Would you buy a gp from p@h?

millimat · 2014-08-26 16:17:52

Sorry I know I've gone on and on, but for those who haven't seen me harp on here's a summary : Had 2 god. Only 6 months but one died from ear infection 4 weeks ago. Need a buddy for other gp but had a holiday so promised dd we'd sort once home. Really like the idea of speed dating from a rescue centre so we know there's a higher chance of them getting along. I don't like our gp being on his own but he's eating and drinking fine. No rescue centre nearby has any single boars ready to adopt for a couple of weeks. Went to P@H today. They said if we pick one (obviously would be a baby) theyd put ours with it in a neutral space to see if they were ok. The big plus point would be that dd has a week to get new gp settled before school. Would you?

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 26/08/2014 17:48

millimat I really feel for you, I know what you're going through (I've had two bereaved boars in a year and you want them to have company of a pigletty kind^ )

I know that people (myself included) will quote about PetShops and breeders, making money etc.

But, P@H - I've had issues with them myself, there was a pig with a gummy eye that I pointed out (and stood while I made sure they caught him)
"Oh he must be sleepy" they said.

"No " I thought, "he's got an eye infection. They don't sleep with one eye open. They are born with their eyes open"

I did say "I've kept guineas since I was her age" pointing at my DD.

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I've also got major issues with Gumtree sellers who want to palm off their pets because their kids "got bored" and want £30/£40/£50 because they "want it to go to a good home".<br />
I did consider looking at Gumtree myself but I wouldn't pay someone privately to take a guinea from them to rehome <span class="italic">unless</span> they were a proper breeder. If I'm doing them a favour, they won't profit from their unwanted animals, but I wouldn't need the cages anyway.<br />
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If you buy one piggie from P@H, it won't make a huge dent in the population in Rescue will it.?<br />
OK, you could argue that you're preventing that piggie going into Adoption or an impulse buy. Because once they are beyond a given age, they are moved on for the next cute load of piglets.<br />
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Have you looked for a local breeder? One that will give you the time to pick a cagemate for your piggie? That will give you a return policy ?<br />
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P@H give something like 24 hours guarentee and there's no 100% with animals, I know.<br />
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They have an inhouse vet in lots of the sites so you could have a check done (especially double check if you need to get one particular sex. I saw a very pearshaped pig in a pen of males........)<br />
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If you go there, take a plastic box that you've cleaned  to make it neutral) and some newspaper and hay.<br />
When we bonded GP3 and the girls, they spent 2 hours in the bonding pen (they'd chatted for 4+weeks).<br />
If you get a piglet, get a young one (the ones in Rehome tend to be 12+ weeks and they might not see eye to eye)<br />
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Good Luck.

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Would you buy a gp from p@h?