Guinea Pig Trading

[tribbletek]

3 BABY GUINEA PIGS TRADE FOR??

This gentleman wants to trade you his baby guinea pigs for a television.

I'm completely floored by what makes him think that this is at all acceptable.

What's next, cats for laptops? Does the fact that small animals are living creatures not occur to people anymore?

It says he's open to offers. What do you offer to trade for a living thing?

[animallover2424]

What kind of inhumane person would say precious pigs and then say that they are open to offers. That is just not right. I would trade him handcuffs for the pigs. People get me so angry.

PS My day just gets worse with all the bad things I read about people mistreating their pet privilages! =(

[JD In Van]

Sadly, we have these kinds of posts on kijiji all the time in my area

[Paula]

What's next, cats for laptops? Does the fact that small animals are living creatures not occur to people anymore?

I've actually seen similar things proposed on my local CL. I've seen people offer to trade their guinea pigs for a cat and similar things. To me, the plain and simple truth is that as long as you can walk into a store and buy them like merchandise, you're still gonna have people that think of them as little more than a thing - to be bought, traded, whatever.

There is still a school of thought that animals are property and little more - certainly nothing to be treated with respect and love and dignity.

If it were me, and I was motivated enough to post about it here, I think I'd probably also message the person to perhaps consider trading something other than living creatures for something he wants. Or, at least try to ensure that whoever he trades with has at least a basic knowledge of guinea pigs, and of course, no intention to feed them to snakes or other reptiles.

[3piggymomma]

Wow, that is just dispicable. They are so cute too! And it says they are 5 weeks old, and come with cage, not cageS... so let's hope they are all of the same gender if they are being housed together. But unfortunately, if this person is willing to trade living animals for electronics, he probably doesn't know (or care). *Sigh*. I hope someone takes them, for their sake, but trades him something that doesn't work.. hah

[cavy_cuddler]

Ugh, I was looking around on my local Craiglist for breeder's ads and look what I found.

i have 12 week old male pitbull

Trading a dog for a gun? It's so disgusting and sad. I hope the dog finds a good home at least.

[luvmypiggie]

Gosh! This just makes me sick!!! Poor little piggies! I live in Tennessee and I am almost ready to see just how far he actually is from me! I gotta a broken TV down stairs that he can do something with!!!!

[YayPiggies]

Ugh, what kind of disgusting, inhumane, sickminded, wrong, heartless, cold person would do that? Obviously he doesn't care where they go.

[fridzalone]

I wish I could trade those kind of people with a house.

[Catayn]

I've seen people advertising that kind of thing all the time here.
I've seen a guy trading a tortoise by a motocross helmet...
I feel like saying: Wanna trade your kid by my new dining table? Why not?
Narrow minded people...

[tribbletek]

Gosh! This just makes me sick!!! Poor little piggies! I live in Tennessee and I am almost ready to see just how far he actually is from me! I gotta a broken TV down stairs that he can do something with!!!!

If you're serious, I'm fairly sure I have a small functional TV that I am willing to part with to make sure these little ones get good homes.

If anyone else around the Cincinnati/Louisville area is interested, let me know. I only have room for one more in my herd as it is now.

If it were me, and I was motivated enough to post about it here, I think I'd probably also message the person to perhaps consider trading something other than living creatures for something he wants. Or, at least try to ensure that whoever he trades with has at least a basic knowledge of guinea pigs, and of course, no intention to feed them to snakes or other reptiles.

I will be sending a message to the person in the meantime suggesting that if he wants to rehome his babies, there is an excellent shelter in the Newport, KY area not far from him, and another cavy-specific shelter in Cincinnati.

[blackarrow]

Honestly, I don't see any difference between swapping animals for merchandise than I do swapping them for a stack of cash.

Those are insanely cute babies.

[tribbletek]

Here is a transcript of the letter I just sent.

I'm writing you in response to your Craigslist posting for the three guinea pig babies you want to trade. I'm a guinea pig owner and I just wanted to make a couple of friendly suggestions to consider before releasing your pets into someone's care.

You may have already received offers for these adorable pups, and if so, please consider what kind of home they will be going to. Reptile owners often browse Craigslist looking for these kind of offers in order to get cheap food for snakes and other predators, and I'd hate to see them end up as a meal instead of a well loved and cared for member of someone's family. Parents and college students might also be contacting you about them, and while its possible they might have the space and ability to care for them, little children often quickly lose interest once babies stop being tiny and cute, and college students may find themselves too busy with school and commutes and the start of their lives to give a pet a good home.

If you've yet to recieve offers you are considering and are just looking to rehome your pets, you might consider calling the Stray Animal Adoption Program in Newport, or the This Little Piggy & Me guinea pig shelter in Cincinnati if that is closer. They will make sure your three babies get good homes and proper care.

I would take them myself, but I don't have room for all three. I've made a public post on a reputable pet forum to see if there are any local enthusiasts willing to team up to make sure your little ones get good homes, but there is no guarantee it will be successful.

It's possible that you've already thought of all this, and if so, great! Disregard my message and have a pleasant day. If not, please keep the shelters in mind if you don't receive offers from good quality pet owners who will take care of them their whole lives, instead of using them as feed or giving them up later due to human lifestyle constraints

I tried to keep my tone as helpful and nonjudgmental as possible, in the hopes that this person takes the request to heart instead of becoming defensive.

[Tdchewy]

Here is a transcript of the letter I just sent.



I tried to keep my tone as helpful and nonjudgmental as possible, in the hopes that this person takes the request to heart instead of becoming defensive.

Very well written letter! Hopefully he will change his mind, but I have a feeling that all he is interested in is getting a TV.

[tribbletek]

Very well written letter!

Thank you.

I know we have a rule against posting the same topic across multiple forums. Would it be acceptable to ask in Adoptables if anyone in the area can help rehome them? I will gladly provide the item for trade and provide transportation from Louisville to the poster's location if necessary.

And if not, does anyone have any suggestions for further actions to take?

[Wheek Weak]

We have a local AM radio program (on Saturday mornings) where people can call in live to buy/sell/trade household items, etc.

It makes me sick to hear the people calling with animals to trade for merchandise. A lot of dog breeders call with puppies for sale. I always write down their number and call them with a lecture about exploiting animals for profit.

I doubt that it does any good, but at least I feel that I've (possibly) educated someone that day.

[tribbletek]

I have a local friend who will home one of the babies pending it is male and in good health. But she has two boars already.

Anyone who might be interested in the third, let me know. I'll post the genders here when/if the OP writes me back.