Best place to get a guinea pig if no rescue pigs available locally?

Nicjones99

Nicjones99

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi, we sadly lost our 6-month guinea pig, Coco, over the weekend - she was the cutest thing and we loved her so much but she was always fragile and eventually died of pneumonia. We'd taken her to the vet but she went downhill so fast.

We really want a new friend for our remaining guinea pig, Blossom (gorgeous rosette 6-month-old sow) as soon as possible as she looks so sad and lonely.

Was hoping to get a rescue pig but have tried several in my area (Bristol) and they don't have any suitable sows for adoption so we'd be on a waiting list. Was hoping to avoid a pet store as I worry about their ethics... Though it would be a quick fix for our lonely piggy. Can anyone recommend other options?

Thanks.
 
Nicjones99 said:
Hi, we sadly lost our 6-month guinea pig, Coco, over the weekend - she was the cutest thing and we loved her so much but she was always fragile and eventually died of pneumonia. We'd taken her to the vet but she went downhill so fast.

We really want a new friend for our remaining guinea pig, Blossom (gorgeous rosette 6-month-old sow) as soon as possible as she looks so sad and lonely.

Was hoping to get a rescue pig but have tried several in my area (Bristol) and they don't have any suitable sows for adoption so we'd be on a waiting list. Was hoping to avoid a pet store as I worry about their ethics... Though it would be a quick fix for our lonely piggy. Can anyone recommend other options?

Thanks.
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Hi and welcome

I am very sorry for your loss.

Do the rescues have neutered boars? They are a great alternative to sows; your Blossom is at an age where acceptance is pretty much guaranteed. The RSPCA and the Blue Cross (in Burford) have a boar neutering policy.

How far are you prepared to travel to a rescue? RSPCA branches with guinea pigs are often prepared to rehome further afield, provided you pass a home check by your local branch and you pick up the piggy up in person.

You can try your luck in a pet shop, but you will have to go through the usual safety measures yourself (instead of this happening at a good standard rescue) and can't be assured that you won't buy a pregnant sow. We see quite a few pet shop pregnancy cases. :(
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
 
Wiebke said:
Hi and welcome

I am very sorry for your loss.

Do the rescues have neutered boars? They are a great alternative to sows; your Blossom is at an age where acceptance is pretty much guaranteed. The RSPCA and the Blue Cross (in Burford) have a boar neutering policy.

How far are you prepared to travel to a rescue? RSPCA branches with guinea pigs are often prepared to rehome further afield, provided you pass a home check by your local branch and you pick up the piggy up in person.

You can try your luck in a pet shop, but you will have to go through the usual safety measures yourself (instead of this happening at a good standard rescue) and can't be assured that you won't buy a pregnant sow. We see quite a few pet shop pregnancy cases. :(
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
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Hi, thanks so much for your advice. I hadn't thought about a neutered male, so will recheck the rescue centres - they don't seem to get single sows in very often. I'm just concerned about how long the process will take and whether Blossom will suffer from being on her own. Not sure what the least cruel thing to do is: take our time to source a pig from a rescue, or buy from a shop so she's not lonely. Is it better to leave it a while before replacing their cage mate to give them time to grieve, or do they recover quicker if distracted? X
 
Nicjones99 said:
Hi, thanks so much for your advice. I hadn't thought about a neutered male, so will recheck the rescue centres - they don't seem to get single sows in very often. I'm just concerned about how long the process will take and whether Blossom will suffer from being on her own. Not sure what the least cruel thing to do is: take our time to source a pig from a rescue, or buy from a shop so she's not lonely. Is it better to leave it a while before replacing their cage mate to give them time to grieve, or do they recover quicker if distracted? X
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Please read our bereavement care guide. All your questions are discussed in detail in there! Including what you can do for her while you are searching.
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

Any guinea pig that is not acutely pining (stopping to eat/drink and looking at the wall) is able to wait 2-3 weeks until you can set up an adoption/rescue date. It usually takes about 4 days on average for a piggy to come out of deep mourning and be ready for a new friend at the earliest.
With acute pining it is an emergency trip to the vets re. potential illness and then straight to the next pet shop unless a rescue can arrange emergency dating within a day. Acute pining is thankfully rare and more common in very closely bonded long term companionships.
 
So sorry for your loss.
I’ve lost piggies and the surviving one has had to wait a few weeks before I could find a suitable companion.
Be prepared for a more subdued girl but she should be fine, unless as @Wiebke says, she mourns acutely.
Look after yourself as well. You are grieving too.
 
Sorry to hear of your loss, they can go downhill so fast! :(
As the others have said unless acute mourning occurs, a week or two wait shouldn't be an issue.

Have u tried the forum locator for a rescue near Bristol?
I tried emailing 'bath bunnies' when I was looking for a companion for my bereaved sow.
They didn't have any at the time but responded quickly and were helpful. Although I can't remember if they are on the approved list?

good luck in your search x x
 
I’ve just had a quick look at the rescue locator and there are 2 which may be close to you.
The Littlest Rescue in Avonmouth
Yate Animal Rescue in Yate

The details are via the rescue locator.
There’s a few others in the south west but those 2 are closest to Bristol
 
Thanks so much for all your support and suggestions - it's good to know other people understand. I've tried Littlest Rescue, Cotton tails, wind whistle warren, bath bunny rescue, happy landings, Yate animal rescue and rspca - there seem to be loads of rabbits, but not many guinea pigs that aren't already paired up. I guess that's a good thing! Will persevere - Blossom seems to be doing ok but I won't relax until I know she has a new friend. X
 
I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you manage to find the perfect piggy match.
 
I hope you find a piggy soon. I've had the same problem as you twice in the last 2 years. There seem to be no Guinea Pig rescues in this area, they are either general animal rescues (mostly cats and dogs) or rabbit who occasionally take in guinea pigs. The nearest Guinea Pig Rescue to us seems to be Little Pips in Devon, they considered us to be too far away from them. The lady at Glenneath Guinea Pig Rescue near Swansea was very helpful but at that time had a long waiting list and our situation got a bit desperate with a very lonely piggie. If you can travel that far I would highly recommend giving her a call.
The other place I would suggest is Bristol RSPCA as they are neutering their boars to live with sows, my situation was a bit more difficult because I wanted a boar to live with a boar.
 
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