Adopting Guinea Pigs

[Vanessa89]

Now I am not suggesting that I will be getting this piggie or that I had any intention to. But when i went to my local pet store last week I saw a mature male guinea pig sat in cage with two small babies that were playing chase, it just seemed to be observing them.

It had a label on the cage which read something like 'I get very sad an lonely on my own and would like a home with other piggies'

and it got me wondering what kind of procedure would take place if you wanted to adopt and put a guinea pig like this with your other pigs. Piggies seem so gentle natured I cant imagine them being natsy to one another although I imagine this does happen.

So anyway I wondered what people would do if they brought a new pig home?
can you do it?
Are other piggies accepting or generally dismissive?
would they fight if there is no females and they were all male?
Can you introduce Guinea pigs at any age or do they have to generally be young?

thanks for any feeback

 

[Mother Hubbard]

Hi,

I've adopted pigs, captain jack was in a similar position. It was a rash decision because I absolutely could not leave him there. Adopting is straight from these establishments, fill in some paperwork, give a donation and your off. Personally I now stay clear because..well the reasons are numerous.

In terms of introducing, well, you should only do this if our willing to risk your current piggie(s) not getting on and having a stand by cage/home.

You need a neutral ground, space, food and diversion items...and a lot of patience. In some cases it works really quickly, I've been lucky on both occasions now.

 

[Wiebke]

Pet shops (especially chain pet shops) generally don't bother asking many questions at all or making sure that the piggy in question is healthy. Boars buyers are usually told that the piggy they are interested in cannot be bonded and needs to live alone for the rest of his life (not true).
Adopting from a pet shop is very much on the buyers beware side of things.

If you get a piggy from anywhere but a good rescue that has done the work for you, you will need to provide a 2-3 weeks quarantine, a vet MOT with a preferably piggy savvy vet and alternative housing/living accommodation if any prospective bonding doesn't work out. It can be - and sadly has been in some cases - a very steep and expensive learning curve for some members. Good of you that you are thinking things through before you are acting in impulse!

As opposed to that, any of our recommended rescues will ensure that all incoming piggies go through proper quarantine and any sows through a full pregnancy watch if there is the least doubt that they have been with any boars over 3 weeks old; any piggies in need get the appropriate vet care and won't be put up for rehoming until they are given a clean bill of health - that doesn't come cheap, but it is usually not reflected in the adoption fee.
Good rescues care very much that their piggies are housed adquately and safely in their new homes; adopters need to pass a homecheck for that reason to make sure that what they have said is true (sadly some people lie through their teeth).
Virtually all of our recommeded rescues also offer to date/bond single piggies of any age with a suitable character compatible piggy of theirs at the rescue under expert supervision, so you do not have to worry about ending up with fights or two piggies who won't go along. They will also always support you during the whole life of their piggy if you run into problems later on and will help you to find a solution that works for you and your piggies. any rescue worth their salt will never rehome a piggy into a single situation.
It takes more effort to rehome from a good rescue, but it is much, much safer and you get a lot more service for it! You will also make space for yet another piggy in dire need of expert care - you do not just help one piggy, but next one down the line as well!

Generally, you need to be aware that guinea pigs are far too cheaply available, considering what they can cost you in vet cost.