Australia Where can i get guinea pigs besides pet shops? (Melbourne)

[Pigamajig]

Hi all,

I was planning to get myself some piggies because, well, they're ridiculously cute... And i used to have them back when i was a kid and i kinda miss having them around... Err, anyways, I stumbled onto this site when i was researching on ways to make sure my new pigs have the best home possible, so i think im pretty much set for looking after them. (btw, this site is GREAT for tips, esp' the forum)

Then somewhere along the track i read that a lot of people have major problems with pet shops, mainly with the conditions. It looks like this is the same with a couple of the breeders i've been reading about, and i think that i'd rather not support people who are so dodgey.

So, i thought i'd give a post on the forum and ask the experts; where do you guys find your guinea pigs? I was hoping for some good breeders in the Eastern side of Melbourne, if not around the CBD would be good, or just anywhere you guys think do a good job of selling well looked after guinea pigs.

I have thought abt adopting them from the RSPCA but they're $33 each, and i was kinda aiming for something along the lines of <$20. I've found nothing in the yellow pages besides pet shops so i was just hoping that someone could suggest some places or how i could find some.

Any tips would be great guys, thnx!

 

[i love piggies]

I live near Albury and ther are no rescues near me. You are so lucky to live in Melbourne if you look on Google or something I am sure you will find somehting somewhere. I got my first three gp's from a store. The rest I rescue from people who can no longer look after them.

Maybe you could find someone local who is looking to find thier gp a new home?

 

[enchantingcavy]

$33 eek! RSPCA here in qld charges $5 ( i think a little to low ) and in nsw apparently their $10 at most shelters...you'd think the rspca would charge the same prices all over instead of prices that are so different...

I have some stunning rescue piggies here in qld atm and I do fly pigs interstate to approved homes although basic fee is usually around $32-$40 plus $3.75 per kilo to melbourne so to fly them it'd be around $50 I'd say.

As " I love piggies " suggested maybe if you couldn't fly any in from a rescue then maybe there's someone local that is just unable to keep their piggies any longer and is looking for good homes for them??? Maybe in the local paper there is an ad?

OMG I just had an idea! Depends if you're interested or not but I've actually got two very beautiful sows that are literally " stuck " in melbourne at the moment. I sold these girls to someone down there in melbourne and the lady had to move them on ( they wern't being kept well at all and I was over the moon when she had actually decided to move them on )...so anyhow I have a agreement where I receive first offer if any of my ex adoptables are ever needing to be sold on so she contacted me and I was able to get my friend in melb to mind them. For the last 4-5 months I've been going through hell to try to get these two girls back up here in QLD due to transport problems for them. They are currently being spoilt rotten at their " foster " home but will be available for adoption once they return to QLD. If you are interested I'm happy to send you photos of these two pretty girls...they are currently still in melbourne looking for a loving new home...

*~jess~*

 

[Pigamajig]

Thanks for your help guys!

I also did a little more snooping around the net before and found a kind of online trading post/classifieds for pets and i think it's a pretty good way to get one's hands on some relatively well-priced guinea pigs. Im not too sure about how well these piggies were being looked after in the first place though, so i guess the only way to find out is to actually contact these people and find out in person.

It's also a pretty good place to rescue a couple, because there are quite a few "free to a good home" ads on the site. Oh, and the link is below and there're ads for all over Australia

https://www.petlink.com.au/Classifieds/Small-Animals/Guinea-Pig/

And thanks for the generous offers enchantingcavy, but i think $50 might be a little steep for me. Oh, and i was actually looking for some younger pigs too, so that i could do the whole "raise my own" thing... Am i being too picky? I'm sorry, i think it's just me being annoying... But if you were a little closer and the pigs were a little younger then i'd jump to the chance because i'd know they came from somewhere good!

Anyways, i'm gonna go back to hunting for my guineas. I might put an update on the forum (plus pics!) once i get them, as well as any places i looked so that all the other isolated Melbournians can find their own pigs too.

 

[enchantingcavy]

Ahh yeah I know petlink to hehe...You'll probably see one of my own posts on there . Alot of breeders do post on there though and regularly and alot of people that breed constantly then offload the bubs on their for free...I could probably write a list of the regular piggy sellers on petlink and ozpets. There are though some genuine sellers I guess it's just going through them...

Just remember though the initial cost of the pigs is nothing compared to the costs of keeping them. Mite treatment, cage cost, weekly bedding cost unless theyre outside pigs? , worming, weekly grain/hay/vegies costs and if the pig falls ill then vet bill costs to i guess...

Good luck finding the right piggy for you...youll know when you see them
*~jess~*

 

[Pigamajig]

Ahaha! Thanks Jess, for the reminder about the costs... :weepy:

I kind of figured it'd cost a bundle to look after the little buggers so i'm just trying to keep the costs as low as possible... if that is possible at least, i mean come on, who could help but spoil those cute little faces!

Anyways, once again i thank you all! No rest for the wicked tho, back to the hunt!