Piggies as presents

[Guinea_Gal]

I got a call from a woman, about 2 days ago, asking about the three girls i have at my rescue now. She wanted to know when they were availablt. I said that i was keeping them for maternity watch until late January.
She goes," oh, ok. I saw your website and wanted to see if i could get 2 guinea pigs for my kids for Christmas."
I was furious, but i kept my wits about me and said goodbye.

WHAT WAS THIS LADY THINKING! She seemed very nice, but it is just a FEW days till Christmas. She went on my website and must have skimmed over the entire section about the adoption procedure and didn't see the HUGE link to the adoption contract at the top of the page.
She didn't even bother to fill one out and email it to me. What did she expect, that she would come over the next day, grab the piggers, run to the petstore, grab some pellets, a petstore cage, and give them to her kids as a cute gift that will probably be returned back to the rescue after her kids have had their fill and are bored.

Now seriously, she didn't say anything about how old her kids were, if they even wanted pets, if she knows anything about pigs.
I was not really prepared for a call like that, so me, being only a teenager, didn't have the guts to tell her she should give some more thought to getting pigs, that they take a lot of work, and not to go to a petstore. I feel really ashamed i didn't say anything, but next time something like this happens i know what i will say.

Anyway, my next door neighbors also talked to my mom today about adopting one of my rescue piggiues for their son , who is 11. They got him a hamster last Christmas (it died a few months ago). Don't get me wrong, the kid is responsible, but its 2 days before Christmas, they know NOTHING about cavies, and have NO SUPPLIES.

It INFURIATES me how ignorant people are sometimes. It truly does. I think i should calm down now that i'm all fired up.

Grace

PS> when i told my 8 yr old brother how it is bad to give animals as Christmas presents, he says, "Oh ya, because they will suffocate in the box, right!" I cracked up laughing!

[Maggie]

It is SO bad to give ANY animal as a sudden present! I get this with chicks. (ya know, chicks, easter, people can't resist giving them to their kids)
I'm not against giving them as presents, but I mean giving them as presents to people who know they're coming before and who know how to TAKE CARE of the animals, including having their supplies ready.
If you suddenly spring an animal on your kid, especially on christmas day, they'll play with it an hour, but loose interest and play with all their other new stuff, and that's how it'll be forever. (I know there are some responsible kids out there! Where are you hidding from me??? Lol!! I want YOU to buy chicks!!)

[SleepyBirdy]

I want a chick! I love chickens, I would have it in the house! But we live in the city limits, no farm animals. grrr that sucks! I really do hate people that do that, like parents buy a puppy for their kid. Kid likes it for awhile, then gets bored. Puppy goes to the pound, no one adopts it, then its killed.

[Slap Maxwell]

These are the kinds of things you have to deal with as a rescue. Your lucky this was just a minor incident.

You should shut down adoptions during major holidays (christmas time, easter, etc) to keep from having people giving or getting the pigs as presents, not that you would allow that anyway.

[Maggie]

I've heard of people putting diapers on their pet chickens that live indoors. Hen's don't make alot of noise, so your neighbors would never know! (just kidding!!)

[BabyGrl]

Seriously who gets their kid a chick for easter? I am sorry but that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. I would never dream of getting my child a chick for easter. I can't believe people actually do that!

[Guinea_Gal]

Slap,

I don't have a problem with adopting out guinea pigs around Christmas, and even as presents, as long as the family goes through the entire adoption process WITH their children(meaning that the children know they are getting cavies as presents), so that they know their children want guinea pigs and are ready to care for them. Giving *surprise* cavies as Christmas presents is NOT alright!

Grace

[enchantingcavy]

Yeah only geting one call for them as chrissy presents you're so lucky! I've dealt with over ten different people in the last month wanting pigs for " presents " for their kids....most had children aged around 6 years old...

I still have pigs avail over the christmas period although I think if adoption procedures remain then the guinea pigs have just as gooder chance of a loving permanent home than at any other time of the year....

I think it's good to not immediatly disregard these types of people it's probably best to send them a nice LONG email discussing all the basics and long term commitments of guinea pig keeping even if they dont seem like a good family for adoption pigs then atleast we know we've given them information that they can apply in the future....if they choose not to then atleast we've tried.

I had a lady two weeks back now she did say she wanted two same sex pigs for her kids for christmas originally...but after a good talk it became apparent that she had had pigs as a child and really wanted them for herself aswell as the kids for the long term. She asked tonnes of questions and was given loads of information and within a week she was definitely a more than approved home for two piggies to go to and them being seen as a christmas presents was more the time of yr they were going to be bought rather than them being looked at as presents. She had used not to good wording in originally saying they were for christmas.

So I guess sometimes some people just " word " things a certain way and we can misinterpret their intent although I do agree in most cases around this time of year they just want a couple of cheap pets for their kids and don't think of long term commitments of keeping guineas...
I've had so many emails wanting " free " guinea pigs lately aswell has anyone else had the freebie calls this time of yr moreso than other times???

*~jess~*

[Zeander]

Originally Posted by babygrl1234

Seriously who gets their kid a chick for easter? I am sorry but that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. I would never dream of getting my child a chick for easter. I can't believe people actually do that!

Well, I don't know if they still do it, but around here there is a thing called "Chick and Bunny Day". I haven't been in forever so my memory is a little fuzzy... But is was like in this big barn with bins filled with all sorts of chicks (turkey, chicken, etc) and they of course had rabbits. I don't remember seeing any rabbits. But anyways, we used to go there to get a couple of chicks to raise and it did occur right around Easter time. The Tractor Suply gets ducks and chicks in for Easter too. This area is very rurual though so the hopefully are raised in a good environment.

[homeschoolmama]

I agree wholeheartedly. Both Mr. Pigg and Junior have come home as birthday presents... but that was after a month of planning, each time.

I think the idea of closing your "doors" to new adoptees right before major holidays sounds like a great idea. Maybe you could post something about not wanting to contribute to the spur-of-the-moment pet "thing" and not take applications for the 2-3 weeks prior to holidays? If someone were seriously researching this, you'd probably have heard from them before this anyway, right?

The one problem I can see with this though, is that if someone is checking with a rescue about adopting & gets turned away... aren't they going to head straight to the pet store? I ask from firsthand experience, because this is how Mr. Pigg came home with us. We'd been sent away from a rescue because our kids were too young at the time, and had stopped in at a pet shop to pick up a few supplies. We had been planning on checking with the shelters one more time, but there was this sad, "old" piggie who was going to be sent to the pound that the petshop owner said we could have for free... So even those of us with the best of intentions do this occasionally.

I just worry that if you don't do anything, you'll see tons of your piggies back again... possibly in worse condition than when they left. But if you do shut down adoptions, you could very well see a whole new set of piggies from the pet store anyway. It sounds so frustrating!

[lilchris_28]

What makes me mad, in addition to all those other things, are people who breed all their animals just to have babies for the holidays. That's asking for trouble. But who cares as long as they make their $$$.

[stubblychin]

The Guinea Pigs I'm getting tomorrow are for a christmas present. I have been planning it since October though! They are not for a kid either, although maybe my 25 year old girlfriend will act like a kid when she sees what I got her!

[i love piggies]

I have never heard of anyone giving someone a chicken for an easter present. I have always gotten easter eggs. Yummy.

I got one of my piggies as a gift, but I new I was getting her.
But some people just want a cute puppy or guinea pig and don't realise that small children can't look after them. Then they have a big responsibility. I don't agree with this. But some people ar ok. I guess you just have to follow your gut instinct.

[missesd]

Well I don't usually pipe in here, but I feel I have to. Our first guinea pig started out as a present with NO prior preparing. We had originally gone looking for a hamster, as our family fur-baby died in May of 2004. My son, who was 12 decided he really wanted a Hamster, even over the skateboard he had been dreaming of for months. So we went to a couple of pet stores, honestly I did know that the Shelters here carried Guinea Pigs or hamsters, and I certainly never thought anyone would devote a rescue to it (I know and understand differently now). Getting a guinea pig never crossed my mind. I had always heard how smelly they were, etc, etc... So after going to a couple of stores, I noticed a little girl piggy on the bottom aquarium all the way in back. I don't know why but I thought she was THE cutest thing!!! She looked just like our old hamster only bigger. That was the first time I ever entertained the idea of owning a guinea pig. We did look at some hamsters and two different piggies that day. We discussed with the young man what they needed and required and then we sat down and had a talk about the responsibility and was he "sure". I also called my husband. But honestly, she came home because *I* fell in love with her. I knew even if it got to be too much for him, I would gladly fill in. He wasn't even allowed to buy her, it had to be an adult that understood ultimately the pet was the parents responsibility. I understood that. We bought whatever the gentleman said we needed, and came home. It was through my love for my little girl that I Googled something about guinea pigs and larger cages, because I could see hers just would be too small, and I happened here. It is through here I learned that more then half of what they told me was nonsense, and how to properly care for my piggy. And it was then we adopted another. All I am saying is that good things CAN come out of unprepared situations, good things can come out of "presents". An animal in the home affects everyone collectively. People that were not even there to pick her out or were apart of the decision have come to love our piggies. My husband who was not fond of the idea, adores that little girl. My step-son who knew nothing of it, is the one who will consisently clean the cage and reorganize it just because he enjoys it. Not all parents who buy their child a guinea pig are bad. Not all presents to said children end up abandoned. And the most wonderful things come out of life unplanned, because if we had gone with our plan we would have never brought her home and found out how much we love being a guinea pig family.

[KPIGGY]

Please don't get angry or shout at me. My 2 guinea pigs were brought as early christmas presents for my 2 daughters. I know getting any pets as presents is not a good thing. My daughters have wanted a guinea pig for nearly a year and a half. A long time for a child to want some thing. I left it a long time so I knew it wasnt just a faze and that they really wanted them. I know that the full responsbility falls on me which i dont mind. They will never leave our home as I belive if you have a pet you keep it till the end. (you carnt get rid of a child once you have one the same goes for pets too). I was open and honest when I got mine and had my daughters with me.

[lilchris_28]

We got Gordy as a mother's day gift for my mom one year. She picked her out though and we had had pigs before. Things had changed since the last time we had owned a pig though so we had to re-research things. Two weeks later, my mom got bored with her and now she's mine...

[homeschoolmama]

I guess for me there's a difference between a pet that's been well-researched & happens to come home on a holiday, and a "let's get Billy a pet for Christmas!" pet.