Finding A Breeder

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Suza24

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Hi everyone. I am a new member living in bedfordshire. We are looking good to buy a pair of rex sows for our daughters 1st pets (5&6) we have been informed that this is the most laid back breed and that sows are more suitable than boars.
However, we are having trouble locating this breed. Can anyone point us in the right direction to finding some please? We don't mind travelling a bit to get them :)
Many thanks.
 
Hello, welcome to the forum.

This is a rescue friendly forum so we don't promote breeding or have details of breeders.

To be honest with you piggies are piggies and fur rarely makes a difference to personality. Guinea Pigs aren't like dogs in that respect.

Have you thought of going to a rescue? Rescue piggies are fully health checked and bonded and to be honest you can often get a particular breed you are looking for. You are also giving some piggies a good home too

We have a link to our recommended rescue locator here Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator

Here are a few threads on piggies and what they need and also children and piggies that may be helpful on your piggy journey


Getting Guinea Pigs? Items You'll Need To Buy?
Children And Guinea Pigs - Age Appropriate Interaction And Responsibilities.
Children And Guinea Pigs - A Guide For Parents

Hope that helps

Lee
 
Suza24 said:
Hi everyone. I am a new member living in bedfordshire. We are looking good to buy a pair of rex sows for our daughters 1st pets (5&6) we have been informed that this is the most laid back breed and that sows are more suitable than boars.
However, we are having trouble locating this breed. Can anyone point us in the right direction to finding some please? We don't mind travelling a bit to get them :)
Many thanks.
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome!

Rex piggies have become pretty rare. Please be aware that we are a a strictly pro-rescue, non-breeding forum, so we cannot give any information on that score anyway. You also have to be aware that the vast majority of breeder piggies is not used to human contact, so you won't get instant pets. Guinea pigs are prey animals first and foremost, the same as bunnies, with all their reflexes.

I would strongly recommend to contact one of our recommended rescues for a pair of guinea pigs that are suitable as family pets. Individual personalities vary enormously, so there is no ideal breed; it is more of a case of knowing the individual guinea pigs and looking for ones that are used to being pets.
The rescues that we recommend know their guinea pigs' personalities, have no interest in rehoming their charges into unsuitable places for the sake of money and can guarantee that their guinea pigs are all properly sexed, carefully bonded, not pregnant and healthy/quarantined.


You may find these links here helpful in your research for guinea pigs:
Children And Guinea Pigs - A Guide For Parents (includes a chapter on what to look out for in guinea pigs)
Children And Guinea Pigs - Age Appropriate Interaction And Responsibilities.
Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator

More information for wannabe owners:
Quick Information Bundle For Wannabe Owners
 
Every breed has their own personality, I think Abby's have the most energetic personalities, Peruvians are really laid back, Smooth coats can be very loyal, every one I've had has loved lap time, the Abby's like to be on the move (apart from Tilly), I'm not familiar with Rex though.
As you can see from my profile picture, the one on the left is LIquorice, she was a abby and had the most laid back personality, she went against the grain for the usual Abby traits, loved her cuddle times too.
BonBon in the middle, she was the adventurous one, often leading the piggy train around the room. Treacle was more reserved, she loved lap time, and pop corned to the end.
 
I have to admit I've always wanted a Rex, for the same reason as you. However, if you go to a rescue and enquire about their personalities you may find that they have a super-relaxed one. They may not, but at least with good rescues they can tell you a bit about their personalities and will try to match the right pig to you and your home :)

You may find someone advertising a Rex in local or international online ads. However beware that some of these, many in fact, are often not genuine re-home cases, and whilst I do know of some caring breeders (not of Rex) there are some right awful horror stories. I mean seriously dreadful, so I'd just advise taking care and not choosing just because it's a Rex, but being very careful about the back-ground.
 
Am I the only person to have a non relaxed Rex here? :)) Sarsaparilla is one of the grumpiest piggies I know, completely tame but will teeth chatter at me if I look at her somedays - a complete diva pig :)) Our most laid back piggies where two short haired ones Cookie and Treacle. I have honestly not found any of our same breeds similar in personalities.
 
There isn't a really strong link between temperament and breed the way there is in purebred dogs that have been bred for certain behaviors (i.e. herding, hunting, etc.) Guinea pigs pretty much behave like guinea pigs and there are individual differences in temperament that are not necessarily correlated to breed. Your best bet would be to meet specific piggies and see if you can find a pair whose temperaments are to your liking. Baby guinea pigs of any breed are going to be skittish and will need some time to make friends with, so be aware of that going in. There are good resources on the board for befriending new pigs. Adult pigs from a rescue that are used to humans will be more docile from the get-go. We first started keeping guinea pigs when my kids were similar in age (mine were 7, 5, and 2 when we got our first pair of guinea pigs), so if you have any questions about kids and pigs, feel free to ask! Lots of luck in finding your new pets!
 
Ahh, thank you everyone for year replies :) one of the reasons we were looking to buy from a breeder was because we thought they would be better cared for than the ones in pet shops....
Can anyone recommend a rescue centre in/near bedfordshire?
Many thanks :)
 
OK scrap that question! I've just seen a link in the first reply! Thanks :)
 
Suza24 said:
Ahh, thank you everyone for year replies :) one of the reasons we were looking to buy from a breeder was because we thought they would be better cared for than the ones in pet shops....
Can anyone recommend a rescue centre in/near bedfordshire?
Many thanks :)
Click to expand...
Will do some looking for you :)
 
Can you travel to St Albans at all? if so I recommend Hazelcroft rescue.
 
Suza24 said:
Ahh, thank you everyone for year replies :) one of the reasons we were looking to buy from a breeder was because we thought they would be better cared for than the ones in pet shops....
Can anyone recommend a rescue centre in/near bedfordshire?
Many thanks :)
Click to expand...

Click on this link here and add your post code. This will then list your closest recommended rescues where you will be in safe, experienced hands! I would think that you likely have got 3 or 4 good rescues within reasonable reach.

Sadly, like breeders, anybody can call themselves "rescue", so it is very much a buyers/adopters beware minefield. We have listed the good rescues where you will be in absolutely safe hands and that we can guarantee for in our rescue locator to spare our new owners unpleasant surprises and a steep and often very expensive learning curve. It is well worth going that bit further afield for absolute peace of mind.
 
I've had Rex piggies from a breeder in the past & yes they are lovely, but both mine were short lived, possibly due to a genetic problem :( Young baby piggies may look cute but unless you handle them often they remain skittish & difficult to handle for young children. You are better off with a young pair from a Rescue that gave been well handled. Please also consider carefully that your chikdren are very young so you will be responsible for the piggies' care, for a good 5-6 years & children can grow bored of pets. Also if they are ill, vet bills can be very expensive even for small animals so insurance or a savings pot is vital.
 
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