Undereducated Friend with a Piggy

[A Guinea Pig]

I'm at a loss with what to do. I recently became friends with this lovely gal and we've started getting really close. We were sharing what pets we have with each other the other day and it turns out she has a guinea pig! I'm delighted I have even more things in common with her. However, it is one guinea pig (she used to have two), in a small cage, with unsafe toys. I would love to help her out and offer one of my old C&C cages and give her some advice but I doubt she would do it and possibly take offence. Her guinea pig is anywhere from 6 to 9 (she said it was 15 but I helped her do the math, we had a good laugh about that) which is extremely old so starting the cycle over would be a lot for her. I just don't want this piggy to suffer because I have seen it happen one too many times. She is coming over at the beginning of next month to my house so she will get to see my piggies cage and maybe that would help. I just honestly don't know if I should say anything because it might sound obnoxious and rude. She really is a great friend and I know she would never purposefully want to harm her pig and absolutely loves it, but then again some people are just uneducated and want to stick with what they were told from the start rather than learn.

 

[JaseChase]

It’s a tricky situation to be in - we want to help the animal but also don’t want to offend a new friend! I have a similar situation with my in-laws who have met my piggies and often talk about the Guinea pigs they keep, and I have to do a lot of holding my tongue. In general, I do my best to talk about things I learned about piggie care that surprised me eg not eating carrots daily, the amount of space required, how complex they are and then if my in-laws ask for more info I give it (I told them I found this forum invaluable, though I don’t know if they’ve ever looked). It’s helped a bit to start the conversations at least, though I can’t control how much they take on board and it does make me sad that I can’t help more. At the end of the day you have to look after yourself too, and there’s only so much you can control

I would try to test the waters with your friend if you can, to see how receptive she might be to learning more, and recognise it’s not your fault what’s happening with her piggy, especially at such a good age the care must be relatively alright

 

[fluffysal]

I have a similar situation with a family member. Single pig in a tiny cage, no regular hay or cleaning and whatever pellets are cheapest. I visibly do my boys health checks, top up their hay, do poop cleaning etc when they are visiting. I also actively encourage questions about why I'm doing whatever I'm doing.
I have offered them "spare" grids so the poor boy at least gets a decent sized cage but they said they already have some. They do accept my "leftover" pellets (piggy parcels).
I would like nothing more than to adopt him. I just hope they get bored and let me while there's a slim chance of getting him healthy.

 

[Merab]

If she’s a great friend she may listen if you talk about your piggies, especially when she comes to stay.
Maybe introduce her to the forum as well.
It’s a tough situation but patience and a gentle, non judgmental approach may help.