Shocked At My Local Rspca

Lady Kelly

Lady Kelly

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I've seen a notice on facebook and they have a single male guinea pig in. For reference my RSPCA never has guinea pigs in so I know that they are likely not all that experienced with piggies but this is the post...

Hi there, I'm Rupert!

I'm a shy little boy looking for my new forever home. I'm looking for a home where I'll get all the love I deserve. My new owner will need to have experience of owning a Guinea Pig and I can live with children of senior school age and above. I've lived with other guinea pigs in the past but we didn't get on so I'd much prefer living on my own and having a one-to-one relationship with my new owner.

I'll need a large hutch and run with lots of fun toys and activities to keep me entertained. If you can offer me a loving home then please get in touch. 0116 2336677
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This has upset me so much. I have put them straight and highlighted my disappointment in a trusted rescue condemning a guinea pig to a life of solitude. I have tagged Honeybunnies in to the post as a local reputable rescue and highlighted the forum too. I did this not so the RSPCA will do anything different but that any potential owners are aware of their options and get the right advice.

I really am so very disappointed and upset by this post. If they start having more guinea pigs in then I will probably look to enquire about volunteering to ensure proper health checks are done and try to prevent any being rehomed as single pets. If I didn't have Donald then heaven knows I would be up there today asking to take him home to get him neutered the poor boy
 
I got my first Guinea Pig Taini from my local RSPCA shelter, they had two pigs in and tried to tell me they both were girls, I had a look, one was obviously a boy and neither had been spayed or neutered,
In the end I did go back for the boy because he was 8, and blind and had been there for years with no interest, lived out his last months with us,
But I was shocked they tried to fob us off that he was a girl, poor Taini could have ended up pregnant!
 
TheLottiediarys said:
I got my first Guinea Pig Taini from my local RSPCA shelter, they had two pigs in and tried to tell me they both were girls, I had a look, one was obviously a boy and neither had been spayed or neutered,
In the end I did go back for the boy because he was 8, and blind and had been there for years with no interest, lived out his last months with us,
But I was shocked they tried to fob us off that he was a girl, poor Taini could have ended up pregnant!
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Oh gosh that's awful isn't it. I think the problem with RSPCA's the same we find with CAB's... it's a trusted name for an animal rescue... my local one is awesome when it comes to cats and dogs but clearly they don't have enough knowledge on every animal. I used to work on the national telephone line for debt advice funded by the Legal Aid Agency and spent a great deal of my time correcting misadvised people and trying to explain that whilst they went to a CAB it doesn't guarantee they spoke to a trained debt specialist. Its the same with RSPCA, a lot are independent but get to use the name. I wonder if there is any training or guarantee's provided by the RSPCA to prevent this kind of scenario.
 
What a shame for him @Lady Kelly. I've always found it strange that the experience of RSPCA branches can be so varied.

When I first got Toki he was from an RSPCA up North. He was supposed to be housed alone due to being picked on but I had him in a boar trio and he was fine.

RSPCA branches should reach out to vets, or possible fosterers to work on pigs like him. A couple of people I know foster for a different branch and they bond pigs for them.

Rupert could be neutered if he's not already and get himself a wife or two. I bet there were issues because their cage was too small.
 
Jaycey said:
What a shame for him @Lady Kelly. I've always found it strange that the experience of RSPCA branches can be so varied.

When I first got Toki he was from an RSPCA up North. He was supposed to be housed alone due to being picked on but I had him in a boar trio and he was fine.

RSPCA branches should reach out to vets, or possible fosterers to work on pigs like him. A couple of people I know foster for a different branch and they bond pigs for them.

Rupert could be neutered if he's not already and get himself a wife or two. I bet there were issues because their cage was too small.
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The odd thing is when I was left with Daisy alone I went in and asked if they had any guinea pigs in and they even recommended Honeybunnies as a local rescue for somewhere to try. I don't understand why, less than one year later, they can't reach out to these people for advice. I just hate to think of this boy in a home with secondary school age kids and being left alone for hours each day while everyones out
 
Bristol RSPCA were putting out this information with several boars early last year, it really upset and shocked me. I have made inquiries since when I needed a friend for Bracken and it seems they now send most of their guinea pigs to Somerset who are better able to cater for them. Somerset didn't answer my enquiry. I have had equally frustrating dealings with them in the past in other parts of the country and no longer donate money to them.
 
The SSPCA site is currently showing a single boar saying he can be housed with other boars...yeah I'll stick him in with the three amigoes and see how Chicco deals with them onions. I suppose they can't be experts on all animals. We just need to educate when we see mistakes.
 
Hello all

It is my understanding that each local RSPCA is run independently of each other and are separate from national. The quality will depend on the experience and interest of the people running each branch who are all volunteers. This is not an excuse for poor information but does explain why each branch varies so much. They are basically all small independent rescues who are allowed to use the RSPCA name.

Walsall RSPCA are particularly amazing when it comes to small furries run by very knowledgable and experienced people. Vicky and Becky really know their stuff and are very well respected in the Guinea pig rescue world.

While some of the RSPCA groups may need extra help and support with animals out their skill set we need to be careful not to judge all RSPCA branches as one as they are all completely separate from each other.
 
Mrs Sport_Billy said:
Hello all

It is my understanding that each local RSPCA is run independently of each other and are separate from national. The quality will depend on the experience and interest of the people running each branch who are all volunteers. This is not an excuse for poor information but does explain why each branch varies so much. They are basically all small independent rescues who are allowed to use the RSPCA name.

Walsall RSPCA are particularly amazing when it comes to small furries run by very knowledgable and experienced people. Vicky and Becky really know their stuff and are very well respected in the Guinea pig rescue world.

While some of the RSPCA groups may need extra help and support with animals out their skill set we need to be careful not to judge all RSPCA branches as one as they are all completely separate from each other.
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I have re-homed from Walsall RSPCA before and they are wonderful. Mind you we also rehomed from our local one (my mum's dog) and they are definitely good with larger animals.

I hope that they take my comments on board and perhaps reach out to Honeybunnies. I may email them today to try to discuss it less publicly and see if that helps too
 
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