Guinea Pig Rescue

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Maisy and Poppy

Maisy and Poppy

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hiya, do you have tips and ideas for a guinea of rescue. Sorry if this is in the wrong section! I would house hutches in a large shed and max guinea pigs would be around 10. Thanks!
 
Hi

It is great that you are thinking about opening a rescue. Your best bet would be to ask some of the rescues on here. Do you have a rescue close to you? Maybe you could ask if you could go and help out for a day to have some idea what it's really like.

Rescuing is very rewarding but also demanding and I imagine upsetting when you are dealing with poorly / mistreated piggies.

You also need to think about cost as most rescues relay on public donations and even spending from their own pocket whilst also holding down a full time job.

Good luck.
 
I think it's great that your thinking of opening a rescue. Your a braver person than me. I have seen on hear that not only is it very time consuming but can also be very expensive with vets running into thousand of pounds per month. Have you considered being a fosterer for a near by rescue as an alternative?
 
Yes, I might. If I rescued piggies, I have friends and family who are looking for piggies so they would get good homes quickly hopefully! My nearest rescue is RSPCA Millbrook and is 30mins away from me!
 
I would recommend that you start with fostering for a rescue to get experience with neglected and pregnant piggies in bad state. Speak to other rescue ladies on here as to what standards they run their rescue to, how they finance it and what kind of back-up they have (volunteers, fosterers, vet access, fundraising).

Running a rescue is not just physically and emotionally very taxing as you cannot save every piggy and a fair number will be past mending or die during or shortly after birth with lost litters, it is also a round the clock commitment. It is also extremely important that you make sure that you have a sound financing system in place, so you do not end up as yet another one in the long line of sanctuaries and rescues that are overwhelmed and have to be rescued from themselves. One of the worst parts is the people you will have to deal with, not just to get piggies out of a dire situation, but also potential adopters or breeders; you will be facing abuse on a regular basis.
 
Wiebke said:
I would recommend that you start with fostering for a rescue to get experience with neglected and pregnant piggies in bad state. Speak to other rescue ladies on here as to what standards they run their rescue to, how they finance it and what kind of back-up they have (volunteers, fosterers, vet access, fundraising).

Running a rescue is not just physically and emotionally very taxing as you cannot save every piggy and a fair number will be past mending or die during or shortly after birth with lost litters, it is also a round the clock commitment. It is also extremely important that you make sure that you have a sound financing system in place, so you do not end up as yet another one in the long line of sanctuaries and rescues that are overwhelmed and have to be rescued from themselves. One of the worst parts is the people you will have to deal with, not just to get piggies out of a dire situation, but also potential adopters or breeders; you will be facing abuse on a regular basis.
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Thank you! Rescue would only be a small one!
 
I started my own rescue last year. I have found it very time consuming and incredibly difficult to find homes mainly due to the fact my nearest is 15 mile away and have such a good reputation.

I have found that while I am ill I have no one to help clean out the piggies and it has also had a major impact on my family too. So I have made the decision to close and have secured rescue space with some other rescues and another who in the mean time is also advertising.

Becoming established is the very hardest thing and then also having a good network of supporters and volunteers is a must. You have also got to be able to financially support the rescue and be able and willing to get vet treatment for any sick piggy.

You say you have friends and family who will adopt, will they be willing to pay an adoption donation?
What will happen once those homes are filled ? Will you be able to find others?
What about experience, what happens if you get a pregnant piggie who is having a difficult time, do you have a guinea savvy vet for emergencies ?
You need to have a plan and really think of every possibility.

I really hope you are successful if you go ahead but be prepared.
 
As everyone has said above, would it not be wiser for now to see if you could become a foster carer for a rescue, to see if you could cope with the stresses and strains of looking after a large amount of piggies full time?
 
Some guineas come in and have never had love, they are very scared and nervous. You need to be able to give this time to them to be able to tame them ready for their new forever home.
Home checks too are so important, are you able to deal with an abusive person who you have just rejected ?

There are so many other things I could put to this thread but I think you have enough to think about :)
 
I will properly foster care as I want to give rescue piggies the best second chance in life as possible. Yes I have a local vet about 5 mins away. Yes they are willing to pay a donation. One friend is looking for a sow or neutered boar to make a trio with her sows, other friends and family looking for a pair or trio of piggies! I properly will be able to find others. I have thought about home checks, I would recommend this forum and I can give piggies lots of 5* care and TLC!
 
I foster for my local Rspca centre, where I also volunteer. Due to ongoing health issues, this is all I can manage, but it is incredibly rewarding for me. Good luck if you go ahead with your plans. Wishing you all the best x
 
We would also reiterate what others have said, look at fostering for a reputable rescue, this will give you a understanding of what is involved in the short to long term care of piggies, Fostering is a very rewarding experience, although it does have its share of heartbreak. There is no harm in finding forever homes for your fosters conjunction with the rescue you foster for. That way you can build up confidence and more importantly a network of people who you can rely on, all this being done with the guidance of the rescue.

Lisa & Ali..
 
Everyone has suggested fostering so what is it? Is it like guide dog puppies where you care for the piggie, the rescue pays for everything until they can find the piggies a new home?
 
Maisy and Poppy said:
Everyone has suggested fostering so what is it? Is it like guide dog puppies where you care for the piggie, the rescue pays for everything until they can find the piggies a new home?
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It is similar, but it depends very much on how much funds a rescue has as to what they can afford to pay you above medical cost. Many fosterers pay for the living cost of their foster piggies out of their own pocket and provide the cages.
 
I foster for a rescue and I have the best of both worlds as l get to look after some beautiful piggies but l don't have the stress of being on the frontline in a rescue. I have considered setting up my own rescue as there is a huge demand but it really would take over my life. Another issue is when we get piggies that are not well enough to be rehomed, you need to be prepared to offer those pigs sanctuary for the rest of their lives. I have 10 piggies if my own who were not able to be rehomed. Well done for wanting to help the piggies but l agree with fostering first before you commit to being a rescue.
 
Aren't you quite young? Going on previous posts? And yesterday you were going to be running a boarding service? ....

Not to rain on your parade, but I have a special needs pig, he needs so much care an extra special attention. I'm A full time student and home all the time, and at times find it a struggle. Especially with making sure I give my other boy enough attention. How would you, be able to cope with taking in piggies who may have these special needs and vet bills to be forked out, when you still rely on your parents? :/

Fostering may be a good option as others have said, but many rescues won't allow you to home them outside for one, and you've said on numerous occasions you can't have them inside and can't have more than one cage bigger than a 120cm if you do have them inside...

I dunno, just suggesting maybe don't jump the gun - it's lovely you want to help the piggies but I think sometimes it's better to hold back, learn and then maybe when your older and have the space you could foster or run a rescue.
 
I've only recently started my own rescue 6 weeks ago after previously helping at another rescue 25 miles away including fostering. I'm also heavily involved in the piggy trains & now have lots of friends in recue circles.

You've really got to decide how much space & money you can devote to this. Don't overstretch yourself & always only handle what you have space & money for. You'd need to quarantine for 3 weeks to monitir & make sure they haven't got any health issues. Also decide whether you're going to have a neutering policy for males. Important to have a really good piggy savvy vet & see them about special terms of discounts for treatment. You need to also think about keeping bonded males especially un-neutered males housed away from females as this can happen & I think it may have possibly happened witha pair I took in although they have been what I would have called quite boisterous with each other.

You'll need a website or a facebook page & then a facebook group where your supporters can discuss things. Also sort out surrender forms, homecheck forms & adoption forms. Try & get all your requirements for adoption listed so people know in advance, things like cage size etc.

It needs a lot of though & I wish you well if you do start a rescue. I'm just starting to get piggies re-homed now & more newcomers coming in over next few days x
 
I agree with all its not a decision to be taken lightly and without a good, solid plan, supports and some experience.

I have a sort of long term plan/ dream of starting a sort of rescue/ retirement home and believe it or not I would not look to do it anytime soon. I have started by gaining experience by working in a bigger rescue and fostering for another, learning loads about different aspects of care. I'm also writing a business type plan (call me sad) where I'm writing down all aspects and things I would need such as promotion, volunteers, estimated costs, space, quarantine, etc. In addition to that I have started a small fund where I'm putting a bit of money aside to go towards that dream one day.

It might not happen but if it does I want to be really well prepared.

Good luck if you decide to go ahead.
 
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