Pet Store Lied!

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cassybaby89

cassybaby89

Junior Guinea Pig
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I got a female 3month old from the pet store two days ago. It was very spontaneous. We went in for fish. My wife kept looking at the piggies and said she wanted one. We picked the one she wanted, the store gave us info and helped us find a cage. They said nothing about getting a pair and said that the cage we got will be fine as she grows. The cage is 30" by 18". I KNOW WAY TOO SMALL! Now I have an issue. We dropped a lot of money on her cage and all the hay and food she would need along with bedding. I have zero extra money until next month or the end of summer to upgrade her cage and therefore be able to give her the space she needs and a friend. Will she be ok until then? I love animals and I want to make sure I provide what she needs!
 
Can you made her a cage? Old bookcase or cupboard etc.
 
How can anybody sell a cage that small. ? Can you take it back and complain. Are you in the Uk? The range have 120cm cheap.
 
Garden said:
How can anybody sell a cage that small. ? Can you take it back and complain. Are you in the Uk? The range have 120cm cheap.
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Because most pet stores will lie about what cages are "good enough" just to make a sale. They care about money, not the animals.

I agree with VickiA, maybe check out what it may cost you to make a cage and ask about the possibility of a refund on the other one.
 
Cannot find the link but somebody on here made a lovely cage with a bookcase on its side
 
I am in the US. I was going to call petco and see what they say about reimbursement. I would like to adopt her friend and not buy. will she be ok for a while on her own?I have cats I am worried about the c&c cages due to this fact.
 
If the quality of information you have had so far is reflecting their overall knowledge then I would be double checking that firstly you have a female and secondly if she is a girl, waiting to see if she is pregnant although that takes a couple of months or so to become evident and company for her sooner rather than later would be preferable.

You can put lids on a C&C cage, or I believe there are comparable set ups that come looking more like a traditional cage. Midwest? That might be one.
 
How can I check if she is a girl or not? How long to wait to see if she is pregnant? They said she is a baby 3 months old. I don't know that that is exact but she is very small.
 
The Midwest Guinea pig habitat is a great cage! I have it for my boys and they adore it! There is a deluxe version that comes with a lid and a small kitchen area to help you keep it clean. I only have the basic Midwest but it sells at Walmart (here in Canada so Canadian dollars) for around $45. I'm not sure that the locations actually keep them stocked but they are available online to be ordered. There is very very little assembly required and it truly is a great cage
 
As for sexing try to get a clear photo of your piggys private parts and post it here or under the sexing section of the forum and the members here should be able to help you out. Mind you taking her to a vet to be sexed is also an option as a professional will be able to tell you the sex despite her being very young/small
 
cassybaby89 said:
I got a female 3month old from the pet store two days ago. It was very spontaneous. We went in for fish. My wife kept looking at the piggies and said she wanted one. We picked the one she wanted, the store gave us info and helped us find a cage. They said nothing about getting a pair and said that the cage we got will be fine as she grows. The cage is 30" by 18". I KNOW WAY TOO SMALL! Now I have an issue. We dropped a lot of money on her cage and all the hay and food she would need along with bedding. I have zero extra money until next month or the end of summer to upgrade her cage and therefore be able to give her the space she needs and a friend. Will she be ok until then? I love animals and I want to make sure I provide what she needs!
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So it's not just me that have had this problem with pet shops! They did the exact same with me, I've only just got another piggy today for my Guinea pig whom I bought at the pet shop and he said he would be fine on his own. As for the cage, you're right in saying it's far too small, have you checked gum tree? Often people sell their cages secondhand for cheap! I'm selling my Guinea pig cage on there soon :)

And your Guinea will be fine until you can afford to upgrade her cage! Just give her lots of love and attention, my little boy was on his own for seven months and he's absolutely fine and a happy little boy. It's great That you care so much!
 
I posted the pics. Anyone who could let me know if she is an actual female would be great!
Keiko The Pig said:
As for sexing try to get a clear photo of your piggys private parts and post it here or under the sexing section of the forum and the members here should be able to help you out. Mind you taking her to a vet to be sexed is also an option as a professional will be able to tell you the sex despite her being very young/small
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I
 
cassybaby89 said:
I posted the pics. Anyone who could let me know if she is an actual female would be great!
I
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It's quite hard because s/he is black down there. One way you can check is by applying some gentle pressure just on that lighter pink area. For a male piggy this pressure causes the penis to emerge (then you know for sure you have a boy!) and I promise it does not hurt your piggy in anyway. My boys are both very cooperative and don't struggle when I check their parts for stray pieces of hay. You said she is 3 months? I have a two month old boy and he doesn't look like that. I can clearly see the swell of his testicles and the penis knob so I'm inclined to say you have a girl but I am no expect. Try getting the penis to emerge (if it is a he!)
 
I am in the US and worked at a different pet chain for 2 years. There are absolutely no laws preventing those crappy cages from being sold for a single pig. Although the store I worked at recommended on the cage cards piggy pairs and I made sure we only sold the rabbit cages for that and told people they would likely want a much bigger cages( showed my c&c pics too). Anyways if you have even a little extra I would go back to the pet shop and explain that you have a lonely pig and need a bigger cage for a pair. See if they will let you return that one for the Midwest starter cage which I have seen them sell. At least at my pet shop I went out of my way to ensure a small cage could be exchanged for a larger one and only have them pay the difference even if it would come at a loss to us, hopefully they will do the right thing.
I believe the Midwest starter cage can be added into. Also your piggy won't die in a small cage temporarily. Ensure she gets lots of floor time for exercise and if you have to wait a month, it would still be far better to eventually get a bigger cage. It's great you found this out and want to do the right thing so don't beat yourself up if you have to make do for a little while, I'm so glad you want to get her a bigger cage.
Also certainly look into fleece bedding, the cost savings over continually buying carefresh are insane, although a little high initially (but summer=fleece sale at Joann) and a little more daily maintenance.
Welcome to the forum!
 
Chlawee said:
So it's not just me that have had this problem with pet shops! They did the exact same with me, I've only just got another piggy today for my Guinea pig whom I bought at the pet shop and he said he would be fine on his own. As for the cage, you're right in saying it's far too small, have you checked gum tree? Often people sell their cages secondhand for cheap! I'm selling my Guinea pig cage on there soon :)

And your Guinea will be fine until you can afford to upgrade her cage! Just give her lots of love and attention, my little boy was on his own for seven months and he's absolutely fine and a happy little boy. It's great That you care so much!
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So frustrating. I feel they have no clue what they are talking about when it comes guinea pigs
Cookies&Glitter said:
I am in the US and worked at a different pet chain for 2 years. There are absolutely no laws preventing those crappy cages from being sold for a single pig. Although the store I worked at recommended on the cage cards piggy pairs and I made sure we only sold the rabbit cages for that and told people they would likely want a much bigger cages( showed my c&c pics too). Anyways if you have even a little extra I would go back to the pet shop and explain that you have a lonely pig and need a bigger cage for a pair. See if they will let you return that one for the Midwest starter cage which I have seen them sell. At least at my pet shop I went out of my way to ensure a small cage could be exchanged for a larger one and only have them pay the difference even if it would come at a loss to us, hopefully they will do the right thing.
I believe the Midwest starter cage can be added into. Also your piggy won't die in a small cage temporarily. Ensure she gets lots of floor time for exercise and if you have to wait a month, it would still be far better to eventually get a bigger cage. It's great you found this out and want to do the right thing so don't beat yourself up if you have to make do for a little while, I'm so glad you want to get her a bigger cage.
Also certainly look into fleece bedding, the cost savings over continually buying carefresh are insane, although a little high initially (but summer=fleece sale at Joann) and a little more daily maintenance.
Welcome to the forum!
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I went back to the pet store last night They gave me 75% of what a paid for small cage back and I bought a Midwest. Correct amount of space! Then since we had gotten the bigger cage I checked to see if her cage mate was still there. She was and she looked just as miserable as Tonks did at home. We decided to take her home as well. ( I have been researching and there are not a lot of rescues that get in piggies near me and I checked the sites and does not seem to be a lot of them around me in the last couple of months.) Tonks was seeming so sad at home I didn't want to wait for an unknown amount of months. Once we got the new girl Teto home it was very clear that is she is pregnant and ready to go in the next week or two from what I have read. We do not want to keep babies so I am already contacting rescues near me and friends I know that I just found out have some piggies in a nice spacious set up(spare bedroom) in their new home. I am so glad that we got her though she has clearly not gotten any fresh veggies or fruit at all and the pet store
Clearly has no knowledge about piggies. I am glad we can give her what she needs right now. Tonks is like a whole New Guinea pig since we brought home her cage mate. Both have been out and about and eating well. Both came up to my hand in the cage and let me pet them where 2 hours earlier Tonks was cowering in the hut where she had been since she got here. I have read all I can find here and other sites about pregnancy birth and babies. I hope all
Goes Well! Thank you all
For all of The help
 
cassybaby89 said:
So frustrating. I feel they have no clue what they are talking about when it comes guinea pigs

I went back to the pet store last night They gave me 75% of what a paid for small cage back and I bought a Midwest. Correct amount of space! Then since we had gotten the bigger cage I checked to see if her cage mate was still there. She was and she looked just as miserable as Tonks did at home. We decided to take her home as well. ( I have been researching and there are not a lot of rescues that get in piggies near me and I checked the sites and does not seem to be a lot of them around me in the last couple of months.) Tonks was seeming so sad at home I didn't want to wait for an unknown amount of months. Once we got the new girl Teto home it was very clear that is she is pregnant and ready to go in the next week or two from what I have read. We do not want to keep babies so I am already contacting rescues near me and friends I know that I just found out have some piggies in a nice spacious set up(spare bedroom) in their new home. I am so glad that we got her though she has clearly not gotten any fresh veggies or fruit at all and the pet store
Clearly has no knowledge about piggies. I am glad we can give her what she needs right now. Tonks is like a whole New Guinea pig since we brought home her cage mate. Both have been out and about and eating well. Both came up to my hand in the cage and let me pet them where 2 hours earlier Tonks was cowering in the hut where she had been since she got here. I have read all I can find here and other sites about pregnancy birth and babies. I hope all
Goes Well! Thank you all
For all of The help
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Good for you for going back.
 
Yay for a bigger cage and cage mate. There is plenty info on here about pregnancy but you probably want a vet to check her out just in case. Look under the pregnancy tab and there are tons of different posts that may help. Good luck!
 
Cookies&Glitter said:
Yay for a bigger cage and cage mate. There is plenty info on here about pregnancy but you probably want a vet to check her out just in case. Look under the pregnancy tab and there are tons of different posts that may help. Good luck!
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Thank you I have read through everything that I can Find. I think we will be ok! I have a vet appt booked for sat for the girls
 
I just have them their night veggies and Tonks is popcorn around the cage! <3 petco said they would lay for the vet visits for the both of them
 
Yep, pet stores either lack the information or will lie to make a sale (probably fewer people would buy small animals if they knew what was actually involved in their care.) You're certainly not the only one. Wishing your new girl the best of luck in her pregnancy and hoping the babies can easily be found homes for!
 
Freela said:
Yep, pet stores either lack the information or will lie to make a sale (probably fewer people would buy small animals if they knew what was actually involved in their care.) You're certainly not the only one. Wishing your new girl the best of luck in her pregnancy and hoping the babies can easily be found homes for!
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Yes it's a very common problem and it's very frustrating. Thank you so much for the good wishes. Everyone is happy and healthy right now settling in.
 
image.webp Here are some pictures of the happy piggies this morning. Both doing very well. I was getting nervous today looking at little Tonks running around looking like she might getting round?!? I really hope we don't have another litter on our hands!

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image.webp

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They look so happy together! I'm glad you decided to get her a friend and a bigger cage. I think it's absurd how some pet stores just want to make a sale. When I got my first Guinea pig they told us we could home him with a rabbit! Which is so ridiculous as the rabbit could kill the Guinea pig with its hind legs! They have no care for the animals welfare just extra money in their pocket!
 
Little Ones said:
They look so happy together! I'm glad you decided to get her a friend and a bigger cage. I think it's absurd how some pet stores just want to make a sale. When I got my first Guinea pig they told us we could home him with a rabbit! Which is so ridiculous as the rabbit could kill the Guinea pig with its hind legs! They have no care for the animals welfare just extra money in their pocket!
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Yes it is so sad and frustrating. I read them the riot act after doing my research and seeing how poorly they were treating their piggies!
 
So glad you went back to the shop and at least they did the right thing by giving you money off the new cage :) did you find out wether tonks was a boy or girl? Glad they are both happily back together :)
 
Stayc1989 said:
So glad you went back to the shop and at least they did the right thing by giving you money off the new cage :) did you find out wether tonks was a boy or girl? Glad they are both happily back together :)
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Yes thankfully Tonks is a girl. Now we are just watching her closely to make she is not pregnant as well! They are doing great. We added a c&c extension on the cage so now they actually have the space they need!

image.webp
 
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