Ranty Warning: No real reason for this but just <<sad>>

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

It's not even the end of the day (Tuesday) but inspired by another thread on AIBU (about dogs) I looked on Gumtree Guinea-Pigs (I know, I know )

There are no less than 55 guinea-pigs looking for new homes (noteably very few Free to Good Home. I think the owners adhere the the 'don't let your animal go free , it'll end up as snakefood' school of thought. I reckon they've paid ££ and want to be re-imbursed)

Just so . That's todays batch of offerings.
Tomorrow there will be more. Last month there were probably more.

Just ranting . Will go and cuddle the lardy boars in a minute and sneak them some late night apple. Will they be thankful? No but I did cut their claws today

[fridayfreedom]

Why do people get them in the first place. You should have to pass a test to check you are mad about them first aka a bit ' mad guinea pig lady or bloke'!!
I was listening to a woman with her child in pets at home. Child was pestering for a gp. Mum said no, child whines, mum says ok we will ask daddy! Sigh !

[fridayfreedom]

I have lardy boars and I love them!
At work a colleague was given a calendar with fit looking men on it, cue pwoar etc from others, I had a GP calendar, cue look at his little face , from me and slightly strange looks from colleagues!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I know why people get them Friday - even DD and I have our heartstrings tugged by the P@H hogs (and she delights in showing me 'agouti GPs' on Google that are so cute)

She (my DD) is 101% committed to her boars (I might have to refuse to let her leave home ) but they are a commitment in time, money, space, the constant picking bits of blardy hay up.

And my DD is allergic to our new chaps fur (the Rex) but she gets round this by not letting him near her face.(Thankfully it's a red patch allergy not a breathing one)

[fiverabbits]

Not just guinea pigs but rabbits as well. I can't look at Gumtree and I never go in Pets at home. I have got 2 rabbits from Pets at home that was bought by adults for themselves and then couldn't manage them so I have given them a second home. Both of them lived in flats as indoor rabbits but really need a garden shed each so they can have access to the garden as they are so large. TWO of my other rabbits were brought for children but they got fed up of them so once again they are second homers. The other rabbit was brought by me, an adult with adult children.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I haven't looked at rabbits on Gumtree five but I reckon the scenario would be same or worse.
I'd imagine that more rabbits are kept outside , ignored in completely unsuitable conditions, partly because their owners think they'll 'cope' and don't understand their needs.

(I did have a cats bum face in The Range when some children were looking at some of the cages - the ones they say are NOT suitable for rabbits and have a link to the RSPCA advice. But the packaging shows three rabbits by the cage, so you think 3 rabbits could live there)

The dad wanted to buy the cage "Only £99" with the run.
I asked him if he'd seen the signs about being able to lie flat in all areas, sit up and take several hops.
Hopefully some poor rabbit/rabbits won't end up in there.
DD examines the cages in disgust "A fox would be through that no trouble"

(Judgey pants)

[FernieB]

I don't look on these sites as I know I'll end up upset. I agree that people should be more thoroughly vetted before being allowed to have a pet of any kind. My lads are all rescues and I would only ever get rescue animals as there are so many. My GPs were rejects as Smoothpig had an ear infection and his new owners didn't want to deal with it so they returned him and Scruffypig to the store. Pets at Home got their vets to sort him out and we took him and Scruffy on. Current Bun was a reject as he fought with another rabbit - 2 unneutered males together . None of them are the cleverest pets in the world but we love them (I don't really want a pet that can outwit me anyway ).

[guineapiglet]

IHi all- Happy New Year...

Agree with everything you have all written, it is obscene and morally wrong, I think to sell live animals without proper checks or commitment - IF I had a mansion I would scoop up all 55 of them and have them as house pets... FErnie I can't believe your story about Smooth and Scruffy, but I fear it is happening more and more with people finding vets bills such a struggle, it is heartbreaking for all concerned..especially the poor animals bought as a commodity and not a sentient being :(

Talking of which, have just been to see Boris and he is much better! The Ulcer popped over the holidays and he now seems much happier and eating well, Although they were all might fed up with me as I took NO GREEN STUFF WITH ME

[FernieB]

What a rotten Auntie you are Guineapiglet . Fancy visiting pigs without taking greenery. My boys tell me that's very rude . Mind you, mine live in the Utility and think that every time I go in there for something I should give them a treat. Glad to hear Boris is feeling better - he had quite a rough time.

I would also have loads of rescues if I had the space/money. I could take all rabbits and piggies, although would need several acres to be able to keep the pigs in veg.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Glad to hear Boris is rallying Guineapiglet - I was a bit wary of asking in case he'd taken a turn for the worse. I can imagine what came out when it popped but better out than in .

I cut grass for the boars last night but today there were no dandelions out there (my garden looks a bit swampy but I'm consoling myself that the grass will be lush come Spring)

GP3 is going through his teens remarkably well but I'll need to keep a beady eye- last Spring GP1 started annoying GP2 in the Pighouse. I gave then a stern talking to but I think it was their sap rising.
(GP1 is a bit past it now, but the little boy........different kettle of fish there)

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I can imagine Scruffy and Smooths chorus of:
"What- no greens.... Did you mean to be so rude" ?

Judgey little pigs.

[fortifiedwithtea]

Guineapiglet KLAXON Guineapig Sporn

Only kidding, its great to hear Boris is on the mend

70 I looked on Gumtree just 5 days after Christmas and saw an advert for guinea pigs bought as gifts but the children had shown no interest in them

Also I had a look at the 2013 album for the rescue I got the girls from. I found a picture of Coco under her original name taken in June and she was pregnant . She was one of 45 pregnant sows they had at the time. I knew she had had pups and that she came into rescue in the same carrier as the boar but I didn't know she was already pg. I thought she was on pregnancy watch in case the boar had DTD in transit

As I got Coco in September, no wonder she was so skinny when she first arrived. I'm sure she has been bred from a few times. Her hips are very splayed out. But no Fortified pig stays skinny for long

[FernieB]

Why do people get pets as surprises for Christmas? Pets should never be bought 'for the children' - it's always going to need adult input so should only be a whole family thing. Really annoys me.

Fortified - poor Coco. Has she plumped up now? No pigs/bunnies stay skinny here either. Don't know how they get so portly on a diet of hay and salad.

[guineapiglet]

Hi again all :)

Fernie - I know - I CANNOT get over the looks I got when I appeared with NO food at all- so this weekend am going out with my bin bag and FILLING it with greenery for the greedy little blighters. I love that piercing look, with their mouths just slightly open ( so you can see the top teeth!) - ooh if looks could kill!

70 - yes I am glad I wasnt there when it finally popped!! But thanks for your kind thoughts about him, he is still a blond sweetie and has had a good few months with his new family, who utterly look after him. I happened to take round some ALDI cabbage, and it was devoured - good stuff, but glad I wasnt there too experience the windy after effects!

Fortified Hope Coco is now nicely putting on the weight - I agree with you all, guineas are supposed to be a beautiful round (ish!) pear shaped, although thinking about my girls, out of 9, only 2 were of the 'slimmer' variety, with much smoother, shiner coats..... My neighbours boys are all very cuddly and 'solid' shapes, and thats how we like them :) :)

[Sleepingbunnies]

This makes me so :(

[DumSpiroSperHoHoHo]

It amazes me that adults have so little common sense as to do this but sadly it seems there are always people out there willing to act and spend before really thinking about the consequences.

I must admit we got our GPs from P@H - as first time Piggie owners and with DH and I not having owned any pets since childhood we felt there was slightly more back up if things went wrong. We visited regularly for about 3 months prior to getting them and got lots of advice from different members of staff and they were happy to let DD handle them on a few occasions so we could be sure that she wouldn't freak out and not be able to cares for them herself.

Perhaps we are lucky with our local branch as there was more than one occasion when I saw/heard people interested in buying GPs being quizzed by the staff about what provision they had for them and turning them down if they felt the home wouldn't be suitable.

We've had our girls since September and we all love them to bits. I'd have at least a couple more if we'd had the space and money! Saw a video on You Tube the other day of a woman with indoor pigs. She had 5 in total in their own room with sort of modified cabin beds so they were at waist height and easy to handle, with lots of space and toys - it was brilliant!

[agnesf]

Was beginning to wonder if I was one of those pets are just for Xmas types as a result of recent hamster purchase (see my "Bitey Hamster" thread). But we are persevering - totally agree that adults need 100% pet commitment if its going to work.

Meanwhile it has to be said that bitey hamster - cute as she is, has propelled Our Boy and Beyoncé back to the top of the pet pops. They are gamely squaring up to the challenge of having to live outside in a shed after previous winters of luxuriating in unheated leaky utlity room.

Their strategy - eat more hay, hang out in cat carrier lined with fleece, wheeeeeek a lot until long suffering Agnes stops palming them off with curly kale and delivers some honest to goodness GRASS to shed residence.

GPs rock!!!!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Ooh yes GP1 and GP3 are very nonplussed at curly kale "It'll do, I suppose, just to stop my bum from slamming shut from underactivity"

So today, I'm with scissors and a plate on the lawn but they were wheeky and happy.

How are Beyone and your Boy getting on Agnes? (Is it nearly 2 years they've been married? )

[agnesf]

They must both be getting on for 5 or 6 y/o - so basically OAPS.

They rub along, eat grass, Beyoncé experiments with bizarre backcombed hairdo's from time to time,our boy broke his tooth on the water bottle and had a few weeks of gumming cucmber. No more bedroom action as in the heady days of their first romance - but then who am I to say what goes on in their cat carrier love nest?

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Agnes you don't know for sure.
When we got The Piglet (now 7 months) he kept trying to bonk GP1.
A few FFS faces put him right

I have no idea what they get up to but GP1 had been sporting Boar Glue again

[BullyMom111071]

Awwww I know what you mean. I recently rescued a bunny from gumtree (which has cost me hundreds of pounds). He was a freebie and when I called the woman said oh u can't come now he is covered in wee. I had to go immediately, she had a load of bucks from an unwanted litter all a year old in together and they had sprayed each other and were litterally yellow with hundreds of matts in their fur. I had to have him poor little soul. It makes me mad as well. He has since been neutered, got a girlfriend and a new 6ft x 2 ft hutch with two large runs drilled onto their hutch with loads of room. Happy ending for him but it is soooo unfair for the other poor little souls.
All we can do is love and spoil the ones we have. Bless you all who love your animals and spoil them, they are very lucky. x

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

IKWYM Bully
When we got our piglet we needed a very young boar to match up with our adult boy after his brother pig died.
The rescue we got them from had taken in something like 24 pigs (mainly boars) that week, so we knew we'd find a boar for him.

But though my DD was delighted to leave with her new piglet and her boar was happy, I was really that it was a drop in the ocean.
I knew I could only adopt one and the one is very well looked after and adored.
But when you think how many pigs in the UK (and rabbits and other furries) , it is sobering.

At least as you say, you've made a huge difference to your rabbits life, but how difficult to leave the others .