Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

Adopting Advice needed ... fostering or adopting and issues with surrenders

Kim37040

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Posts
930
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
930
First, at 10:31 am this morning my piggy, Joanie, passed away.
She had been ill and I had been back and forth to vet. But her little body just gave out.

She was my last pig and I would like to get more. I have a great 3x5 c&c, 60 lbs of hay, a lot of Guinea pig knowledge, and a ton of love to give.

I contacted the rescue where I got Joanie because there was a neutered male I was interested in adopting as a cage mate for Joanie before her health got so precarious. I found out today that he was recently adopted.

However, they do have a recent application for a surrender like 4 hours away from me. A lady with 3 females. A 2 yr old female and 2 8 month old females. They have asked if I would be interested in fostering or adopting them.

I have never fostered a pet before but I imagine it is the same as fostering in general and I keep and care for them till they find a permanent home.

But I do have concerns about adopting directly from another person. And considering how people do not take care of pigs, I am concerned that I might be stepping into health issues due to poor diet and lack of care.

So, I guess I would like to hear from folks who have served as fosters about your experiences.
And those who have adopted directly from someone surrounding.

Thanks in advance for any perspective
 

Kim37040

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Posts
930
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
930
My rescue covers any vet expenses for fosters. I would cover everything else.
I think I like the idea of fostering. I think I am good at socializing pigs and mine have always done well with handling, interacting.
Think I would like to care for some pigs and get them ready for a loving family.

I am already feeling super lost without having a pig and it has not even been 12 hours. Realize I would spend a lot of time petting and checking.
 

LittleSqueakers

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 30, 2014
Posts
422
Joined
Sep 30, 2014
Messages
422
I'm so sorry for your loss of Joanie.

As it happens, I was in a very similar situation about a year ago. I lost my last pig at the end of March, shortly before we were planning on making a trip to the rescue 2 hours away to adopt a new cagemate. Tribble had been having health issues earlier in the month, but they seemed to be resolved and I thought maybe another cagemate would help him perk up, as he had lost his previous cagemate just a few months before. However, towards the end of the month his health took a turn again and I ended up having to put my old friend to sleep. I contacted the rescue to let them know the sad news, so they were aware that I had an empty cage large enough for 2 boars.

About a week later, the rescue contacted me and asked if I would be interested in fostering a pair of young boars for about 6 weeks until one of their volunteers could pick them up and bring them back to the rescue. The rescue had adopted them out several months prior to an adopter in my area who discovered that the pigs were just more work than they could handle. I had been feeling very lost as well -- I've always had animals around in my life, and a house without them just wasn't a home anymore. I agreed to take them, but made it clear that I wasn't able to foster them long-term. (I was just about to graduate a 2-year program in healthcare and then plunge into the job market, so things were just too unstable for me to take on new animals permanently.)

I picked up the pigs from their adopters after work, and the adopters -- a teenage girl and her Mom -- turned out to be very nice people who simply had underestimated all the work that was really involved in caring for the pigs and now needed help. The boys were happy and curious, and started settling in right away with much running, rumbling, and popcorning once I got them home. They were both freshly bathed, toenails clipped, and appeared to have been generally very well taken care of, even the Peruvian with his magnificent hair!

I don't know if I just got lucky that my fosters were in good shape when I received them, but since they had been previously adopted out by the rescue to these people, it did make some sense. After all, the rescue would not have adopted them out to people who they did not think would take good care of them. However, in your case, the pigs are a surrender coming from an unknown situation, so that could make it a bit more complicated... In any case, I will say that I was very glad that I decided to foster the little guys for a while, even though it was hard to give them back later. They could by no means replace the old friend I'd just lost, but they were a great comfort and a distraction from my grief. At least having some animals back in the house restored my sense of home.
 

spy9doc

Well-known member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Posts
48
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Messages
48
What an eloquent post! It is a story well told and should provide some helpful insight to Kim.

When my previous cavies died within a month of each other, I simply couldn't stand the emptiness I felt in our home. The piggy cage sits alongside my desk in my home office. I work from home a lot and spend lots of time in close proximity to them where I get to see all the cute things they do and watch them grow up. There is always the opportunity to reach in the cage for a pat or take one out for a quick cuddle so we have lots of interaction. I simply couldn't bear to look at an empty cage and no longer enjoyed being in that room.

I almost immediately set about finding my current boys and am SO happy that I did. They have brought so much joy to our lives and I simply wouldn't want to be without them. :love:
 

Kim37040

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Posts
930
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
930
Love this. Thank you for sharing!
 

Kim37040

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Posts
930
Joined
Feb 9, 2011
Messages
930
I have decided to foster the 3 sows.
I have been in touch with the lady who is surrendering them. We are going to work out a meet up spot between our locations. Hopefully on the 2nd.
With all the issues I had with ovarian cysts in my two poggies, I think the next permanent additions to my home will be boars. But I am excited to care for these girls till they find a forever home.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

P
Replies
2
Views
427
Anawilliam850
A
4boipigs
Replies
63
Views
4K
Pikestrix
P
J
Replies
3
Views
571
bpatters
bpatters
A
Replies
1
Views
374
gpihgos
gpihgos
Top