What if I Can't Adopt Because I Live Too Far Away?

Mikknu

Mikknu

Junior Guinea Pig
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Nebraska, US
I'm wondering what to do if I'm not able to adopt guinea pigs.

There is only one shelter close to me that houses guinea pigs, and it is an hour away to boot. Shelters are few and far between(guinea pig wise) here in Nebraska, which I suppose is a good thing that despite the many people I know who have pigs, that there aren't many in shelters. There is a pair of young pigs in a rescue center I have my eye on, but the drive is 2.5 hours away from me. I'm willing to go that far to get them, but nearly all rescue centers want prospective owners to meet the pet and visit the house first, neither of which are really a viable option here. Not for the 2.5 hour drive at least, but I don't know if a volunteer wants to drive all the way out to my house from an hour away either. Has anyone here had a similar experience? Can you set up video calls and keep up regular correspondence instead? What if they won't let me adopt guinea pigs because I'm too far away, what do I do then? Breeders nor pet stores are splendid options, but that's all that's left within 300 miles of me. I want to set up a correspondence early, because there's only three short months before I'm ready for pigs!
 
I would ring the Centre with the pigs you are interested and talk to them about your situation and see what they say.
Some are happy to be emailed photos of your set up and how you plan to keep them before taking things further. They may not need to do a home check in that situation. You can only ask and see what they say.
 
I would definitely contact them and start a conversation, when we adopted Ollie it was from a rescue an hour and a half's drive away and we just exchanged lots of emails and photos first. They might even have piggies in foster homes nearer to you, many rescues have foster care networks :)
 
Mikknu said:
I'm wondering what to do if I'm not able to adopt guinea pigs.

There is only one shelter close to me that houses guinea pigs, and it is an hour away to boot. Shelters are few and far between(guinea pig wise) here in Nebraska, which I suppose is a good thing that despite the many people I know who have pigs, that there aren't many in shelters. There is a pair of young pigs in a rescue center I have my eye on, but the drive is 2.5 hours away from me. I'm willing to go that far to get them, but nearly all rescue centers want prospective owners to meet the pet and visit the house first, neither of which are really a viable option here. Not for the 2.5 hour drive at least, but I don't know if a volunteer wants to drive all the way out to my house from an hour away either. Has anyone here had a similar experience? Can you set up video calls and keep up regular correspondence instead? What if they won't let me adopt guinea pigs because I'm too far away, what do I do then? Breeders nor pet stores are splendid options, but that's all that's left within 300 miles of me. I want to set up a correspondence early, because there's only three short months before I'm ready for pigs!
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Hi!

You'll never know how far a rescue or shelter will rehome until you have contacted them and spoken to them.

I live in the UK, but my currently closest rescues are all between a 45-90 minutes' drive away (by public transport it is about a 1-2 hours' journey). About once a year I adopt from a rescue further afield by train; that is usually a day trip out and involves a 3-5 hours' train journey each way. Sometimes I can meet up for a handover with a fosterer a bit closer to home or at a larger station, saving me an extra ride on a branch line or a bus/taxi ride. So it can be done, rescue willing! ;)
Travelling with guinea pigs

All the best!

I sincerely hope that the shelter will be more accommodating with a good standard and committed home that is prepared to go the extra mile for second-hand piggies.
Please ensure whether the shelter itself has a mandatory quarantine/vet care upon arrival or not and how they deal with sows (pregnancy watch or not?), so you know what you need to do and what to expect. The US Midwest is unfortunately very thin on rescues, and even thinner on good standard ones!
 
Awesome! This is good news. I sent an email explaining the situation to the rescue, and I'll keep you guys updated on the response! I have to go to work here shortly, but thank you @Wiebke for bringing up to check the quality of the rescue too. I'll see what I can find out throughout the day.
 
Mikknu said:
Awesome! This is good news. I sent an email explaining the situation to the rescue, and I'll keep you guys updated on the response! I have to go to work here shortly, but thank you @Wiebke for bringing up to check the quality of the rescue too. I'll see what I can find out throughout the day.
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Talking to the rescue is the best way of finding out. As there are no rescues in your state listed on Guinea Lynx (whose standards are comparable with ours), you will have to do your homework yourself. Generally if a rescue is doing a home check and has got an adoption form to fill in beforehand, they have some standards but it worth making sure. ;)
 
My email was responded to pretty promptly. They're okay with doing videos and pictures, which is great! Pending my application for adoption is approved when the time comes, of course.

As for the shelter itself, I was able to find out that they are a non-profit, no-kill shelter that works with the local animal shelter in its area. I wasnt able to find out much about conditions, but I did find out that the guinea pigs I inquired about were in a foster home at the moment, if that counts for anything? I'm not sure what to think about them based on this information.
 
At least near me, most of the rodents for adoption are in foster care. There’s even a full on foster organization near me that takes in rodents from shelters and places them into care with a knowledgeable foster parent. Definitely not something to worry about; I’d even say it’s better than just a shelter as often foster parents know more than the shelters!
 
Mikknu said:
My email was responded to pretty promptly. They're okay with doing videos and pictures, which is great! Pending my application for adoption is approved when the time comes, of course.

As for the shelter itself, I was able to find out that they are a non-profit, no-kill shelter that works with the local animal shelter in its area. I wasnt able to find out much about conditions, but I did find out that the guinea pigs I inquired about were in a foster home at the moment, if that counts for anything? I'm not sure what to think about them based on this information.
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Many especially smaller rescues operate with foster care system these days; which means that guinea pigs in recovery are kept and looked after in a home setting by a rescue volunteer rather than in an institutional centre. You can ask about any background information and any medical issues while in rescue once your application is approved - which I very much hope for.

So far it doesn't sound bad. All the best!
 
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