Guinea Pig Adoption
If you can adopt a guinea pig from a rescue center, you have the potential to transform that little pet’s life. With thousands of guinea pigs in rescue shelters all over the US, these small pets with the most adorable personalities are desperately in need of your help.
Before buying from a pet store, please think seriously about adopting a rescued guinea pig instead.
But, even more importantly, before getting guinea pigs at all, do consider the commitment it takes to look after them and be sure you’re prepared to take care of them for the duration of their lives.
Adoption vs buying from a pet shop
It’s easy to fall in love with a guinea pig when visiting the pet store but there are many reasons why you should choose a rescued guinea pig over a pet store guinea pig:
- If the guinea pig is in a miserably small cage in the pet store you may think that by buying him you’re helping. But the pet store will just get another to replace him and more guinea pigs will suffer exactly the same fate.
- Guinea pigs are often mis-sexed at pet stores leading to new owners ending up with more guinea pigs than they can manage or afford.
- Guinea pigs are bonded at rescue centers so you know they won’t fight and will be great companions.
- There are often health issues with guinea pigs from pet stores so you may get a guinea pig who doesn’t live very long at all or needs veterinary treatment shortly after buying them.
- A rescue center is always there to support you. Their knowledge is far deeper than that of someone who is working in the pet store because of the experience they have in rescuing guinea pigs.
It is unfortunately too easy to buy a guinea pig from a pet store. Pet stores will get in however many guinea pigs they need to meet demand. The more people buy them, the more guinea pigs will be needlessly bred and a great many of these will end up in the rescue centers where they are struggling to cope with the intake of guinea pigs.
If more guinea pigs are adopted from rescues, pet store demand will decrease resulting in less guinea pigs being bred and ending up neglected or in rescue shelters.
Important things you need to know before getting guinea pigs
Before buying or adopting a guinea pig, it’s really important to find out as much as you can about how to care for them as well as how much they will cost on an ongoing basis.
Getting a guinea pig must never be an impulse buy from your local pet store. They are very cute pets and it’s so easy to make this mistake but they are a lot of work.
Before you make the decision to adopt guinea pigs, first check out our “What you need to know before getting a guinea pig” page. This gives you a load of quick information that you may not know about guinea pigs and will help you decide whether this is the best pet for you.
How can I adopt a guinea pig from a rescue center?
First you’ll need to check if there’s a guinea pig rescue near where you live. Or you can contact your local animal shelter as they may also have guinea pigs awaiting adoption. Rescue centers all have their own ways of doing things so you’ll need to find out from the one you choose what their particular requirements are for adoption.Here are some of the common adoption requirements:
- You’ll have to buy everything the guinea pig will need in advance of bringing your guinea pig home.
- Most rescue centers will only let you adopt a pair of guinea pigs and will only let you adopt a single guinea pig if you are looking for a companion for one you already own. This is because they are social animals and need a friend.
- Your cage will need to meet their minimum cage size requirements. This will be at least 120cm x 60cm (4 x 2ft) but in some cases they may require you to have a 150cm x 60cm cage (5 x 2ft) and we recommend you go for the larger cage.
- Some rescues may only adopt out guinea pigs after a home visit to make sure you have everything in place and that it is a safe environment for the guinea pigs.
- An adoption donation is usually required.
- Many may insist on them being kept indoors rather than in an outdoor hutch.
Bear in mind that rescue centers are extremely careful about where they re-home their guinea pigs. This is totally understandable when you think of the love and care they’ve given to these guinea pigs to rehabilitate them.
It would be heartbreaking for a rescue to see one of their guinea pigs in a state of neglect or unwanted yet again.
Will rescue centers have baby guinea pigs for adoption?
You don’t need to go to a pet store if you want a baby guinea pig because rescue centers will often have babies that are awaiting adoption.
But don’t rule out adopting an adult piggy as they also need a good home. So many of these lovely pets have had years of neglect and have waited a long time to find that special forever home.
Can I foster a guinea pig?
Some rescue centers may require temporary foster carers for guinea pigs while they await a permanent new home. This is another option you may want to consider.
Why are there so many guinea pigs in rescue centers?
There are many reasons why guinea pigs end up in rescue centers. Here are some of the following reasons:
- The guinea pigs were bought for a child who has lost interest in them
- The family have moved house and are now not allowed pets or don’t have space in the new home
- The owner can no longer afford the ongoing costs of keeping guinea pigs
- It is too much work and too much commitment for the owner
- The guinea pigs have been abandoned
- The guinea pig has had babies and the owner can’t manage all the new guinea pigs.
- The pets were given as a gift and are not wanted
- There is a new baby in the house
There are many more reasons why guinea pig rescues are so full and it’s incredibly sad that so many of these pets have also been neglected or even dumped somewhere because they were no longer wanted.
Learning to care for your new guinea pigs
There are lots of resources on our website to help you learn how to care for your newly adopted guinea pigs. We also have loads of product recommendations and, as guinea pig lovers ourselves, we only recommend those products that we know to be safe and suitable for guinea pigs.
In fact, we make every effort to try as many of the products we recommend to ensure they are good enough for our favorite small pets.
Here are some links to products and care information that you’ll find helpful:
- Starter Kit: We’ve put together a list of the things you’ll need to get before getting your guinea pig with links to where you can buy our recommended products.
- Best indoor cages: Some great cages that we recommend
- Best outdoor hutches: Most hutches are too small so check out these large hutches
- Daily food requirements
- Best bedding for your guinea pigs (check the rescue center requirements as not all agree with pine shavings even if kiln dried)
- Our youtube channel “Guinea Piggles” has lots of videos on how to care for your guinea pigs.
- Guinea Piggles Care Sheets: We designed these with checklists, information and where you can log various information and tasks related to your guinea pigs. These are great for both adults and children.
- Safe fruit and veg sheets: these make working out a good varied diet much easier!