Adopt vs. Buy: Alright, alright..

[Marzopan]

Yes, I admit it. I got my piggies from petsmart

But you gotta hear me out!
1) I didn't want to!!
2) No shelters nearby me or even three cities over had no guinea pigs
3) The petsmart I got them from wasn't like one of those horror story ones.
4) My piggies are very healthy and happy thank you very much.

I have them in a 3x4 C&C, No I didn't use coroplast--too expensive and I couldn't find any. Yes, there is a store bought attached-- that is not their main cage!
I really hate the fact I bought, ok? You don't need to make it worse on me!
My parents just didn't understand..
I really really DO NOT support breeders! I would've adopted if I could! That was the first time I've ever bought a pet from a chain store- out of all 13 pets I've had in the past. (My kitties where strays. One I saved from a group of teenagers that where beating her)

So please, if you wanna be harsh on me: Just keep it to yourself.
I'm under enough stress as it is without people I don't know very well nipping at me.
Ban me if you like.

[Res Judicata]

Yeah, we have heard it all before. Same story, different person. Everyone who buys seems to sing the "I didn't have a choice song."

[Paula]

1) What do you meant you didn't want to? If you really didn't want to, why did you?
2) Shelter pigs are worth waiting for. If you really want to rescue you can find a way.
3) That it "wasn't like the horror story ones" doesn't make it any better. You still contributed to breeding and overpopulation. And remember, it may have looked all right, that doesn't mean it actually was.
4) Good for you. You don't have to look far to find pigs and owners that aren't so lucky.

I have them in a 3x4 C&C, No I didn't use coroplast--too expensive and I couldn't find any. Yes, there is a store bought attached-- that is not their main cage!

Good for you. And them.

I really hate the fact I bought, ok? You don't need to make it worse on me!

It's fine that you "hate it." Posting a thread here telling people to leave you alone about it isn't going to help anyone - most certainly not your pigs.

I really really DO NOT support breeders! I would've adopted if I could! That was the first time I've ever bought a pet from a chain store- out of all 13 pets I've had in the past. (My kitties where strays. One I saved from a group of teenagers that where beating her)

This does not change the fact that you bought them. It's good that you know better, but you need to put that into practice.

So please, if you wanna be harsh on me: Just keep it to yourself.

You'll not be telling members to keep anything to themselves, particularly when it was entirely your decision to start this thread announcing you bought the pigs (whatever your reasons) in the first place.

The bottom line is, you have the pigs now, no matter how you acquired them, and you need to do what's best for them. It seems by being here you are making an effort and that is admirable.

[Froggirl009]

It took me 4 weeks before I found guinea pigs in my city. But it was well worth it. You could have waited too.

[Ly&Pigs]

Originally Posted by Marzopan

So please, if you wanna be harsh on me: Just keep it to yourself.
I'm under enough stress as it is without people I don't know very well nipping at me.
Ban me if you like.

Why did you even post this thread? It's like you are inviting criticism. The best thing you could have done was wait for pigs that were in shelters/rescue (even if it took a while), not bought them from the petstore and not posted this thread announcing to the world your reasons for getting them then telling members what they aren't allowed to post. Sorry darlin' but you don't get to dictate the rules.

Originally Posted by paula.m.moore

The bottom line is, you have the pigs now, no matter how you acquired them, and you need to do what's best for them. It seems by being here you are making an effort and that is admirable.

I agree with Paula. But I do want to add that you need to make a harder effort in the future to not "purchase" animals. If your belief is to rescue them then stay true to your beliefs. If that means waiting to rescue an animal, the wait is worth it. That way you won't end up "hating" yourself for the decisions you make. Take this mistake, learn from it and move on.

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by Res Judicata

Yeah, we have heard it all before. Same story, different person. Everyone who buys seems to sing the "I didn't have a choice song."

I just keep waiting to hear from someone, anyone, who it is forcing these poor folks to purchase animals they really, really didn't want to buy!

Last time I really, really didn't want to buy an animal, I just didn't buy one. I hadn't realized it was anything remarkable until just recently!

[Froggirl009]

You also said that they are verry healthy. Thats what I thought about my first guinea pig. ( I didn't know about this site and I got ont from a pet store). My guinea pig got very sick after that and died. We then went to the vet and they told me not to get from a pet store. Now I have two adopeded guinea pigs in a big cage. So if I were you I would go out and get your pigs vet checked. And make sure they are both the same gender and that they are not pregnant.

[SheriMartini]

I only have one pig at the moment... I would LOVE for him to have a friend, but I refuse to get a petstore animal! I have checked craigslist, petfinder, and have spent a good long time looking for rescues anywhere near me. The best one is about 3 hours away from me, and my car just can't take that much abuse.

Like blackarrow said, if you didn't want to, you shouldn't have...

[theresaj]

I understand everyone's feelings about this. These are rescuers who are desperate to give their piggies a new lease on life, all the while money keeps landing into the hands of those most responsible for being there. The pet stores. This is NO personal judgement on you Marzo, but I just don't think you really see where many people here are coming from.

[Amsley246]

The petstore you got it from may not appear to have horror stories, but I can assure you the place those animals came from before do. It's one of petsmart/pet everything else's not so secert secerts. And as I mentioned in another thread to someone else, large chain stores are individually own by different people. In one store, the owner may have some values and may actually take care of their pets and ensure the employees do too, while another, which is a lot of cases happens more then not, the owner flat out doesnt care and solely only wants a profit at any cost. Either way, it doesnt matter, as your money from buying from petstores is worming it's way back to animal mills. Petstores don't get their animals to sell for free.

[vicky2]

No ones going to feel sorry for you that you bought your piggies.
Don't do it, that's all it is to it.

[Jennicat]

Yeah, it's tough to find guinea pigs in Orlando. It took me nearly 10 minutes on the computer!

Petfinder:
Guinea Pig, Orlando, FL: Adoptable Pets: Petfinder

(two boy pigs right in Orlando, 2 more further away)

Craigslist:
Tri-Colored female guinea pig - $15 OBO
Male Peruvian guinea pig - $25
GUINEA PIG WITH CAGE AND ACCESORIES
GUINEA PIG NEEDS A GOOD HOME TODAY!!!!!
GUINEA PIG
guinea pig
2 adorable male guinea pigs

A small local guinea pig rescue in Orlando:
Sunshineshelter

But yeah, I can see how you couldn't ever possibly find a homeless pig anywhere near you.

[Bandit33]

Regardless of where you got your babies, at least you care for them and you will provide them with the proper care and tons on love....Thats what piggies are for!!!!! I hope you enjoy your new babies. I, too (before I knew guinea pig adoption was available) got a piggie from the store. But I am about to move and get him a new roomie that will be adopted. But, again, enjoy being a piggy parent. Its wonderful!

[Marzopan]

*bangs head on table*

Arrrgh!

I posted because I wanted all of you to know that I DID do it and I'm sorry!
And for your information, my parents, they're not the whole drive 20 miles to get a pet kind of people. What the heck was I supposed to do?! If I told them that I wanted to drive that far they'd get soo mad at me and start to make fun of me! They went insane when I said I wanted to see a friend that lives three hours away.
God. You all don't know me.

You know I WOULD tell you all the real reason why I did all this. But naturally: More care for the cavy than the human.
I don't need you judging me.

By the way, I did search on petfinder. And at the time I was looking There was none.
And after all my searches for adoptable cavies nothing came up. Not even craigslist, which I never even heard of.
I do have aspergers, oooh autistic. Aspergers is mild autism, and I'm actually smarter than you'd think. Start researching PEOPLE and you might realize it's quite different than down syndrome. I know more about cavies than my parents even do. I stood up 3 nights in a row reasearching, within the four months I've been doing of looking them up and planning--and finding shelters. My parents still said no to adoption. THEY don't know about breeding and over population.
Ugh, all of you. Stop judging me just because one thing I did. If you saw how well I take care of my cavies I'm pretty sure you would STILL be doing this to me just because of one thing I regret doing. I don't even buy their hay, food, or toys--ANYTHING from chain stores. Once again: My parents are not into the whole adopt a rodent kind of thing. It was their choice.
Wanna say something else to me?

[Marzopan]

Originally Posted by Froggirl009

You also said that they are verry healthy. Thats what I thought about my first guinea pig. ( I didn't know about this site and I got ont from a pet store). My guinea pig got very sick after that and died. We then went to the vet and they told me not to get from a pet store. Now I have two adopeded guinea pigs in a big cage. So if I were you I would go out and get your pigs vet checked. And make sure they are both the same gender and that they are not pregnant.

I did get them checked. They're both healthy non pregnant girls.

[Paula]

Originally Posted by Marzopan

Wanna say something else to me?

Yes, I do, actually. Don't start this kind of thread if you're going to find it so infuriating when folks disagree with you or point out different ways of doing things. This site is pro-rescue, against breeding and pet stores. Yes, it's going to be a problem when a person comes along and attempts to explain that they had no other choice but to buy an animal in a pet store.

You're asking that we don't make assumptions about you, but I'm telling you to do the same about members here. There's no excuse for this kind of angry posting.

So from now on, if you don't want people to get upset with you for the things you post about buying your pigs, don't post them.

[Ly&Pigs]

Originally Posted by Marzopan

Wanna say something else to me?

Yes, I do actually. Leave God off the forum. Tone down your attitude, because if you don't, you will find yourself caged.

Edit-Jeez, Paula's already in my head!

[Marzopan]

Ok, I did something wrong.
and now you all hate me.
You all make me feel guilty. I don't even feel like I deserve to live after what all of you said to me.

I'm sorry ok..
I'm sorry.
All I ask is for you all to continue hating me.. I did do something wrong.. I deserve it
Yes I do have an attitude ok? I do..

[Ly&Pigs]

You're missing the point here. NO one hates you.

We are just trying to get you to see that there are adoptable pigs out there, that you don't have to purchase from petstores and you don't need to create these types of threads.

Now please calm down, take a break from the forum, think about the things people have told you, realize we are saying what we are for a reason and learn from your mistakes and move on.

[babybunny]

Sigh, it really upsets me when people say they can't find pigs to adopt. Most of the time is they can't find any "right this very second". I waited 5 months to adopt one. Was it hard to see Elvis without a friend? Definitely. Was it tempting to "buy" one, especially seeing poor cavies at the fair being sold like melons in a farmers market? Very much so. However, for the sake of the bigger picture, I made a conscious choice to hold true to a decision that I made. I was NOT going to be selfish and doom another pig or 5 to die because I couldn't wait.

My only regret is that I couldn't take all the piggies at the shelter home when I did adopt.