A sickening realisation (long)

[cavy-cool-crazy]

This is so disgusting..I was shocked and sickened when I heard about it. There's a place not far from here where people can go and look at loads of animals, and of course, there are guinea pigs there. Maybe 40 or so, probably males mixed in with females. People can walk into this place, and just take guinea pigs (and rabbits, too) with no charge and no questions asked. And people breed the animals so that the young can be given to reptiles. I couldn't believe it...how can people do that to any animal?

Also, there's another place just down the road from where I live that comprises mostly of birds, but there's a farm part of it where people can see all sorts of animals, mostly cows, horses and goats. And there's a sign: 'Guinea pigs for sale'. So of course, I looked at where they were being kept. They were in a stable (like the ones associated with horses) - about 20 or 30 of them. You could tell which ones were female; not only were a lot of them pregnant, but the females had little patches of some kind of blue dye. It didn't look like any of them had been groomed before.They had a tiny amount of hay (for the amount of piggies in there), and they had a couple of big dog kennel type hidey houses. And a filthy, rusty dish of water.

To top off my rant, the same place with the 20-30 guineas had about 10 more piggies in a run outside, with your average sized cat carrier, and all of them were piled in there, terrified of the little kids running round a screaming. I had to leave after they put bunnies and guineas together on a high, open-ended table for the public just to come along and handle them. Even my dad, who has never showed that much interest in piggies, was disgusted and had a good old rant on the way round.

I can tell you, both of these places will be getting angry letters from me.

[VoodooJoint]

Skip the angery letters. They probably won't do any good. Call the RSPCA. Better yet go there again with a camera and/or video camera. Document everything from overcrowding, mishandling, ill animals, inadequate food, water, houseing etc.. Once you have evidance take it to the RSPCA along with your complaint.

[daftscotslass]

Your local council will also want to know. They regulate the sale and conditions of captive animals, and have the ability to revoke the licence. If they fail under the Protection of Animals Act they can be fined and also imprisoned. There should be an animal health or, at the very least, an environmental health section on your local council's website.

Letters will do nothing. Go straight to the top.

[Funnygpigs]

Originally Posted by cavy-cool-crazy

This is so disgusting..I was shocked and sickened when I heard about it. There's a place not far from here where people can go and look at loads of animals, and of course, there are guinea pigs there. Maybe 40 or so, probably males mixed in with females. People can walk into this place, and just take guinea pigs (and rabbits, too) with no charge and no questions asked. And people breed the animals so that the young can be given to reptiles. I couldn't believe it...how can people do that to any animal?

Also, there's another place just down the road from where I live that comprises mostly of birds, but there's a farm part of it where people can see all sorts of animals, mostly cows, horses and goats. And there's a sign: 'Guinea pigs for sale'. So of course, I looked at where they were being kept. They were in a stable (like the ones associated with horses) - about 20 or 30 of them. You could tell which ones were female; not only were a lot of them pregnant, but the females had little patches of some kind of blue dye. It didn't look like any of them had been groomed before.They had a tiny amount of hay (for the amount of piggies in there), and they had a couple of big dog kennel type hidey houses. And a filthy, rusty dish of water.

To top off my rant, the same place with the 20-30 guineas had about 10 more piggies in a run outside, with your average sized cat carrier, and all of them were piled in there, terrified of the little kids running round a screaming. I had to leave after they put bunnies and guineas together on a high, open-ended table for the public just to come along and handle them. Even my dad, who has never showed that much interest in piggies, was disgusted and had a good old rant on the way round.

I can tell you, both of these places will be getting angry letters from me.

I would not waist my time writting a letter to the people who have these ill kept pigs. They obviously do not care about the pigs in the first place or they would not be treating them like that. If you really want to do somthing abou it, contact your local shelter or animal rights group. File an offical complaint with them and make sure you follow up on it. I had to do this with a guy who was breeding rabbits. Trust me, you will be waisting your time and energy going to the people who have the animals. People like that don't care. That made ME mad just reading your letter. How can people be so cruel? What state are you in? :0) Funnygpigs...

[cavy-cool-crazy]

I'm in the UK. I'm going to ask my mum to take me to both of these places again so that I can get some pictures. Then I'll contact the RSPCA. I'm moving in 4 weeks though so I'll have to try and get down to these places this week to get pictures. Do I complain to both of these places as well as the RSPCA?

[LuvMyPiggers]

There is a place near me, a farmers market, with even more than 40 who are mixed in male female. It's called the green dragon. They have EVERYTHING and I think you might have to pay, but when my brother went with some friends, he told me the guinea pigs were 25 cents!! I am furious about this place.

And the worst part is, it's completley legal...

[Himino]

That is horrible!! Those poor piggies. Good luck on get those places shut down!