Me and My Pig(s): Hello All!

[Gabby'sMama]

Hello, my name is Susan and I am a new mommy to Gabby. I purchased Gabby along with another girl that my 2 y.o. named Bobo. Unfortunatly this was before I knew how horrible it was to buy from petstores. 5 days after purchasing I realized there was something horribly wrong with Bobo, they were both sneezing a lot but Bobo was breathing really heavy and just wasn't as active as Gabby. I took them to the vet where Bobo was diagnosed with a bad case of pneumonia, Gabby had a slight cold and ringworm. $130 later I left with my two girls both on antibiotics and Gabby also on antifungal drops for the ringworm. Two days later I had to take Bobo back to the vet because she had only gotten worse. I left her there in hopes of them getting her better but she did not make it. So now we are down to our Gabby who is all better but needing a friend. The petstore gave me store credit to get a new guinea pig but I refuse to ever go there again to purchase one. I am on the hunt through our humane society for a new friend for Gabby.

I have learned so much from this forum, it is unbelievable!! I thought it was time to introduce myself. We just built a C&C cage last night and Gabby isn't quite sure about it yet. I'm guessing with all the room she is a little overwhelmed. Amazing the size the store told me was good for two!! She had no room to move just herself. She does come out for food and runs a couple laps and then goes back to hide.

Well, I know this was a very long post, I just wanted to tell my Pet Store horror story in hopes that someone doesn't make the same stupid choice I did!

[starshine123102]

Welcome to GPC!

I'm so sorry to hear that Bobo didn't make it.

have you checked petfinder.com to see if there are any pigs in local rescues/shelters that are in your area?

[Gabby'sMama]

Yes, I did look at Petfinder but the closest is like 2 1/2 hrs away and I would like to find somewhere closer. They have a set of two at the shelter here in town but I really don't want two more at this time. You have to adopt both together.

[pigsmakemesmile]

Hello,
Just wanted to say hello, I'm so sorry to hear about Bobo. Poor piggy, so not fair. I hope Gabby isi ok. This forum is an excellent source for information on diet, housing, bedding, health. Another excellent sight to visit is Guinea Lynx.
I'm a mom of 2 college kids, I have 5 pigs I call my own. My first two boys were from a petstore, I was a little luckier that they were healthy. 2 of my boys came from a rescue. It was a commute...about 2 hrs but to me I didn't mind the drive. We made it a family venture and truly enjoyed the visit at the rescue. Sadly my one rescue piggy passed away last August.
the last 2 pigs are pigs that I took in from another family.
I never knew about c/c pens until I found this site its the best thing, my pigs have truly benefited from it. The members and moderators are just wonderful.
Good luck to your endeavor of finding Gabby a companion. Check your local listings and your local humane society. I was amazed of organizations that were out there I never heard of.

[Ilovemypiggies1]

I'm so sorry to hear that Bobo did not make it. I'm so happy to find this site..every since i started researching about guinea pigs i found this site and i just so happened to join in on everything. I bought both of my two guinea pigs from Petco and i am so thankful that they are healthy but after hearing so many horror stories about the animals coming from mills and how sick and unhealthy they are, i will never buy another piggies from a pet store. I built my guinea's a new cage today since their previous cage couldn't even fit one guinea pig in it and now they have one that can fit up to 4! I'm sure they will get used to it and love it..there's a lot of popcorning to come!

[rabbitsncavyluv]

If you make a big stink with the pet store management and corporate, they will pay your vet bill. Them offering a new pig makes me think they know they are in the wrong.

You have to be tough and insistent. Make it unprofitable for them to sell animals.

[Gabby'sMama]

I found someone on Craigslist that is giving their babies away for free, they are two weeks old and they say they haven't sexed them yet because it is too early and may hurt them. At 2 weeks is that too soon to be seperating them from their mother?