Wisconsin rescue help?

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mom2eaq

Post   » Thu May 31, 2018 11:36 pm


Hello - I am new to the boards but often read discussions. I'm also a relatively new guinea pig momma, having taken in 2 little ladies from a student of mine's family in the Fall and have been learning as I go. Trust me when I say they needed to get out of the house! However, I have no background. I could tell they were full-grown just by size, but no other information.

Well, one of my girls passed away about a month ago from bloat. I took her to the ER vet but at that point it was the best decision to euthanize humanely. I spent several weeks checking out any local adoptable sows but the only places that had any were the various branches of the Wisconsin Humane Society, and they were all in bonded groups which I don't have space for. So stupid, impulsive me stopped in at Petco to pick up bedding one day on my way home from work, and lo and behold they happened to have a single "female" gp. It's now about a week later and it became pretty clear to me tonight that this 'she' is a 'he'. He and my girl only spent one night together so fingers crossed they didn't have a one-night stand (haha), and now I created an alternate cage area from the playpens I have so they can be separated.

Of course after the fact I have been reading up on all the problems about adopting from places like Petco, but now I just need to find a solution. I have had no luck finding any guinea pig/small animal specific rescues anywhere between Chicago and Madison. There was one I cam across in Madison but it closed a few years ago. If anyone has any knowledge of something I may have missed I would very much appreciate a lead. The other options are trying to rehome on my own, surrendering to humane society or returning to Petco before 30 days is up. I'd really like to focus on solutions rather than all the things I shouldn't have done please.

Thank you for your time!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Jun 01, 2018 9:13 am


Have you considered looking for a companion for the new guinea pig and one for the old guinea pig? Do you have a skilled and experienced exotics vet? Have you considered getting the male neutered?

You also need to read everything in the reproductive area in case your female is pregnant.
www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html

mom2eaq

Post   » Fri Jun 01, 2018 4:27 pm


I am not able to responsibly have more than 2 piggies due to space and financial constraints. I found a recommended vet on one of these pages that is relatively close but haven't visited yet, but was thinking a bit about neutering today as well. Can a male and female generally get along well? And yes, i have been reading up on the pregnancy info.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Fri Jun 01, 2018 5:52 pm


A male-female pair generally does very well. It's cheaper and safer to neuter the male than to spay the female.

mom2eaq

Post   » Fri Jun 01, 2018 8:23 pm


Thank you bpatters! I have a pre-surgery checkup appointment scheduled for Tuesday, so just another week of "supervised" visitation!

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Jun 02, 2018 12:08 am


Don't allow any "supervised" visitation! A male can impregnate a female in about three seconds. You could sneeze and miss it. Also, you have to keep him separated for four weeks after the surgery. It takes that long for the sperm to die off.

mom2eaq

Post   » Sat Jun 02, 2018 8:04 am


aaahhh, good to know!

WICharlie

Post   » Sun Jun 03, 2018 10:13 pm


Hey, you're in my neck of the woods.

I'm sorry you are in this situation. So many people find themselves in similar situations because pet store employees are so ignorant and careless. There's two things I would do along this line. If people don't speak up, these pet stores will (and do!) keep doing the same old crap. The first thing is that I would call Petco and make a big stink about it. Of course they will immediately tell you to bring him back and pick out a new pig. But you should raise holy heck and tell them "I'm attached to him now! (He's an living animal, not a new pair of jeans!)" Tell them, "I trusted you, the experts, to be able to tell males from females and since you sold me the wrong one, now you have to make it right. I either want my money back, or I want YOU to pay for my male to be neutered. Because this is YOUR fault!" I seriously would do this. I would not only call them, but I would write them an official letter stating the same and demanding that they pay for the male to be neutered AND that because of their ignorance, your female might be pregnant and I'd threaten to send them the bill if your female needs any kind of medical care due to a pregnancy. The second thing I would do is lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

I will warn you that they probably will not pay to have your boar neutered nor will they pay medical bills for you female but I would sure try to make them. They would regret the day that they sold me the wrong gender of pet.

Before you do anything, I would suggest that you wait to find out if your female is pregnant. The only sure way to really do that is to wait the full time of gestation. If your female has babies, then you can make decisions based on the number of babies and the genders of them. Female babies can stay with and live with the mother. Male babies might be able to be paired with the father when the babies are three weeks old. If you can only keep two, then you will have to find homes for the others but at least you can adopt them out in pairs (which is best).

I used to be a volunteer for a Wisconsin Guinea Pig rescue but we have been closed for several years. There's one in Southern Illinois but she is usually overflowing and most likely does not have room for more. I would NOT take any pigs back to Petco! I sometimes think they make "mistakes" on purpose so that people will give them unwanted babies and they can sell them to other unsuspecting customers for profit without having to put one cent towards their "product."

If you need to surrender them, consider HAWS. But you can also try to place them yourself and you will have the peace of mind of knowing that they are in a good home and with people that will care for them (I can give you advice on how to do that if you want).

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:38 am


HAWS in Waukesha is especially great! In the past, they have given talks specifically about guinea pigs. They really care and try to do everything right.

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