Is Rescueing a Guinea Pig really better then the PetStores.

[Noah34568]

Ok guys think about it. Everyone says "shelter,shelter,shelter,adopt,adopt"
But Really where does the shelter pets come from? People who are not responisble enough to take care of them. And where did those people most likely get them? Thats right the Pet Store.

Health issues are always concerns that are talked about when buying from a pet store. But really its not like your Rescue Guinea Pig comes in Perfect Health anyways.

Is it really worth going to a rescue? - Please post what you think about this.

 

[lissie]

Of course it's worth to go to a rescue. A reputable rescue will do a vet check, mite/lice treatment before they adopt out. And you won't be paying pet stores to support their breeding mill cruelty.

See this link and you will see why we are against pet stores.
PetSmart Cruelty // Photo Gallery

Edit to add:
Even if you cannot find a knowledgeable guinea pig rescue, it would still be better to adopt from local shelter. You would be paying money to save lives. Not creating more overpopulation issues.

 

[pinky]

Most reputable rescues will guarantee the health of the guinea pig for a reasonable amount of time. They also don't adopt out the females until they know that they are not pregnant. Rescue guinea pigs are vet checked, treated for mites, lice, etc. and requires that the adopter sign a contract to protect the guinea pig and see that it is returned to the rescue if it is no longer wanted. Adopting from a rescue makes room for another homeless guinea pig. You never know what you'll get from a pet store and the pet mill cycle will continue if you buy from a pet store. Adopting from a rescue is wisest choice to make when considering a pet.

 

[S0rceress0]

I can guarantee almost 100% you will get good information from a reputable rescue or they will point you in the direction you should go to get the right information on guinea pigs. A pet store's main motive is to sell. It is one of the training indoctrination methods. A new owner will buy more, usually as much as you tell them they need. They don't necessarily care if your pet needs it or not. A rescue is there for the animal, not for the profit. Adopting from a rescue also helps to support other animals at the rescue as well. We need to break the cycle, not continue it. A pet store also doesn't care WHO they sell to. You could be buying guinea pigs for your dinner plate or to use for target practice. They wouldn't care. A rescue will ask you pertinent questions on how you will care for the animal and get a feel for an owner. If it seems fishy they always have the option to say "forget it." A pet store doesn't have that option, they have to move the merchandise.
I think it's about the animals first, us second. I don't want to continue to support a system that does not do right by these wonderful little creatures.

 

[Kimberly713]

Oh boy, you have no idea what you just stirred up on the guinea pig forums! :eye-poppi Adoption is ALWAYS better than buying or breeding. When you adopt an animal from a shelter you are "rescuing" it from being potentially euthanized. Rescues that are dedicated to animals don't use euthanasia but they are always overcrowded and do all they can to find animals better homes.

You infer that these animals in shelters/rescues are always from irresponsible pet owners who bought them. That is not true, there are people who just can't keep their pets anymore. Some have children who are allergic, lose their job, lose their house, have to move, etc, etc The list goes on forever for reasons people might have their dogs end up in a shelter, it doesn't always make them irresponsible. What about Hurricane Katrina and other disasters like it? Those animals that survived were homeless and picked up and taken to shelters to be found a new home. Would you really rather go buy a purebred or even mixed breed, over saving the life of perfectly good pet that just lost his owner.

I use examples with other pets besides guinea pigs, but with them it is no different. Yes, many may have come from irresponsible pet owners who bought them from a store and dumped them at a shelter due to boredom or whatever, but even then it's still better to give your dollar to a shelter who is there with the animals best interest at mind over a store that thinks of them as another item on the shelf to stock. With adopting an animal you saved a life and opened up that spot to another animal that just wants a chance to be loved and cared for.

Our goal is to nix petstores all together and hope that they will run out of demand and stop selling animals, therefore putting backyard breeders who run them out of business as well. These breeders are worse than the stores that sell them. They usually over breed pigs and let them die from it. They don't seek medical attention when something goes wrong and consider deaths as just part of the job. It's sick and disgusting, and THAT is why we are against buying pets from sleazy stores.

Uh, I'm done, and I hope I made a point to you and others who don't believe adoption is the better option.

 

[sdpiggylvr]

When you think about it logically, what doesn't make sense about adopting? Pet stores and breeders continue to produce more and more animals, even though we already have too many on this Earth already. Think of all the animals who were euthanized in shelters just today alone because no one came to adopt them - because a home was filled with a pet store or breeder animal, rather than a rescue or shelter animal.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, you will go into a rescue or shelter and see absolutely healthy, happy animals who were rescued out of horrid conditions, were simply left to die, or were surrendered. The best feeling is knowing you helped an animal who otherwise wouldn't have had a chance at life if not for you. Why would you want to avoid that feeling?

Do you know how pet stores treat their animals? Do you see the tiny cages, the horribly low-quality food? Do you know that many pet store animals are mis-sexed? This may not mean much to you right now, but if you wanted to get two guinea pigs, you might end up with a pregnant guinea pig later on when one turns out to be a male and the other a female. What will you do with five, six, eight babies?

Before you buy an animal at a pet store (which, quite obviously, is not recommended whatsoever), ask yourself these questions:
1. Do you have room and time and money to care for a potential litter?
2. Do you have the money to provide medical care for a guinea pig that is ill when purchased/symptoms show up later on?
3. Do you want to live with the guilt knowing that somewhere, an animal had to be euthanized because you bought one from a pet store?
4. Do you really want to support the cruelty, mistreatment, and neglect that is exhibited every day in pet stores?

Please just go to a shelter or a rescue. You'll be glad you did.

 

[sewlittle]

Research online is how I found out the difference. A neighbor went the "pet store" route, and it ended in disaster. Buying 2 of the same sex(supposedly) and finding out coming home from a walk weeks after that there were 4 new guinea pigs in the cage. She ended up keeping them all, but it was a financial strain.
So I wanted to know everything there was about guinea pigs before bringing any of them into our home.
Online is a wonderful source of information. I found the shelter I got ours at because it was close to where my inlaws live. We fell in love with bonded 3 from a picture on their site.
I think the more you know, the more you will understand what we are promoting.
I'm in favor of any animal being adopted, not just guinea pigs.
Its a very passionate subject here, we are not purposely trying to be mean or nasty.

 

[XElyssaX]

WOW! I never new this stuff about pet stores... =S I bought my two male piggies from a pet store and now I know it could have been a huge disaster. 'Luckly' they were accually both males though it probably would have been better if I had got one from a Shelter.

 

[Piggee Precious]

RESCUE. Support the rescue. Education regarding the care of these wonderful, gentle creatures is provided and care in selecting a home that will give that care and understanding to the little dependent creature is mandatory at the rescue here in Arizona. Have you seen the little containers offered and suggested as homes for these little ones at pet stores? Aquariums?

 

[Deb's4Pigs]

They are mass produced at pet stores and fed insuficient food. Usually no hay and no veggies or if they are only a carrot. Like that's enough. Tiny, tiny cages with way too many together in one cage or housed with rabbits. Not including the fact that both sexes are housed together and are usually sick.

 

[jenga122]

Sure, it is better to adopt or rescue. Same thing can be said for any animal or it could even go for kids too. Yes, I said kids. But, most people don't because they want to be able to be the one that makes that pick of which one you think is cutest, friendliest and so on. When you rescue, you may not always have that luxury.

I think if you don't want to rescue a pet, the best thing to do would be to look for someone (like on this site) that may have had an unwanted pregnancy and adopt one or two of their baby piggies. If not here, petfinders is also a place where you can find babies. Personally, I wanted to get a baby when I adopted and it takes a little patience.

My first 2 piggies were store bought. No they weren't mass produced, they were kept in a decent cage (not big but not tiny) with other piggies that were the same sex. The owner taught me how to sex them and show they were both females and they had plenty of hay, pellets and some vegetables. Not all pet stores are horrible but the chain ones are worse than all.

I also didn't go to a rescue when I got a dog. I went to a breeder who had registered dogs where I knew their family history, because that's what I wanted.

I do think the only reason you started this thread was to start controversy though. If you have been on this site for more than an hour you most certainly know that this site is 100% pro rescue and adoption and anti-pet store pets.

 

[gatsbygirl]

Just another little tid bit to add i was at petsmart yesterday and i was looking at the many guinea pigs they had and one cage had no food and the guinea pigs were eating bedding! It was the saddest thing i had ever seen i felt so bad and told the lady there who said someone would get them some. Still i had this urge to want to rescue them then all of the things everyone was saying came into mind and i held off. I went back 2 days later to check they had food but there was 3 in each small cage and they were cramed in it was sad i hate seeing it. Please ADOPT!

 

[brindyzoeycandy]

Well, yes, the pigs in the adoption center most likely came from the pet store. I don't really see your point here. When you buy from a pet store, you are supporting them and breeding mills and poor care. When you adopt from a rescue or shelter, you are supporting them and adoption and better care.

Generally speaking, good rescues/shelters will take great care of the pets and make sure they aren't sick or ill, but remember that they are non-profit and rely on donations from people.

Seriously, have you not taken notice to the "pro-adoption", "anti-petstore" that's written all over the site?

 

[Paula]

Ok guys think about it. Everyone says "shelter,shelter,shelter,adopt,adopt"
But Really where does the shelter pets come from? People who are not responisble enough to take care of them. And where did those people most likely get them? Thats right the Pet Store.

You've answered your own question right here. Shelters and rescues exist in very large part because of people who are not responsible enough to take care of them - many of which were allowed to buy said animal having met no qualification other than having the money in the bank to do so.

Potential health risks aside, how good or bad an individual store treats its animals aside, when you buy from a pet store you're a part of the overall problem and you're ensuring that suffering and cruelty will continue. When you adopt, whatever the animal's origins, you're taking an active stance against that suffering and cruelty by not buying from that store that will just replace the animal you purchased to sell to the next person.

 

[CavyMama]

When you buy from a petstore, you are funding the stores which then fund the breeding mills which backbreed more and more sows to produce more "inventory" for the petstores who then sell to the customer - buying allows that cycle to continue.

When you adopt, the money goes toward vet care and daily care of the pigs that are in the rescues and shelter.

Yes some guinea pigs at shelters did originate from petstores but adopting from a rescue is not putting the money back into the hands of the petstores. Shelters and rescues also have a vested interest in seeing that their pigs go to responsible people and not just anyone off the street who may or may not know thing one about proper care for a guinea pig.

 

[jayceestar27]

I also agree. Rescue is the way to go, even if it isn't from a shelter. Many people out there are trying to get rid of their unwanted guinea pigs for varies reason- not getting proper care, 'kids lost interest', allergic- True these people more than likely got them from a pet store but by getting a rescued pig- or any animal for that matter- you are saving a life and helping against breeding. It may not be much but it may still make a difference.

I admit I have bought some of my guinea pigs from a pet store. :weepy: I don't regret my babies but I do regret my actions... When I got them they had running lice for one. But now after actually opening my eyes and having other on this forum help me open them, I realize just how wrong I was. I'm not sure why people aren't getting it. It is the exact same situation for dogs and cats but more people are aware of them. Why not for smaller animals as well?

As many others, when I got my guinea pigs and everyone here said 'YOU GOT IT FROM A PET STORE?!?!' I was instantly in defense mode and was justifying to myself that I wasn't doing anything wrong. Actually I was just making the problem worse. Sure enough the pet stores replaced the guineas I bought and there are still guineas waiting for homes and running out of time. This makes me very sad and feel guilty. If for NO other reason, I could have used that forty dollars I spend on each pig to make better home for an adopted pig.

"Well either way someone is going to die." is often said to justify pet stores and sadly this is true. However, In the long run it is better to leave those at the store... If this mission of No More Homeless Pets succeeds than the shelters will be seizing the pets at the pet store and the breeders would be out of business. As of now though, Buying from a pet store is just feeding the flames that we are trying to extinguish...