Adopt vs. Buy: Getting a newborn in about 2 weeks

[Peggysu]

Originally Posted by Starr

I have to say I have been coming here for a month also before getting my girls. I read 3 books and 2 magazines on guinea pigs, I wanted to be well informed and wanted to give my babies the best possible care. I also got my girls from a pet store, I live in a very remote area. The closest city is 2 hours from me and the closest house is 5 miles. So when someone like me says there are no rescues around, they my just mean it. I looked on the internet and talked to the shelter that is 2 hours away from me daily with no prevail. So I decided even if the pigs I got at the pet store were sick or missed sexed they still had a right to be cared for and loved just like an other pet. I dont understand how a bunch of people who love animals could condemn (and yes that is what it sounds like to me) some one who saved 2 pigs from becoming snake food or going home with someone that would not have taken care of them.

I applaud you Natari for saving the life of those pigs.

Using the fact that you live in a remote location as an excuse to buy from a pet store is bull. I live in a remote location and you know what there are plenty of guinea pigs that need homes. Also if there are pet stores then there are definitely needy guinea pigs. You may be giving your guinea pigs a nice life, but what about the guinea pigs that replaced them? Who knows. One thing I do know is that the money goes to a horrible cause to sell live animals and treat them like merchandise.

I notice you are new here, I think you ought to look around the site and see what it's all about before you start defending what you did. This site is pro-rescue and adpotion, the majority of it's members do not support breeding or pet stores.

[Paula]

Originally Posted by Starr

I also got my girls from a pet store, I live in a very remote area. The closest city is 2 hours from me and the closest house is 5 miles. So when someone like me says there are no rescues around, they my just mean it.

When someone says there aren't rescues around, it's more likely that the person hasn't bothered to look or isn't willing to go a few extra miles to find a rescue or shelter. Even when that's the case, there's always Craigslist, Kijiji, Freecycle, etc. A person determined to find an animal to adopt but also determined not to support a pet store can always find a way.

Originally Posted by Starr

I dont understand how a bunch of people who love animals could condemn (and yes that is what it sounds like to me) some one who saved 2 pigs from becoming snake food or going home with someone that would not have taken care of them.

That bunch of people who love animals can condemn a person who "saved two pigs" because doing so is at the cost of all the other pigs that will come after and treated the same way, and face the same possibility of becoming snake food or going home with someone who wouldn't take care of them. The notion of not supporting pet stores selling animals as merchandise is for the greater good of all animals that deserve to be loved and cared for and treated with respect. Buying from a pet store does nothing to tell the pet store that what they're doing is wrong and definitely not appreciated. In fact, it gives them a reason to replace the animal a person buys with more stock. It's a cycle that won't ever end until people wise up to that reality and act accordingly.

I strongly suggest you take Peggysu's suggestion and do some research on the atrocities pet store animals face daily before you make judgments on the ideals this forum supports.

[vicky2]

Like seriously, if you care about Guinea Pigs sooo much then you should have waited until there was one up for adoption. I admit that I bought Lucky from a pet store and she's living alone in her pet store cage. The pet store I got Lucky from keeps them in good conditions because I know the owners but I also know that the animals there came from breeders and no amount of care is an excuse to selling a life. Since I know this I will NEVER buy ANY animal from a pet store EVER again. I'm actually in the process of building Lucky's 2x4 C&C Cage and I will be ADOPTING her a friend. This site has talk me A LOT and just to go back to a pet store and buying a Guinea Pig instead of adopting is mocking the site. The only difference between me buying a Guinea Pig and you buying a Guinea Pig is that I'm responsible enough to admit that it was wrong and I'm willing to do better in the future.

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by SnowFlower

With all due respect to the very knowledgable Cavy owners on here. I feel that we should not attack people, no matter how good intentioned we are, for where they obtain thier piggies. People come here for advice, and they get the best. They don't need to be put to shame on how they aquired thier furry babies - they may have been uneducated, or whatever. That doesn't mean we should go full boar (no pun intended) on the pet shop discussion. A brief explination is fine, but I think this thread got a little flame-y. Please don't be upset, just an observation so we can keep Guinea Pig Cages Forums the wonderful, friendly and informative forum it is

Yes, well, there are definitely people who never have it cross their mind before getting piggies that getting them from pet stores is a bad idea or that there are alternatives, and then there are people who know full well that it is a bad idea to get them from pet stores and that there are alternatives, and still decide to put their own convenience first, and to mislead people by calling it "adopting," and then whine that they are being judged or attacked by the people whose advice and opinions they thumbed their noses at.

[jenniwat001]

Originally Posted by Natari

I recently bought two baby, female guinea pigs. I bought them after they had been weaned and were considered healthy and happy enough by the pet store to be separated from their mother.

If your still on hear I would just like to say that I hope your girls are doing OK, but I also hope that they ARE girls- pet shops regularly mis-sex guinea pigs so please get them properly sexed, or you could end up with more pigs than you bargained for!

This place is really good for advice so i hope you come back.

[Ly&Pigs]

Originally Posted by SnowFlower

With all due respect to the very knowledgable Cavy owners on here. I feel that we should not attack people, no matter how good intentioned we are, for where they obtain thier piggies. People come here for advice, and they get the best. They don't need to be put to shame on how they aquired thier furry babies - they may have been uneducated, or whatever. That doesn't mean we should go full boar (no pun intended) on the pet shop discussion. A brief explination is fine, but I think this thread got a little flame-y. Please don't be upset, just an observation so we can keep Guinea Pig Cages Forums the wonderful, friendly and informative forum it is

With all due respect right back at you, this forum has principles and philosophies and we stand for certain things and are totally against other things like buying pets in petstores that sell animals. This forum is not going to back down on the things it believes in. This is not a cotton candy fluff filled forum and if you are looking for that, then my dear, you are in the wrong place.

One of the ways to get a problem like stopping the sales of live sentient beings sold in petstores solved is to spread the word. There is a tactful way to do it and then there is the not so tactful way to do it. I believe if people do it tactfully then maybe the person who bought the pig(s) or other animals will come to realize just what they are supporting when they buy animals. Maybe some see it as "attacks", "rudeness" or whatever, but that is your perception. Everyone reads threads and how they perceive a thread is different.

This forum has never patted people on the back for buying pigs in petstores or from breeders and isn't about to start doing so now.

And remember, this is the kitchen where topics can get a bit heated. If you don't like the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

[PiggieMom]

For people who say there is no way to get to a pig to adopt let me share the short version of my adoption stories:

I live in rural Michigan, a good two hour drive from civilization in every direction. I've been able to adopt six guinea pigs and foster one over the last three years.

The first pair: adopted from a member on Guinea Lynx who lived 2 1/2 hours from me. She was willing to meet me halfway to help transport them.

My second rescue of three: I was able to get three pigs from seven hours away. Though I eventually was able to make the trip on my own I had over a dozen members from these forums and guinea lynx offering to help transport the pigs.

My third rescue: a single pig from a rescue three and a half hours away. She was willing to actually drive to Mount Pleasant if I needed her to (which I didn't need).

With time, patience, creativity and a bit of networking I firmly believe everyone can adopt.