Pigs in a Store!!

Captivate21 said:

If you want to go with the whole selfishness issue, I guess you could not have a guinea pig because it is causing there to be an ongoing support of having them as pets, overbreeding, sick animals, etc. In reality guinea pigs are not native here. They were brought here for people to benefit. I guess maybe if you really care for your pig you could immerse her back to her natural environment in Peru. When I say people are more important than animals, I am referring to it's more important to spend time with my husband and kids than my pig. My pig will not care for me. My pig cannot feel what my heart is feeling. That's my point. It's an animal. I love mine, but it is still an animal.

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yes it is selfishness that brings 90% of animals here. But you know what? As animal lovers we are here to make their lives better.

Plus the fact that it's not as if we are taking these guinea pigs from the wild. We rescue them from bad situations where they would most likely otherwise die. That's not in any way selfish. We are giving guinea pigs that would other wise have no life at all, wonderful lives.

PigPandemonium said:

Plus the fact that it's not as if we are taking these guinea pigs from the wild. We rescue them from bad situations where they would most likely otherwise die. That's not in any way selfish. We are giving guinea pigs that would other wise have no life at all, wonderful lives.

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Not to mention - if we released them into their natural habitat in the wild they'd probably be trapped and eaten for dinner!

@Captivate21 - the overpopulation of GPigs and back-yard breeding are the reasons we on the forum support ADOPTION instead of buying an animal from a pet store and many of us do whatever we can to avoid pet stores who sell animals as merchandise...

Paula said:

Personally, I think "educating children" (or anyone else) can be done just as easily and just as well without subjecting a living creature to the stress of travel, sitting through a presentation, and potentially being pawed and mauled over by kids and adults

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Woah, woah, woah. Children are VERY hard to get focused. They talk, run around, argue, joke and play with phones. I KNOW if kids aren't "drawn in" you won't reach them properly. We were all kids once, I'm sure you remember boring guest speakers and kids entertaining themselves. As someone with experience with special needs children and children in general, I can say a living breathing animal does help. The children were not allowed to pet her, she spent most of the day chilling in a quiet, cool room with food, water, snugglies, toys, veggies/fruits and hay. If she wasn't in her "vacation house" she was in my arms. Whats more, there were other guest speakers on other days and they all brought animals to show the children. Rescues, sanctuaries, reptile enthusists. If I'm wrong, they're wrong. And I don't see how so many dedicated and knowledgeable people can be wrong. But that's just me.

It also was for Ophelia, so she could experience new things and discover that maybe the world wasn't out to get her. When I got her she was scared and anxious. She's had a sucky life, I'm trying to rehabilitate her. In the few weeks I've had her she's made massive strides, I like to think my efforts have made her feel more secure in her own skin.

I think everyone has a right to there opinon, however a good portion of you have pounced on this person who just wanted to share a story that they felt was cute. So congratulations on making this person feel bad and like a cavy being subjected to a bunch of mauling hands as some of you put it.
FOR SHAME

Wait, does this make me a horrible person for bringing my pig to a school activity that was an all day outside thing? It wasn't too hot. It was about 70 degrees, until it started raining, and then all the animals were put under shelter.

Am I a bad person for bringing my pig into a public place? He didn't get sick. He was only scared when people were yelling and screaming and such, as kids do.

If he was scared, he would burrow into the blanket that I was holding him in and then when he felt okay again, he would poke his head out and allow himself to be petted and be fed treats (carrot chunks, cucumber chunks, parsley, ect) and was purring and wheeking. Last time I checked, those sounds were NOT scared sounds. They were happy sounds, and I know my pig, and I know when he's scared. He was not.

You people don't know another person's pig as well as they do. Sure, she COULD have taken the pig home first, but she didn't, and I would've rather carried my pig in by hand, if I had no other choice, than to leave him out in a blistering hot car.

I personally joined this forum because i felt like people on here were welcoming and willing to educate others who may or may not know what to do as guinea pig owners. but i soon realized that some people on this site have bad ways of expressing themselves. everyone here comes to share stories and to be positive. but all ive gotten was rude responses and comments on obvious things that simiply do not need to said. and i can only imagine how this person felt after being attacked by so many of you when you clearly see shes already been told once that it wasnt a good idea. yes everyone has an opinion but there is no need to bash people on this site just to make them feel horrible about themselves. she obviously loves her guinea pig enough to take her into the store instead of leaving her in a hot car outside. seems like i had the wrong impression about this site. kudos to you guys who defended this person.

Tablo said:

He was only scared when people were yelling and screaming and such, as kids do.

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See, that's the point. There's no reason he needed to be scared at all. Taking him out was for no benefit of his and therefore there was no reason at all that he needed to be frightened even if it was 'only' when children were yelling and screaming and such. These are fragile animals that are easily frightened. Unless it's necessary or for their benefit there's no reason to expose them to unnecessary sources of stress and fear.

spy9doc said:

The real message is "never leave your piggy in a hot car".

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You shouldn't leave any animal or living creature in a hot car. No one's argued to the contrary. Given a choice between hauling an animal in to a store or leaving it in a hot car - take it to the store. The point is that shouldn't have been a choice at all. Take the pet home where it can be comfortable and then go run your errand and do your shopping. As a person who takes my dogs just about everywhere with me, I know that's hard to do, but it's safer and better all the way around and even though they don't understand, while it's hot, I leave them home more often than not.

@spy9doc, I'm sorry to hear you lost your pig in such a tragic way - but it really makes my point. Why did the guinea pig need to go with your partner in the first place? Given the fact that he put him in the car when the dog seemed too curious, it seems it wasn't necessary. So ... Bubba died, why? Because your partner decided it would be fun to take the guinea pig with him? Perhaps there's more to your story here, but the comment that he 'took him to the gym to meet a friend' indicates there was no benefit to the guinea pig and that is exactly the point many of us have tried to make. If there's no more to the story (a vet visit before the gym?) then there's no reason the pig should ever have been in that situation in the first place and hauling him off to the gym was for no benefit of his, but your partner's, and that is the bigger problem.

@Paula

I was holding him the whole time, and he was okay. He's still alive, isn't he? He's still a happy little animal. Did he benefit from it? I don't know. It doesn't mean that he didn't enjoy being pet and fed treats.

If he had gotten heat stroke or bitten a kid, or anything of that sort, obvious I would have called my mum to just come and get him. That didn't happen. He nibbled on my shirt, like he always does, tasting it. It's how he is. He doesn't bite. He didn't get heat stroke, it wasn't hot enough.

He survived. He's alive. He's a happy, sweet little piggy who enjoys being pet and getting snuggles.

This thread turned from mildly amusing to extremely annoying. I'm assuming I can contribute my unintelligent comment to match each one on here, because obviously no one is going to agree with each other. We get it. No pig should be brought out of their comfort zone. Half of you agree, half of you don't, why is this thread even still open? It's benefitting absolutely no one.

Tablo said:

He's still alive, isn't he?

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Simple survival isn't really an adequate measure of success or whether or not you should do it again, and it certainly isn't an accurate gauge of whether or not he enjoyed it. You're going to do what you're going to do with your pig, as is everyone else in this thread. I don't care, as I've stated before. The point is, the whole notion of taking these animals out and putting them on public display for no benefit of THEIRS is not generally indicated given their sweet and sensitive nature as prey animals and soliciting "cute" stories where others have done so - presumably where the pig didn't die - is not encouraged.

@spy9doc - I appreciate your input and don't disagree that when the choice is leaving a pet in a hot (or cold) car or taking them inside, the obvious safe choice is to take them inside. In this particular case and many others, the choice would be negated if the OP would just have taken the pig home first, however inconvenient. And as I've said, I don't care what you choose to do with your pigs. I also know that a lot of folks aren't probably as careful and mindful of their pigs' mindset and comfort as you probably are when they're out and about, or even at home for that matter. Because of that, I don't think it is something that should be advocated or encouraged and that's the reason I'm very much opposed to the notion of encouraging doing so as "cute" or in any other way appropriate.

PiBee said:

Half of you agree, half of you don't, why is this thread even still open? It's benefitting absolutely no one.

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The same can be said of this comment. The thread's still open because no one has done or said anything inappropriate, it hasn't really deviated from its original topic, or anything else that would otherwise necessitate its closure.

I occasionally take my pig outside for the neighbourhood kids to pet & giggle at ... They all know the rules about soft hands and voices. It makes the kids feel good, but i also believe it is about my pig, too. If you were stuck in a house and could never leave, even if your home is a palace, you would feel cloistered. I believe pigs benefit from occasional social visits to relieve cage boredom/depression. Accidents happen to everyone, and no one is a perfect pig parent. Trying and learning from mistakes is the best we can do, all of us.

watchoutforlucy said:

I believe pigs benefit from occasional social visits to relieve cage oredom/depression.

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That's anthropomorphizing. Assuming that your pig needs social visits to relieve boredom and depression because YOU need social visits to relieve boredom and depression is faulty because of the differences in our lives and basic structure. We aren't prey animals and have an entirely different structure in our lives. We have an understanding of past and present and potential outcomes. They do not. Our entire lives, happiness and safety are not dependent on someone or something else. That isn't true of pigs and in all actuality, what would be a pleasant social visit to us because we know that it's only temporary and we'll return to our regular lives soon is just unnecessary stress and fear for them because they don't have that foresight or ability to understand beyond the moment.

Paula said:

That's anthropomorphizing. Assuming that your pig needs social visits to relieve boredom and depression because YOU need social visits to relieve boredom and depression is faulty because of the differences in our lives and basic structure. We aren't prey animals and have an entirely different structure in our lives. We have an understanding of past and present and potential outcomes. They do not. Our entire lives, happiness and safety are not dependent on someone or something else. That isn't true of pigs and in all actuality, what would be a pleasant social visit to us because we know that it's only temporary and we'll return to our regular lives soon is just unnecessary stress and fear for them because they don't have that foresight or ability to understand beyond the moment.

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I agree!

Paula said:

We aren't prey animals

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We would be if we were still in the dinosaur age.



people so tense, lighten up. Everyone's got different views. People make mistakes. We move on. The pig survived.

Whoa! Paula, have we met? Where did u get the information that i need boredom/depression relief? that is very antisocial and pedantic of you, since we have moved into the psychotherapeutic/name-calling session of this thread. Have fun relieving your stress by sitting on this forum constantly and telling others that they are wrong and you know so much better.

Actually, @Paula, i think you've hit the nail on the head here. it has become a pet peeve of mine since i've joined this site i think. it seems there are 2 groups of people (broad strokes, here): there are people who get animals as pets then treat them just like people -like they would want to be treated themselves - truly like another human family member. they paint their toe nails, put them in dresses, and take them out to all sorts of "fun" activities and places.

then there are people who see and appreciate each animal for exactly what it is. who are fascinated by guinea pigs and their unique behaviors. who see who and what guinea pigs or dogs or any other animal in their house is - what makes a poodles poodles and what makes a basset hounds so different from poodles.

if you treat your pets as another human member of your family, your friend, your buddy, your playmate, and believe they'll be happy as long as you're happy, that they will like what you like, and need what you need, well, you're missing out on seeing who they truly are. the amazing uniqueness of each animal. all their behaviors and idiosyncrasies.

if you see the animal you live with as the animal it is, and understand it's behaviors and what it needs, the kind of bond and relationship you get from that is so enriching and powerful.

i found this site and have learned soooo much about guinea pigs that i love them even more. learning about who they are what they need, trying to understand they ways they communicate how they're feeling, to understand what they're doing and why - i wouldn't trade that for all the blue ribboned shows and pet fairs in all the world.

to each their own.

watchoutforlucy said:

Whoa! Paula, have we met? Where did u get the information that i need boredom/depression relief? that is very antisocial and pedantic of you, since we have moved into the psychotherapeutic/name-calling session of this thread. Have fun relieving your stress by sitting on this forum constantly and telling others that they are wrong and you know so much better.

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You *are* wrong and Paula does know more than you. She has the experience and education to know that taking a guinea pig out for social events is bad.

She also wasn't eluding that you specifically need boredom relief by going out to do things with others. She was just trying to put things into perspective. Guinea pigs do *not* benefit from going out of their comfort zones to be coo'ed and cuddled by random strangers. Nor do they benefit from being hauled around like a chihuahua in a purse/carrier/whatever.

It's called common sense, which some members of this forum clearly lack. This is a place to educate others about the well-being of their pets. A lot of us here put the pets at top priority. I love guinea pigs, but I don't necessarily like their owners. People are going to voice their concerns over how others handle their pets. Tip-toeing around someone's delicate feelings is aggravating and unnecessary when they have been here long enough to know that something is wrong.

Tablo said:

We would be if we were still in the dinosaur age.

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Despite what the Flintstones teaches us, humans and dinosaurs never occupied the planet at the same time.

mufasa said:

Despite what the Flintstones teaches us, humans and dinosaurs never occupied the planet at the same time.

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Yes, yes I know.

I mean, if dinosaurs still existed, we would all be prey animals, is what I mean.

I didn't mean that we existed at the same time as them.