Is There Such Thing As Piggy Foster Carers?

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GeorgesHuman

GeorgesHuman

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I have heard of people fostering dogs and cats that are in homeless and rescue centres, but is there such thing as fostering for piggies in such situations?

I don't really want to take a permanent piggy on as I already have three very naughty boars and they're already a handful (in the most cute, lovely sort of way!), but we could easily open our home up to one or two more boars as I have a spare cage. We could offer a place for a month or even more at a time and be able to spoil the piggy/ies and give them lots of free range time and lots and lots of love. I would love to contact a rescue centre and offer my house as a little 'B&B' for their piggies to come and have a break, but will they think i'm crazy?!
 
I would advise contacting your local rescue. You can use our recommended Rescue locator at the top of the page. Some rescues do use fosterers, Walsall RSPCA are always on the look out for experienced Foster Homes.
 
no there are people who have fostered before especially over winter when rescues are closed or in cases where huge numbers of animals have been rescued and spaces in rescues are limited. I would defo contact your nearby rescues. What about a holiday hotel for locals too? You could advertise in your neighbourhood to take care of piggies while owners go away
 
We regularly foster for a rescue and have found it a very rewarding experience. We usually foster between Christmas, New Year and Easter Holidays, or when the rescue is extremely full due to an emergency intake..
The reason we foster during this time is that the rescue doesn't re-home during these holiday periods unless under exemplary circumstances. The rescue finds that a piggie is more likely to be re-homed from the rescue rather than from a photo on an internet page.
It is amazing how attached you become to the piggies in your temporary care and we have almost failed on several occasions and joined the ranks of failed fosterer's.

Lisa & Ali.. x
 
Hello lisaali, thanks for your reply. Why did you almost be a failed fosterer? Is it because you wanted to keep them all? I feel I may be like that, but I just can't take on any more permanent piggies...I just can't!

Is it really hard to say goodbye? I fall in love with animals really easily and fear that I will fall to bits when it would be time to say goodbye to the temporary residents, so how hard it is to say goodbye, and what keeps you doing it again and again? I imagine it is incredibly rewarding :)
 
GeorgesHuman said:
Hello lisaali, thanks for your reply. Why did you almost be a failed fosterer? Is it because you wanted to keep them all? I feel I may be like that, but I just can't take on any more permanent piggies...I just can't!

Is it really hard to say goodbye? I fall in love with animals really easily and fear that I will fall to bits when it would be time to say goodbye to the temporary residents, so how hard it is to say goodbye, and what keeps you doing it again and again? I imagine it is incredibly rewarding :)
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Yes you do become very attached to your foster piggies. There are so many different characters who are so unique in their own special ways. It is also maybe because you know where they have come from before they went to the rescue. It is very rewarding as we have said and it is such a good feeling to have a piggy or piggies come to you for a short while and then leave you for their forever home. It is hard to say goodbye as they soon become part of your family and for us our spare room is so silent afterwards with no wheekers visiting.

We would recommend fostering as the rewards far outweigh the sadness of saying goodbye and the changes can be remarkable if you are fostering shy skittish pigs as they get used to you and being around other piggies. You are helping them on their road in life to hopefully a new home via the rescue and whilst they are with you more urgent cases can be handled by the rescue. By fostering a piggy you are not only fostering one piggy but are in many cases saving a life of another one in need who can find rescue space.

Have a look at this thread, one of our experiences of foster piggies..
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/drum-roll-please-for-mango-morocco.109272/

Lisa & Ali..x
 
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