Hi Everyone :)

In Australia there are hundreds of homeless guinea pigs...Just contact any rescue and they'll tell you how horrible it is. Don't get any from the pet shop...help out the rescues. They do an amazing job and need the help.

You might be saving a couple but then you're putting 10 more at risk. It's not worth it.
Welcome.

Please don't buy your pets, opt to adopt!
In Australia we currently have an over-population of small animals, especially guinea pigs. Instead of supporting breeding, you could give a homeless pig a place to call home.

https://www.petrescue.com.au/listings/other?utf8=%E2%9C%93&species=guinea_pig&commit=Search&gender=either&coat%5B%5D=all

Welcome!! The abpve posters are very correct. There are thousands of homeless pigs needing a lovely home.

Welcome. This is a great place to learn about the care of these sweet little creatures. Please post pictures when you have your little ones home.

Hi and thank you for the welcome

I completely understand your concerns about buying from pet shops however the closest rescue center to me is around 7 hours drive so the only way to get the piggies to me would be freighting them which would not only be very stressful for them but risky too. I have imported bettas (Siamese fighting fish) from Thailand and they required freighting and while several fish made it too me safety without any issues a pair I bought got "Lost' and ended up on the other side of the country! Luckily after hours of panicking and many phone calls I managed to track them down and had them sent to a fish specialist in the area. Thank fully the fish were still alive BUT they were VERY lucky and after having a rest in the fish persons tank for a few days they were freighted to me a second time and made it safely. Imagine the horrible situation if this happened to piggies! My fish luckily were in an insulated shipping container with a heat pack heating it to the required temperature to keep them happy but imagine if the piggies were left in the sun or something I just do not want to take that risk.

The reality is that if you buy any products from your local pet shops which sell piggies then you are supporting them anyway, it is the ongoing purchases such as food/litter etc which provides the revenue for the shop not really the one of purchase of two $8 piggies. I really do understand where you are coming from, I do not really like purchasing from pet shops either which is why I started importing my fish direct from breeders overseas because the treatment of most bettas in local pet shops is nothing short of sickening. If I lived much closer to an adoption center then I most certainly would adopt piggies rather than buy them but it really isn't an option here

I also think that the piggies in the pet shops do need a good home too, many of them are sold as snake food or bought as impulse buys for kids only to have the novelty wear off and then be neglected and if they are one of the lucky ones they will end up at a rescue and put up for adoption but sadly all to often they are not that fortunate. We have these sorts of issues arise on the betta forum I belong to all the time when it comes to buying or 'rescuing' bettas from the appalling conditions in which they are kept. There are two sides to every story some argue that buying the fish from the shops supports the business and does not achieve anything for bettas while others believe that it makes a difference to the individuals fishes life and that is important too.

As for me I think it is okay to rescue 'pets' from pet shops BUT ONLY if you do not buy medications/foods/bedding etc from that shop but either buy them from a reputable pet shop which does not sell live pets or buy it online. That is just my view anyways and everyone is entitled to have their own opinion. As I say I would much rather adopt but it would risk the piggies life if I had to freight them and I just cannot handle the thought of something going wrong like with my fish.

The thing is @veggiegirl, by buying pigs from the petstore, you are supporting the breeding mills they order their pigs from. Each pig you buy opens up a spot for more pigs to be ordered and manufactured at the breeding mill where a sow is backbred to exhaustion and then discarded when she is no longer useful.

We understand that the nearest rescue in a long way from you but perhaps our other Australian members can help you locate one that is closer to you. Or perhaps you have something similar to our Craigslist which advertises people who are trying to rehome their pigs.

As far as I know we do not actually have Craigslist here in Australia...... we do have other online sites where animals are listed to be rehomed but I have already checked all of these several times and there are none anywhere near me, also the ones are listed are from breeders not from general members of the public which wish to rehome their unwanted pigs.....

Here are TONS of guinea pigs in need of homes in Australia. There has to be a good pair in there.
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-other-pets/guinea+pigs/k0c18436

Perhaps you can find a pair or single that you see and show it to us to make sure your not buying from a breeder.

Edit: sorry you posted before I did. However, there are many people who drive 3-4 even up to 5hours for a pig to insure they don't buy from a pet store.

If you can't find ANY pigs up for adoption near you then maybe it's not a good time now to get them.

I realise that there are heaps of Guinea Pigs in need of a home in Australia and yes I have searched the gumtree.com.au site over and over but none are located anywhere near me......

I'm sure our other Australian members can put their two cents and help you locate a pig near you or even help you sort through the ads to make sure you aren't supporting a breeder.

Remember - guinea pigs in rescues & shelters need homes more than pet stores & breeders need your money.

veggiegirl said:

I realise that there are heaps of Guinea Pigs in need of a home in Australia and yes I have searched the gumtree.com.au site over and over but none are located anywhere near me......

Click to expand...

If that's true then perhaps you should wait until the right pigs come around. Wait for the welfare of the pigs.

There are a good abundance of Australian members on the forum that can help you.

@veggiegirl - I moved your question and the responses to its own thread called "Malocclusion" under "Medical & Veterinary".

Okay thank you