The Guinea Pig Forum Rules - Please read before posting.

[starshine]

Forum Rules

Welcome to The Guinea Pig Forum.

We would like to keep this a friendly guinea pig forum where you can discuss problems, share experiences of keeping guinea pigs and posting photographs.

Everyone is very welcome to use this forum however we are a rescue friendly board so please could you keep discussions about intentional breeding and/or showing to other forums. Any threads/posts which are found to contain information on intentional breeding/showing may be removed.

General Posting

Please treat all members with respect and politeness. If you have different views to another member of the forum, please remain civil and not be abusive in any way.

When giving out advice, please ensure that the information/advice you are giving is correct. If you are unsure, it is best to say so instead of giving incorrect information which could cause harm to a guinea pig. None of the forum members are professional vets and would ask that if you seek urgent medical advice so contact your vet.

The Guinea Pig Forum is moderated. If the forum admin or moderators feel as though any of the posts are inappropriate, we reserve the right to edit and delete posts without notice. If inappropriate posts are still being posted, you could either be suspended from the forum or even banned.

You are given the option to edit your posts for a short period after threads are posted. This is only for if you see mistakes/wrong web links e.t.c. Please do not edit large content of posts which replies have been made to as this can make it difficult for members to follow/understand the thread. If you need to edit a post after the allowed time period please contact a member of forum staff.

Please do not double post. If you are posting about the same thing, please keep it to one post instead of starting a new one. This enables members to read through everything which has been posted, instead of missing any vital information. Also when posting, make sure that you are posting the message in the best topic it fits in. Any posts which we feel to be in the wrong board will be moved.

Use correct English when posting on this forum. It is hard for some members to understand "text chat" so for example instead of writing ".*." please type "you".

Block capitals should only be used when writing a positive messages for example "CONGRATULATIONS". Please do not block caps for all of your post as it indicates to people that you are shouting.

Posting New Topics

Please can you make sure that you include an appropriate subject for your new topic. This helps members when looking for specific posts instead of having to work there way through thousands of posts. The forum staff (admin/global moderators) can edit any subject which is felt not to be relating to the topic posted.

Please do not make multiple threads about the same topic. In the case of a health question being asked, it will be harder for members to look through separate topics of all details concerning the guinea pig. This could also lead to somebody answering a question to a situation/question which has already been dealt with.

All new topics should be posted in the correct board for example a health question should be posted in the Health and Illness Board and posting about your pet rabbit should be posted in Other Pets. If you are unsure whether you have posted a message in the correct board, please PM the admin/global moderators and we will be able to decide and move if it is infact in the wrong board.

Advertising

You can advertise personal websites on the "Members Websites" board. You can only access this board once you have made at least 250 posts. This is to stop adverts being posted all over the forum and a treat for loyal members. Please do not post advertising links to other websites on any other board or via PM and Email. We do not permit links advertising other forums on our site.

Report a Problem Post

If you are concerned about a posting you should contact a member of the admin team immediately and privately with the concern, and we will make a decision as to what action needs to be taken.

If you read a post which you think is inappropriate or breaks the rules you'll find an icon (Report a Post) on the bottom left of each post. Clicking this will let you send the admin team a report. You can also PM us with any problems.

Please DO NOT try to tell another member off. If you spot someone breaking the rules, report the post and then ignore it. Don't get involved in the argument.

Please use the same button to report spam. It is only necessary to report one post by a spammer as the removal process with deal with all spam posts made from the spammers ID.

Private Messages

You can only send PM messages once you have made 50 posts. This is to stop people from using the board to spam members. However if you have less than 50 posts you are only able to send a PM to the admin and global moderators.

When sending a PM, you can only send the message to one user at a time. This is also to stop spamming occurring.

Legal

Members are held responsible for their own postings and any repercussions that occur if you should damage an individual, organisation, business, service or supplier of goods. The owners of The Guinea Pig Forum nor any of its associates will be in any way held liable for the content of any postings.

Members are responsible for any decisions that they make based upon advice given within forum postings, and cannot proportion blame to the instigator of the posting if that advice does not prove to be correct or ideal. Advice from the forum does not replace that of a vets or expert, and you should always consult a vet before following any advice you receive.


The Forum Rules may be amended at any time - please ensure that you regularly check back for updates.

Last Update: 18th August 2009