Guinea pigs are candy, docile pets who make nice companions. You might need heard that you simply shouldn’t undertake them from pet shops–however the place are one of the best locations to get guinea pigs?
The primary place to look is your native guinea pig rescue, when you have one. You can too examine your native shelter or undertake from guinea pig house owners in your space who have to rehome their pets. Lastly, you’ll be able to attempt to discover a respected guinea pig breeder, although they’re uncommon–and yard breeders are, sadly, plentiful!
On this article, we’ll focus on 4 locations to undertake guinea pigs and in addition the place to keep away from buying from.
1. Native Guinea Pig Rescues
Native guinea pig rescues are one of the best place for brand new piggy guardians to undertake. They will present assist and sources to verify your guinea pigs get one of the best care potential.
Since their focus is simply on guinea pigs (and generally different rodents), they have an inclination to know extra about guinea pig care than shelters that tackle each sort of pet.
Guinea pig-specific rescues are additionally nice when you have a single guinea pig who wants a good friend. Many will mean you can deliver your guinea pig in to satisfy others till you discover the suitable match, whereas others will mean you can foster a guinea pig and introduce them at dwelling earlier than committing. This tremendously reduces the prospect that you find yourself with two single piggies as an alternative of two bonded ones!
Some guinea pig rescues supply well being checks and grooming companies as properly and are a worthwhile neighborhood useful resource.
2. Native Animal Shelters
Your native animal shelter can be a terrific place to undertake from, though their care and information about guinea pigs may be hit and miss. Many shelters are overcrowded and underfunded, and their employees may not know the way to look after unique pets correctly.
Double-check any care recommendation you obtain, however don’t keep away from native shelters if they’ve piggies up for adoption. Adopting from them is saving a life!
3. Rehoming From Different Piggy Homeowners
There are a number of websites the place you could find guinea pigs that must be rehomed, equivalent to Pet Finder and Guinea Pig Finder. You would possibly even know somebody who doesn’t need their guinea pigs anymore and can provide them to you as an alternative.
That is how I discovered three of my guinea pigs. Their earlier proprietor purchased them for her younger daughter, who misplaced curiosity in caring for them.
Do your greatest to keep away from yard breeders on-line. Whereas an adoption payment isn’t a purple flag, a really excessive value could be. Folks with a number of litters of child guinea pigs could be seeking to make a fast buck as properly, although there are unlucky conditions the place breeding will get out of hand rapidly.
You’ll additionally need to be sure that you keep protected when adopting from a stranger. Meet in a public location with folks round, and convey somebody with you in the event you can.
4. Respected Breeders
Lastly, discovering a good guinea pig breeder is a real problem. In the event you do discover one, you’re going to get more healthy piggies who’re likelier to stay lengthy lives.
Nonetheless, it’s very simple to mistake a yard breeder for a good one with out ample analysis. For that reason, I don’t suggest shopping for from breeders in the event you will help it.
Listed here are some inexperienced flags that you simply’re coping with a good breeder:
- They’ve a ready checklist. Respected breeders don’t breed usually they usually discover properties for the infants earlier than they’re born. Having the ability to deliver dwelling a guinea pig the identical day you inquire about them is a purple flag.
- They’re educated and keen to reply questions. Breeding guinea pigs with out the suitable information may be harmful to the mom and infants and sometimes results in genetic well being points being handed down. It’s additionally very important {that a} breeder offers high quality care to your guinea pig throughout their first weeks of life and that they provide excellent care recommendation to these adopting from them.
- DNA testing to stop genetic diseases from being handed down. Some issues your breeder ought to display for embrace the satin trait, roan gene, and Dalmatian gene. These may cause Satin Syndrome or lethal whites if the guinea pigs aren’t bred correctly.
- They’ll take child guinea pigs again it doesn’t matter what. Your contract ought to state that, ought to you could rehome your guinea pig, they need to return to the breeder. Respected breeders don’t contribute to overpopulation in shelters and rescues.
- They supply well being data and a referral to their veterinarian. Respected breeders haven’t any downside proving that their guinea pigs see the vet usually, and can mean you can contact their vet to make sure the piggies they breed are wholesome.
- You may go to them in a house setting. Respected breeders will breed from their properties and haven’t any downside letting you see the place their guinea pigs stay. Cages needs to be the right dimension and all the guinea pigs’ wants needs to be offered for, together with cleanliness!
Why You Ought to Keep away from Shopping for From Pet Retailers
It’s by no means okay to purchase a guinea pig from a pet retailer. Whereas many people–together with me!–have made this error, it’s vital to do higher as soon as you already know higher.
Beneath are some causes to keep away from pet shops in the event you’ve by no means heard of this earlier than!
Breeding Mills and Yard Breeders
Massive chain pet shops get their guinea pigs from breeding mills. Like pet mills, they churn out as many animals as potential for revenue whereas ignoring genetics and well being. The animals are sometimes stored in overcrowded environments and the guinea pigs being bred, specifically, by no means get to stay regular, comfortable lives.
Even smaller pet shops don’t get their guinea pigs from respected breeders. We all know this as a result of no respected breeder will promote their guinea pigs to a pet retailer, even an honest one! They need to meet potential house owners themselves to make sure their animals go to one of the best properties potential.
Respected breeders additionally don’t breed usually sufficient to inventory pet shops with guinea pigs. They area out their litters to supply optimum care and to make sure the well being of the moms.
Poor Care, Harmful Gadgets, and Unhealthy Recommendation
Pet shops usually don’t present correct care to the guinea pigs of their shops both, housing them with out hay, with out hides, or in small glass tanks with out correct air flow. Many pet retailer guinea pigs are sick once you undertake them and people who aren’t could develop genetic situations down the road resulting from poor breeding.
The cycle continues when folks undertake guinea pigs from pet shops, as they’re usually given poor recommendation and an terrible number of objects to select from.
As an illustration, the one correct guinea pig cage you would possibly discover in pet shops is a Midwest–and even that solely meets the naked minimal necessities for 2 guinea pigs! Additionally they promote meals, treats, and toys which are unsuitable and even harmful.
Exceptions
Some folks need to consider there are exceptions to not adopting from pet retailers. It’s comprehensible to need to select the straightforward possibility, particularly if there aren’t rescues close to you.
Nonetheless, it’s higher to not undertake guinea pigs, to attend till you discover them up for adoption close by, or to drive a number of hours to select them up, than it’s to present cash to breeding mills that abuse the animals of their care.
It’s additionally comprehensible to need to rescue guinea pigs from terrible pet retailer situations. Nonetheless, it’s vital to keep in mind that so long as persons are shopping for their animals, pet shops will proceed to switch them and the cycle will proceed.
There are additionally guinea pigs behind the scenes being overbred and sometimes uncared for, who will stay out their lives at these breeding mills. The one method to stop that is to close them down.
In case you have a bleeding coronary heart, it could be greatest to keep away from pet shops that promote stay animals in the event you can. I not store at these shops except I completely can’t discover what I want elsewhere, and it’s taken away that temptation to undertake the poor piggies on the retailer.
You can too name your native lawmakers and ask them to vote for or introduce laws that bans the sale of stay animals, like guinea pigs, in pet shops. There are already a number of areas that ban the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits.
I hope this text has helped you to determine the place you’ll undertake your subsequent guinea pigs from. Keep in mind to begin with native guinea pig rescues if potential, and to keep away from pet shops. In the event you’d prefer to be taught extra about their care earlier than making a call, take a look at our guinea pig care information.
Right here’s to an extended, comfortable life for you and your future piggies!
