyspirit.com/petstores.htm for more information. Hope that helps a bit!

**critterlover** · #7 11-19-04, 05:02 am

There are guinea pigs available for adoption in Nelson.
http://www.homes4animals.com/H4AOthers.htm
250-352-7178
Have you tried there? This is in the Kootneys. It's closer than your aunt's home in Kamloops. I can't believe you said the closest was 10 hours to Vancouver. Even hopping the border to Calgary would be much closer than going to Vancouver. Am I missing something?

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #8 11-20-04, 02:08 pm

Some people would rather take the convenient way out. I'm not familiar with Canada though. What is the nearest big city?

**critterlover** · #9 11-20-04, 08:31 pm

Here's a map of British Columbia that will explain things.

British Columbia is the white area. The Kootneys are in the bottom right corner of British Columbia. Nelson is in the Kootneys. Kamloops is a big city. Calgary is across the border in Alberta and is a very big city. Vancouver is a very big city and is in the lower left corner of the map. I used to live in Quesnel (south of Prince George), British Columbia and the drive to Vancouver is about 10 hours if you take it easy, 8 hours if you drive fast. The drive from Quesnel to Kamloops is about 4 hours.

So if they have to drive all the way to Kamloops to get her aunt's piggy, why not to Nelson to adopt a pig? I don't get it.

http://www.sitesatlas.com/Maps/Maps/BC1.htm

**cinn&sprinslave** · #10 11-21-04, 12:10 am

Thanks for the map! Now I actually have an idea of where in Canada people are located

. Before it was so confusing for me..... Anyways....
Yes it would seem more conveinent to drive to Nelson and adopt. But maybe *LovesGinny* doesn't have control over where her parents will drive. They may not want to go to Nelson. And I think she already bought a pigg from the petstore anyways.

***LovesGinny*** · #11 11-21-04, 03:37 pm

exactly my point cinn, my parents don't want to drive anywhere for a pet they can get at the store down the street. They don't get it, and they don't want to drive 2 hours to Nelson for a pig. (i know, its sad). If i get another pig after my aunt's then i will definetly force them to drive me to Nelson.

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #12 11-22-04, 10:39 am

Maybe explain to them the concept of rescuing and adopting over buying.

**ChadWPB** · #13 12-06-04, 02:45 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by *LovesGinny*

exactly my point cinn, my parents don't want to drive anywhere for a pet they can get at the store down the street. They don't get it, and they don't want to drive 2 hours to Nelson for a pig. (i know, its sad). If i get another pig after my aunt's then i will definetly force them to drive me to Nelson.

Sadly, my sister is the same way. She bought a pet store pig for herself and her daughter.

**gpcarman** · #14 03-28-05, 04:51 pm

I got my 2 sows from a pet store called the Animall Inn petshop in Ontario. Don't think that will help but... anyways, my 2 sows are happy healthy and not pregnant. I think that people say that so you help gp's in adoption centers. Not that I'm against but, hopefully you should not have any worries.

**Piglet** · #15 03-28-05, 05:02 pm

gpcarman, firstly don't resurect old threads. Secondly, I don't think you know enough about petstores. Check out the kitchen section on why we are so against pet stores

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