Breeding Why not to breed my guinea pigs ? - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Eliana_2** · #1 05-25-09, 08:32 am

I want to know everybodies opinion about... .Why not to breed my guinea pigs ?

**Seonta** · #2 05-25-09, 08:36 am

If you look around on the forum you can find lots of posts about the dangers of breeding.
The mother could die.
The babies could die.
There could be four more babies- do you have room to build more cages?
You could end up with lethal white babies... will you take care of them or just kill them?
Vet costs... health checkups...
Are you sure none of your pigs are related?
If you want more, why not find some that are in need of homes? Why breed more when there are already some on death row?

**trump_cinnamon** · #3 05-25-09, 08:36 am

Because there is an overpopulation of guinea pigs. If you want more guinea pigs, adopt from a shelter. Breeding is dangerous, the mother doesn't always survive, and it's just plain wrong when there are thousands of homeless guinea pigs out there, that you choose to make your own. It puts unnecessary stress on the mother.

If you are thinking of breeding, please, please don't. I'm sure that other people on here will agree with me on that one, and may be able to give you other reasons why not to. There are just too many homeless guinea pigs out there.

**Eliana_2** · #4 05-25-09, 08:42 am

i cant understand what is lethal babies ,i read the BREEDING DON'T but i cant understand because i dont know such good english . the mother could die but i will take care of her well to do not die , some babies will die but i will try not let them die . i have enought space in the female or male cage. let say i am i vet . and in greece the only place to fing guinea pigs are pet stores ...

**Seonta** · #5 05-25-09, 08:44 am

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...inea-pigs.html
Read that link. it is about lethal babies.
Do a lot of research... you haven't yet apparently.

**trump_cinnamon** · #6 05-25-09, 08:46 am

You say that the guinea pigs might die, but you will try your best to keep them alive. What if the mother gives birth in the middle of the night, and she and the babies die? You will end up with even less guinea pigs than you started with.

I understand how hard it is learning English. It is my second language.

**Eliana_2** · #7 05-25-09, 09:00 am

ok i understand but why should breeders breed guinea pigs and people who have guinea pigs cant ! dying of the mother is a possibility . So where can i buy or take for free guinea pigs ?

**trump_cinnamon** · #8 05-25-09, 09:05 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eliana_2

ok i understand but why should breeders breed guinea pigs and people who have guinea pigs cant ! dying of the mother is a possibility . So where can i buy or take for free guinea pigs ?

Breeders "can" breed guinea pigs, just like you and me "can". Just because they "can" do it doesn't make it right, with all those guinea pigs dying in shelters. You may not be able to find a guinea pig for free, but if you look around I'm sure you can find a shelter or rescue. Where exactly are you located?

**Eliana_2** · #9 05-25-09, 09:13 am

there are not rescue in greece or shelters ! here in greece the 40% of people know what is guinea pig . the 60% dont . also guinea pigs are very rare here ! you can have one or more only from a pet shop or even more rarely from a birth.

**MamaCass** · #10 05-25-09, 09:25 am

I don't know much about breeding, and that is why I would not do it. Aside from the overpopulation issue, which is problem enough, I feel that you really have to be comfortable, knowledgable, and confident to aid in the birth of any animal. As far as the "free" guinea pig thing - I am not sure why you wouldn't want to pay a $25-$30 adoption fee, knowing it is going to a good cause, however, there are free guinea pigs out there. I had been actively looking for a GP for over a month, after having done research for a cpl months. I checked petfinder, and the closest GP I could find was 2 hrs away. I ended up finding two listings on craigslist - one was for 3 (F) GPs with a c&c cage for $75 and another listing for a (M) GP with the store cage for free. I wanted to adopt the 3 but was scared it would be too much for us to take on right away, so we ended up going with the male for free. We are now back on crigslist looking for a GP friend - I should have just taken the 3. If you are willing to have patience, I am sure the right GP will come to you.

**Eliana_2** · #11 05-25-09, 09:35 am

i say i live in greece so there are no petfinders or rescue or shelters or overpopulation of guinea pigs !guinea pigs in greece are very rare ....

**vicky2** · #12 05-25-09, 09:43 am

They have a craiglist for Greece.
Just wait until one pops up.

**akstrohm** · #13 05-25-09, 10:00 am

Try craigslist. You could post there that you are able to take in any guinea pigs in need of rehoming. Be patient--it may take a while for one to come up. Are there any cat or dog rescues/shelters in Greece? If so, let them know that you are looking for a guinea pig. They may here of something and be able to contact you, even if they normally don't take guinea pigs. Also try posting in the international forums here. There may be other people in Greece that won't see this thread but who can help you.

To put it simply, a "lethal" is a pig that is born with severe genetic defects and will require a lot of expensive veterinary care.

**Amsley246** · #14 05-25-09, 11:06 am

I won't get into all the genetics of Lethals, but I do have one, so this is from experience. My lethal is Blind, Deaf, has teeth that constantly need to be cut down every few weeks and gets sick quite often. He was an accident from when my Pixie got pregnant becuase I thought my other pig was a girl too, and everyday I look at him and feel grief that I wasn't smart enough to properly sex my pigs. They require a lifetime of dedication, something I know some people won't give them. Some lethals are not even lucky enough to make it through birth and die right away. Ones the do, often don't live as long as normal pigs and die from complications that are often internal. I live in fear everyday that Edward (my lethal) will pass away. I'm trying very hard to make sure he's living as comfortable as I can make him.

When you breed, you're putting pigs in danger, both the momma and the babies. You can say all you want that you'll try and make that not happen or save them, but you can't change nature or play "god". And while that pig is giving birth, I can assure you, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of other are being put down or still waiting to go to good homes. Can you live with the guilt if the mother of the babies die? Or maybe even the guilt of bringing a lethal to life, who suffers because of it's complications?

**Eliana_2** · #15 05-25-09, 11:17 am

ok so like i said in my other post if somebody wants to ship me guinea pigs or other small animals to me to give them to good homes please contact with me

**Ly&Pigs** · #16 05-25-09, 12:25 pm

No one on this forum who is in their right mind are going to ship guinea pigs to you. This forum is about rescuing, anti-breeding and making sure pigs are taken care of properly.

And please read your private messages.

**pigsmakemesmile** · #17 05-25-09, 12:32 pm

Like Ly said, no one in their right mind is going to ship guinea pigs to you. I don't like how it sounds, I'm not even comfortable with your intentions. If you really care about the animals, the last thing you'd ask for is to "ship" guinea pigs to you...that in itself is very risky to the animal. How could you even summon up such a thought???
Get it out of your Head!

**Eliana_2** · #18 05-25-09, 12:38 pm

because i though that is better for an animal to suffer for 2-3 hours travelling instead of euthanasizing it to a shelter ...

**akstrohm** · #19 05-25-09, 01:14 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eliana_2

because i though that is better for an animal to suffer for 2-3 hours travelling instead of euthanasizing it to a shelter ...

Another way to help is to sponsor a guinea pig. Many rescues and shelters let people pay a certain amount per month or a one-time amount which is used for that pig's care. You don't have to be in the same country to help pigs this way.

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #20 05-25-09, 01:16 pm

Greece is a lot longer than 2 to 3 hour trip from the US??? Not to mention cost and quarantine.

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