Looking For A New Friend, Need Advice

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Typhoon

Typhoon

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Hi, I'm Joel and I'm new here.

I've owned guinea pigs for around 10 years now, and recently one of my guinea pigs, Galaxy, had to be put down due to illness. Her friend Pixie is now alone, and needs a new friend before she gets lonely.

Trouble is I have no idea where to look. I've just got back from Pets at Home, and after the interrogation about the size of Pixie and her age, we came to the conclusion that the guy wasn't going to sell to us- then he sexed a guinea pig and realised all of them were males.

I've spent the last half hour reading appalling reviews of PAH and I've decided that buying from them is a bad idea- although both Galaxy and Pixie plus others came from there and have lived happy lives with no genetic issues or major illnesses at young age. Galaxy had a leg problem, we don't know what caused it but I believe it may have been something malignant.

Anyway, I've had a look and everyone seems to suggest breeders- I know I'm not meant to discuss them here but I have no idea where else to look.

Do I go and buy from PAH or find a breeder? My main issue is there's a distinct lack of breeders near Burnley (I'm in Lancashire) and I'm surrounded by PAH stores.

What do I do? I need to sort this pretty quickly as I hate to leave guinea pigs without companions. Any help is appreciated. Just to clarify I'm looking for a young female guinea pig.
 
Hi Joel, I'm fairly new to owning piggies again (had them when I was younger) but I would thoroughly recommend locating your nearest rescue centre. Not only do they have piggies who need homes but they are brilliant at pairing piggies with new friends. Click on the Rescue Locator at the top of the page and see where it takes you. Good luck! :)
 
Hi Joel. I am very sorry for your loss. The best place for you to get another guinea pig is a rescue. This link will tell you your nearest rescue.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/

By adopting from a rescue you can be sure the guinea pig is correctly sexed, healthy and not pregnant. You will not have to quarantine her either. You could get a neutered boar or sow for Pixie. You may have to travel to a rescue but it is so worth it. They will let Pixie meet the other piggies so she can chose her own friend. It saves getting a guinea pig and finding they do not get on.

You are welcome to post a tribute to Galaxy in the rainbow bridge section.
 
Thanks for the replies. I've found one around 25 minutes from me, Milhaven rescue centre. I might put in an email to them, I don't want to leave it a long time to sort out a friend. Only thing in the way right now is A level exams that are just starting. Typical.

I do like the suggestion of a neutered male guinea pig. I've seen many stores selling only males and I think it's a shame as nobody wants to pay for them to be neutered. I also like the idea that Pixie can choose her own friends- sounds much fairer than having a randomer being shoved into the run with her!

Again, thanks for the suggestions and I'll be sure to check out the rescue centre. This is a nice community, I look forward to hanging around here :)
 
It is definitely unfortunate, but it isn't fair on her to be alone. I'll be sure to get some pics up soon, just need to get one exam out of the way on Friday and I'm free for a bit. Oh the joy. Haha :)

But yeah, I'll drop Milhaven an email and see what they can do for me. I've just looked at their photos of rehabilitated (if that's the right word) guinea pigs and I'm pretty astonished at how good they look after treatment.
 
Hi Joel,

Welcome to the forum. Sorry it had to be in the sad circumstances of you losing Galaxy. Millhaven is a very good rescue & I've heard lots of good things about them. See if you can book to take Pixie in to go dating. Female with neutered male is the easiest pairing to bond successfully & bonding a female with much younger male works as well as pairs of similar age.
 
Hi there, thanks for the welcome. I've just dropped Milhaven an email, so hopefully I can get this sorted pretty soon. The sooner Pixie has a new partner in crime, the sooner I can get back to the wonderful world of magmatic differentiation! I've never thought of rescuing guinea pigs before, and should all go well then I'll definitely be up for it again. Thanks for the suggestion everyone, I think you may have changed the way I buy pets forever. I like this idea a lot more than buying from a shop.
 
Typhoon said:
Hi there, thanks for the welcome. I've just dropped Milhaven an email, so hopefully I can get this sorted pretty soon. The sooner Pixie has a new partner in crime, the sooner I can get back to the wonderful world of magmatic differentiation! I've never thought of rescuing guinea pigs before, and should all go well then I'll definitely be up for it again. Thanks for the suggestion everyone, I think you may have changed the way I buy pets forever. I like this idea a lot more than buying from a shop.
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I am so happy to hear you will be using rescues! That really is wonderful.
 
Typhoon said:
Hi there, thanks for the welcome. I've just dropped Milhaven an email, so hopefully I can get this sorted pretty soon. The sooner Pixie has a new partner in crime, the sooner I can get back to the wonderful world of magmatic differentiation! I've never thought of rescuing guinea pigs before, and should all go well then I'll definitely be up for it again. Thanks for the suggestion everyone, I think you may have changed the way I buy pets forever. I like this idea a lot more than buying from a shop.
Click to expand...

You've got a far better chance of getting a piggy without an illness by adopting from a good rescue.
 
Hi Joel, welcome to the forum, good luck with finding Pixie a friend. I'm sorry to hear about Galaxy.
 
Hi Joel :) Milhaven is a fantastic Rescue, the lady that runs it is really lovely. If you have Facebook, they have a Facebook page too & often will have piggies on there. They do get very busy so I am sure they will get back to you as soon as they are able to. Good luck :)
 
Hi Joel and welcome to the forum, great to know that you'll be rescuing a piggy. I hope Pixie will have a new friend soon and you can post lots of pigtures of them for us to look at! :)
 
Hi Joel and welcome . Good luck with finding a friend for pixie. So sorry to hear about Galaxy.
 
Typhoon said:
Thanks for the replies. I've found one around 25 minutes from me, Milhaven rescue centre. I might put in an email to them, I don't want to leave it a long time to sort out a friend. Only thing in the way right now is A level exams that are just starting. Typical.

I do like the suggestion of a neutered male guinea pig. I've seen many stores selling only males and I think it's a shame as nobody wants to pay for them to be neutered. I also like the idea that Pixie can choose her own friends- sounds much fairer than having a randomer being shoved into the run with her!

Again, thanks for the suggestions and I'll be sure to check out the rescue centre. This is a nice community, I look forward to hanging around here :)
Click to expand...
Milhaven are very good and I am sure that you would find a lovely piggy there.
 
Great that you are caring so much about Pixie!

I have adopted from Milhaven myself and have seen their set-up. I can recommend them most warmly; they are a small, but very high standard, dedicated rescue where you and Pixie will be in very safe hands!

For a sow, you can look at both other sows or neutered boars; age is not as important as mutual liking. I have gone down that route with bereaved piggies of mine several times and always ended up with a new, very loving relationship. it is well worth the extra effort!

PS: Good luck with your exams, too! I hope that your new special little furry guardian angel is looking out for you, knowing how much care you are taking over her friend! ;)
 
Hello and welcome. Pixie is lucky to have such a caring owner who cares about her welfare. I hope you soon find her a companion. Milhaven are very reputable and their Facebook page is fab too.
 
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