Animal rescue centre

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Jon

Hi,

Today I visited an animal rescue centre near wolverhampton. I felt the centre was extremely good especially as it is funded by donations!

Anyway, I was at the guinea pig are and there are around 30 guinea pigs all rescued. I was shocked at the amount for just one area especially as there is - apparently - another rescue centre with lots of Guinea Pigs a few miles away!!

It said they some had been rescued by RSPCA and some were found abandonned.

I also was shocked at the budgie enclosure, 60 budgies all rescued!!!

I am amazed at the amount of people who buy guinea pigs then realise they can't look after them and dump them!

Soz about the rant just shocked me thats all!
 
Yep its a real eye opener, thats why educating people is so important. It may feel like a rant but at the end of the day one educated person may tell another 10 people and so on. :)
 
What I don't understand is why there are still heaps of people out there breeding the animals for the pet shops?
There should be a law that every animal in a pet shop (if you really have to have a pet shop that sells animals) has to be desexed. That would eliviate some of the problems.

Better education all around in schools and shops would also help because a lot of people think that a guinea pig is an ideal first pet for a child, which they are clearly not.
 
people do need to be educated, its not fair on such poor ittle creatures, if i had the room i would take them in, but i just cant fit in them in my flat!

i hope to when we move out in a few years into a house with a garden, i can set up more cages so can take in rescues.
 
Its the same with Rabbits,some people seem to think, they are good pets for children and when it doent work out, they just dump them.
 
I spoke to one of the large Kent rescues, GBH in Beckenham yesterday - they have over 80 guineas in at the moment. I agree that people need to be educated without being patronised, but when you patiently explain about the shocking numbers in rescue awaiting homes, so many people just don't listen. Prime example - a lovely lady at my work was thinking of guineas - I gave her GBH's details, the local RSPCA etc - but she still went up the local petshop to buy them because she simply couldn't wait to get them and go through a homecheck etc - she asked me to take them in from her after less than a month the other week as she's discovered she and hubbie have no time for them after all... impulse buying is a large factor contributing this problem and the sooner petshops stop selling the better as far as I'm concerned, I don't care how good the conditions are in the shop (and we all know conditions can vary drastically), it's too easy to buy small animals and quckly lose interest.

I appreciate not all of us have rescues near us and it's all very well for those of us who have no kids who can travel the country in piggie runs etc, but if those people who live in areas with rescues close by DO think to rescue rather than take the easy option, I'd be really interested to see how that reflects on how many end up being rehomed. Of course, pet shops can't be blamed for the whole problem, there are obviously more issues involved, but it would be an interesting place to start.

Edited to add - my post is not intended to attack people who have got their pigs from pet stores! Many people get their pigs from shops and then find out about rescues, and of course lots of lucky pet shop pigs go to fab homes. My point is really that it's a bit too easy for "unsuitable" and/or impulsive people to easily obtain these little lives who are dependant on us for anything up to 9-10 years if they're lucky.
 
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I do think that the 'petshops' should stop selling animals directly either reffering people to breeders or rescues as a lot of people do seem to impulse buy and dump later.
The amount of animals up for sale or being given away on the web etc is going up!
maybe we need to start one of those online petition thingys
 
It's too easy getting pet shop pigs. I have three here from pet shops all boars and wouldn't change them. With Pudsey I did know better but I really couldn't resist as Eccles needed a friend ASAP and I didn't pay for him as he was an adoption.

But after reading about animal mills I just can't justify them selling animals any longer. I would rather wait for a perfect bunny or piggy at a rescue, its so worth the wait. :)
 
I would definitely get any other further guinea pigs from rescue places.

I was one of those impatient people and couldn't wait to get them once I had made my mind up - I had phoned the SSPCA to see if they had any and they didn't - they couldn't even put me in touch with anywhere that did. I came on here and was advised to go to Thistle Cavies but they are over in Fife - unfortunately by the time I paid £15 each for the guinea pigs and petrol on top of it I was cheaper going to P@H and I did.

For future ones though I will be patient and they will definitely come from a rescue place - even if it means waiting. People definitely do not know the extent of animals being abandoned but from experience there didn't appear to be many guinea pigs being rescued from my area.
 
But don't forget those on free ads etc that are from people wanting homes for animals thats where i got George and in a way Laurent!
 
Yep Ron I got Radley on free ads too. Had every intention of rehoming him but thought I would try him with Sunshine and it worked. And if I am honest I fell in love with him big style so couldn't part!

We don't have a pig problem in Liverpool. I looked today and came to the conclusion that we have a rabbit problem. 6 were up on the free ads. My idea of guinea pig rescue here may just well become a bunny one as well.
 
rescue centre

hiya,

I was just wondering where this rescue centre was as I am considering getting a new friend for my guinea pig Trouble as he lost his cage mate Herbie a month ago and sometimes seems ok but I would like to get a rescue guinea pig so if anyone knows of a resue place not too far away as I would have to try and sucker my brother into giving me a lift to one.

Thanks Sarah
 
we have the sme problem here.I currently have got 66 guinea pigs in the rescue and there are just hundreds more out there needing rehoming.people do not consider guineas to be important and i have even had pigs surrendered because people were going on holiday.when offered to board them i was told they were sick of them anyway
 
When I came home after a week end away in september, I couldn't wait to pick up George and Alfie from April lodge, went straight there before even going home! It makes me sick that some people have this sort of attitude towards piggiesmallethead
 
I think sometimes, people who buy piggies from petshops see them as disposable. They're from a shop, they are relatively cheap, and they "probably don't live that long." It's very saddening, but they petshop trade is thriving, particularly with the spoilt brat children brigade, where their kid has seen a friends guinea and "WANTS ONE NOW!" until the parents get them, then lose interest in them after a month or so. It's very sad.

I think an online petition to stop the sale of livestock in shops would be a great idea. But who would we approach with it, and how would we go about it?
 
Yes, there certainly are lots of unwanted guinea pigs. I picked up two yesterday - bought as a Christmas present last year - the child has lost interest already. The mum said her daughter never bothers cleaning them out or anything. For heavens sake her daughter was only 11, why would any parent give the sole responsibility of a pet to an 11 year old?

Makes me flippin mad grrrr
 
I totally agree.I pee off a lot of people as my policy is that if i dont feel you are a good home i will not adopt out a guinea pig.I make people fill out a form first and it has a heep of stuff on it that makes them think first
 
summerleaze said:
Yes, there certainly are lots of unwanted guinea pigs. I picked up two yesterday - bought as a Christmas present last year - the child has lost interest already. The mum said her daughter never bothers cleaning them out or anything. For heavens sake her daughter was only 11, why would any parent give the sole responsibility of a pet to an 11 year old?

Makes me flippin mad grrrr
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I have had piggies and bunnies all my life. When I was 7/8 i always had the responsibility to clean out the animals - my parents didnt just forget about them though - they checked that we had cleaned them when they were supposed to be cleaned and made sure we had done properly. If we hadnt done it when asked, we were told to do it (not that this happened much) - from this we gained responsibility and understood what hard work animals are. Its the parents fault for not implementing rules to their children. People let their children get away with murder nowadays! we always did as we were told and from this i loved my animals more than if my parents had cleaned them out.
 
I think one of the main problems with guinea pigs in particular, is the belief that they're just "big hamsters".
People expect a hamster, only bigger and therefore easier to cuddle... and then get a nasty shock when they realise that guinea pigs have completely different needs, and need lots of attention throughout the day, whereas a hamster will sleep most of the day.

Plus, I think many people aren't prepared for the longer life expectancy that guinea pigs have. I don't know about you guys, but most of the guinea pigs I see at rescues tend to be between 2-4 years old.
I guess some people expect them to have a shorter lifespan, like only a few years, and aren't willing to look after an animal that could potentially live much longer.
 
shard27 said:
hiya,

I was just wondering where this rescue centre was as I am considering getting a new friend for my guinea pig Trouble as he lost his cage mate Herbie a month ago and sometimes seems ok but I would like to get a rescue guinea pig so if anyone knows of a resue place not too far away as I would have to try and sucker my brother into giving me a lift to one.

Thanks Sarah
Click to expand...

Where abouts in the country are you? your location doesn't appear on screen.
There is a sticky thread listing some rescues here on the forum and also Guinea Pig Rehome online allows you to specify a location.

I was at GBH in Beckenham on sunday and can't stop thinking about just how many small animals are discarded through boredom or rescued from neglect and ill treatment and my daughters couldn't beleive that anyone would ever give up a pet and wanted to bring them all home. I resisted however and just got the one baby I went there for to live with Rambo
 
I come from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands so anywhere like the place Jon said would be good but could do with the name of it.

Thanks Sarah x
 
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