Longtime lurker, just joined.

Hi Jennifer,
I just love all of your pet names!

Please take the time to read the Principles and Philosophies of this forum. (broken link removed)
and the Policies and guidelines (broken link removed)
especially this thread https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/policies-guidelines/19259-breeders-read-if-you-breed.html

This forum does not support breeding as there is a huge animal overpopulation problem.

I am very worried that you are trying to breed Skinny Pigs. They can have many medical problems.

Please, please, please, do not breed these pigs! There are many near you who need adopting. There is a major overpopulation problem in the world today. In the US alone as of March 2006 there were over 2000 homeless guinea pigs listed on petfinder.com, which is only one single rescue resource. There are literally thousands that need a home. By breeding you are directly contributing to this problem. This website is run by a private rescue who has to clean up the messes from breeders. Breeders risk the lives of all their pigs. A sow has a 1 in 5 chance of DYING giving birth. Plus you are breeding skinnies. Skinnies were created to be hairless so that labs could test skin products on them. As a result of their quick and careless creation, they are inbreed and have MANY health issues. This breed should be graciously allowed to die out. They have weak immune systems, are very susceptible to URIs, and get cuts and scratches, and are very aware that they are different than the normal pig. Do a search for skinnies here and on Guinea Lynx :: A Medical and Care Guide for Guinea Pigs. You will be able to read about the horrors skinny owners have to deal with. PLEASE do not breed these pigs. If you want more pigs ADOPT. Please separate these pigs right away! There are thousands that are suffering in the shelters as we speak. I am not exaggerating this problem! Here is my proof.

https://cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm
https://cavyspirit.com/petstores.htm
Guinea Lynx :: Breeding
https://cavyspirit.com/hollister.htm
July 2006 - Guinea Pig Cages Forum
Daisy passed on - Guinea Pig Cages Forum

Read over those links I gave you. I am NOT exaggerating the problem. Please do not breed these pigs! Adopt!

Here is a link to a petfinder.com search of your area. There are thousands of homeless pigbroken link removed)

PLEASE ADOPT!

I am not an ignorant pig owner, and I resent the suggestion. I said I am keeping the babies, not disposing of them somewhere, so I am not contributing to an overpopulation problem. These 2 skinnies have not had any health problems at all, and I certainly wouldn't breed them if there had been. Thanks for the welcome.

I am glad you are going to keep the babies and it sounds as if you take good care of your cavies. But if you have room for more pigs why create some (breed) when there are many just as deserving piggies (and even skinnies) who will die for lack of a good home like yours?

You are welcome here, even though you may feel your welcome was a little rough around the edges.

We are, of course, an anti-breeding forum. Many of the members here participate in guinea pig rescue in some form or fashion, and see firsthand the consequences of breeders' actions. We also have many members who are animal rights activists, and they also see firsthand the problems with breeding and are working to eliminate those problems. This is a subject we're very passionate about.

It is highly unlikely that you'll find any support for breeding your skinnies here. If you are determined to breed them, you are still welcome here, but we'll ask you not to discuss the issue. If you're looking for a forum that is more conducive to backyard breeding, please private message one of the moderators; we can recommend some forums that may be more to your liking and may suit your needs better.

I hope you will stay and read some of the links that were provided to you. Perhaps you'll read something that will make you think a little bit more about this decision; maybe you'll even change your mind. It hurts nothing to read all you can about a subject, so I hope you'll stay and at least read through our position and information.

First of all, welcome to the forum.

I just wanted to address one thing you said.

I said I am keeping the babies, not disposing of them somewhere, so I am not contributing to an overpopulation problem.

Click to expand...

It's still contributing to the overpopulation problem. Even if there are only 2 babies born, those babies took homes away from 2 pigs in a shelter.

I personally don't agree with breeding, especially of a breed created purely for animal experimentation. Even if they appear healthy at the moment, there is still a very high chance of illness in the future.

It would be nice if you people got to know a little about a person before you jumped all over them. One of my 2 dogs is a rescue. We adopted her knowing that she has a cyst on one eye that will need surgery, at a cost of roughly $700. We won't know for sure how much it will cost until we see the veterinary eye specialist in Sept. Three of my 4 cats are also rescues, from several local humane societies. I will not be adopting any more guinea pigs, nor replacing them when they die, so I am not taking away any homes from other pigs by breeding the skinny. I love them dearly, but will just stick with the cats and dogs in the future, I think.

Anyway, you people are waaaaaay too radical for me. I'm outta here.

Jennifer

That's very sad that you think looking out for the health of your animals is too radical for you. I'm thrilled that you currently have 2 healthy skinnies, but they have a higher percentage of health problems than just about any other breed of cavy. They were created to have lower immunity to most things and more skin area for companies to do testing on. Even the healthiest of cavies, skinny or furry, has a 1 in 5 chance of serious complications or death from breeding. If you "love them dearly" like you claim, you won't breed them at all.

As far as where you got all of your other animals from, that really has no bearing on this issue. Kudos to you that you decided to rescue them though. You said you're not taking away homes from other pigs by breeding your skinnies? How do you figure that? If you have space and money for more pigs, and you decide to breed your own instead of adopting a couple more from a shelter or rescue, you deny homeless pigs a secure home.

biggbsfan said:

It would be nice if you people got to know a little about a person before you jumped all over them.

Click to expand...

I'm really amused that you think we should all get to know you, when you obviously didn't take the time to get to know this forum and its rules and values before posting. If you had, you would know that no one here will encourage or support you in breeding you pigs. There are plenty of forums around that will though.

It's too bad that this forum is too radical for you, because it is chock full of great information on cgae ideas, toy ideas, and care of your pigs. It is full of awesome people who want the best for every pig out there. Many people are aware of the dog and cat overpopulation problem, but the GP guinea pig overpopulation problem is invisible to too many people. If you believe in rescue for dogs and cats, then why not pigs too?

I noticed that you are in Ontario. There are skinnies for sale everywhere in the GTA, and elsewhere in the province, and it's just a matter of time before they end up in rescue. I got one of my skinnies from the Toronto Humane Society. Maybe I don't understand why you want to breed, but if you just want more skinnies, give it some time, and there WILL be skinnies available for adoption. Why not adopt and feel good about saving a life? It is also more convenient, you don;t have to worry about the health or safety of your current pigs, and you can even choose the age and gender of the pigs you adopt!

I find it very sad that someone who loves their piggies so much would put their lives at risk by breeding them.

Actually you are contributing to the overpopulation problem. You could be rescuing several homeless piggies and giving them a quality home, but instead you choose to risk the lives of your current pigs and bring more unwanted babies into the world. How many piggies are you prepared to care for? Maybe you have the room for one or two extra ones, but what happens when you have 6?

Check Petfinder.com: Adopt a pet and help an animal shelter rescue a puppy or kitten. and look around you. There are literally hundreds of homeless guinea pigs in Ontario you could be helping out. I know for a fact that there are tons in Oakville, Toronto and London, and I'm sure that wherever you are located, there's some in your area too.

Please do not breed them, call a shelter or rescue and adopt some. Do not risk the life of your cavy. There are so many that need good homes.

I have only been on this forum for a short while and have learned so much. I have given my cavies a better life because of this forum.

Give it some thought and adopt rather then breed.