Bottlebrush Hills Guinea pig Rescue! Can it be done?!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Teazel 2017

Teazel 2017

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Sep 24, 2018
Messages
200
Reaction score
108
Points
280
Location
Australia
I am not sure if this is the right place to say this but anyway. I want to start a private guinea pig rescue. There are none for about 2 hours anywhere near my place but there are pet quality breeders. I want to create a rescue for all the abandoned or unwanted piggies or guinea pigs people simply can't take care of. They would not be in my house, I was thinking of getting a well insulated shed and having floor to ceiling hutches along the 2 walls and then supplys at the back. Each hutch could hold 2 guinea pigs. Or is this a bad idea? Maybbe I should haave them in a whole bunch of hutches. I would start small and build up, but please bear in mind I am not at all financial. What do you think would be a good idea? And of cours I would need an internet pressence. I am only semi serious about this plan. Do you think I should just drop it? Or pursue it?
 
Well if you are semi serious then don't do it. Running a rescue needs full commitment and funding. A few things you will need to think of are - how much would your insurance be? Did you know it could also affect the cost of your home buildings/contents insurance? Do you have a specialist vets nearby that will support you? Do you have the funds to be able to take multiple piggies for expensive treatments at the same time or the ability to raise the needed funds in an extremely short time?

I will tag a few rescues that might be able to talk to you more about the work involved @furryfriends (TEAS) @The Potteries Guinea Pig Rescue
 
To be blunt, we don't know you well enough to say whether you could succeed or not.

I think you should do a lot of research into the costs involved. You say yourself that you are not at all financial - please don't make the mistake of starting a rescue and then being swamped by unexpected (but foreseeable - the pigs that need rescue can be the sick and injured) vet bills such that you need to be rescued yourself.

Also give careful consideration to how much time and emotional energy you have to give to this project. Nursing poorly pigs is a big big commitment involving round the clock care. The more pigs you have the more likely you are to need to be nursing at least one at any given time.

It does sound like there is space for a rescue near you, but I believe a poorly thought through rescue is worse than no rescue at all. You've come to a good place to find out more info. Do your research. Plan. Look for what might go wrong and work if/how you'd cope (time, money, resources: Lots of AUS currently has a draught - how many pigs can you get hay for? for how long?). THEN make your decision.
 
Here in the UK we have seen many “rescues” set up with good intention but who have then become overrun with piggies they can’t rehome for one reason or another, vets bills they can’t pay and they have then needed to be rescued themselves from their situation by the already overstretched reputable and established rescues. Do your research. Speak to other rescues. You will need access to a nearly bottomless pit of funds to pay vets bills - how good are you at fundraising? You will need to do fundraising and publicity on an almost never ending basis in addition to caring for sick piggies, healthy piggies, dealing with endless enquiries (including time wasters), carrying out home checks etc. You need to think about insurance, illlness and holidays. And you need to be able physically and emotionally with it not just financially, It’s not for the faint hearted
 
Okay. I will do some serious thinking. I am very uncertain, and not even sure where to start. And I don't want to get involved with anything just yet. I have 5 guinea pigs, and I love them very much so thought it may be a good idea for the future.
 
Teazel 2017 said:
Okay. I will do some serious thinking. I am very uncertain, and not even sure where to start. And I don't want to get involved with anything just yet. I have 5 guinea pigs, and I love them very much so thought it may be a good idea for the future.
Click to expand...

It’s easy to get carried away with good intentions when we love our piggies so much. However the practical side of running a rescue may mean your own pets don’t get much of a look in. I help out in a small way at a rescue so have first have experience of the pressures rescues face.
 
As you can see, I have already come up with the name of my shelter, have listed the shed I am going to put the rescues in, (I call it a shed for no better word, it is fully ventilated and weather proof, at $579 : ) ) I have calculated all the expences and have coms up with a budget. I need to save $800, preferably $900, before I can start the rescue. I plan to start small with maximum space for 9 pigs, but how do I get the money?
 
Unfortunately I can not show you the inside as it contains private info and I am in a hurry : ) I ran this off on the computer.
 

Attachments

  • 1538628207954.webp
    1538628207954.webp
    17 KB · Views: 30
No, but I have animal experince, I go visit a local farmer once a week, am very good at zoology, and I can remember I have had experience somewhere as a kid, I just can't put my finger on it, but it will come to me. I also have 5 guinea pigs, which you may know. I am good at buisness planning, and when I get around to putting it on siferable paper, I will show you my plan. What do you think I should do?
 
I can afford to keep it going once it's set up. How should I raise the money to begin??
 
The rescue that I run is slightly different from a normal 'rescue and rehome' centre, as we specialise in guinea pigs with ongoing health issues. Therefore, our vet bills are probably higher than many rescues. However, vet bills are something you can't anticipate in advance, so you need to be sure that you have sufficient funds to pay for any veterinary treatment the guinea pigs may need. To give you an idea of how much our veterinary bills are, for 2017 we spent just short of £10,000. We fundraise to pay for the vet bills, but the general day to day running can be a huge drain on our own finances.
 
That sounds cheap for starting up especially if the majority is for the shed. Does that include public liability insurance?
 
What is public liability insurance? Do I need it? I plan to be extremely careful about the pigs I take in. I will not loan from the bank. I don't do loans. Of course thisis just a starter for ideas.
 
What do you mean you’ll be careful about the piggies you take in? You won’t take in any that are ill (if you can even tell), or visibly pregnant? And can you not save the money needed for the startup? Then you’ll have more time to get yourself ready. You have to bear in mind that you may only get so much from fundraising. The initial outlay is housing, accessories (hides, bowls, bottles, bedding, runs). Does your initial amount cover all those, for 9 pigs?

How much have you budgeted for the monthly outgoings - food and bedding are the only ones I can think of at the moment. And will you have the time to handle them all, including your 5? Will they be housed in cages, inside the shed? You’ll also need several runs. Do you have a big garden? What’s the weather like where you are? If you had a sick piggie do you have space to bring it inside should the need for round the clock care arise?

Have you looked to see if there are other rescues near you/in your area? Would you be rehoming those that come to you? If so, how would you get the homes they’re going to? Do you know how to bond piggies? Do you have a piggie specialist vet that you trust? Have you looked into costs for any illness and treatment? If you opened, you’d have to (or rather be advised to) have the piggies vet checked. Have you factored in that cost?

I know there are a lot of questions but answering them may help you see where you are and whether you need to rejig your plan. As for public liability insurance, it may be a good idea to look it up. I think you still have a way to go before you even think about getting the money together. It’s good you have animal experience, but piggies aren’t really like other animals.

How long have you had your guinea pigs for? And how much experience do you have with them?

Disclaimer: I don’t run a rescue centre or home!
 
Guinea pig rescue?
In your previous thread we have already given you lots of advice
Public liability insurance is required to insure you against claims for injury or damage caused by you or your rescue for people visiting your rescue or anyone else affected eg if you go out fundraising or to fairs.
The biggest issue as I explained in your previous thread is that you need to fundraise continuously for vets bills. You can’t predict how long you’ll have the rescue piggies. You say you’ll be careful about what you’ll take in but you can’t as a rescue predict who will become ill or need surgery, just as you can’t with your own piggies.
 
Good on you for thinking about this - there aren't enough rescues in Australia. I'm also from Aus - I currently have 14 pigs, all were unwanted from various places (private homes, vets, shelters, etc.) and have a permanent home with me here. Just a few thoughts from me:

I'd recommend speaking with other small rescues in Aus - they'll be able to give you an idea of the costs and other considerations, including legalities, involved. I found a few in NSW with just a quick Google search.

I also think $900 is a little low to start - it costs me A$90-110 per week for my current 14 on food (hay + veg + grain) alone. You also need to factor in electricity, bedding, vitamin supplements, equipment, shampoos, etc. etc. etc. I average A$1100 per pig per year. This is with super-careful planning and budgeting.

And of course there's the vet expenses. Nearly every one of my pigs came in with something 'wrong' - including serious stuff like scurvy, malocclusion, severe mites, bumblefoot, stasis/bloat, etc. Finding a committed cavy-savvy vet in Australia can be difficult. I'm fortunate that I'm a nurse and can do a bit of the basic vet care myself. A lot of my guys have ongoing health and behavioural issues too - they could never be rehomed to a regular home (not that I do this).

You also need to think about the time involved - my pigs take 60-90 minutes per day in cleaning, feeding and other basic husbandry chores. Caring for a critically ill pig can be a 24/7 job for a number of weeks. And I imagine having a proper rescue would come with other tasks - fundraising, dealing with owners, etc. It's a constant juggle with work and there are no days off!

I never had any desire to set up as a rescue, but one thing I did find was that when people in your community know you 'take in' (or even just 'have') guinea pigs, it's very easy to become overwhelmed with the number of unwanted pets. It can be heartbreaking to say 'no'. A few years ago, I met a lady running a 'small' rescue in Brisbane who, through surrenders, dumpings and pregnancies, ended up with >120 pigs. I don't let anyone except a few trusted vets know I keep pigs!

As I said, good on you, but go in with your eyes open.
 
Thanks, I have experience with malnourished, injured, sick and dying guinea pigs (unfortunately she didn't make it) and I will have to give it serious thought. I figured by calculating expenses I could just figure out what it costs me for my 5 and double it.
 
Have you sorted the housing issues for your current 5? Have they stopped fighting? Have you found some hay that you aren't allergic to?

I'm struggling to see a business model where a guinea pig rescue will be financially self sustaining - I'd be fascinated to know how it works :)
 
Teazel 2017 said:
Thanks, I have experience with malnourished, injured, sick and dying guinea pigs (unfortunately she didn't make it) and I will have to give it serious thought. I figured by calculating expenses I could just figure out what it costs me for my 5 and double it.
Click to expand...
Were they your own pigs? How much did they cost you in vet fees? B cause that would be your biggest outlay. As already mentioned, if you’re a rescue you can’t pick and choose which piggies you’ll take on. Otherwise it defeats the whole point of you starting one.

Also, you need to sort out your piggies first before you can even think about looking into opening a rescue. Once they’re sorted then maybe you can research (heavily) rescues and how they operate, cash flow etc.
 
Teazel 2017 said:
Thanks, I have experience with malnourished, injured, sick and dying guinea pigs (unfortunately she didn't make it) and I will have to give it serious thought. I figured by calculating expenses I could just figure out what it costs me for my 5 and double it.
Click to expand...

That's great. Often 'rescued' pigs have severe/complex/unusual health issues and then ongoing health needs. They challenge my human nursing skills/knowledge!

I'd much more than double the expenses. I find my 'rescued' pigs need exponentially more vet care and husbandry than the (few) pigs I've had since they were pups. Vet bills of >A$1000 for fairly standard stuff (e.g. dental pre-visit + procedure) aren't uncommon here in Aus. Even for a standard checkup (without the inevitable meds/tests/re-visits etc. etc.), our cavy-savvy vet charges A$110. I always have a good few grand set aside just for vet expenses, it's such a huge burden.
 
Teazel 2017 said:
As you can see, I have already come up with the name of my shelter, have listed the shed I am going to put the rescues in, (I call it a shed for no better word, it is fully ventilated and weather proof, at $579 : ) ) I have calculated all the expences and have coms up with a budget. I need to save $800, preferably $900, before I can start the rescue. I plan to start small with maximum space for 9 pigs, but how do I get the money?
Click to expand...


l don't want to dishearten you ,but your budge could be used up at your first vist to your vets.
 
Something else to consider is who will take care of the pigs and run the rescue if you are incapacitated in anyway. Especially if you have pigs with any kind of additional health needs, you'll need some kind of trained backup system in place. Will they need paying? If so, how much? And if you've got a friend or family member that's prepared to jump in and help out in emergencies, how long will they be able to continue helping you for?
 
I am going to try and answer everybodys questions in one go ; )
I am very surprised you spend that much weekly on your pigs, ours only cost 5 to 10 dollars a week. Food must be more expensive where you are. So the rescue would be eating up 20 dollars a week for food maximum.
my own pigs are not sorted just yet, but we are coming along.
yes all the sick pigs are my own but I didn't step a foot in the vets. To explain why with the dying piggie, it was around lunchtime I got back, and I was in shock, I had only had piggies for about 4 weeks, I don't know why, but going to the vets never entered my head, I just brought her inside and held her till she was gone : (
With the malnourished pig, she got lots of extra food and care, and she got better quick. And all my piggies were from backyard breeders, because there are no guinea pig rescues for a 2 hour radius here, and I wasn't going to get them from a pet shop
.the shed is a 2.96x1.52 metre, and is 1.8m high.
while I am a way, I have a neighbor or my grandmother to look after them, they know their stuff.
My chooks are rather finacial, thats how I will save up. They lay about 50 to 70 dollars worth of eggs a month, but ony use about 20. Then 20 to 30 ges into emergency vet safe, and 10 to 20 goes towards my rescue savings.
now, I think that's everybody, so how am I going to save up all that money?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top