My daughter has asked me what happens to guinea pigs (and other pets) in pet shops if nobody buys them, as you only ever see young ones in there, not fully grown animals.
I dont either really. I think in p@h now they have an adoption corner and older piggies/buns go there but I dont know about the smaller independant shops :-\ Perhaps they advertise them in the local papers? it is sad and soft hearted people do take the ones left on the shelf so to speak, but that just makes room for new young ones. Its a vicious circle
Seems to be a high turnover at our P @ H in St Helens, I go in once a week and the same guineas are never there. In P @ H Aintree they have an adoption corner for pets that have allergies, the last Pig that was there had an allergy to wood chippings. Bless him.
I just suppose they keep them there until all are gone. In a large pet shop in Liverpool they seem to do this. There is a gorgeous tortoise shell boar there but he is an older boy, I's say about three. So gentle and kind and I'm so tempted but haven't got provisions for him as would keep older pigs away from the younger ones for now. He really pulls on the heartstrings!
I guess sometimes they will send them back to the breeder (they do this with hams etc) in exchange for younger animals. Who knows what happens to the ones sent back.
Yes, there are very nasty rumours about what happens when they are returned to the breeders. One theory is that they are sold on to the vivisection industry.
Hmmm...I go to my P@H usually every Friday but by then since they get stock at the weekends then I don't really get to see any and I must say they are different every week apart from one little fella who has been there the past few weeks still very young though because he was there when they had their "The guinea pigs are not for sale until they are 6 weeks of age" sign...
I don't really understand why guinea pigs make a difference, I understand with cats and dogs because they change but guinea pigs usually stay the same. If they are well behaved when they are young its how they'll turn out and if not well then they'll stay like that.
In P@H they go to the adoption part if they have one (the signs in my local store used to say "too old to be sold in the Bunny Village"). Previous to this I have had hamsters given to me for nothing from them because they were older.
I dread to think of the fate of the ones that get returned to the breeder.
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