Despite telling myself no no no, I ended up buying 3 guinea pigs from a breeder today. A certain local lady was selling 4 guinea pigs ( 3 sows and 1 boar) and a rabbit on cheapcycle, £5 each.
When I offered to help, not knowing she was a breeder and thinking maybe she had got herself into a bit of a muddle, she was fine until I explained I was a rescue and re-homing centre. Then the communiction via email became very cold and finally stopped.
I therefore approched under another name and asked if we could view the guinea pigs with a view to buying some for my 11 year old daughter. At this point she added that she was a breeder and she would be happy to sell them to us. I asked the obvious question, have the sows been in with the boar? The answer was "yes but only for a week. It takes at least 21 days for them to get pregnant". Hmmmm .....in who's experience? mallethead
Then she prcoceeded to say that if they did happen to have babies we were welcome to sell them on or return them at 5 weeks old.....I'm fuming at this point.
She asked no questions as to our surroundings here and how we would care for them.
Well we have been told they are 6 months old....no way! 12 - 16 weeks max. They are tiny and I have taken a picture of them standing next to my mobile to for size comparison.
One of these girlies is almost certainly pregnant as her tummy is hard and the shape of pregnancy has formed. The other two have a firm tummy so chances are they are in the early pregnancy stage.
They came from a group of 9 mixed sex guinea pigs in a run measuring approx 4x4ft. Some of the sows are smaller than the ones I brought home and ready to give birth any second now. Still in with the boars ( their brothers)
Words fail me...how irresponsible selling a pregnant guinea pig to a child....never mind about 3 pregnant guinea pigs!
In fact, everything about her set up gives the impression of a heartless irresponsible breeder, including the 3 rabbits hutches in a 5ft x 2ft hutch.
The world's going mad!
Rant over....
When I offered to help, not knowing she was a breeder and thinking maybe she had got herself into a bit of a muddle, she was fine until I explained I was a rescue and re-homing centre. Then the communiction via email became very cold and finally stopped.
I therefore approched under another name and asked if we could view the guinea pigs with a view to buying some for my 11 year old daughter. At this point she added that she was a breeder and she would be happy to sell them to us. I asked the obvious question, have the sows been in with the boar? The answer was "yes but only for a week. It takes at least 21 days for them to get pregnant". Hmmmm .....in who's experience? mallethead
Then she prcoceeded to say that if they did happen to have babies we were welcome to sell them on or return them at 5 weeks old.....I'm fuming at this point.
She asked no questions as to our surroundings here and how we would care for them.
Well we have been told they are 6 months old....no way! 12 - 16 weeks max. They are tiny and I have taken a picture of them standing next to my mobile to for size comparison.
One of these girlies is almost certainly pregnant as her tummy is hard and the shape of pregnancy has formed. The other two have a firm tummy so chances are they are in the early pregnancy stage.
They came from a group of 9 mixed sex guinea pigs in a run measuring approx 4x4ft. Some of the sows are smaller than the ones I brought home and ready to give birth any second now. Still in with the boars ( their brothers)
Words fail me...how irresponsible selling a pregnant guinea pig to a child....never mind about 3 pregnant guinea pigs!
In fact, everything about her set up gives the impression of a heartless irresponsible breeder, including the 3 rabbits hutches in a 5ft x 2ft hutch.
The world's going mad!
Rant over....
