Could you give up your piggies?

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GeorgesHuman

GeorgesHuman

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It amazes me how many pigs (and ather animals) are put into rescue centres because people have had enough of them, grown bored of them, found them too much hard work or found they've got allergies to them. I for one could never give up my 3 piggies not for no one and even if I got offered the chance to go and live in the most beautiful place on earth I couldn't because of having to leave them behind. I don't understand how people can just throw them away like an old toy!
 
I know, I think pet shops give animals away far to easily to people.

I'd like to see pet shops selling animals banned and some sort of law bought in, so when you take on an animal it is not on impulse. What happens is people get a couple of guin pigs often for thier children, they kids ge bored and no one wants to clean them out or give them fresh hay etc everyday.

The piggies are forgotton about and neglected:( what the owners don't realise is that they are living, feeling creatures that suffer pain and stress like the rest of us.
 
I could.

I could give up my boys tomorrow if i couldn’t care for them properly. If i knew i wasn’t giving them the right care, attention and life that they deserved, if i suddenly found myself in a situation whereby i felt overwhelmed by the amount of piggies i had or that i wasnt giving them medical attention and they were suffering.

Basically if it was in the best intrest of the piggies i could give them up,if i was sacrificing their happiness and wellbeing for my own interest, then yes i could.

But i would not just give them up because i got bored (which i highly doubt ill ever become 'bored' they are apart of my life now, if i had a new relationship and the pigs didnt fit in that, if i had a new routine, lifestyle etc. The pigs come before me, and i think that works for me.

So all in all, if my boys were not receiving the life they are entitled too and i was compromising their happiness and health then yes i could.

(Now i feel like a terrible piggie mum for saying i'd give them up.. :( gawd, thats a horrible thought...:( i love my boys so much they're like my children. :( )
 
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no. i dont know how people get piggies and leave them at bottom of garden why get them in first place. i never had piggies but when got basil and freddie i fell in love with them and they are fab pets i love them more than my other half x>>x>>x>>x)x)
 
AudioHeart said:
I could.

I could give up my boys tomorrow if i couldn’t care for them properly. If i knew i wasn’t giving them the right care, attention and life that they deserved, if i suddenly found myself in a situation whereby i felt overwhelmed by the amount of piggies i had or that i wasnt giving them medical attention and they were suffering.

Basically if it was in the best intrest of the piggies i could give them up,if i was sacrificing their happiness and wellbeing for my own interest, then yes i could.

But i would not just give them up because i got bored (which i highly doubt ill ever become 'bored' they are apart of my life now, if i had a new relationship and the pigs didnt fit in that, if i had a new routine, lifestyle etc. The pigs come before me, and i think that works for me.

So all in all, if my boys were not receiving the life they are entitled too and i was compromising their happiness and health then yes i could.

(Now i feel like a terrible piggie mum for saying i'd give them up.. :( gawd, thats a horrible thought...:( i love my boys so much they're like my children. :( )
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This. If i knew that their quality of life would be endangered or less wholsome by living with me i would give them up, no matter how much it broke my heart. After all i want the best for them.

But boredem, or becasue they wouldn't 'fit in' with a life style? No. It always makes me so angry when you see animals in shelters because "The partner didnt like it" "no time" ect ect. Dad went off on one when we were at an RSPCA shelter due to hamster that had been handed in as the owner had had a baby. A dog i understand struggling with when you have a new baby - but a hamster ... really?

I know that if for any reason i became homeless my mum would have me and my piggies (I'm living with her at the moment so ... that doesnt really count but ... you know)

Funilly mum asked the other day if i met someone who didn't like guinea-pigs what would i do? It's a no brainer the partner would go, they can fend for themselves my piggies cant!


Urgh ... just the thought of having to give my boys away though makes me feel sick!
 
I fully agree Audioheart if they would be disadvantaged by staying with me then yes I would do it for them even though it would break my heart. Also if I had a baby and that baby had an allergy to them that could seriously harm the babies health then yes I'm sorry they would have to go as well although I would probably take the time to ensure they were in a forever home rather than taking to a rescue and using their space.

I also wonder how many people give up pets because of financial difficulties but are too ashamed to do so. I have tons of clients crying at the initial interview because they think they are left with no other option but to get rid of well loved and well looked after pets. A lot of people will be too embarrassed to tell a rescue that they have no money
 
Under certain circumstances, yes, I could and would give up my piggies. Occasionally, I have rehomed much loved piggies from people who had to give them up for various reasons.

While the vast majority of piggies coming into rescue from a domestic background are no longer wanted pets - but are at least happy in that their owners are care enough about their fate -, there are occasionally those that come into rescue through necessity: unforeseen changes in one's life like the breakup of a partnership and the move to a flat where pets are not allowed, loss of job/new job, severe/terminal illness, or even the wish to see a single piggy finding a new friend again once the the children have grown up and the seesaw doesn't want to be kept up, or even when the previous piggy companion has died after a long and desperate illness and the owner cannot face going through that again, but can't bear to see the remaining piggy unhappy.

The piggies themselves will tell you through their behaviour whether they have been truly loved and cherished or not.

My current boar Hywel is a boy who has certainly known only love, but he was given up because he was living outdoors on his own after rebonding attempts failed (as they promptly did at the rescue, too) and the owner felt that she couldn't give him the extra attention he needed as a single.

I have also rehomed my own surprise babies from one of my first (yep, I have been there as well!) shop bought sows through a rescue when they were unfortunately born at a most awkward and inconvenient time and it became simply too difficult too try to hang onto them. However, I wanted to make sure that my babies had the best chance at a happy life that I could provide. Needless to say that I cried the whole way home and that I have gone strictly rescue since then; it was too gutting an experience. I had to wait another five years until I could make my dream of a little group come true.

But it has given me an insight that there ARE indeed situations when piggies are given up because their owners are putting the piggies' happiness and needs before their own. Where anybody draws that line is certainly individual, but I would never wish to be the first to cast a stone! It has also taught me the lesson that you can never say with absolute certainty that you will never be one of them as well. We have had sadly cases where members had to give up their much loved piggies through no fault of their own.
 
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Yes I would.
I considered rehoming Lentil after he attacked Bounty and I had to put him in a big dog cage, but I didn't want to have three cages so yes I did consider this as I figured it would be best for him.
But since Hector passing away, he has been with Jake for over 3 months and they seem to be doing well :).
 
I agree with those who say they would if they could no longer offer a good quality of life for some reason.

I have 2 coming in this week - oldies whose partner has died and their owner doesn't want any more yet doesn't want them to live alone away from guinea pigs for the rest of their lives. I admire them for giving them up as it's in the piggies best interests.
 
Yes, I agree with some - I could if it was in the piggies best interests. You never know when you are going to find yourself in a situation where you can no longer care for your guinea pigs (For instance - a redundancy situation or if you or a family member became unwell).

I thought long and hard before getting them, and will never become bored of them or neglect them. however, IF I did, even if this was the reason, yes, I would think about giving them up if I felt this was better for them.

But, I don't understand how this is the reason so many give their animals up, it is your responsibility to commit to life long care of an animal when you buy it, and unless circumstances change so much you cannot give them what they need, you should look after them forever and ever! :)

It really annoys me that parents give animals to rescues because 'the kids lost interest'. Of course they did! that's what kids do, it is the adults responsibility! Although, I hope my son will love and look after our girls for always, as we do it together, and I keep him interested and remind him it is his responsibility and he has now made that commitment.

I'll get off my soapbox now! :(|)
 
AudioHeart said:
I could.

I could give up my boys tomorrow if i couldn’t care for them properly. If i knew i wasn’t giving them the right care, attention and life that they deserved, if i suddenly found myself in a situation whereby i felt overwhelmed by the amount of piggies i had or that i wasnt giving them medical attention and they were suffering.

Basically if it was in the best intrest of the piggies i could give them up,if i was sacrificing their happiness and wellbeing for my own interest, then yes i could.

But i would not just give them up because i got bored (which i highly doubt ill ever become 'bored' they are apart of my life now, if i had a new relationship and the pigs didnt fit in that, if i had a new routine, lifestyle etc. The pigs come before me, and i think that works for me.

So all in all, if my boys were not receiving the life they are entitled too and i was compromising their happiness and health then yes i could.

(Now i feel like a terrible piggie mum for saying i'd give them up.. :( gawd, thats a horrible thought...:( i love my boys so much they're like my children. :( )
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This absolutely sums it up. I would never want to do it, but if it was for the best then I know I would have to, but absolutely not just because they don't fit into my lifestyle. I know things will change over the years to come, but they will always be in the forefront of my mind when it comes to making any decision. Same with my pup, they all deserve their place in my decisions as I made the concious decision to bring them into my life :)
 
carrot_and_parsnip said:
This absolutely sums it up. I would never want to do it, but if it was for the best then I know I would have to, but absolutely not just because they don't fit into my lifestyle. I know things will change over the years to come, but they will always be in the forefront of my mind when it comes to making any decision. Same with my pup, they all deserve their place in my decisions as I made the concious decision to bring them into my life :)
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Here here!

I think it is a lovely thought thinking that they'll be in your life permanently forever, but with the current economic climate, you do have to plan for the what if's and although its not a nice thought it cant be pushed into the back of your mind. You do have to make plans, as its easier in the long run and id that time ever comes you have the back up plan.

My plans for my boys are my family. They have agreed to step in and house my boys if i find myself in debt/ redundancy/ or if i go to rent and they dont allow my pigs, and my dog. Although my dog has a home with both my dad or my grandparents, whereas my pigs have a home always with my mum, my aunty, my future mother in law or my friend Jen. I made these plans long before they came into my life.

I have also agreed with my OH, family and friends a limit on how many i can take in, house, feed, and look after which is four pigs. No more.

I would love to have more pets, i'd like degus, another hamster, more pigs, another dog. But realistically i cannot afford both financially and emotionally (?) to give them the time, love and attention they'd need, their health, wellbeing would suffer if i took anymore on, and i dont know what the future holds so its not in their best interest for me to take them on.

Not to be down or anything :)) But i take such pride in knowing that my boys are receiving a brilliant quality of life, and I'm providing them with that. I'm not compromising anything for them, and i love the fact that if they need vet treatment i can provide.

I think we should sometimes, take a moment to appreciate our animals and the life we give them, we are all doing a brilliant job in caring for them, and they are loved so much.xx>>>

Now i'll shut up.........
 
AudioHeart said:
I could.

I could give up my boys tomorrow if i couldn’t care for them properly. If i knew i wasn’t giving them the right care, attention and life that they deserved, if i suddenly found myself in a situation whereby i felt overwhelmed by the amount of piggies i had or that i wasnt giving them medical attention and they were suffering.

Basically if it was in the best intrest of the piggies i could give them up,if i was sacrificing their happiness and wellbeing for my own interest, then yes i could.

But i would not just give them up because i got bored (which i highly doubt ill ever become 'bored' they are apart of my life now, if i had a new relationship and the pigs didnt fit in that, if i had a new routine, lifestyle etc. The pigs come before me, and i think that works for me.

So all in all, if my boys were not receiving the life they are entitled too and i was compromising their happiness and health then yes i could.

(Now i feel like a terrible piggie mum for saying i'd give them up.. :( gawd, thats a horrible thought...:( i love my boys so much they're like my children. :( )
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This is what I would say yes to. I could give them up, if I had no other options. If I lost my job, sold everything precious to me and still couldn't find another job or just couldn't make ends meet and they were suffering, I would give them up.It's not fair on them if I can't provide the level of care that they deserve.
That being said, if you look in the right places, you can find the basic things they need at very, very low prices.

I'm lucky because if I ever were in that position, my family would come to the rescue. They know how much my boys mean to me. My Grandad, when he was still alive, used to sometimes give me a bit of extra money and tell me "Buy your pigs something nice." and he'd help me with vets bills and all sorts...And I never even ASKED him for help. My brother has bought me hay and food on the rare times that my wages have either no come in or have been wrong and I've struggled.
My dad will give me a bit extra here and there if it's for my boys and my mum gets all the people in her street to save up newspapers for me :))

But there are also other circumstances, besides money issues that could mean having to give them up. Some people are horrible and they do get bored and hand them over...But some people are also very brave and they have to make a choice that they never even imagined they would have to make.

There was a time when I had to decide to give up one of my boys. Thankfully it didn't come to that but it almost did and I made my choice for their benefit. It was hard and I didn't like thinking about it but I HAD to.
I'm just glad I never had to go through with it.
But being there, or, almost there...I can see why some people have to make that decision.

They aren't all horrible people. Some of them do it out of love.
Sadly...There are far more that do it because their pets are nothing more but a passing fad.
 
I totally agree that whilst I would hate too, I would if circumastances meant they'd be better off elsewhere, no-one knows what the future holds, I have a friend whose 30 something year old husband has been in hospital for the past year after a brain infection which he'll never fully recover from - one minute they were unpacking the grocery shopping and that's the last time they had a full conversation (he's just learning to talk again) and you have to think that those sort of circumstances and the potential impact on pets etc. Also as others have said, money problems can easily spiral out of control if out of work etc.

I rehomed a rabbit 11 years ago- I STUPIDLY bought him from a petshop when I was 18 and living in a shared student house, but realised after a few months that my lifestyle (working nights and uni in the days), financial circumstances and lack of knowledge just meant he wasn't getting the care and attention he needed, he was on his own most of the time stuck in my room, so I gave him to a lady I knew who had other rabbits locally, I regret buying him in the first place, because it really wasn't something I looked into and considered, but I don't regret rehoming him as my life wasn't stable at all at the time.
 
I HAVE gave up my boys, it was the hardest thing I had to do.
Our lives have taken a turn that we never saw coming.
I havnt been able to find work for 12 months, my partner lost his job at the same time but was thankfully offered a job in London.
Hes been away from home 4 days a week every week for a year.

Hes paying for two houses,two bills, trains fares etc and we made the decision we would be best moving to London.
Unfortunatly that is no space for an adequate sized guinea pig cage and felt it would be cruel to down size them to an itty bitty cage.

So my boys left to go to Clairelove who has advised me only yesterday they have gone to live with a wonderful couple who have a big garden for them.

So although it was hard, I'm super happy they have a new loving home.
 
Yes I could, if living with me meant that they weren't getting the best care they could have.

I have a single girl at the moment and I am hoping beyond hope that when I go to Milhaven rescue next week that she will accept a gorgeous little boy called Chip to be her husband. I have 7 other girls, and I have not managed to place her in the herd, or with a pair/one of my baby girls so I can keep a herd and a pair. She just doesn't like them or doesn't know how to behave around them.

It's heartbreaking having a single guinea pig that is obviously very very lonely and if I can't help her then I'm going to have to think about finding someone/somewhere that can help her. I don't want to, because although she's a total asbo pig, she's my asbo pig and I love her lots and lots, but I may have to think about what's best for her. Fingers crossed that Joanne at Milhaven can help us out and try to find a solution that works for her!

There are plenty of situations where we as owners may have to consider giving up our guinea pigs. Yes, we chose to have them and we made the decision to look after them for the rest of their lives, but we can end up in a position where looking after piggles properly becomes impossible. It would be selfish to keep them if this happens, so I think they should be given up in this case...
 
I have horrible thoughts that something will render me unable to care for my gang :... - don't worry about myself etc. but the piggies, that's a different story altogether.
Agree with others if I HAD to for their best interests, then sadly, yes I would but not before exploring every option.
Reading threads from the rescues on here and feeling that I know a lot of members, I would want them to go to you guys as you'd keep me updated with them, love them as much as I do.
For now and the forseeable future though, nothing will come between them and me grrrr :(|)
 
Never 8... as long as i can care for them as i do my own children.I may need caring for one day through circumstances and thats a bridge i will cross when the time comes just like i would have too for my piggies.
Piggies are like children they will always be your responsibility.
xx
 
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I had to rehome my little piggie family due to personal reasons here at home. It broke my heart having to make the decision, and I missed them dreadfully when they went. I made sure they went to good homes, and one of the new "mums" (a member on here) sent me regular updates which I so enjoyed.

So yes, sometimes it has to be done, whether one likes it or not - and it's very very hard.:(
 
It would absolutely break my heart, but yes I would give my boys up for the same reasons others have stated. I love and enjoy them so much, but if circumstances dictated that I could no longer give them the care, love and attention they deserve then I would let them go to someone who could for the sake of their health and happiness. I took them on knowing it was a commitment, and I'll stick by that unless there was no possible way I could look after them.
 
my immediate reply of course is NO.............
but if something awful happened to me or that i couldn't look after my babies i'd have to let them go ..........BUT they'd have to be special foster parents, the girls would have to be together and i mean TOGETHER.......... Velvet has special needs

I know of many people who've had to rehome due to the financial crisis or their health they are always devastated.......just totally gutted to do this......... not an easy decision :(
 
If my animals were suffering in any way due to me or my financial circumstances then yes I'd do the humane thing and rehome them, I'd be hurt and upset but more so if I was creating a far worse situation for them.
I once had to rehome my labrador puppy (nearly 1yr old) as he wrecked everything, I tried and tried to train him but he just wasn't having it.
I saw a vet who recommended a dog trainer, we saw him but even he said I couldn't give him what he needed.
I rehomed him privately to a middleaged couple with a farm (non working farm) they sent me updates twice a year.
His attitude completely changed when there was no children near him and he had loads of space so he was happier.
I was heartbroken that he'd gone but I had to do it for his sake.
 
When Mr Fudge bit me today (I was giving him his third and final mite treatment), I thought about re-homing him for a split second!

But seriously, I have considered re-homing one of my pigs on a couple of occasions as she is clearly not happy in our little herd. I have often wondered if she would be happier elsewhere. The other pigs do not seem to like her. She is not exactly an 'angel pig' either and often provokes the others into chasing her away.
 
I know for a fact that I will never get bored with any of my animals and have to give them away through that. If finances got really tight I still think I would do everything to be able to keep my animals as they are my family to me, they are that important.
I don't think I could ever bring myself to give away any of my pets, although I like to think that I would if it meant that they had a better life away from me but only if I absolutely could not provide for them through health reasons or something.
 
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