What is it considered as?

I think it's better than buying, but not that great. I saw a gerbil getting adopted at petco, there didn't seem to be any adoption criteria about the adopter's knowledge or ability to care for the animal. However, it's not supporting the pet trade, so if it's either that or buying from the store, adopt from the store.
Actually, I'm younger than you, but I managed to convince my parents to let me adopt. Let them know you're really in toadopting a cavy, and show them how much you know about them. I don't know where you like in PA, but if you like in the southeast, there's a great rescue you could go to. They have a website- www.mgpr.org. You should try to convince your parents to let you adopt from there.

Oh...My mom is all for adopting. I just recently adopted my piggie, Bert from the humane society. He's getting neutered after Christmas and then getting a girl friend. That thought just crossed my mind because I was making a list of everything I have to get at the pet store tomorrow.

I think it's fine as long as it really is adopting. I know that some pet stores do refer to buying the animals as "adopting" them. However, I was in PetCo one time and they had a few legitimate adoptables. I was told I could have the guinea pig for a $1 adoption. I didn't have a cage so I declined.

If it is a rescue bringing in the animals for adoption it's considered ok, but if it's the petstore "adopting" them out themselves, it's no better than buying.

I also want to say that members under 18 are not allowed to post their age on the forum and your post was edited.

It is the same as adopting. You are not supporting the pet store. All of these pigs come from homes where they were no longer wanted. I had a guy bring in a female pig just yesterday to Petco. He had to fill out a form. He asked me if it was going to take long because he was in a hurry. I told him that he could write whatever he wanted about the pig (Its likes and dislikes, name, etc). He didnt understand what I meant. He said: "its not like its a cat or dog". I said: "it is to me". He appologised, and wrote that the reason for giving away was: "no longer wanted".
These animals are just as homeless and unwanted as the ones at the shelter. At Petco it is free to adopt, so you arent supporting the petstore at all. It actually costs petco to have them there (food, bedding, etc.).
This is the way I have gotten all my pigs because there isnt a shelter in town that has guinea pigs. They all come to petco.

I disagree with this.

Until Petco and Petsmart STOP selling all ANIMALS in all their stores, you are absolutely supporting their store.

The reason the animals are sold, displayed, adopted out, whatever in the store is to GET YOU IN THE STORE to buy their profitable items. Animals are not profitable.

If you buy products at any of these stores, you are supporting their business model--sales of animals in stores.

Do you want to know who the rescuer is in the South Bay (San Jose) area who adopts out at Petco?? She is one of the most unreputable so-called rescuers I can imagine. Just awful. THAT's the 'rescue' that works with Petco here. They could care less and she could care even less than that.

All the pigs come from individual people that dont want them anymore. There is not a rescue group that is involved at petco here. If the Humane society here would take pigs, then the pigs would be there and not at petco. Petco does not ask for money and nobody has to buy anything to adopt one of the homeless pigs. There is no one else in town here to take the pigs, so they are either dropped off outside or taken to petco.

Johanna said:

All the pigs come from individual people that dont want them anymore. There is not a rescue group that is involved at petco here. If the Humane society here would take pigs, then the pigs would be there and not at petco. Petco does not ask for money and nobody has to buy anything to adopt one of the homeless pigs. There is no one else in town here to take the pigs, so they are either dropped off outside or taken to petco.

Click to expand...

Where is here? Does Petco also sell pigs? I'm not suggesting in the least that Petco requires you to buy anything. That's not the point. The point is, most people WILL buy something. If no rescue is involved, then it's just Petco getting free inventory. I'm sure your HS does take pigs. They just get put down right away. That's the way it works in a LOT of places--MANY, MANY. It just doesn't change the fact in the slightest that by adopting out of Petco and/or Petsmart, you are still supporting their company.

Time to get active in the community and get your HS to accept and adopt out small animals. That all stems from the taxpayers, of which you are one.

Im in Fargo, ND. I asked the humane society here if they ever get guinea pigs and they said that they dont deal with "pet store" animals. I think they refer them all to petco. Our petco gets on average about 1 guinea pig per week. Some weeks it is like 3 or 4 and other weeks it is none. Petco is the rescue for guinea pigs around here. There is a place to take rabbits though. I tried to start fostering guinea pigs through them, but they never hear of homeless guinea pigs.
Either way these pigs are still unwanted and neglected. They all deserve good homes. I could start up a rescue and be overloaded in no time at all if I took all these pigs home (which I could do). I just dont think that I could find them all good homes with my limited knowledge of cavy savy people in Fargo.

Work for the day when the phrase "pet store animals" makes no more sense than "shoe store lettuce".

The PetCo here usually has animals that have been dropped off there instead of at a Humane Society so they put them up for adoption. No adoption fee, you don't have to buy anything. I got a hamster from a situation like that. She was dropped off because they didn't want her anymore and they put her up for adoption. So we adopted her. The rescues around here rarely have anything other than dogs, cats and rabbits. I got lucky when I found Bert at the HS.