Guinea Pig Home

simplybecca · 02-05-2008, 02:08 PM

I'm looking for a female less than a year or two old that has a loving personality. I'm looking for a mate for my male who is a total sweetheart and lonely. We bought a female from the local pet store about 6 months ago but she died when she was a few months old because we didn't realize she was allergic to pine shavings. He was devastated when she died and I've been looking for one for awhile now. I would prefer either a silky or an absyian but just as long as she's a sweetheart I don't really care.

I'm in the Shenadoah Valley around Harrisonburg, Virginia. You can contact me at either barefutbassunist@aol.com or barefootbassoonist@yahoo.com. Thanks a lot for you time!

Jennicat · 02-05-2008, 02:32 PM

Has your male been altered?

VoodooJoint · 02-05-2008, 02:38 PM

This forum does not support breeding so if you are looking for an actual "mate" so you can breed your animals you will not find help here.

I suggest getting your male pig neutered and then adopting him a female friend or, if you don't wish to neuter, then adopt him a same sex pal.

Breeding GPs is very risky (a 20% mortality rate) plus there is a major overpopulation of GPs already. Please don't risk your animal's lives and create more of an overpopulation problem by breeding.

I also have to tell you that I doubt your female died from an allergic reaction. If she was housed with the male and they were both unaltered then it is quite possible that she died of pregnancy complications (part of that pesky 20% mortality rate). The other possibility is that she was ill with a URI and it killed her from lack of medical attention.

I strongly suggest you get your male to a competent exotic vet for an exam. He could have caught something from the female.

simplybecca · 02-05-2008, 03:00 PM

Sorry, I didn't realize you guys didn't support breeding. We took her to the vet and they were the ones that told us that. My mom bred pigs for years and didn't have any of the die w/ her... it's not that risky if you actually know what you're doing and do it right. If there is such an over population why is it that I'm having such a problem finding somebody that raises them or has one that wants to get rid of it in my area? I really don't trust the pet stores.

simplybecca · 02-05-2008, 03:01 PM

o and to jennicat. he hasn't been altered by any way that i know of. what are you talking about?

allcreatures · 02-05-2008, 03:02 PM

There are two guinea pig rescues in VA operating at full capacity. There are pigs listed on Craigslist. You may have to actually travel for them, but neither of them adopts their pigs out to be used as breeders.

VoodooJoint · 02-05-2008, 03:10 PM

Why in the world would you want to breed GPs that you have no genetic history on anyway? What is the purpose in it? Are you just breeding because you can? That's not a very good reason. What are you planning to do with all the babies? The fact that you are looking for a female less then a year or two old tells me that you really don't know what you are doing as GPs should not be bred for the first time if they are over 10 months old.

Believe me, breeding is very risky. As a rescuer I see the risk and consequences all the time and there are many other rescuers that have dealt with far more GPs then you and your mother put together that can vouch for the risks as well.

You shouldn't trust pet stores. They are terrible places that support a cruel industry of suffering. I'm quite certain there are animals available for adoption in your area but I severely hesitate in helping you find them because of your desire to breed. Rescue animals have already been through enough and should not be used as breeding machines. They are in rescue for a reason, no one wanted them. It makes no sense to take an animal like that and use it to create more animals that may also end up unwanted and take away homes from the ones sitting in shelters and rescues already.

I'm quite certain your vet is very wrong on the cause of your other GP's death. I think you need to find a better vet.

Edit to add - Jennicat meant, is your GP neutered. The answer is obviously no.

simplybecca · 02-05-2008, 03:28 PM

Yes, I know gps need to be a certain age to breed, but they also can not be bred after they are 2 years old, something about a hip bone locking into place and it can cause complications in birthing as serious as death. I'm looking to breed to provide gps to a local pet store that isn't franchised own. They actually care about the animals there and try to give them as much attention as possible. That and people around my area that want a pet that was raised by an actual person and not in a 'farm' or whatever that term is. We looked into neutering our pig and decided against it.

To allcreatures: I looked on craigs list and I wasn't able to find them, but I was only looking in my area. I need to look again with all of VA. Thanks though.

VoodooJoint · 02-05-2008, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simplybecca

I'm looking to breed to provide gps to a local pet store that isn't franchised own. They actually care about the animals there and try to give them as much attention as possible.

Ah, so you wish to supply the people looking for feeder animals for their reptiles, people looking for a pet for their 4 year old so the child can learn "responsibility" and thus the animal eventually dies from neglect, or gets dumped because the child isn't taking care of it or they are ready to "upgrade" to a dog or cat so the GP must go. I guess you also want to supply to the mental cases that buy animals to torture them, the kids who want to breed as well (perhaps to sell) and then dump the excess, unsellable animals in the shelter or (more often) simply release them into the wild? Then of course there are all those people that buy animals on impulse and then loose interest and ignore the animal for years, barely providing it with enough food, water and care to survive, until it dies a lonely and neglected death.

I'm certain you will give me a great big NO to your desire to supply the types of people I just described above but the fact is you WILL be supplying those people because the petshop WILL sell to them. They will sell to anyone with the money to buy and most people will not openly admit their less then honorable intentions.

If you breed to sell to petshops, the very shops you say you don't trust, then you are subjecting your animals to a very uncertain future and using your "pets" as money making machines.

Please think hard about what your are planning on doing. In the end you will be no better then the mills. Animals you produce WILL suffer, WILL be neglected, WILL be abused, WILL be abandoned and WILL die and you WILL be to blame.

I don't know about you but I could not live with that sort of burden of guilt and I cannot understand the people who can live with it.

simplybecca · 02-05-2008, 04:02 PM

I never thought about it that way, but I would like to be able to provide hand raised guinea pigs to those around this area that are looking for something to love. I know how much I love mine and I would love for other people to be able to have that. I thought breeding would be a good way of helping pair up pigs with owners that I know would love and take care of them. What would you sugguest me do if I still wanted to raise and do that kind of thing?