Place A Pig Service

[cavy clicker]

I am really keen to start a service called "Place a Pig." This would NOT be a rescue, it would aim to help people who need to re-home their guinea pigs for various reasons and would NOT be advertised.

As such, the service would contact people, not the other way round

The service would take in one or two guinea pigs at a time from auction sites like Trade Me. Have them checked over by a vet, neutered/spayed and well taken care of until they find a good home. The requirements for adopting the guinea pigs will be the same as a rescue- fill out an adoption form and have a house check to make sure that they are going to a good home.

It will be a not-for-profit, which means I'd need to raise money for each guinea pig to have them de-sexed. I would also like to provide new owners with a c&c cage for the guinea pigs, which means raising money to buy and build the cage. The more money raised, the more that I could provide the guinea pigs with for their new owners.


I'm also thinking that this is something that others could do! What do you think? Good idea? Would you donate to help other guinea pigs find a home?
Would anyone be interested in doing this themselves? Maybe someone has already thought of this, I don't know I'm just seeing if anyone is interested.

Its not something I'd rush into, I've been thinking about it for a while now Plus I'd need to get a cage set up and ready

 

[Lady Kelly]

I'm confused, you explicitly say that this is not a rescue but in every sense of the word you are acting as a rescue so other than going through auction sites (and potentially lining the pockets of bad breeders) I don't really see any difference. In answer to whether I would donate then the answer would be no. I would not donate to a "rescue" that is potentially lining breeders pockets and also I do not see the reason why every pig would be put through a major operation for neutering/spaying that could be life threatening to them when, with the proper adoption checks in place, the inability to breed should not be in an issue in good homes.

 

[TAN]

The cost of spaying is nearly double that of neutering - so you are talking about £120 per female pig - Rugby Rabbit and Guinea pig rescue were the only rescue in the country that automatically spayed their female guineas - and after taking in a rather large amount of rescues in one go (over 20 ) couldn't cope financially with the vets bills and had to close as a rescue and just carry on as private boarding - so I think you would have to forget the idea of spaying the females (Rugby got a special discounted rate from Simon and Kim Maddock i believe also)

 

[cavy clicker]

Only guinea pigs that are being re-homed Not breeders
Never mind

 

[Lady Kelly]

Only guinea pigs that are being re-homed Not breeders
Never mind

But how would you know that the auction is a genuine rehome and not just a breeder that wants to get rid of their "dodgy" stock i.e. either ill, not getting pregnant etc. Maybe I'm too cynical but I just feel that you cannot trust people to be honest on those kinds of sites.

 

[PottyForPiggies]

But how would you know that the auction is a genuine rehome and not just a breeder that wants to get rid of their "dodgy" stock i.e. either ill, not getting pregnant etc. Maybe I'm too cynical but I just feel that you cannot trust people to be honest on those kinds of sites.

I concur, with private rehoming sites such as Gumtree and Preloved like we have in the UK, it can just be so difficult to tell who is genuine and who is just fed up with their pigs/trying to make a bit of cash because 'the kids aren't interested anymore' or 'someone is allergic to them' Hell, I am positive that I'm allergic to my pigs but that doesn't stop me having 4 in the living room!
While we want to save them all when we see them on website like this, it's just not possible. A genuine person who wants to rehome will be willing to have their piggies go to a rescue (I have just directed someone on another thread to do this) And I know through Secret Santa that you can still have privacy and not have people dumping piggies on your doorsteps. A good set of guidelines and rules would be all that you needed to ensure that the best people adopt.

I can see where your idea is coming from. You want to do similar work to a rescue but on a smaller scale, focusing on a single pair of piggies at a time and providing the new owners with as much as possible to ensure a good life. It is honourable that you want to do this, as most of us would if we could. However, I think you perhaps need to have a rethink about how best to approach it; providing the new owners with lots of things will help at the start, however without purchasing their own hutches/start up supplies I don't think people can really get a concept of how much it costs to own these pets. Sadly, after this you may see the same pigs up for sale on the sites again, with them profiting off the supplies you have kindly given them.
I'm not trying to put you off at all - we need more rescues in New Zealand, most definitely! If even a small-scale rescue is a route you wish to consider, I can perhaps put you in contact with Hartley and Raylene at Auckland Cavy Care with the hopes for providing advice

 

[cavy clicker]

Lady Kelly has already made it quite clear in her first post. I've enjoyed forums and chatting with people, but I've been hurt more then once and I've had enough. I've tried my best to be friendly and helpful, but no matter what, someone always hurts me. Always. When I joined this forum, I vowed that if anyone ever hurt or accused me again, that is it, no more forums for me. I am very sensitive to what people say. All that I wanted to do was make a difference in the world but I can't. I am so tired of crying over the things that people said.

I would not donate to a "rescue" that is potentially lining breeders pockets and also I do not see the reason why every pig would be put through a major operation for neutering/spaying that could be life threatening to them when, with the proper adoption checks in place, the inability to breed should not be in an issue in good homes

I shell probably be awake for a long time tonight going over this in my head. I know that I am a horrible person, you don't have to tell me.

 

[Lady Kelly]

Lady Kelly has already made it quite clear in her first post. I've enjoyed forums and chatting with people, but I've been hurt more then once and I've had enough. I've tried my best to be friendly and helpful, but no matter what, someone always hurts me. Always. When I joined this forum, I vowed that if anyone ever hurt or accused me again, that is it, no more forums for me. I am very sensitive to what people say. All that I wanted to do was make a difference in the world but I can't. I am so tired of crying over the things that people said.



I shell probably be awake for a long time tonight going over this in my head. I know that I am a horrible person, you don't have to tell me.

Please do not slate me as some sort of forum troll or bully. You asked for an opinion and I gave my honest opinion in a way to try and help, I said I didn't understand how it was different which gave you the opportunity to clarify your stance if I have misunderstood anything. All I did was point out a pitfall I thought that you might not yet have considered but instead I get my post thrown back, cut down and put out of context to make me look like some evil person! I really do not appreciate being put in this light when I was trying to offer the input you had actually requested.

 

[BossHogg]

Lady Kelly has already made it quite clear in her first post. I've enjoyed forums and chatting with people, but I've been hurt more then once and I've had enough. I've tried my best to be friendly and helpful, but no matter what, someone always hurts me. Always. When I joined this forum, I vowed that if anyone ever hurt or accused me again, that is it, no more forums for me. I am very sensitive to what people say. All that I wanted to do was make a difference in the world but I can't. I am so tired of crying over the things that people said.



I shell probably be awake for a long time tonight going over this in my head. I know that I am a horrible person, you don't have to tell me.

Take a chill pill petal and stop being so precious. Lady Kelly has made some valid points. You are not horrible at all, your plans are very admirable, but will need to be thought through thoroughly to ensure you don't get in over your head. Take all advice from here as constructive feedback intended to assist you, not hinder you.

 

[PottyForPiggies]

Lady Kelly has already made it quite clear in her first post. I've enjoyed forums and chatting with people, but I've been hurt more then once and I've had enough. I've tried my best to be friendly and helpful, but no matter what, someone always hurts me. Always. When I joined this forum, I vowed that if anyone ever hurt or accused me again, that is it, no more forums for me. I am very sensitive to what people say. All that I wanted to do was make a difference in the world but I can't. I am so tired of crying over the things that people said.

You are not a horrible person, nor are you unable to help make a difference. You can and I have no doubt will make a difference, but we are just trying to guide you to the right places to do so Please feel free to PM me and I will do as I promised, put you onto the other NZ rescue that I work with and together we will hopefully support you to finding what works for you.

 

[Seven]

On the topic, if you're still on the idea of a guinea pig rehoming business then I have some ideas. When you look into people's homes they should already have all of the guinea pig's essentials instead of supplying them with a C&C cage as that can add up to a lot of money. That way you can give them advice and make sure they're doing everything correctly. If someone seems willing to go the extra effort to do everything right and upgrade their cage and you're not handing it to them on a silver platter you'll know your work didn't go to waste and you'll feel proud you could rehome a pig to someone competent and willing.

After you become established you could look into partnerships with vets that'll offer half off to any new adopters to fix their boars. Spaying is a lot more expensive and risky. I've heard of a lot of adoption places offering this kind of deal.

So in recap, you can establish everyone must meet the following requirements before you do a homecheck-

• Have their cage set up (warn them about the mininum size and how they must meet it/almost be there 2 or so inches off is fine) or atleast have the box out if it's commercial so you can check sizing
• Have their supplies, you can make sure they're using good food, bedding, etc
• If they have a guinea pig already they must be willing to let you examine it and make sure the gender is compatible.
• Allow you to meet their other family members and possible pets to make sure they also fit. Do interviews as well, not just adoption forms. I've had my fair share of making myself seem better on forms but when I'm talking to someone one on one I'm more liable to tell the truth.

For adoption costs, whatever you do for the guinea pig should reflect in the cost. See how much your country's petshops charge for guinea pigs and maybe bump it up or down by a few. You should care for the guinea pigs first and foremost but you have to make a profit in some way or else you're going to be in the hole and unable to afford the supplies.

 

[Wiebke]

@cavy clicker , nobody is slagging you off on here, but if you ask for an honest opinion, you will get one. If the comment is not one of total support, you have to take that on board and consider whether there are actually some vaild points being made there.

You are very well meaning and keen to help piggies in need; that is very laudable! But it is a very grey area between rescuing and taking unwanted guinea pigs off breeders, who may quickly cotton onto the fact that there is a new sucker for their unwanted stock around. Sadly, as most rescues in this country (as well as Auckland Cavy Care in your country!) have found to their detriment, some breeders will go to very great lengths and stoop very low to get rid of their unwanted guinea pigs. While there is a huge moral dilemma fought on the back of hapless animals, by supporting these people, you give them an incentive to continue with their practice and produce a further string of them. That is the point @Lady Kelly has been trying to make.

There are also some practical issues you need to consider - auction guinea pigs are not necessarily in a good state of health and they are not rarely pregnant. You need to have the financial basis to deal with that before you can start; it is very costly. While you may not want to end up as a formal rescue, what you are aiming to do is basically mini-rescuing, so the same considerations still hold, and from what I have witnessed, it is very easy to quickly end up with a far larger number of guinea pig than you have ever planned.

Can you deal with guinea pigs in a really bad state and at risk pregnancies etc.? You may want to contact @RosieHardy, who did try to build up a rescue, but found it much harder than expected, for talking about the practical on-the-ground aspects of what you want to do.

You also have to be aware that spaying is a major operation with a higher risk of complications/fatalities than neutering, and that every rescue with a neutering policy is running into complications and is sadly inevitably losing a number of their boars. It is always very tough, and it can become quickly very expensive once you run into post-op complications, as I have found out the hard way with my Hywel. He had a VERY narrow escape.

We see regularly enthusiastic young people wanting to help guinea pigs in need, but we have also had to help sort out several resulting messes from doing so unplanned and without proper financial funding and support from family/partners and friends. You are not in a country where we can put you in contact with nearby people who can take your guinea pigs in if it gets too much for you.

If you want to get into taking on guinea pigs from free-ads and auctions, whatever the number, you have to be very honest with yourself to ask yourself whether you have got the money (and can rustle it up reliably) to do what you want and can also pay for emergency and additional vet bills; whether you have got the time and experience to deal with neglect, mis-sexing, undisclosed and often at-risk pregnancies etc. as well as deal with people - sellers as well as rehomers.

You have to brace yourself for a lot of abuse from either side if they don't get their own way and dealings can turn sour very quickly if they don't go to plan. You'd also be amazed at how economic with the truth people can be when they want to get rid of a pet.

I would strongly urge you to speak with people who are actually taking in guinea pigs from the same sources as you and ask them for their experiences, also of their experiences with finding suitable homes for those guinea pigs, which can be very hard and frustrating.

It is great that you are asking first on here and that you are thinking about it, and not just jumping in blindly.

 

[Lady Kelly]

Thank you @Wiebke that is exactly the point I was alluding to.

I once contacted someone through gumtree to offer details of local rescues as he was trying to rehome 5 male pigs. The rescues wouldn't take them and he couldn't get rid of one of them so I took him in. I still have my suspicions that this was a breeder getting rid of his "ugly" stock (though I still think Buddy was beautiful). He told me he was 6 weeks old but he was actually almost fully grown and had a right pair of balls on him! I had him neutered after a couple of failed boar bonding attempts but unfortunately he developed a deep seated abscess that, by the time you could feel it from the outside, was already the size of a golf ball. He had an operation to remove it, came round but sadly died a couple of hours afterwards. It was a one off and I never intended to "rescue" in this manner but it has already shown me a darker side to this line of work as well as the sheer cost and heartache. I ended up paying £60 for the neutering and £200 for the abscess op, this doesn't include a few other vet visits in between.

 

[RosieHardy]

I got 4 females at the weekend, .. All 4 sows are pregnant & at different stages!
One is aggressive as hell & One clearly, at some point broke its foot as it's completely stiff & she finds it hard to move around

People are jerks