How come some rescues dont rehome to houses with kids? - genuine curiosity here :-)

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Bekki

Bekki

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As title, just curious ... obviously I think rescues are awesome and I have adopted all 5 of my guinea pigs so far and my rabbit and 3 hamsters .....

What makes you choose the age that you say no my guinea pigs are not going there ? I know that between rescues this age differs.

Please no flaming of rescues for their policies I am sure they have their reasons I am just curious as to what they are :-)
 
Maybe some rescues have or have had piggies with poor backgrounds and are therefore really nervous so they say no kids hoping for a calmer envrionment? And if you do it once you kind of have to make it a policy as opposed to one rule for one, one for another? Just guessing/thinking aloud x
 
Agree with gogoguineas - think many people opt for piggies as a suitable pet for young children too but in reality, they're not. No animal is suited in my eyes as a childs pet as boredom kicks in so think it makes people looking for a piggy as a kids pet, not as easy as they think (although pet shops will sell them to anyone)
My kids have grown up with animals living with us but they were never deemed as 'theirs' I was the responsible person for them but they always respected what intervention they were allowed (or not)
Even my daughter who is 20 tomorrow still moans at me for not allowing her to help with the piggies :x
They're MINE :(|) ;)
 
The rescues who don't rehome to homes with young children have usually all had bad experiences; not all parents supervise their children at all times. Quite a few of the most traumatised piggies coming into rescue are children's ex-pets!
 
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There's probably also an element of how the parents come across too, if they want a pet to 'teach their child responsibility' it's going to make you more cautious than someone who is looking for a family pet, and the parents take more interest in the animal.
 
Personally, I feel, that this shouldn't be a blanket rule.

We have 2 guinea pigs and a dog as adored family pets.

My daughter, aged 3 at the time and now 4, is involved with me in feeding, walking, cleaning, stroking and holding etc. She knows the rules and abides by them. We can do things together with the animals but never alone. She will ask me if its ok to give them some hay etc and we do it together and so on.

It would be a shame if we return to the UK and i'm forced to buy guinea pigs because Rescues won't rehome to households with young children.

Obviously I'm not on the front line, seeing abused animals day in day out but I do think that meeting the family and making individual decisions is important.
 
ts1 said:
It would be a shame if we return to the UK and i'm forced to buy guinea pigs because Rescues won't rehome to households with young children.
Click to expand...

This sort of thing was why I really questioned the idea, I get that pets are not to be 100% childrens responsibility but I also get that if people want something that is so cheap they will just go buy it so atleast if from a rescue they have a chance of having the right cage and a lifetime of support and help
 
Each rescue has it's own policies, usually based on their own views and experiences, so there is a wide variations on the ages of children, other pets, accommodation type, etc. So there should be a rescue to suit every type of family with a little research.

On an individual basis regarding the animals in rescue - not all personalities suit all types of families. Some would suit a quiet home, while others would thrive in a busy home. This is a big part of the rehoming process, so that a good match can be made and the family get the right pet for them and the pet gets the right home.

HTH

Suzy x
 
It's all based on the rescue managers views I suppose. I was recently turned down for what in my opinion was a stupid reason but everyone has a right to their opinions in life. I personally though feel that as long as there is one responsible carer and the animal will get loved then that's enough however this doesn't seem to be the case for everyone and I don't run a rescue so I wouldn't know the ins and outs. I have to say though if I did run a rescue those two would be my main concerns, for whatever animal I were rehoming.
 
I meant to add I don't think it should be a blaket rule either, for example my OH has two children, 14 and 11 but despite my piggies living in the kitchen in an open c&c they couldn't be less interested! neither are they boisterous so its not an issue in our household.
 
I can understand why some rescues won't although i know it must be frustrating if you find the perfect piggies but you have kids as your kids may be perfect but it's hard to make judgements and exceptions.

My guinea pig Bentley could never go with children he hates them, without being horrible he's very timid and shy and doesn't get on with anyone he doesn't know and is more the pig for elderly people or those who are willing to just sit and be quiet as that's all he wants. My boyfriends mum has foreign students that stay sometimes and we try to not introduce Bentley as much as he gets so scared.
Where as in complete contrast my pig Chester loves people and never even nips just licks no matter what and wants to cuddle and play all day long !

I guess the rescues just do whats best for the pets in question !
 
Every rescue has different policies, unfortunately some parents get the pets 'for their kids' but don't realise they will end up doing most of the care. I do however think every case should be assessed individually, for example when I was 9 I got my first guinea pigs, and they came in riddled with mites. Back in those days you didn't have Ivermectin pipettes, you had to bathe your piggy every day...so that's what I did. My sister on the other hand cuddled her hamster once then got bored of it!

Some rescues however go a bit far with their rules in my opinion, which unfortunately does lead to people going to pets at home as there are no questions asked. I recognise piggies in rescue need long term, stable homes, but I think the rules can be bent sometimes if people tick 90% of the boxes
 
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