Ahh! Homecheck

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spice and honeys mummy

spice and honeys mummy

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Hi,

So my mum said I could get a friend for honey.

So i contacted a few members on here etc. and they said i would have to have a homecheck which I'm fine with except ive just discussed it with my parents and they think we would fail.

As, we live in the centre of town, therefore we have a small garden which is all paved therefore no grass for piggies.

And also we have 2 labradors.

So now they're suggesting I just go down to P@H which is a 5 mins walk away :S

what are the usaul requirements?

thanks!

Katie

xx
 
Basically when you have a home check done, they are looking at where the piggy is going to live and the size of the cage / hutch etc. When I rescued my piggy, i was asked to show my hutch and run, I think that the rescue just wants to be sure that the pig (s) are going to be well cared for, looked after properly and live in a suitable cage / hutch. There are plenty of rescues on here so I'm sure one of them will be able to give you much more advise. Good luck xx
 
Everyone has different requirements. Some of the major rescue centres (like Wood Green) are very strict and will not rehome to you without a 6x4ft run for the garden. I bought a run off them and have only used it twice since I adopted from them nearly two years ago. rolleyes

Most individual rescues/rescuers tend to be a bit more laid back! The main thing they are looking at is usually the size and safety of the cage, and just generally making sure you are prepared to bring piggies into your home. I am sure many rescuers on the forum rehome to people who don't put the pigs out on grass - it is not an essential thing, and not having any grass is not worth preventing the adoption of a pig into an otherwise good and loving home!
 
plz m begging you dontgo to p@h plz i got 2 from there 1 was preg she gave birth last nighht 1 died soon after birth and the 2nd 1 is veryweak you dont want to go throught th same thing trust me it heart breaking.......they shouldt diss allow * just becasue you in middle of town and have a small garden you ca always grow grass in a plant pot aswell...so plz do reascue
 
Oh, I forgot to mention that i only have a small paved yard too. I do have a patch of grass on the front of the house where I can pick them some fresh grass, but I wouldn't feel safe leaving them on there unsupervised. They do have a run in the back yard x
 
Homechecks are there for a reason, to make sure you are suitable and who you say you are.

Katie I would contact the rescues and ask them about the requirements. :)
 
Ahhh ok.

Thanks :)

I mean, I have a 4ft x 2ft hutch, Hopefully getting a new one soon...... :>

And i have a set of Cubes for C&C ,

and they will be going in the shed from late September.

I think i'd rather try and fail than not try at all.

thanks everyone!
 
pigpig... home checks are there to prevent piggies going into bad or even worse situations that they origanlly came from, they are also usefull for preventing breeders from obtaining free or cheap stock, as the others have said katie get intouch with the rescue and find out their requirments before you go and buy a piggie, i have rspca foster pigs at the moment and i too only have a concrete back garden, i also have 3 dogs and thats not a pronblem either so dont panic, you may be surprised :)
 
a new piggy

I am getting a new piggy this friday for my Abby. I am in the US and brought pics of my cage to them and brought Abby to 'visit' and see which one she liked best. We have to go and visit one more time before I can bring Molly home....but it is so worth it. They just want to make sure you dont get in over your head and have to rehome one or both of them. They are the CPS (child protective services)of guinea pigs I suppose in a way. Hope all goes well!
 
everyone has basically said what happens, it is just basicaly to see where the guinea will be living and if you already have one they may ask to see her just to make sure shes in tip top condition, and just ask about you r routine with the pigs, you know what food do they get how often are they clean etc.

Regaurds your backgarden, what you could do is buy some low level plant pots, or even seed trays and grown some grass and then put it in the run when they are out on your paved area, Ive done this even though Ive got grass and the pigs love sitting in the pots munching the grass, and you can say that been on paveing isnt always bad thing as it can help keep their nails "blunt" and not get too sharpe.

Good luck in it all , I'm sure youve nothing to worry about!
 
When I homecheck people, I look for all the things mentioned above, plus, in your case I would want to check that the piggies would be secure from your labradors. Lack of lawn would not put me off accepting you as an adoptee. I would also look at your shed for their winter accomodation. This being said, it is all very informal and chatty, so please don't be put off. Hope it all works out well for you. x
 
To be honest, I was happy to show my hutch and run as it is a relief to know that the rescue has the piggies best interests at heart and that they don't just give the pigs away to just anyone x
 
I agree with the home checks We have a big garden, but our gps never go outside, with cats and dogs about all the time, it just doesn't go, so I set up large runs in our spare bedroom and they are v happy with that.
 
saralou said:
plz m begging you dontgo to p@h plz i got 2 from there 1 was preg she gave birth last nighht 1 died soon after birth and the 2nd 1 is veryweak you dont want to go throught th same thing trust me it heart breaking.......they shouldt diss allow * just becasue you in middle of town and have a small garden you ca always grow grass in a plant pot aswell...so plz do reascue
Click to expand...

P@H are generally very good to their animals. I think there was a thread about it not long ago, maybe you should read it. It's not fair to generalise against a whole pet shop chain (who have many supporters, including myself) because you had a bad experience, even though it wasn't something anyone or any animal should have to go through.


pigpig479 said:
i hate home checks! we didn't have one! i am not sure what to do! hope you get your piggies!:))good bye:)p
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How can you hate home checks if you've never had one? =\ and why would you hate going through a very short check, which would prove how well you keep your guinea pigs, in order to have the chance to give a home to another one?
Sorry to be nit-picky, but something about that sounds like you have some very odd values.
 
we have had them with dogs! allthough none of the home check people didn't liked the gardens and places to walk, sorry, what does odd values meen? sorry i am rubbish with words! anway good bye!
 
One cannot help to be nervous before a home check (at least, I can't, even though I have rehomed from three different rescues now); but as the people only want to see the set up for the guinea pigs and, if possible, how you are handling exisiting pets, you won't have anything to fear, if you love your Honey...

After all, why put rescued piggies back into a dump after all the effort?

It might be useful to ask the rescue what they require before they come for a home check; so there will be no disappointments, especiallly if you haven't got a lawn. Some rescues are picky about it (which is silly in my opinion, but you can always look elsewhere).
 
pigpig479 said:
allthough none of the home check people didn't liked the gardens and places to walk
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if the homecheck people aren't happy with your home, then it's you that has the problem, not them. they're looking for a suitable home for their animals, and if you don't meet their standards, you need to either do something about your house or get a pet more suitable for where you are.

Vickyt said:
why put rescued piggies back into a dump after all the effort?
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iawtc, so much.
 
I was homechecked for Harvey but after we got him. I took photos of the garden and how secure it was and the hutch he was to live in and the RSPCA were happy with this.

The guy came out and was impressed, he loved Tika! He told me he had a pony! :)) I hadn't bonded the bunnies at this stage because I wanted Harvey to get used to his surroundings and to us so I bonded him and Tika 6 weeks later.

I loved the homecheck, it was nice to talk to another animal lover. Don't forget these homechecks are done so the animal isn't returned to rescue. The RSPCA and the like have waiting lists like you wouldn't believe I think Wallasey RSPCA have a waiting list of 70 rabbits to come into rescue so as Harvey left his place was taken by another bunny. If I returned him then there would be no place for him.

Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture.
 
I replied to this last night.. wrote a lovely long post and my net crashed! lol

Well, i have been homechecked a couple of times. I was soo nervous and it was fine! had an informal chat, and looked at the hutch, run etc.

The worst part was the first time when stevie and comanche came, and Layla had brought them with her. Knowing they were there and if i didnt pass they would go back with her was absolutely horrible! So glad they are with me.. even if they did cause me trouble at first (falling out) lmao x

The second pplace told me if Layla passed me they had no problems..apparantly she is strict :) i wasnt even checked, but she came out to see how they settled in.

I have a yard and was told that was fine. (its good for claws anyway :(|) )

I have indoor and outdoor hutches and was told each time i have a great set-up and i think its always lovely to hear!

For a dog though we were told we wouldnt pass, they wouldnt even come out! I think each case should be looked at, and they shouldnt have such strict rules. As it happens, my kids may be 7 and 10 but they are very respectful to animals, my friend has 4 kids, the oldest being 15 and i wouldnt trust them at ALL! so it shouldnt just be about age etc anyway. My garden may be small but it backs onto a MASSIVE field, i live close to forrests, fields and the beach. A neighbour was turned down for a rescue dog because they didnt have a spare room or big enough garden! What would they prefer.. a nice happy loving home or a garden? which why would you have the dog in garden? it only needs to be big enough for a run about. GRRR rant over (and sorry for going off topic) lol xx
 
Hi

A homecheck shouldn't be a daunting thing and speaking for myself, they are quite informal. We normally ask you to come and meet / choose your piggies first, then when you are ready to have them we drop them off to you so we can see where they are going. Each rescue might have slightly different criteria, but I have homed to people living in flats without gardens, it depends on the pigs and as long as their needs are being covered then I wouldn't turn down an otherwise great home for this reason.

It's true that if the homechecks are too daunting or there are too many rules, the person could simply go out and buy one from a breeder or petshop, but with rescue piggies in our care it is up to us to make sure they are getting the best home possible and the homecheck is a large part of that

Sophie
x
 
i'd like to thank everyone for their helpful information :)

I feel much better about the whole thing now, lol.

I'm going to show my parents this thread and talk to them about the whole rehoming thing.

Thanks :)
 
yeah, all the pigs ive had have been petshop pigs.

But i have to admit, i did go into P@H today and looked at the babies , they were gorgeous! But I'm going to wait. lol

We rescued one of our dogs from a rehoming centre, and it is lovely thinking that you've saved a animal and given it a loving home.

:)
 
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