Breeding guinea pig could be pregnant

[avengedsoph]

so i went to a pet store, pets for homes i think its called and i seen a guinea pig on her own, they told me she could be pregnant and they would give me her for half price. do i take her? i can afford her, the vet bills and the new piggies. i cant just leave her can i?

what do you think? thanks

 

[CavyMama]

Yes, you can leave her. Buying her, even for half price still puts money into the hands of the store and thus, into the hands of the breeding mills.

 

[bpatters]

Google for guinea pig rescues and shelters in your area. There are plenty in the UK.

 

[avengedsoph]

shes in the adoption part of the shop sorry i forgot to say...thats another reason why she is cheap. how can you say i can leave her? what about the babies? they might go to bad homes

 

[avengedsoph]

there may be plenty in the UK but the nearest one is over an hour away

 

[CavyMama]

Is the adoption part of the shop supplied by pigs from a shelter? Does the money go back to a shelter or rescue. If not, it doesn't matter what they call the area, the money is still going to the store to fund the breeding mills.

What if all the pigs there were pregnant? Would you buy them all? Yeah, they might go to bad homes, but so might all the pigs at the store because pet stores don't bother to screen the people they sell to.

The rescue I've gotten my pigs from is over 2 hours away so an hour away isn't saying much.

 

[avengedsoph]

yes i would. at least i no they would go to a good home. the adoption part are taken in from shelter i think, or are animals that are given to them as people cant look after them. i think the money may go to the shop or to shelters. im not sure.

 

[CavyMama]

You would buy all the pregnant pigs, knowing that:

1 - you would eventually be overrun with more pigs and pups than you knew what to do with?

2 - buying them would open up space for the store to order more pigs to be manufactured by the breeding mills. Would you buy all those pigs too?

If the money from the "adoption area" does indeed go back to the shelter, then that's a different story but definitely something to make sure about. But if the nearest shelter is an hour away, it's not likely that those pigs came from a shelter.

 

[avengedsoph]

i would buy them all, as i no i would look after them and make sure they wouldnt get pregnant therefore no more babies in pet shops. also i may not be over run i ma find good homes for them. if i could i would buy all piggies.

 

[CavyMama]

Then you would be buying piggies forever because the money you would pay every time you bought one, would go toward creating more pigs for you to buy. Be part of the solution, not the problem. Put your money toward a more helpful cause and adopt a pig in need of a home.

 

[avengedsoph]

how can i go get a piggie when the nearest shelter is over an hour away? what about the earth!! fuel costs money too!

 

[CavyMama]

Simple, don't get one. There is nothing stating that you HAVE TO own one.

Also, as I mentioned, I've adopted from a rescue over 2 hours away. Other members have adopted from even farther than that. If you want it bad enough, you make the effort.

 

[avengedsoph]

you guys are sending so many messages on this website its unreal.

 

[suzilovespiggie]

You need to find out if the money goes to the shelter or the store. If all of the money goes to the shelter or rescure than she is safe to adopt. If the money goes to pet store than you must leave her.

That is why so many of us dont even go into petshops or petstores. It is to painful to see the piggies there. Sure we want those pigs to be safe too. but the abuse behind those piggies is why we dont buy from there. We are working toward no live animals from pet mills to be sold to petstores. It takes one no sale at a time. Yes it is heartbreaking but we must work toward the ultimalte goal. Dont buy when shelter animals die.

 

[CavyMama]

I'm sorry if you were waiting for me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You'd be waiting a long time. If you are looking for people to support your desire to buy the pregnant pig because it's more convenient to you than adopting from a shelter, you won't find that here.

 

[avengedsoph]

but isnt that harsh? so some other person can get her and breed her over and over?

 

[CavyMama]

That's the store's fault for not screening the people who take their pigs.

And actually the breeding her over and over is exactly what breeding mills do when you buy a pig.

 

[skritters]

@avengedsoph: How about, as a first step, ringing the pet shop and asking about the adoption centre, and where the money goes to? It may be that there is nothing to worry about. ptimist:

I think you'll find that most people on here could empathize with the tug on the heart strings that occurs when seeing a pig in a shop, wanting to make sure they find a good home. I've had to make a rule that I don't go into pet stores to look at pets because it makes me sad :guilty:

Is Craigslist an option for you? Neither of my pigs came from the city I live in, and as I don't own a car I used public transit in both cases (one of my pigs came back with me over a ferry on a 5 hours journey!) Often with Craigslist, if they are people who really care where their pet is going to, they will meet you part way. I've heard that some rescues will make this effort-- you could always call the nearest one and inquire as to whether that's an option.

It looks like you have piggies already (from your avatar) -- were you generally wanting one, or did this particular one just tug your heartstrings?

Another thought-- with everything you've said, it sounds like you might enjoy running/working for a rescue. Have you ever considered that?

Good luck!

 

[avengedsoph]

skritters: thanks for you comment, craiglist isnt for me i dont think its in the UK is it?
and yes i already have piggies i seen her and yeah she did pull my heartstrings
haha yeah i may try to find one close to me were i can work but that might not happen
thanks again!

 

[kirsty91]

(broken link removed): I get where you are coming from. I did buy from a pet store but I wasn't aware of shelters at the time. I do agree with you on the driving, I wouldn't be able to drive an hour to get a gp either. If I was in that situation I have to say I might buy from the pet shop because regardless someone else will probably buy it and may not give it a proper home. Since I do live close the shelters and have access to craigslist I personally will be adopting in the future but it is a bit unrealistic for some people to drive an hour to find a guinea pig. But an idea for the shelter if you decide it is something you want to do, you can call ahead and make sure they have some for you to choose from and can find a good match. Maybe they can send pics for you.