Pros And Cons Of Rescues

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hammy.Hamms

Hammy.Hamms

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 1, 2017
Messages
76
Reaction score
30
Points
135
Location
Texas, USA
Hi! I am wanting to get another guinea pig, but I'm not sure if a rescue is right for me. We got Hammy from PetSmart, and she came with a horrible URI. We returned her back to PetSmart so that she could get medical attention and they called us when she was ready to be brung back home.
My mom says that she wants me to get my other one from PetSmart as well, so that we could take it to be cured if it was sick or if Hammy didn't like her.
The only thing is, the store said that Hammy was a BOY anyways she is a girl. I know how to check if thay are, and I tired to check in the store if she was a boy, and I thought she was a girl, but my mom said not to worry about it, because she was much to wiggly.
So I was just wondering, what are some of the pros and cons of adopting guinea pigs from a rescue.
I know some basics, like, they come spayed/ neutered, and you are saving a piggie's life and all that. But I had a guinea pig named Pumpkin (RIP) that was a rescue (from craigslist) she had been taken care by a super nice vet who already had 9 pets, and couldn't take care of her anymore. Her sister died on the operation table, while getting spayed.
She had a really tough life, and rarely came out from hiding, and never bonded with me. So, thats a con.
I know that rescues are a great option, but the pigs sometimes have bonding issues, and you can't take them back if your guinea pig hates them. Hammy has bonded with me, so far, really well. And I know what they do to the poor animals before the pet shop.
I just need some help convincing my mom (and I (hence the bonding issues)) why a rescue would be the best.

Thank You Sooooooooo Much For All Of Your Help!!
:tu::lol::clap::):luv:
 
Texas Rustlers are sadly the only good standard guinea pig rescue in Texas we can guarantee for that you are in absolutely safe hands with when it comes to quarantining/medical care in rescue, proper sexing and general standard of care/rehoming requirements.

Guinea Lynx and our forum have comparable demands on the standard of the rescues that make it onto our "recommended rescues" lists.
Guinea Lynx :: US Guinea Pig Rescue and Shelter Organizations

There are guinea pig rescues in San Antonio and Austin that are on the whole fairly decent, but not good enough to make the list.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Wiebke said:
Texas Rustlers are sadly the only good standard guinea pig rescue in Texas we can guarantee for that you are in absolutely safe hands with when it comes to quarantining/medical care in rescue, proper sexing and general standard of care/rehoming requirements.

Guinea Lynx and our forum have comparable demands on the standard of the rescues that make it onto our "recommended rescues" lists.
Guinea Lynx :: US Guinea Pig Rescue and Shelter Organizations

There are guinea pig rescues in San Antonio and Austin that are on the whole fairly decent, but not good enough to make the list.
Click to expand...
Yes! That would be the one that I would go to! I just need to know WHY a rescue would be best. I am scared that the guinea pig won't bond with me, and that Hammy won't like her. My mom wants me to just get another one from PetSmart, but I know it's bad, so I need to convince her that rescues are better.
Thank You So Much @Wiebke !
 
I'm pretty sure the rescue would spend more time matching a companion and providing ongoing support. Out of curiousity why do you believe that a guinea pig from Petsmart is more likely to bond with Hammy than a rescue guinea pig?
 
Lady Kelly said:
I'm pretty sure the rescue would spend more time matching a companion and providing ongoing support. Out of curiousity why do you believe that a guinea pig from Petsmart is more likely to bond with Hammy than a rescue guinea pig?
Click to expand...
@Lady Kelly Well I don't think that they have any better of a chance at bonding better than the pigs at the rescues, but you can take them back and get your money back if they don't bond. :tu:
 
I bought mine from a rescue (one from the rescue locator on here).

I went to a rescue because;

1. you get back up from them for the lifetime of the guinea pigs.
2. the guinea pigs will be health checked, correctly sexed, quarantined, possibly bonded.
3. the rescue will then have a space or spaces to accept another guinea pig or two and so helping more than just the ones you bring home.
4. if the sad day ever comes that you cannot care for your guinea pig/s the rescue will take them back thus ensuring that they will go to a home that has been properly checked.
5. if you have a lone guinea pig rescues will let you bring him or her in to choose a new friend and will help with the bonding process (often in exchange for a small fee as it is a time consuming process).

There are no doubt many more reasons but those are some that spring to mind.

The trouble with pet shops is that the breeders that supply them have (very) questionable ethics and often breed from unhealthy guinea pigs, do not always segregate the sexes and so interbreed. Also the youngsters are separated from mum, travel to the pet shop may well get put in a tank with the opposite sex and be pregnant. They will certainly be very stressed.

Rescues have dedicated interested staff and the one I bought Jingle and Mistletoe from was lovely to look round. I could have stayed for hours chatting about guinea pigs with them!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top