Adopting Where did you buy your guinea pig?

[MrWhistles]

Not here pet store pigs are usually tiny babies you don't usually see adults because no one wants them and yes there are hundred, probably thousands of unwanted guinea pigs here in Aus but I live in a small town and there have been none offered for rehoming anywhere near me. Believe me if there was any chance of adopting I would have done that I actually tried to adopt some piggies from the closest shelter 5 hours away and have them bought up by courier but the shelter decided it only wanted to rehome locally or when people could come and pick them up themselves.

You couldn't have met halfway? I've never met a rescue that didn't work with a potential adopter to get one or a few of their animals adopted out.

 

[Zombie Queen]

I'm not trying to sound cruel or harsh but let me see if I got this correct? Because the toll bridge is 6 bucks and gas is almost 4... so let's say you fill the tank and that's what 70 dollars? That's way over shooting it. You spend 5 hours going to the rescue, you find your guinea you'll love forever, and take a 5 hour trip back. You have the piece of mind knowing you are not subjecting another poor creature to the fate of those at pet stores.

However your saying that the guinea pigs that you BUY (much like you would buy milk or nail polish) is maybe around 25-40 dollars. Add in the possibility of pregnancy die to mis sexing, vet bills from illness which is a very large possibility (scurvy from no vitamin C, bumblefoot, etc), I'm going to guess the bills can be anywhere from 100-400 dollars....maybe more? You also have the possibility of behavior issues from the lack of space. With you "saving" your pigs from the pet store... You are racking up maybe 450 bucks. Which sounds better to you?

Now I've made the mistake of buying my first guinea pigs from a pet store (well my husband did before we knew the risks and what I feel is moral issues associated with pet store purchases). I was lucky enough they were not sick though I did lose them a couple weeks ago from a dog attack. I have 5 pigs now and they took some time to find. 2 I adopted from a woman who's brother was not taking care of them, and 3 were what I feel rescued. There was an accidental litter and at least 7 in one small pet store cage. When I got Jasmine I was told she was a bully but when put into a cc cage with plenty of space she is no bulky....Just doesn't like to be touched.

I'll be honest. I live in NE Alabama. I would travel add far as Knoxville TN, Georgia and a couple other closer states to rescue or apt a piggy.

While I understand you made the mistake and got your pigs from the pet store but to defend your self and say you feel your saving them and would do it again, means you've learned nothing. Please rethink this.

 

[Zombie Queen]

I also just wanted to ask. Do you get your pigs from pretty stores because generally they are young or babies?

 

[veggiegirl]

I did try to organize either meeting halfway and then when they said that no one was coming up this way I offered to pay to have them bought overnight by courier. They agreed so I was really happy but then they just sort of brushed me off when I asked which payment option is there for me to pay for the transport and the piggies adoption fees. I was rather upset as I had fallen in love with a bonded pair of boars and they seemed so keen for me to take them but then it is like they had second thoughts about sending them by courier. They did not even have the courtesy to say 'hey we are a bit worried about sending them all that way is there any other options for you' or even if they just told me they would prefer to adopt them locally which would not involve transporting them I would have understood but they just decided it was easier to just not get back to my email. I just felt it was all very unprofessional not to even explain why they suddenly changed their mind when they were so keen for me to take them. Months later and the two I was trying to adopt are still up for adoption poor piggies......

This whole experience was rather disappointing as I can appreciate the valuable work that they do.

 

[Heather Gilley]

Miss Piggy was rescued from a friends home. She had nothing but a tiny cage with barely any wood shavings let alone the right type, nasty and caked in everything. AND A HERMIT CRAB SPONGE. No food bowl, no water bottle let alone a bowl, never had hay or veggies and had been completely terrorized by them in every unimaginable way possible from letting the dog chase her to putting her in a bath tube for no reason but TO SCARE HER. I'm shocked she's not deaf from the music they had playing or could breath because this was a Halloween dress-up thing and there was a fog machine going right beside her cage, which I turned off cause I couldn't breathe. That's when I saw the cage, asked what was in it. "Guinea Pig some girl left here a few weeks ago. Said she'd come back for it and never did. She better soon." "Guinea Pig?" They let me hold her and when I put her back up she started wailing, I've never heard that noise still from her ever or any pig, I've searched and searched for it too. It was like desperation to me. When I saw that cage, finally, and her reaction...I started crying.. Took her that night and begun reading up on everything piggy. (Also ended a longtime friendship.) Since I had to wait till day break, I stayed up all night with her to make sure she was okay and didn't knock over the water bowl or run out of grasses from outside. I built her a cage from cardboard covered in vinyl and shelving from Lowes the next day with fleeces and hay, all the space I could give, a 4 x 2 at the time.

I just hope and hope and hope I NEVER FIND ANOTHER PIG LIKE THIS.
The only thing I can say is the reaction from a Guinea Pig that is a adult and never seen hay or veggies or a big soft cage...
It's enough to make you enraged and tearful in one go.
But it bonded us too. I won't doubt that.
Miss Piggy trusts me unconditionally.
She likes to climb up me and sit on my shoulder or neck and lick me wherever she can face, arms, neck, clothes she doesn't care as long as she's licking me.
If something is happening that's scary she doesn't hide, she looks at me.
If were outside she's at ease with her monster hovering beside her for protection to run to and hide under.
And I'm so proud. <3

But I will never I believe get her to relax on the floor. She's been too traumatized there I believe to recover from. She always looks scared. Even after all this time.
She just wants me to pick her up if she's on the floor, following my feets around and getting on them if she can to stop me crawling up my leg all at once. :/ Skittles helps, but she will always be afraid of the floor and I understand that now, it makes her uncomfortable and she doesn't like it or what it reminds her of.
What if's.. sigh...


Skittles was a gift from a friend for Miss Piggy on her 'Birthday'. For we both now have companion to play with.
Who's already becoming just as wonderful as Miss Piggy. Minus any previous fears, boisterous little girl. :3
And will be a beautiful story instead sad with one home forever.

As said above me actually, I will be traveling to Knoxville TN when adopting any new piggies in the future. It's the closes Guinea Pig rescue to me even if it's eight hours away. It doesn't matter to me. The 'rescues' (pounds) in my area don't even take in small animals I think. When I called looking for a friend for Miss Piggy they laughed at me and said go drive two hours to Petsmart we're not a pet store no one brings those here. I'm not playing or exaggerating either. Horrible place.

 

[ChristyAnne]

@Heather Gilley, what a sad position to find a lil guinea piggy...I am so glad u rescued her and brought her home....that is one amazing story..

 

[Amanda Branch]

My first four were I got from someone who couldn't care for them anymore. The female was pregnant and had four babies which put me at 8 and my 9th my husband got off Craigslist from a woman who's child was allergic.

 

[claudinehere]

In our country, there are absolutely no guinea pig rescues and most people who get tired of their piggies do not even bother to re-home them. You can only get them from pet stores and breeders. But I got mine from someone who has had too many baby piggies and cannot take care of them anymore. I'm glad I did

 

[Heather Gilley]

I still think about if I hadn't came over there that night because I wasn't going to go in the first place, I had just dropped by off from work to say hi. I would have never found out they had her, it would have been too late. That haunts me how close she really did come to dying for no reason.

Grateful my boyfriend and his father doesn't think I'm insane for how I care for them.
Grateful that my boyfriend was completely happy and instantly on board with taking her the moment he saw the fog machine near the cage, he has asthma so was extremely mad when he found out a animal was beside it when we couldn't breathe. Though I'm the 'food monster' she's even bonded with him too, enjoys playing tug-of-war with him. :3 So I think she thanks us all around. I just couldn't believe she hadn't had hay. I had never had a Guinea Pig before her, and even on the way home with her I was thinking "Well I'm sure she needs hay I know she isn't a bunny but it would make complete sense..." So it angers me they couldn't even use common sense. Still angers me. Will always.

 

[ChristyAnne]

I still think about if I hadn't came over there that night because I wasn't going to go in the first place, I had just dropped by off from work to say hi. I would have never found out they had her, it would have been too late. That haunts me how close she really did come to dying for no reason.

Grateful my boyfriend and his father doesn't think I'm insane for how I care for them.
Grateful that my boyfriend was completely happy and instantly on board with taking her the moment he saw the fog machine near the cage, he has asthma so was extremely mad when he found out a animal was beside it when we couldn't breathe. Though I'm the 'food monster' she's even bonded with him too, enjoys playing tug-of-war with him. :3 So I think she thanks us all around. I just couldn't believe she hadn't had hay. I had never had a Guinea Pig before her, and even on the way home with her I was thinking "Well I'm sure she needs hay I know she isn't a bunny but it would make complete sense..." So it angers me they couldn't even use common sense. Still angers me. Will always.

I am sure she is grateful now that she is better taken care of....Guineas are just so much fun to have around, My oldest who is 4
just adores the boys we have she calls them her babies...even though i found out they are roughly around 5 possibly older....i got them from a cousin that didn't have time for them anymore...and i guess they got them from friends prior to that...but then again my younger cousin wasn't feeding them the proper stuff that they are getting now...very happy lil guys now

here is the boys,,

 

[lucyspiggies12]

I got my pigs from a rescue centre and I will soon be getting another from the same rescue

 

[Heather Gilley]

I am sure she is grateful now that she is better taken care of....Guineas are just so much fun to have around, My oldest who is 4
just adores the boys we have she calls them her babies...even though i found out they are roughly around 5 possibly older....i got them from a cousin that didn't have time for them anymore...and i guess they got them from friends prior to that...but then again my younger cousin wasn't feeding them the proper stuff that they are getting now...very happy lil guys now

View attachment 60252here is the boys,,

Their so cute!!! I love their fur pattern. :3 But that does seem to be a thing that I never had any clue of was the overabundance of unwanted piggies.
I suppose people just do not plan for their size and life span and attention needs but that's what I absolutely love about them! I actually get a friend I can bond with and love for years to come.

 

[ChristyAnne]

Their so cute!!! I love their fur pattern. :3 But that does seem to be a thing that I never had any clue of was the overabundance of unwanted piggies.
I suppose people just do not plan for their size and life span and attention needs but that's what I absolutely love about them! I actually get a friend I can bond with and love for years to come.

Thanks..and that is true there seems to be alot of unwanted piggies these days all over the world...I am glad though that i took these lil guys in because if i hadn't they would have been gone to a pet store or put to sleep....but now they have a forever home with lots of people to love them and talk to them.....

Do u know how long their life spans are? How long can they live for?

 

[GuineaPigParty]

Sadly I got two of my guinea pigs from a pet shop. I got the other two from a rescue.

 

[LiLiPiggies08]

My local rescue. I love them to bits! They are also quite tame because when the rescue found them my girl was pregnant, and she was fostered with a great family. I have a neutered male female pair for those who don't know

 

[Rywen]

I adopted Ferb from a co-worker's family that bought him at a chain pet store as a baby, and when he got big and school started back from summer break they decided he was "crying" too much and they didn't have time for him anymore. They were feeding him hay and pellets but the only veggies he was getting were iceberg lettuce and cucumber . Poor guy! Not surprisingly, it turns out he loves green leaf lettuce, green bell pepper, cherry tomatoes and cilantro more than anything. And he goes crazy for fruit as an occasional treat. They also kept him in a pet store cage with no floor time. He popcorns a lot now, happy piggie!

 

[ChristyAnne]

Guinea pig life spans seem to be all over the place. I've read 5-8 years in most places, but there are some pigs that will live to 9 or 10, possibly older. I think the record-holding oldest guinea pig was 14.

Ok i was just wondering cause my cousin i got them from thinks they maybe 5 now , just i guess i just should hope they should live at least for awhile then...I just hate the thought of possibly losing them after we just got them...but they look healthy to me...

 

[Artista]

In our country, there are absolutely no guinea pig rescues and most people who get tired of their piggies do not even bother to re-home them. You can only get them from pet stores and breeders. But I got mine from someone who has had too many baby piggies and cannot take care of them anymore. I'm glad I did

There are some countries that simply do not have rescues and that's all you have. So it's either never have a gp (ie, give him a good loving home) or get from the shop or breeder. In this case, I'm all for people to get a gp this way rather than let them sit in horrid conditions.

 

[Artista]

Guinea pig life spans seem to be all over the place. I've read 5-8 years in most places, but there are some pigs that will live to 9 or 10, possibly older. I think the record-holding oldest guinea pig was 14.

I think that's the case with all animals. Just like humans. Some are healthy living and all of the sudden kick off or get a disease like cancer. Some smoke and live unhealthy and live to 100. Genes plays a big roll. You can be born susceptible to something that just comes to fruition later on. Sometimes you can do everything "right" and it's just not meant to be.

 

[jayval]

Petco....Before I found this site...We bought him as a baby, and he did have respiratory illness the day I went to pick him up...They were great there though, Dr treated him, and then I was able to take him home.....He is almost 3 yrs old, and healthy.....