I'm Emily, mom to guinea pig girls Stella and Bella

[emcronc]

Hi everyone!

My name is Emily and I'm the proud new mom to two sweet guinea pig girls, Stella and Bella. The kids named them.

I've had a long time love of guinea pigs! When I was a kid, one of my teachers had guinea pigs in the classroom (Fred and Wilma) who gave birth to three sweet babies (BamBam, Pebbles, and Barney). I was almost always the one who volunteered to care for them over the weekend and all school breaks. I bought my own guinea pig when I was in college - a feisty boy named Ichabod. And I've wanted to have guinea pigs again since then.

I gave it a lot of thought over a long period of time, and made sure that I was as educated as I could be about guinea pig ownership and that my two sons, age 7 and 10, were ready to care for and love them responsibly. So, a couple weeks ago, we started calling around and visiting shelters hoping to adopt. Unfortunately, that didn't work out. There were very few guinea pigs available for adoption and the adult male pair that we considered quickly became an obvious no-go. They had a history of biting and when the small animal volunteer opened the cage, they began aggressively hissing/teeth chattering, etc. She wouldn't even put her hand in the cage knowing their history. That just wasn't going to work for our family.

So, we ended up buying our two sweet girls from Petco. I'm already completely in love with them as are our kids. At some point, I'll try to come back and post a picture!

I look forward to being part of this community. I've already learned a ton here as I did a LOT of reading here before bringing Stella and Bella home.

Emily

 

[pepperbelle]

Hi and welcome! Your girls are adorable. I love that photo of them. Nomnomnom!

 

[BaconAndEggs]

They're so cute! Welcome.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Cute. Make sure they are the same gender, since pet stores often mis-sex them. Which means it's also possible they could be pregnant.

Keep an eye on their health. Weigh them weekly. Pet store pigs are often sick--I believe because it's so stressful to be shipped in those plastic containers to the stores that their immune systems are lowered and they seem susceptible to upper respiratory infections.

It would have been great if you could have waited until a rescue around you had suitable guinea pigs. Or checked on Craigslist or other classified sites. If there are pet stores in your area, there are for sure people needing to re-home their guinea pigs.

 

[emcronc]

Cute. Make sure they are the same gender, since pet stores often mis-sex them. Which means it's also possible they could be pregnant.

Keep an eye on their health. Weigh them weekly. Pet store pigs are often sick--I believe because it's so stressful to be shipped in those plastic containers to the stores that their immune systems are lowered and they seem susceptible to upper respiratory infections.

It would have been great if you could have waited until a rescue around you had suitable guinea pigs. Or checked on Craigslist or other classified sites. If there are pet stores in your area, there are for sure people needing to re-home their guinea pigs.

Thank you - I appreciate the tips and warnings. Also, after a couple days of thinking about this, I've come to realize that really was impatient. My line of thinking was that I was "doing the right thing" by checking the shelters first and then when they didn't have any pigs for us to adopt, I had done my due diligence and it was the logical next step to go to the petstore. I wasn't intentionally impatient, but I honestly didn't even think it through long enough to come to the conclusion that if I waited, I might have been able to rescue the perfect pig for our family. And I never even thought about Craigslist or classifieds. At least I can say I'll know better the next time.

As you know from my other post, one of my girls apparently has ringworm. But fortunately neither of them have shown any signs yet of anything else wrong. Other than the ringworm, they seem healthy and happy. Once I get Stella back home, I'll continue to pay close attention to their health and wellbeing.

I did check the sexing by looking at photos here and elsewhere and I'm pretty confident they really are both girls. I sure hope so anyway!

 

[pepperbelle]

Thank you - I appreciate the tips and warnings. Also, after a couple days of thinking about this, I've come to realize that really was impatient. My line of thinking was that I was "doing the right thing" by checking the shelters first and then when they didn't have any pigs for us to adopt, I had done my due diligence and it was the logical next step to go to the petstore. I wasn't intentionally impatient, but I honestly didn't even think it through long enough to come to the conclusion that if I waited, I might have been able to rescue the perfect pig for our family. And I never even thought about Craigslist or classifieds. At least I can say I'll know better the next time.

I did the same thing. I did check the SPCA and petfinder and a few online searches but the only piggy I found for sale was listed as having a history of biting. I probably should have been more patient too, but I got my daughter all excited about getting a pig, and I was excited too, and impatient, so we bought ours from a local pet store.

If I get more I will try harder to adopt. But do I regret bringing home these 2 beauties? Not for a minute.

I have looked on petfinder, CL, etc a few times since buying mine, and I have only seen 1 for sale in my area. There just dont seem to be many of them listed anywhere near me.

 

[emcronc]

I did the same thing. I did check the SPCA and petfinder and a few online searches but the only piggy I found for sale was listed as having a history of biting. I probably should have been more patient too, but I got my daughter all excited about getting a pig, and I was excited too, and impatient, so we bought ours from a local pet store.

If I get more I will try harder to adopt. But do I regret bringing home these 2 beauties? Not for a minute.

I have looked on petfinder, CL, etc a few times since buying mine, and I have only seen 1 for sale in my area. There just dont seem to be many of them listed anywhere near me.

I feel the same way. In many ways, I wish I had done it differently, and will definitely try harder to next time. But I don't regret for a second the sweet girls that I have. Even though (as I'll update in my other posts in a minute), both of them are stuck at Petco right now being treated for different things. I am head over heels in love with them, and those two specifically. I just can't wait to have them home.

 

[pepperbelle]

Is petco's vet service for your new piggies free?

 

[PeanutnCookie]

@pepperbelle I don't recommend going to a Petco vet. They only specialize in dogs and cats. Guinea pigs are considered "exotic animals" because their anatomy is different from most rodents. What is most recommended is finding an exotic vet who has treated guinea pigs or is specialized in treating guinea pigs.

By the way Welcome to the forum @emcronc

 

[pepperbelle]

I was not planning on taking anyone to petco. Was just curious if they offered that service free for her.

 

[pepperbelle]

PS i inquired at a local exotic vet about the cost of a basic "new pig" exam and they told me $90 usd per pig. Yikes!

 

[PeanutnCookie]

@pepperbelle ok, i was only warning, because since they sometimes missex the pigs so they might mess up something during vet care. That was a warning to everybody.

 

[pepperbelle]

The pet store i bought my girls from actually gave a coupon for a free exam at a local vet but it was only good for 1 week and I missed the window. I dont think it was an exotic anyways. My girls seem healthy but i was hoping to take them for a basic checkup. Not for $180 though.

 

[emcronc]

Is petco's vet service for your new piggies free?

Within the first 30 days, yes.

@pepperbelle I don't recommend going to a Petco vet. They only specialize in dogs and cats. Guinea pigs are considered "exotic animals" because their anatomy is different from most rodents. What is most recommended is finding an exotic vet who has treated guinea pigs or is specialized in treating guinea pigs.

By the way Welcome to the forum @emcronc

Thank you for the welcome! Trust me, in the future I wouldn't choose the Petco vet. I learned yesterday, though, that they are unfortunately quite experienced treating guinea pigs for fungal infections and URI. With both of my girls in their care right now, I'm praying that they know what they're doing and will send them both back to me healthy soon.

 

[AnnikasMommy]

I am new here also so we will be newbies together. Hope your girls get better quickly!

 

[maddy harper]

hello and welcome. Great names for your two by the way. I have two boys called chock and spike. Looking forward to reading more about your pigs