Adopting through Craigslist?

[sdpiggylvr]

I'm considering adopting this guinea pig I found on Craigslist, but at the moment I'm not sure how it would all work out. I have a 3-4 year old female (VERY dominant) whose cagemate passed away a year ago and in the meantime she has been living with a neutered male who can go back to his original home if/when we adopt a friend for this girl.

For those of you who have adopted through Craigslist, how does it work with introductions and quarantine? I need to know as soon as possible if the two pigs get along, but I am technically supposed to do 3-week quarantine first, right? The thing is, if I take these three weeks to make sure she can't spread anything to my pigs, I will have to wait three weeks before introducing and knowing if they get along. If they don't get along, where will I take the Craigslist pig? I suppose I could keep her but the point is to have them as a bonded pair and if they didn't get along I'd have to have them in separate cages. After quarantine, I wouldn't be able to give the pig back to the original owner if the pigs didn't get along.

How should I go about this?

[bpatters]

sdpiggylvr, I moved this from the Intro thread.

If it were me, I'd quarantine any craigslist pig for the full three weeks. You can skip that, of course, but at the risk of possible illness, parasites, and expensive vet bills for all your pigs.

Another option would be to skip this pig, and see if you can find one at a reputable rescue that will let you take your dominant pig to select her own cage mate.

[pinky]

I quarantined the guinea pig I got on Craigslist 6 months ago. I also took her in for a well vet check. She's suffering from a UTI presently and I'm wondering how long she might have had it. I don't know exactly what she was fed but I do know they fed her bad pellets and lots of carrots so I worry about whether she might have stones. Her xray was inconclusive. The only reason I'm mentioning this is that rescues really watch their pigs and have them vet checked so there is a better chance that they will see an illness before adopting them out. I don't regret getting this one but the vet costs have been high and I know there probably will be more to come.

[sdpiggylvr]

The thing is (and this is purely sentimental) this pig looks quite a bit like the one I lost last year. I do volunteer with a rescue, so it's not to say I couldn't go to a rescue to adopt.

Is it worth the quarantine and possible need for vet care to go through CL? Or is the rescue the best bet? I know that in truth I really should do quarantine but it's this "special pig" that has got me thinking more with my heart than my head.

[piggi_zone]

i want to go to a adoption or rescue but we dont have any in south carolina
so i went to craigs list
i have already went to petfinder if anyone knows of a female in the sumter or columbia area please let me know.

[bpatters]

You could also try PetHarbor.com: Animal Shelter adopt a pet; dogs, cats, puppies, kittens! Humane Society, SPCA. Lost & Found.

[pinky]

I have no problems with Craigslist and if it gives an unwanted guinea pig a good home, I'd say go for it. The guinea pig I adopted is incredibly sweet. She follows me around when I take her out of the cage. I have no doubt I'd have still taken her if I knew she would need vet care. I'd just follow the quarantine and get as much info from the owner about age, health care and diet. I hope this little one is everything you hoped for.