Adopting Adoption panic

[Onlyinred]

Hi, so my leftover pig Nike seems far less interested in eating than she was before her cagemate Girl died. I planned on scopingadoption centers or ppl local for adopting a pig but im real worried here. Im thinking of going to the local pet store and buyingva cagemate instead of taking weeks (yes weeks) before finally getting an adoption.
So throwing caution to the winds heres what i need to know
1)Nike is about 5 years old, the pig i may adopt is a mete 5 months old. Is that bad? The store is ok with letting me have them meet first.
2) how bad does the situation have to be in your opinion to warrant skipping the quarantine time.

Side note:a vet visit will take several days till i can make an appointment, while a pet store can sell me a pig today. Thoughts?

 

[bpatters]

Please don't buy a pig from a store. You will condemn some poor sow to breed another one to take that one's place, and she'll be continually bred until she's too old. Then, she'll be hit in the head with a hammer and killed. You've been here long enough to know how frequently people get sick, missexed, pregnant, and parasite ridden pigs from pet stores.

If you give your pig plenty of attention, and work hard at finding a pig for adoption, not purchase, you'll come up with one. Here's some reading material: https://www.guinealynx.info/alone.html

And I would NEVER skip quarantine for a pet store pig.

 

[madelineelaine]

I agree with Bpatters. Please do not buy a pet shop pig! And quarantine is absolutely necessary unless they come from a reputable rescue (not an animal shelter) that deals with guinea pigs. Spent time with your current pig, cuddles etc. When Izzy's cage mate passed I had her out for hours everyday with one of the humans in this house. My dad even took to coming into my room to pet her and chat with her. It took me 2 weeks to find another pair to adopt.

It is normal for her to greive and be unhappy. Some pigs revert a little bit and eat a little less. This will pass. Make sure you weigh her to monitor that she isn't losing a lot of weight and try offering her some of her favourite veggies to get her to eat. I also gave my girl a little extra pellets to make sure she wasn't losing weight.

I left the radio on for her when I was gone, and always made sure a light was on in my room when I wasn't home so she wasn't in the dark. Warning signs include refusing to eat or drink, and staring into the corner of the cage. There are a few others I can't remember off the top of my head.

 

[Shieme]

Yes, please just spend time with your piggie and give an unwanted piggie a new home! I have only one piggie but I give her hours of my time. I do it throughout my day because I'm lonely when not at work. I use to own a dog so giving time isn't hard for me. Yes I know a lonely pig is, well lonely. I just saying it can be done! Shiemi is happy and just loves when I sit with her and she can at least see me.

 

[Onlyinred]

Alright (i wont buy from a store). I was not aware of the breeding involved. Still, ive searched over 19 (nineteen!!) shelters and found only two that might might have pigs for adoption, i contacted all my friends-including pet lovers and 1 definite guinea pig owner- for leads on adopting, i sent 2 emails to my entire community (we have a website) asking for the same and more. Is there a time limit for getting a pig? I wasnt kidding about the time it will take. It could take as many as 3months. Maybe more. (Though, if im not getting from the pet store-which i dont plan on/see as a viable option anymore, i dont know what else i could do but wait :/ )

 

[bpatters]

You can wait. It's not ideal, but it's far better than getting a pig from a pet store.

 

[Happy Cavy]

Why are pet store pigs condemned? Aren't the odds slightly high when adopting the pig came from a pet store?

 

[bpatters]

@Happy Cavy, there must be a hundred threads, or more, on this forum about why you shouldn't get a pig from a pet store. Start here: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/forums/54-The-Kitchen

And be sure to read www.petsmartcruelty.com. Rainbox Exotics, featured in that video, is still in business.

 

[Happy Cavy]

My second question remained unanswered. It just seems a bit bias

 

[bpatters]

I don't know that means. The odds of what? The pig being sick? Yes. The pig having parasites? Yes. The pig being mis-sexed? Yes. A baby sow being pregnant? Yes. The pig having a genetic defect because of poor breeder records? Yes. The pig having been bred and raised in horrible conditions? Yes. The pig being a pup from a second/third/fourth/however many litter with the sow being back bred (bred immediately after giving birth, without time to recover)? Yes.

But the odds are not just a little higher, they're a lot higher.

 

[Happy Cavy]

And hunter has forged medical documents, came from horrible conditions, living close to the floor by dogs and a cats the only thing saving her was glass and she was smart enough to hang out in a corner. She comes from an adoption place not a pet store.
Every animal, no matter their roots deserve love.
My point. Make your decision @Onlyinred. From what it seems you gamble either way. Follow your gut.

 

[bpatters]

They all deserve love.

But a pet store pig is just an item to sell. And when you buy one, the store orders another from the same sorry breeder to take that one's place to sell, and over and over and over. The sow is kept continually pregnant until she's too old to breed, then she becomes a "hammer head" -- she gets hit in the head with a hammer to kill her. If you buy a pig from a store, you've chosen to be part of that supply and demand chain, and that responsibility is on you. If you "save" the one in the store, you condemn a long line of others to take its place. Can you "save" all of them too? Or do they just get to suffer because you were "saving" the only one of them you saw?

If you take a pig from a rescue or shelter, however, you take in a pig that was unwanted, and you free up a space for another one to be adopted. Doesn't seem like much of a choice, to me.

 

[Happy Cavy]

@bpatters I'd love to see an article of "hammer head" since I haven't found one. Please post one.

And despite personal opinion. It's a choice.

 

[bpatters]

It's always a choice. You choose whether to participate in the breeding and sale of pigs that are raised in horrible conditions and are sold with numerous problems, or you don't. Your choice.

I first heard the term "hammer head" on a video on the pet sale industry several years ago. I don't remember it being a PETA tape, but it could possibly have been. I think I remember it was a news clip produced by a television station, but I'm not positive. You're welcome to try to google it up.

 

[Happy Cavy]

@bpatters I did try to google it. I didn't find anything.

Your passion is noted. But again. Hunter, an adoption pig still came from horrible conditions.

Perhaps in your state small animals aren't protected by laws. In NYS however, they are. My county in particular adapted the law. This was due to people fighting for their rights.

(broken link removed)

Do adoption places of guinea pigs or other small animals keep up to date medical records?

 

[bpatters]

No one is saying that an adopted pig can't come from a horrible situation. The fact that they're up for adoption usually means that someone can't take care of them, or that they have been seized from a hoarding situation, or some other less-than-desirable issue. And occasionally you'll hear of some undesirable rescue that doesn't take care of the animals. But that's the exception, not the rule. And if you stick around here long enough, you'll see how many people post about their sick, missexed, infected-with-parasites and pregnant pigs that they got from a pet store.

But nobody is making money off an adoption pig -- most rescues operate on a shoestring, with the rescuers chipping in a lot of their own money to keep the rescue going. And nobody is breeding other pigs to take their places when they're adopted from a rescue or a shelter.

 

[Shieme]

Ok happy cavy, here I go. When I had my first guinea, Muffin, it was from a private pet store owner. I got her thirty years ago when piggies where exotic pets. Two years later, SPCA shut them down because they were interbreeding their rodents to where they had several birth defects and health issues. I reported them and the SPCA rewarded us the five piggies that were left. I was fourteen and was working at the place, two years later was noticing sick animals. They would do nothing about it. I was just cleaning cages for money under the table. When I got upset they fired me. That was when I reported them. one of the piggies had fused back legs. She didn't live long and the one year we had her, she never grew up. She was stunted at a pup stage.

I refused to buy another piggie at a pet store. I got Shiemi from a person that was breeding her pigs. My knowledge was from 30 years ago and I got Shiemi before knowing this site. I always wanted another guinea pig. So yeah, adopting a pig is BETTER! The other four lived three year at least but had problems. They never got too big, not as big as muffin. If you adopt, usually the agency health checks them. They are clean, not like the five we got. Why did the SPCA give us the pigs? Small town and when they told us they were shutting them down, I asked for them so they wouldn't be put to sleep. They had a pretty okay life. Unfortunately we did a lot wrong back then. We treated (not just me, this was 30 years ago) them like rabbits. Muffin was about four when she died. Salt licks and rabbit treats. Usually veggies that are okay for rabbits and not pigs also vitamin C drops. knowledge is power!

now pet stores are chain and you think they gotten better? Hell no! We just got a petco and the place is bad. Our pet smart is better but no, I will not buy an animal from there. But I get our food and want them to stay. Well I get betas from there and no, it's not ideal. But adopting a fish... ha.

 

[Happy Cavy]

Oh.. I’veread the different forums. I’ve watched the PETA video. I’ve also read thecomments to those who purchased a pig from a pet store..
Quick story.My brother took his daughter to Petco and purchased a guinea pig from there aweek ago. Am I proud of that? Not really. But this little boar is full of lifeand love. He eats wheeks pees and poops as much as Hunter who is an adoptionpig. While I’m no vet. I see no parasites, no mites, no hair loss, no tiltinghead, clear eyes clear nose. His good health might be due to the fact that he’sprotected under strict laws. He’s going to the vet next week.
My point is.It’ YOUR choice @Onlyinred. People have their opinions. Ultimately, it’s up toyou. Is adoption better? yes. But if you want a pig, go where YOU want to go. Quarantinethe pig no matter where you go for 3 weeks. Do some research and decide. It’syour choice.

 

[Shieme]

Not all pigs from the pet store are going to be ill. Some lead a happy long life. What we are trying to stop is the selling of animals in pet stores for profit. They are bred over and over. No rest for the mother. Then hen she cannot breed anymore they are not humanely put down which is where "hammer head" comes in. It's the cheapest way. I saw a over bred mouse being rocked in front of my eyes. I'm sure that's what they also do. So yeah, adoption is better but you can roll the dice and get a great animal! And keep animal selling going strong in pet stores.

Since getting Shiemi, the lady never put a sign on her groom shop to selling more piggies. And she told me she was going to sell some from her daughters guinea pig, which was pregnant. I guess there was a problem. I should have known breeding was hard but I didn't have this site to go on. Now I'm informed. I should have contacted the SPCA and got my name on a list. But Shiemi is happy. The lady only charged enough to keep snake owners from buying them. I hope her daughter's mommy pig is okay but I get the feeling, not.

 

[Happy Cavy]

@Shieme .Here I go.. I commend you for your dedication in the preservation andprotection of small animals.

The definition of Bias: belief in one way; partiality. I had asked whypet store pigs are condemned. A reply was @bpatters: I don't know that means. The odds of what? The pigbeing sick? Yes. The pig having parasites? Yes. The pig being mis-sexed? Yes. Ababy sow being pregnant? Yes. The pig having a genetic defect because of poorbreeder records? Yes. The pig having been bred and raised in horrible conditions? Yes. The pig being a pup from a second/third/fourth/however many litter with the sow being back bred (bred immediately after giving birth,without time to recover)? Yes.

But the odds are not just a little higher, they're alot higher.

I never said adoption was worse. I never said buying from a pet store isbetter. I simply said with adoption you can still run into the same issues,that’s a pesonal belief. Bpatters and myself are having a civil, healthy discussion.

If one finds an adoption center that specializes in small animals. Yes, they will be better. But if they come from a shelter of mixed animals such as dogs and cats I believe personally that one can run into the same issue. Hunter my guinea pig is an exception. She came from a horrible place that, in my opinion was worse than a pet store. If a cat got out of her cage I can safely assume Hunter wouldn’t be here today.