Movies I'm New and I'm getting a guinea pig very Soon

[hopebkst78]

What is your problem I just want a guinea pig ...ok that's it if I want to get it from a petstore I have the right to ...to each its own right ?

 

[CinnaAndNutmeg]

The petsmart near me offers to pay for the first vet appointment

Who says there will just be one? And potentially for a sick pig there is medication needed which needs paid for or maybe your pig will be pregnant.

 

[hopebkst78]

It's an all male store I understand the risk but there obviously at a petstore to get bought

 

[CinnaAndNutmeg]

I'm really sorry I feel like you're taking what I'm trying to say wrong...I just want you to know the facts before buying from a pet store, because I wish I would have known before buying from a pet store. That's it.

 

[hopebkst78]

I understand but I already did a lot of research And I know everything's people are telling me and it's just kind of annoying when people try to push there metho of doing things down my throat.

 

[Colorado Cavies]

Do you have a legal right to do as you wish? Yes, you do. But what you are suggesting is unethical and something that the people on this site are very strongly against. You have the right to make the ultimate decision but we also have the right to state our own opinions on what you are suggesting. I don't think you are a bad person. but I do think what you are suggesting is a bad choice.

 

[CinnaAndNutmeg]

Also, guinea pigs from a pet store often aren't well adjusted-that's my problem. I bought 2 guinea pigs from a pet store and it has taken me months to get one of them to trust me and the other still doesn't.

 

[hopebkst78]

Honestly I just want a pet

 

[pigmommy89]

It's an all male store I understand the risk but there obviously at a petstore to get bought

But if people stopped buying them the stores would stop ordering them and the mills would quit breeding and go out of business. By buying from a store you are encouraging the process to continue.

 

[LuvCavysLuvCats]

@hopebkst78 Do you know where Petco gets their guinea pigs? Breeding mills or backyard breeders. They are kept in horrid conditions and the females are bred over and over and over until they die or can't produce any more. Pregnancies for guinea pigs are very hard, painful and there is a 1 in 5 chance she will die. The breeders don't care as they don't care about their needs or anything about them at all, they are just trying to make money. You buy from a petstore, you support that.

EDIT: we aren't trying to attack you, we are just trying to make sure you have all the information.

 

[Colorado Cavies]

That's just it though! Having a pet isn't about what YOU want.. It's about what is best for the animal. You are taking responsibility for another creatures life. Sometimes that means doing things you don't like, would rather not do like doing extra work to pay for the vet or going without things for yourself so you can give them everything they need. It's a living creature, not a stuffed animal.

 

[hopebkst78]

But as I said in my original post I know all of this and I understand this is not a stuffed Animal I feel like this is what I want .

 

[CinnaAndNutmeg]

I guess what I just tried to post didn't post somehow...I'm sorry if you're misunderstanding what I'm trying to say but I just want you to know all the facts before you buy from a pet store, that's it. I got 2 girls from a pet store and my problem was that they weren't adjusted to people at all (but I've heard of other people with different issues, like medical). It took months for one of my girls to trust me, and I'm still working on the other. I just know it was, and is, really frustrating for me, when I could have adopted from a shelter and gotten friendly, adjusted pigs. You make your own choice, just consider opinions of people who have experienced the effects first, please.

 

[CinnaAndNutmeg]

Oh it did, that was weird. Sorry you have both now haha

 

[hopebkst78]

Thank you I understand where your coming from and I'm now looking into both options I sent out a couple emails to some shelters

 

[CinnaAndNutmeg]

Honestly I just want a pet

I get that. But you can get one from adopting too! I just don't want you to be disappointed when you have that pet. I want it to be a good experience for you!

 

[alanaafaye]

Just to throw in my story. I bought two pigs from Petco. I bought them after reading all these people urging others not to. I still did it because I wanted a guinea pig right then. I didn't want to wait. I didn't think it could really be that bad. One of the pigs I bought had an enlarged lymph node. I had to pay over $300 in vet visits and medication. I had to administer antibiotics twice a day for over a month. I was worried sick that it would progress and I'd have to pay for surgery, which my vet told me was very likely. Luckily for me, the antibiotics cleared up the lump. But it could have been MUCH worse. My vet bills could have been double what they were. And who knows? My pet store pigs may still be harboring some latent issues. I know a pet store is convenient, but I also know that someday you will feel bad that you supported breeding mills. I know I do. But untimately, it is your decision. Just please be prepared for vet bills, as it will very possibly be more than just that one free visit they offer you.

 

[bpatters]

I doubt that you know all about this. Before you buy one from a store, read www.petsmartcruelty.com and see how animals are housed before they arrive in pet stores. They're shipped to the stores in plastic tubs with so many animals that they're in layers, and the top ones can't even get their feet on the floor. Many of the females will already be pregnant, so you've got a four-week old pup already expecting more pups.

Huge herds of guinea pigs are allowed to mate indiscriminately, and the sows are kept continually pregnant until they're too old to breed any more. Then they're hit in the head with a hammer, thus the name "hammer heads." The pigs are terribly inbred, and since they're subject to genetic diseases anyway, these herds are even more likely to have inherited problems.

So if you "just want a pet," it is your legal right to get it wherever you want. Morally and ethically, however, it's not right.

 

[Princess_Piggie]

I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned this, so apologies if I'm just repeating anyone, I only skim read the last few posts.

There are lots of aspects to owning a guinea pig (even just one) that will inconvenience you at some point or later. A digestive problem that means you have to force feed, round the clock, 24 hours a day. Waking up every few hours to spend probably a long time trying to get a syringe in the right spot, and get your pig to eat. A hay poke in the eye just before you leave for work that means you have to call in sick and take it to the vet, and then again, spend a long time trying to get the eye drops in when you'd rather be watching TV.

Ending up with a male and female (because no pet store is male/females only. They cannot sex properly, and likely have a mix of both genders) and having a pregnant pig, birthing a few pups and having to spend money on properly sized housing and extra food for the little ones. Oh, and then finding a new home for them, if you decide not to keep them.

Being really sick and the only person in who can top up water and hay, chop vegetables, and spot clean droppings won't be much fun, but as a pet owner, it's your job to work through the headache/nausea/whatever and do what they need doing.

Again, if you're a solo owner, clipping nails on your own is no picnic. I clip both my girls solo, but it's a learning curve, and it's either that, or the financial inconvenience of paying for a vet tech to do it.

My point is, pet ownership isn't about what you want. Hell, I want like six dogs, but I couldn't take care of them all properly, so no dogs for me.

If you want a convenient pet, you need to think more along the lines of hamsters, gerbils and the like. They still require dedicated care, but most find they're easier to care for than cavies. Another suggestion Imight have made is fish, but having never owned fish, for all I know they're more complicated than guinea pigs!

 

[urika.sia]

2 is better. I had 1 girl who stays alone n noticed that shes always hiding n not eating....till i got her a companion. Now she's very happy n active. 1 of my boy behaved this way before too till we got him a companion