R we against buying pet shop pigs, if so why?

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Pat Shields

Pat Shields

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I went to St. Louis today and shopped in a chain pet shop for some timothy hay pellet gp food (as opposed to the alfalfa food that is everywhere). I found some, and bought it to try it.

In the meantime, I looked at the few guinea pigs they had there; quite expensive, 35 dollars, 21.20325 British pounds each. They were all separated by sex and age.

There was one boar I really liked as a companion for Red, about the same age as he. I would have had to buy two of them as they were obviously brothers, and the wee things were bonded very well and were acting like friends. So that would have been 70 dollars, 42.40 pounds.

All the animals were in good condition (the adult females looked verrrrrrrrrrry bored and were resting under their water bottle spouts rather than in their pigloos), and the boar I liked was a very short-haired version of SweetsPig's "Sweets".

I didn't buy them, though, because I am sure I can get one from a transferring military family around here for free, but even more, I didn't know the forum's position on buying pet shop pigs, and I want to make an educated decision before I do that.

(Also there was a female rat for $5, about £3, that had been given up by its previous owners, and she was definitely human-friendly and was asking me to play with her. But no, I couldn't buy ANOTHER beast.)
 
Its because it is a rescue friendly forum, as there are so many piggies in rescue needing homes.

If you buy from a pet shop, you are just giving them cash so they can buy more to put in their boring cages and live their boring existance until someone else comes along to buy them. And the breeders have their pockets lined.
 
As much as I do agree with the above post, I'm not against buying. It's just individuals' opinions and I believe there are no rights or wrongs as long as you care for them after you take responsibilities.
 
Rilenceny said:
As much as I do agree with the above post, I'm not against buying. It's just individuals' opinions and I believe there are no rights or wrongs as long as you care for them after you take responsibilities.
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I agree with this, also every piggy deserve's a home it's not their fault where they were born and you never know when you will fall in love with any pet, but then if you don't go into pet shop's to buy anything or boycott them then you wouldn't see the animals. IMO it is alway's better to rescue where ever possible
I also can't help but think alot of piggie's go to rescue's from people who have badly neglected them and got them from a petstore so surley buying one from a petstore prevent's them going through that abuse, it's like a catch 22!
 
The petstore debate continues to be a hot topic on the forum. Whether or not the staff at individual stores take good care of the animals in their store is not the only consideration. It's where the animals they sell come from and their treatment in the production of 'stock' for the stores that many people are unaware of, if they even give thought to it at all.

Do you approve of the practices involved in the bulk breeding used to supply the animal wholesalers? Are you aware of how the animals are bred, housed, shipped and distributed? A simple search on google for Petco and Petsmart, clicking the video list will show you what has been going on behind the scenes in the supply and production of these animals.

I have PM'd Pat just a couple of these vids, they are too graphic to post on a forum that has members under 18 yrs old.


What many forum members have come to understand is that by giving your custom you are giving your approval and these practices will continue. As long as people continue to buy their pets or supplies from these stores they will continue to produce animals in this way.

If you choose to fund this type of corporation, that is up to you, but at least make an informed decision by understanding the bigger picture of the pet trade. It's all about the money, your money.

Suzy x
 
Some people like me don't have any rescues nearby they can get to, & although there are piggie trains going on, I would rather like to see my next piggies in the flesh so to speak & see if they will fall in love with me as much as I want to fall in love with them :) I also have a very soft spot for the Rex type piggies, having had two in the past & these very rarely come into rescues. I consider myself a good piggie owner, very caring (possibly too much so) my last piggie died aged 7 after a very pampered life with us.

I don't know if this makes me a bad person, the fact that (much as I want to) it is unlikely I can get my next pair from a rescue. We also want younger pigs, preferably babies so they grow up & get used to us very early on. However we have seen some awful sights both in Pet shops & breeders in the past & will be extremely selective from where we will eventually get our next pair from.

If we win the lottery the first thing we would do would be to donate very large sums to piggie rescues as we think they do fantastic work :)
 
I think you should just go with what you want to do. I can see why people push rescues and more power to them and the good work the rescue centres do but breeders will always breed and pet shops will always sell. Most important thing as previously mentioned is that every GP gets a loving home no matter where they come from. If you dont buy the GP in the shop someone else will and he will still be replaced with another, so why not you have him?
Good luck with your decision
xx
 
doglovinpiggylover said:
Its because it is a rescue friendly forum, as there are so many piggies in rescue needing homes.

If you buy from a pet shop, you are just giving them cash so they can buy more to put in their boring cages and live their boring existance until someone else comes along to buy them. And the breeders have their pockets lined.
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i am not giving an opinion here, i am just stating it is a rescue friendly forum, that is why a lot of people do not discuss breeding or buying pet shop pigs. Pat asked a question. I am sure there will be other forums where this will be discussed.
 
I personally wouldn't buy a piggie from a petshop as I have heard so many bad things. They are generally not of the best health and quite often can be sexed wrongly. I don't have a problem with anyone who buys pigs from a pet shop but I wouldn't myself.
 
If you can rescue then this is the best choice but appreciate this is not always an option.

Hopefully some forum members from the USA will be able to recommend a rescue in your area that might offer boar dating so you can find a suitable friend for red.
 
Suzygpr said:
The petstore debate continues to be a hot topic on the forum. . . Do you approve of the practices involved in the bulk breeding used to supply the animal wholesalers? Are you aware of how the animals are bred, housed, shipped and distributed?. . . What many forum members have come to understand is that by giving your custom you are giving your approval and these practices will continue. As long as people continue to buy their pets or supplies from these stores they will continue to produce animals in this way. If you choose to fund this type of corporation, that is up to you, but at least make an informed decision by understanding the bigger picture of the pet trade. It's all about the money, your money.
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I am very sensitive to these issues. This is why I will not eat veal, for example; even if I were the only person in the world who boycotts it, I can sleep at night knowing that I did not contribute to the mistreatment of a baby bovine. I do not wish to participate in the perpetuation of cruelty to innocents. There are ways to have veal that are not cruel, but in this industrialized society, that isn't going to happen unless you grow your own.

Walter said:
I think you should just go with what you want to do. I can see why people push rescues and more power to them and the good work the rescue centres do but breeders will always breed and pet shops will always sell. Most important thing as previously mentioned is that every GP gets a loving home no matter where they come from. If you dont buy the GP in the shop someone else will and he will still be replaced with another, so why not you have him?
Good luck with your decision
xx
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Thanks. I hate the idea of pets in pet stores anyway, but you are absolutely right also. I would buy them all to make sure that they get good homes, and I would make it against the law to breed and sell animals willy-nilly, but that's just not do-able! :) I rarely go into pet shops or places with animals because it is so difficult for me to leave them behind, especially if they are bored and lonely (that rat, for example). I am independent enough and trusting enough of my own motivations to always go with what I want to do, but as I said, I wanted to make an informed decision, hence my question. I thank you all for responding, and I hope to read a few more responses before this subject is over and done.

sport_billy said:
If you can rescue then this is the best choice but appreciate this is not always an option.Hopefully some forum members from the USA will be able to recommend a rescue in your area that might offer boar dating so you can find a suitable friend for red.
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I have come to the conclusion that rescue IS the best choice. I bought a guinea pig book while in that pet store, and it was published in 1997, but even it states that there are thousands of gps in line for being PTS because they are unwanted, and rescue is the way to go, to save even one little life. (I once took apart my bathroom sink drain because a moth had fallen into it and I did not want his brief life to end there.) There is no such rescue in this area as I live out in the country in the middle of a rural state, and there are actually people out here, such as myself, that do not know the first thing about a guinea pig, much less how to decide between rescue and pet shops. You guys are my best bet at learning anything! One thing I would like to know is, what do pet shops charge for guinea pigs where you are?
 
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Thank you for such a well considered post Pat - I would like to point out that I was using the inclusive 'you' in my own post, not pointed directly at yourself as you clearly have put a lot of thought and effort into your choices on every level of Red's care.

I am very opinionated (who'd have guessed!) and when asked for an opinion I will give it if I feel I have a valid point to make. I have learnt so much since starting rescuing about how and where petshops source their animals that as a pet owner I was oblivious to so I understand why many people buy from petshops.

The link Hairlesswillow gave lists a couple of cuties in the St Louis humane society - potential?

Suzy x
 
Suzygpr said:
Thank you for such a well considered post Pat - I would like to point out that I was using the inclusive 'you' in my own posst. . .
The link Hairlesswillow gave lists a couple of cuties in the St Louis humane society - potential?
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1. I understood the editorial "you" as intended, no problem there.
2. I never saw H. Willow's link - it was posted while I was writing! So I will go back and check it. The difficulty with the St. Louis area is, although I am familiar with it as I used to live there, and I traveled there on business yesterday, that I now live 150 miles away and on a fixed disability income it is not convenient to travel there unless necessary. Round trip is 300 miles, of course, and costs me about 60 dollars in gasoline, not to mention a total of about 7 hours in travel.
 
Just thought I'd add a reply about the prices of guinea pigs in my area.

I bought £25 for the pair.

I also bought Romano for £35. It was a rip off and I would never pay that money again for a guinea pig. The lady had told me he was £30 and then upped the price.

My youngest guinea pig, Arthur, I adopted from a lady on this forum and he was free.

I would certainly reccomend rescuing rather than buying a pet shop piggie as you learn more about the single piggie himself. =)
My older boars (Ludwig and Gilbert from a petshop, Jollyes), the lady admitted to me were barely handled and didn't get much attention. They also weren't interested in by most people because they were sadly red eyed.
 
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