I am very thankful for being able to go to our local animal shelter/humane society and meet a piggy tomorrow. Unfortunately they only ahve the one and I was looking to get it a cage mate (if they liked eachother..if not i'd keep them seperated).....
My big panic is since the humane society here has no other piggy's... I was going to check some out at one of the pet stores here in Edmonton....
However I have read soo MANY reports about sickly / mis-sexed piggy's that come from pet stores ... I really want to get it a cage mate so it's not lonely when i am at work -- but has anyone had good experiences with STORE bought piggys?
Please, any ideas would help (i know how to look for a healthy one, but thats about it) =)
I live in edmonton alberta canada... I've been looking for rescue's but can not locate any that have piggies except for the one that I am going to tomorrow.
Although I have heard of good experiences about getting them at a petstore (remember, i'm looking for a cage mate for the one i'm getting tomorrow).. My concern is getting one that might be pregnant or sick 8...
At this point I am debating either going to the petstore (petcetra) and gauging to the best of our abilities it's health and keeping it seperate for a few weeks... or waiting for another one to come up in the same shelter that will be a female as well - this could take some time. I have already put a wanted post in a local online pet site just in case. Or I could go to the pet store and bring it to the vet perhaps?
I really don't want her to be lonely for too long once I get her .. I have the time to spend with her but from what i've read piggys love to have cage mates (or even some type of company even if they are seperated or don't get along)
Congratulations on getting a new piggy! if you are going to get a store bought piggy perhaps research on how to correctly tell the sex of a piggy and we must have some pics of the new arrival
Congratulations on your new addition. It's a strange situation that you find yourself in, around here it is very unusual to be able to get one piggie, the normal rule is that they go in pairs unless they are from someone without much knowledge or that the piggie has been tried to be bonded and hasn't been successful. Not sure this helps but good luck.
Thank you for the advice. Since it's the local humane shelter for animals, I was hoping she would have a cage mate there already... aparantly she is the ONLY guinea there..the poor thing!
Once there I will speak with the vet and follow their advice regarding seeking a cage mate for her. They may be able to point me to a decent pet store and offer some more advice. (Some stores in Alberta are partnered up with the organizations and ensure the animals are not mistreated in the shops) I know what to look for when checking the sex of the guinea, just haven't handled one before :red .
Otherwise...if she has to wait until I can find a female friend that's healthy then I'm ok with that if the vet advises. If the vet gives me a thumbs up to get one from the pet store I will keep them seperate for a few weeks anyway
I have already filled out all the pre-adoption paperwork to save time in the adoption proces...it's 2:00am and I can't sleep!
Congrats on the new piggie. You can find others all around if you just open your eyes. It wouldnt hurt her to live on her own for a short while just give her extra cuddle time
all 5 of mine have been store bought piggies, the only problem ive had is 1 was mis-sexed but now i know what to look for i check myself. i went to a shop i know others have had no problems with
I know we are a pro-rescue forum but it is not 'wrong' to get a piggy from a pet shop - it's just preferable to try and give a homeless piggy a second chance if there are any in your area. It's clear you've done this with the first one!
If you end up going to a pet shop I recommend that as well as working out the correct sex, look for clear eyes, a good healthy coat. See if you can check the front teeth to see if they are OK and also have a check of their feet. Check their breathing is clear on their chest (might be a bit of a sniffy pig - my Garry is like that and is OK but that all comes at the front!). A good solid piggy is normally a healthy one!
I have had no problems with buying piggy's from pet stores. I have always have shop brought ones.
The P&H i have near me, looks after the animals well. And before they give them away to you, they talk to you all about whether you have the equipment and food etc for them and i have to sign a form to say that i will look after them properly.
They say that if you do get a piggy that doesn't look well after you've had it for a few days then you can take it back and i think you get a free vet check up.
I have had no problems with buying piggy's from pet stores. I have always have shop brought ones.
The P&H i have near me, looks after the animals well. And before they give them away to you, they talk to you all about whether you have the equipment and food etc for them and i have to sign a form to say that i will look after them properly.
They say that if you do get a piggy that doesn't look well after you've had it for a few days then you can take it back and i think you get a free vet check up.
And the people who have provided me with the pig had even got the sexes right.
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... I really want to get it a cage mate so it's not lonely when i am at work -- but has anyone had good experiences with STORE bought piggys?
and we must have some pics of the new arrival 
