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

Status
Not open for further replies.
I was wondering if anyone on here knew how to save $1000? I want to start a guinea pig rescue and already have $90 put aside, but how do I earn/save the remaining $910? Any suggestions or tips?
 
I plan to start a small guinea pig rescue, it would be non profit.(Saving $1000 (AUSD) dollars?) While I save, I was wondering if anyone knew the "Tricks of the Trade" as you might say. Like tips and pointers and stuff. Like ultimate greatness at sexing (I am pretty good already), how to encourage people to adopt from my shelter, stuff like that. Do you have any great ideas or tips? Maybe pointers or suggestions? Stuff like that. I would be very grateful.
 
Another reason I want to open a rescue is that there are none for a 2 hour+ drive radius from here.
 
We do ask that you keep posts of the same nature to one thread. This is to keep all your helpful responses in one place and also prevent confusion in members/reporting of advice. I'm aware that you have asked this question previously
 
I would start by contacting some rescues near to you (I know they aren't that near but they will know more about running a rescue in your area). They will be able to tell you about what works for them and what doesn't
 
Please can we ask that you do not start any further threads about starting rescues, fundraising etc. Please keep everything to one thread. I am going to merge this thread with your previous one.
 
I have once again merged your threads so people can see advice given previously and we don’t need to repeat ourselves.
Please stick to this one thread on this subject and don’t start another. Otherwise responses get lost and confused. Thank you.
 
If someone told me they were considering setting up a guinea pig rescue, I would ask them' Have you ever syringe fed an ill guinea pig?'.

It seems like a simple question, but for me I think it was the turning point in my understand of the care that can be required by these small and sometimes delicate animals.

I am an experienced, long term animal owner (horses to hamsters).
I have volunteered for rescues in the past.
I understand the issues involved in animal care, and am conscientious and organized.
I thought I could handle just about anything in regards to animal care, and then Ruby got ill.

Ruby deteriorated rapidly over a period of a few hours due to bladder sludge.
She was rushed to the emergency vet and immediately had tests, x-rays, and surgery to flush her bladder.
I bought her home the same night with various medications and instructions to start syringe feeding immediately.
So I did.
Ruby was reluctant and ill and I was determined to save her.
I was syringe feeding every four hours, giving medications, mixing feeds, constantly trying to tempt her to eat on her own (additional supplements, herbal teas, herbs, fruit purees, hand cut fresh grass, etc).
And in between all of this I was caring for our other animals (bird, rabbits, hamster and guinea pigs).
Don't even get me started on how lucky I am to have a flexible boss and a job that allows me to mostly work from home.
It took about 4 days of this 24/7 schedule before I really lost it. I was shattered (due to the feeding schedule the most sleep I got was one five hour stretch), emotionally drained, and felt that suddenly my whole life revolved around 1 guinea pig, who despite my best efforts was was still loosing weight.
I think the ultimate low point was when I feel asleep at the table after waiting for 90 minutes for Ruby to pee into a clean bow so I could check her urine again. When I woke up she had finally peed and walked all through it, so we had to start all over again.

We got through it (Ruby and I) and in hindsight it was well worth all of the sleepless nights and money spent, but the whole expereince humbled me in a way I had never imagined.
I asked on this Forum for support, and was bowled over by the number of people who keep this regime up for weeks or even months at a time. People offered endless kind words ad encouragement which kept me going, but at the end I could also see my expereince was not unique or actually even that difficult.
In-fact this is the sort of thing that people who run rescues do every single day. I have no idea how, but it takes (imho) a very, very special type of person to be able to cope with this.
 
:agr:

@Swissgreys I absolutely agree with this. I'm a human nurse but syringe-feeding a pig is easily the most exhausting and heartbreaking thing I've done. For me, it's a constant question of: 'Is this the right thing and how far do we go?' I couldn't imaging having to do this with 2+ pigs, or for weeks on end, as rescues do.

I should add, I'm glad Ruby made it. Once it gets to the stage of syringe-feeding, I reckon I've had maybe a 50% success rate.
 
@Teazel 2017 Please can you advise what progress you have made? Last time you mentioned figures you had $100 saved up. Now, 5+ weeks later, you have $90. As has been said many times, a rescue will not make money and will not be self sustaining financially - you'll need ongoing fund raising to cover costs, both day to day expenses and emergencies and for the size of rescue you've talked about (9 guinea pigs) its been suggested you need to raise somewhere between $450 and $900+ per month.

You were also in need of improved living accommodation for you existing herd. Has that been resolved?

What steps have YOU taken to progress your plans? You say you have different ideas, but you've come back and asked the almost the exact same question again - how do you expect people to give you different answers if you don't share what your new ideas are?
 
Yes, that has been resolved, and the reason I am out $10 is I bought Christmas presents. That is just my "all purpose" saving, but I am trying to get a ton before I start a rescue. I have taken the steps of designing and planning the "shelter" and figuring costs more efisiantly. I have decided limits and how many I am willing to take on at a time.
 
piglette said:
:agr:

@Swissgreys I absolutely agree with this. I'm a human nurse but syringe-feeding a pig is easily the most exhausting and heartbreaking thing I've done. For me, it's a constant question of: 'Is this the right thing and how far do we go?' I couldn't imaging having to do this with 2+ pigs, or for weeks on end, as rescues do.

I should add, I'm glad Ruby made it. Once it gets to the stage of syringe-feeding, I reckon I've had maybe a 50% success rate.
Click to expand...
i agree on the syringe feeding. I was working long shifts and syringing my sick pig from 5am - 6am. Worrying all day then syringing as soon as i got back from work about 7pm - 11pm on and off , i lived on mcdonalds and chip shop mostly for a month! I kept this up for about a month. And my boar lost the battle in the end. I was exhausted and hope i never have to go through this again or any of my animals
 
Teazel 2017 said:
I have taken the steps of designing and planning the "shelter" and figuring costs more efisiantly. I have decided limits and how many I am willing to take on at a time.
Click to expand...

Setting limits is a very good idea, but sadly in real life they rarely work.

The first problem you will come across is people who take on a rescue pig and then later return it - if you are full to your limit, will you be able to refuse to take back a pig (or pair) that you previously re-homed?

The other big problem I envision you will have is dumping. Sadly if you publicize the rescue then you will invariably end up with random piggies dumped by your door. When there is a lack of services that deal with unwanted piggies in the area, the minute something becomes available people will use it. If they call and you don't have space, chances are they may still just drop their unwanted piggies off, knowing that you will take them in and care for them.

This has happened to me both with dogs (when I worked for a rescue) and hamsters. While I was at Uni someone obviously heard that I kept hamsters, and so one morning I was called to the office to check my pigeon hole (yes it was a long time ago when people still had pigeon holes for internal mail) and someone had left a small ice cream tub with 3 hamsters in it inside.

So setting limits is good, but if you set a limit of 8 piggies, you need to have space and facilities for at least double that amount becasue you will invariably end up with a lot more than you planed for.

I really don't mean to come across as negative - I think your idea is wonderful - but I think it is also important to be realistic before you end up in a difficult situation. Think long and hard about what yur maximum number would be, and what will happen when all of your cages are full and you find a box with a malnourished sow with ringworm, and her 4 new born babies on your doorstep.
 
Swissgreys said:
Setting limits is a very good idea, but sadly in real life they rarely work.

The first problem you will come across is people who take on a rescue pig and then later return it - if you are full to your limit, will you be able to refuse to take back a pig (or pair) that you previously re-homed?

The other big problem I envision you will have is dumping. Sadly if you publicize the rescue then you will invariably end up with random piggies dumped by your door. When there is a lack of services that deal with unwanted piggies in the area, the minute something becomes available people will use it. If they call and you don't have space, chances are they may still just drop their unwanted piggies off, knowing that you will take them in and care for them.

This has happened to me both with dogs (when I worked for a rescue) and hamsters. While I was at Uni someone obviously heard that I kept hamsters, and so one morning I was called to the office to check my pigeon hole (yes it was a long time ago when people still had pigeon holes for internal mail) and someone had left a small ice cream tub with 3 hamsters in it inside.

So setting limits is good, but if you set a limit of 8 piggies, you need to have space and facilities for at least double that amount becasue you will invariably end up with a lot more than you planed for.

I really don't mean to come across as negative - I think your idea is wonderful - but I think it is also important to be realistic before you end up in a difficult situation. Think long and hard about what yur maximum number would be, and what will happen when all of your cages are full and you find a box with a malnourished sow with ringworm, and her 4 new born babies on your doorstep.
Click to expand...
My local pets@home have pigs dumped outside or by the counter sometimes, lazy lowlife scumbags
 
One thing i am thinking though is....If nobody tried to start rescues then there wouldnt be any around, are they all started by wealthy people? Half of me thinks that to try is better than not trying, but the other half is thinking what if you try and end up in a huge stressful mess!

I think if i was going to help guinea pigs without a huge mess and stress i would stop having my own and helping a local rescue by taking some sick ones of their hands temporarily until they are ready to go back to the rescue and be homed
 
Please go back over the thread you posted as people suggested some really good fundraising ideas. As everyone has mentioned it will need to be an ongoing thing.
 
I wrote earlier on this thread about how easy it is to get overwhelmed with the number of unwanted pigs. Check out this story - the RSPCA seized 200 guinea pigs from a backyard in Brisbane only a couple of weeks ago: Foster carers needed for hundreds of homeless guinea pigs

With pregnancies they are expecting to end up with 600+ pigs!
 
Could you help other rescues by long term fostering? That way you’re helping piggies but not necessarily having to ‘worry’ about running costs. I know you said there are none near you but could it be an option?

It’s good you want to run your own but I’m not sure if you fully understand the work behind it, monetary in particular.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top