Anybody use aspen? (breeding discussion included)

[Paula]

Re: Anybody use aspen? (and I'm a breeder, too!)

Pet stores are part of the problem. I am doing whatever I can to change this one. Rather than lumping it in with all the other stores you have seen and simply assuming that it is as bad as you describe them all as being, why not look at this thread again and see I am trying to change things in this way, by changing this store for the better. So it is not another store full of crappy merchandise and staff only there to make some extra cash. I think you have already decided that all stores are bad. There are some good ones out there, few and far between, but they are there. I am trying to make this one as good as I can.

The whole point is that by breeding these animals, by just supporting that the store breeds these animals, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution. The store is only interested in making money, and no one can fault them for that - it's a business. But the point everyone is making is that while you may be giving those pigs a better life than they would have in a pet store, you are still contributing to the problem of overpopulation and sentencing the momma pig(s) to a lifetime of stress and pain.

If you want to make a difference, encourage the owners of the pet store to stop selling animals altogether. Try offering a discount to customers who come in who have adopted from a shelter rather than just purchased an animal. Shelters give out free spay/neuter coupons, have some coupons printed up that the local shelters can give out for your store. That will spread the word about the business but doesn't involve any cruelty or encourage people to buy rather than adopt.

Yes, there are always going to be people that come in looking to buy animals. Encourage them to go down the road to a shelter and tell them all the benefits of adopting rather than buying. Try educating them and making a difference that way, not by giving some animals a better environment in which to procreate. That doesn't help anything.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Re: Anybody use aspen? (and I'm a breeder, too!)

Honestly I think breeders should stop coming here period. Your title blatantly paints a huge target on your back and I'm surprised I got through as many posts as I did without someone ripping you a new one. You know people here are severely against breeding, so there is absolutely no reason to rub in their faces that you are a breeder. If you need the information, read the site, but by posting and letting it out in the open that you are proudly a breeder your just egging on a fight. Come on guys! I'm sick of seeing this argument over and over again! Just...boot them or something, cause this is driving me nuts.

I'm sorry but we allow everyone here, breeder or not. We aren't going to just boot someone off the site just because they are a breeder. We are actually going to try to educate them why breeding is bad. If they take our advice and don't breed well we've accomplished something. If they don't take our advice, at least we tried.

We aren't here to "rip them a new one" either, that's not the goal of this site. If it's driving you nuts, I suggest you stop reading these types of threads. Also you just joined this month GuineaAddict, so when you've been an active member here say for a year or two (or more) then you can say you are sick of seeing this argument over and over again.

 

[greenbeans]

Re: Anybody use aspen? (and I'm a breeder, too!)

Fishguy, you sound like a good person who, at heart, cares about animals. That is obvious from your concerns about bedding, diet, housing etc. I do appreciate that.

But please, try and see why breeding- even on a small scale- makes us all so upset.

Can you honestly think of the crowds of piggies at every animal shelter, who may even be euthanized, and think to yourself:

"What the world needs is MORE cavies!"

Come on! It's the last thing the world needs. Every cute little baby guinea you produce adds to the population problem whether the baby and parents are well fed/housed or not.

There are petstores which don't breed/sell AT ALL. Either they stick to food/accessories, or they have a database of shelter animals for prospective owners to look at. You're knowlegable, experienced in the business. Can't you get some like-minded people together and start up something like this? You'd be a hero, an inspiration. And you'd be helping ALL animals, those in shelters, not just the few in your care. And if you can't do something like this, can't you please stop breeding whilst shelter animals die?


Please, think about it.

 

[DosLunas]

Re: Anybody use aspen? (and I'm a breeder, too!)

Wow,
How eloquent and kind. With this type of post, so much can be learned and accomplished. Also the one above, from Ly. There appears to be differant opinions on how to help, but Ly points out that the posts here, are to help educate or at least to try. How cool is that. No one gets offended, a peaceful post, opens the doors. Tons of respect to both of you!

 

[Justin]

Re: Anybody use aspen? (and I'm a breeder, too!)

Your question itself has nothing to do with breeding. But you mentioned it. Why?

Because you are a moral person who figured out that something is seriously wrong. You want advice/encouragement/information on what you already think you should do.

If you are seeking cheap excuses to easy your guilt, such as "It's ok to breed because you care them well," I think you are in wrong place. People here are pretty honest, so can't say that no matter how nice a person you are.

Otherwise, I say it's time for a change.

 

[Haley0489]

Re: Anybody use aspen? (and I'm a breeder, too!)

Your question itself has nothing to do with breeding. You didn't mention breeding at all. Yet, you posted this in "Kitchen" forum with mentioning breeding in the title. Why?

The mods moved it to this area and added the breeding bit into the title. This was originally posted in the Bedding forum just titled "Anyone use aspen?"

 

[Justin]

Re: Anybody use aspen? (and I'm a breeder, too!)

The mods moved it to this area and added the breeding bit into the title. This was originally posted in the Bedding forum just titled "Anyone use aspen?"

Thanks a lot. That was pretty ***pid of me. Luckily, I edited it thanks to your timely advise.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Re: Anybody use aspen? (and I'm a breeder, too!)

You aren't even making it better for the pigs' in the short run because you are breeding them then dumping them and the babies at the petstore to sell them to anyone who walks in the door, who may turn around and drop them in a backyard hutch or breed them in turn.

 

[CavySpirit]

Re: Anybody use aspen? (and I'm a breeder, too!)

To those who received email notifications of AnimalHouse36's post: It has been unapproved.

 

[CavySpirit]

Re: Anybody use aspen? (and I'm a breeder, too!)

Unless you've got something new and of value to add to this thread, please refrain from adding your two cents.

 

[CavySpirit]

Okay. If you don't want to listen to my instructions about posting on this thread, fine. I've unapproved all the subsequent posts after my instructions as they did NOT add anything NEW or of VALUE to the discussion.

This thread is now moderated. ALL new posts will need to be approved by a moderator before they are made public. And Gloriasm, I don't care if they disagree with our breeding/pet store positions, but they need to be smart, intelligent posts contributing something. ALL posts do from here on out on this thread.

Edit: I forgot to mention, that if you want to whine about how mean and nasty and rude we all are, there is a whole new forum section for it at the top of the Kitchen forum. Post it there AFTER you read the sticky at the top of that forum.