LB14
Junior Guinea Pig
Sorry, rant alert 
I've only JUST started to calm down almost a week later.
Saw an ad on gumtree of all places for 2 male guinea pigs FREE! comes with cage blah blah blah.
I'd had a facebook message from a local woman the night before asking if I had any guinea pigs available as her rabbits recently died and her and her child were gutted so they wanted to try piggies etc but didn't want to buy them from PAH as so many in rescue.
Great I say, but technically I'm not a rescue. I have room to take them in if someone is desperate then find a good home for them for a forever home - I'm quite picky and won't rehome them unless completely satisfied they're going to be well looked after.
So anyway I say to her, I'll keep my eyes peeled and enquire with the rescue centres that I know of for you if you'd like
All good n well, I see the gumtree ad and ask if shes interested. Brill she says so I message the guy, who couldn't get me there quick enough to pick them up.
I go with my friend and our faces probably said it all to the man.
They were in a cage suitable for a HAMSTER, one was chattering its teeth and clicking them so loud I didn't even wait for an invitation, I reached in the cage and whipped the poor guy out.
The other, a BEAUTIFUL 7 month old peruvian boar, stank. To be frank, was stinking.
So we get out of there asap and head along the motorway to go home with the windows open - no lie - they were reeking
Get them home, the abby was ok but really skinny. The peruvian was a state. Poo, straw, hay, bits of paper, food, all matted into the back of his fur. The top part of his fur was covering it so never seen it properly until I sat down with him for a good look.
His fur - was orange with urine as if he had sat in it for life. I took him to vet as his eye was swollen and weeping and crusty. She suspected an ulcer but further checks showed bad case of conjunctivitis. His teeth - vet suspects the owner had attempted to clip or file them?! They are so damaged there is no enamel left on them and they are all chipped
His weight she said was 200+ grams under what it should be and he badly needs feeding up.
I had bathed him and shampooed twice and combed as much as possible but he had to have a good bit of fur shaved off the matting was that bad.
I'm sorry for the rant, but I genuinely cannot understand WHY people get these pets when they cant be bothered looking after them! The owner claimed to brush his hair daily and regularly trim it but that was obviously bull.
Because I had to let the lady down and keep the boys myself for now, I went with plan B and travelled to pick up some babies - what a mistake THAT was too :O Being led to believe the babies were an accident I went for some for the lady who was looking... Second owner made it clear she was keeping father and a son in with mother so she can become pregnant as quickly as possible for more babies. So no mistake or accident there! They were all in an outdoor hutch in her daughters bedroom which without sounding OTT , was the saddest thing I've ever seen. A bedroom that was so dire and dirty I'm thinking "should I have called social services?"
I just have heard horror stories but never experienced them in person. Now I'm left wondering do I really want to put myself through these situations? I'm feeling really disheartened and sad and not sure I'm mentally strong enough to pick up the pieces of other peoples ignorance and mistakes.
Does anyone here foster for RSPCA/SSPCA? I'm wondering if that is the way to go instead to help these little animals.
Here are some pictures of what Dougal looked like as soon as I got him home
That is not normal is it?
I've only JUST started to calm down almost a week later.
Saw an ad on gumtree of all places for 2 male guinea pigs FREE! comes with cage blah blah blah.
I'd had a facebook message from a local woman the night before asking if I had any guinea pigs available as her rabbits recently died and her and her child were gutted so they wanted to try piggies etc but didn't want to buy them from PAH as so many in rescue.
Great I say, but technically I'm not a rescue. I have room to take them in if someone is desperate then find a good home for them for a forever home - I'm quite picky and won't rehome them unless completely satisfied they're going to be well looked after.
So anyway I say to her, I'll keep my eyes peeled and enquire with the rescue centres that I know of for you if you'd like
All good n well, I see the gumtree ad and ask if shes interested. Brill she says so I message the guy, who couldn't get me there quick enough to pick them up.
I go with my friend and our faces probably said it all to the man.
They were in a cage suitable for a HAMSTER, one was chattering its teeth and clicking them so loud I didn't even wait for an invitation, I reached in the cage and whipped the poor guy out.
The other, a BEAUTIFUL 7 month old peruvian boar, stank. To be frank, was stinking.
So we get out of there asap and head along the motorway to go home with the windows open - no lie - they were reeking
Get them home, the abby was ok but really skinny. The peruvian was a state. Poo, straw, hay, bits of paper, food, all matted into the back of his fur. The top part of his fur was covering it so never seen it properly until I sat down with him for a good look.
His fur - was orange with urine as if he had sat in it for life. I took him to vet as his eye was swollen and weeping and crusty. She suspected an ulcer but further checks showed bad case of conjunctivitis. His teeth - vet suspects the owner had attempted to clip or file them?! They are so damaged there is no enamel left on them and they are all chipped
His weight she said was 200+ grams under what it should be and he badly needs feeding up.
I had bathed him and shampooed twice and combed as much as possible but he had to have a good bit of fur shaved off the matting was that bad.
I'm sorry for the rant, but I genuinely cannot understand WHY people get these pets when they cant be bothered looking after them! The owner claimed to brush his hair daily and regularly trim it but that was obviously bull.
Because I had to let the lady down and keep the boys myself for now, I went with plan B and travelled to pick up some babies - what a mistake THAT was too :O Being led to believe the babies were an accident I went for some for the lady who was looking... Second owner made it clear she was keeping father and a son in with mother so she can become pregnant as quickly as possible for more babies. So no mistake or accident there! They were all in an outdoor hutch in her daughters bedroom which without sounding OTT , was the saddest thing I've ever seen. A bedroom that was so dire and dirty I'm thinking "should I have called social services?"
I just have heard horror stories but never experienced them in person. Now I'm left wondering do I really want to put myself through these situations? I'm feeling really disheartened and sad and not sure I'm mentally strong enough to pick up the pieces of other peoples ignorance and mistakes.
Does anyone here foster for RSPCA/SSPCA? I'm wondering if that is the way to go instead to help these little animals.
Here are some pictures of what Dougal looked like as soon as I got him home
That is not normal is it?
My neighbour was like "oooooh he looks like Dougal from the magic roundabout!". I'm a bit useless with imaginative names (took me days to come up with "GUS") so I instantly called him Dougal lol