Adopting/Rehoming animals - I'm trying to do the right thing but...

[FirstLeg]

...we have been contacting Shelters in the last few weeks about taking on a couple of guinea pigs. We used to have them until about 5 years ago, so know all about it, have all the kit etc.

However, we can't find ONE place that will accept us as suitable! Despite heving cared for 5 guinea pigs over the years, we aren't allowed to have any from a shelter because:
*we have a six year old (she is calm around animals and this can be seen when she visits the Shelter, plus she will be supervised when handling them/when they are out in the pen)
*our hutch is too small (it is 3 1/2 ft wide and our previous guineas were happy enough in it, it is fox/cat-proof, raised from the ground and has a nesting covered section). Apparently the RSPCA say many purpose-built hutches are too small...
*we will be keeping the guineas outside. Apparently they need to be in a shed in the winter. No-one told our old guineas that.
*one shelter wanted to do a home visit, but then told us we lived too far away...

Of course, if we went to the pet shop, we could of course just walk away with as many guineas as we want. Friends of ours keep their guineas outside, have the same size hutch, and have toddlers ffs.

I do accept that Shelters can't just hand over animals willy-nilly, but with all these restrictions, I suspect many of their guinea pigs will never find a home .

I do think some rescue places have too rigid rules. But I do agree with rescue places that won't rehome a dog with people who work away from home full time.

IMO it is cruel to leave a dog alone all day for 5 days a week.

Havent read the whole thread, but South America isn't all warm. Guinea Pigs live in the Andes, which are cold. Guinea pigs are fine outside.

You haven't asked an "Am I Being Unreasonable?" question.

Why not just extend the run by half a foot or whatever extra the shelter wants and say you'll get them an indoor cage for bad weather?

We looked to rehome a cat, each week they (cats protection) list cats that need homes in the local paper but all of them said 'need a home with no children or other pets' (we have a dog and 2 young dd's), but it got me thinking that its no wonder they struggle to home them as most people will have children and at least one other pet, it basicly meens you need to be old, home all the time and not have any other animals. But is ok to go out and buy a pet and no one checks that its going to a good (childless) house.

Ok, Trillian AIBU in thinking that Shelters are being too stringent about their rehoming criteria?

Based on the fact that some places recommend indoor housing in winter and some (includig the RPSCA website, but not the local Shelter) do not make this a requirement. Thus it is by no means an agreed criteria.

My guineas would be well cared for in a sheltered spot, near the back door, not stuck in a shed at the bottom of the garden. I am an experienced guinea keeper.

How many people are going to adopt a guinea pig if you now have to build them their own shed ffs?

How about cats - what if they decide you can't keep a cat unless you live in a cul de sac? Or a dog, unless you live within 2 mins walk of a open space. Meanwhile, lots of animals are condemned to stay in shelters...

PS buzz An indoor cage is not good enough btw - they need more space.

You can get some massive indoor guinea pig cages.

Depends on the size of the cage, surely? Our indoor one is 4 ft long, so slightly bigger than the one you describe for outdoors. It does block up the utility/porch/junk room rather a lot.

We were told, though (and this may be a factor with rescue beasties) that guinea pigs that spend their first winter outdoors grow a thicker coat than those that have previously been indoor pampered pets, so you can't put an 'indoor' adult outside for the winter.

I'm afraid our modest home does not have room for a 4ft indoor cage...

Interesting what you say about 'first winters' Lanncelottie.

We had this a few years ago. A friend went to her nearest Cats Protection shelter for a kitten and told us she'd seen a deaf white cat in need of a home. We had previosly had a deaf cat, who sadly died of old age, and we went to look at him but they wouldnt consider us because we were out of their 'Catchment Area'. Even tho there is a CPL shelter near us who could have done the home check etc, we live on a quiet estate, glowing vet references etc.

a 3ft hutch is tiny :(

I have four female piggies, their outside hutch has a 3.5m x 1.5m run, with a 1.5m x 1.5m living area above with constant access to both. From tonight they will move into their indoor hutch, a 4foot long double hutch with a 4ftx4ft run attached for the daytime.

The rabbits will also come in from their simelar size outdoor hutch to have free run of the study and a large dog cage to sleep in.

Sorry op but i agree with the shelter, you are not willing to provide adequate housing.

babyDubsEverywhere - our hutch is 3 1/2 ft, not 3.

Yours sounds magnificent, but it is hardly representative of the way most guineas are housed...

What is really annoying me is that the facilities we have for guineas are pretty good, and we have previously cared successfully for happy guinea pigs. I bet the 'average' guinea pig wouldn't be as well cared for as any ones we got. Shelters are ruling out good homes when they ask for these sort of standards, which while they might be ideal, are not realistic and not representative of how the majority of people care for their (happy) guineas.

I have two guineas - they are both 3 years old.

I live in a rented house so can't bring them in over winter (landlord doesn't mind us having them - outside!). I do have a garage but in the winter its no warmer than outside and I read its the damp that's dangerous to guineas - not the cold. So I bought them a really good hutch - made with proper wood, not the rubbish you buy from pet shops. It even has shutters for the windows to keep out the drafts. I put stacks of hay in every night and bought them both a heatpad that you stick in the microwave. They have been outside for the past 2 winters and have been fine.

I like the idea of shutters!
I expect the main difference between a pet shop and a rescue is that the pet shop are out to make a profit, bottom line, so they don't ask too many questions. A rescue doesn't have a profit motive so they are only interested in the best for their animals. What do the rescue do with them? If they also keep them in 3 ft cages and leave them out over winter then they are being unreasonable, but if they have lots of room to run round and are cosy and warm in winter, then perhaps they are better off at the rescue

But the whole point of a rescue centre is to care for these animals, and find them the best homes possible. The best homes, would have indoor facilities. If you dont have indoor facilities, then you arent the best home. end of. What do you expect? the rescue centre to say, oh well, you arent offering ideal housing, but we have hundreds, lets get rid of a couple?
If you cant match the latest care guidelines, then get a hamster.

Our guinea pigs used to live outdoors all year round, with a well insulated nest box. I don't see that an unheated shed would be any warmer to be honest. Although one year some hedgehogs stole their nest box! They were free range pigs and would come out to play and eat grass in most weathers. A rustle of a plastic bag was enough to get them running to the back door even when there was snow on the ground. Pretty much all our pigs lived to be 5+, eldest was 7 I think.

I do wonder if the shelter rules are because the guinea pigs are older and as such may be more used to being inside and less likely to cope with the change.

Marne the larger cat rescues have got this attitude that you came upon but the smaller independant rescues like Haworth Cat Rescue who i work for will rehome to people with children and people who work, but they wont rehome a cat who hates children or dogs to a children/ dog home, some cats just dont like children or dogs, usually in this case they suggest a bolshy outgoing kitten so it grows up in this type of household, the deaf white cat you saw they would only rehome to an indoors only situation as deaf cats wouldnt hear traffic coming and sadly that would be the end of puss, i dont know anything about guinea pig rescues as its been 30 years since i had piggies

sorry mibby re the deaf cat, we have a georgous young deaf white cat at the moment but he will need a very special person to take him on as he was born feral, so is people shy aswell as deaf, but he is starting to chill out round people and given lots of attention and love will be a fabulous cat, now hes at the stage where hes starting to shout for attention but will have to be indoors as hes deaf

If you are anywhere near Cheshire I know 2 piggies that need rehoming.

''Yours sounds magnificent, but it is hardly representative of the way most guineas are housed...''

Well it should be. it complies with ideal housing requirments per number of pigs. Just because sub-standard animal housing is common it doesnt make it okay.

To the people complaining about rescue dogs & people who work - many, if not most of these dogs are very stressed and are not the same as a happy dog from a family being passed on. They may be coming with all sorts of issues, not to mention the psychological trauma of being seperated from owners, stuck in a stressful environment like kennels, and so struggle to adapt straightaway to being in a new, strange house alone.

It's common sense ffs, it doesn't take a genius to work out that rescue dogs might be coming with issues, and so need more time & patience. We were told 'no' when we were both working, but coming home in teh day, because a lot of the dogs in the kennels were there because they had been left alone for too long, left in a crate for too long, and couldn't cope - so the owners dumped them at the rescue. So if someone else takes the dog home, leaves it alone, it gets stressed - back to the kennels & it's just a vicious cycle.

The rescues are just trying to avoid the poor dog getting passed around from home to home, and ending up completely unable to ever be rehomed.

Had exactly the same with cat and dog re homers, even though much experience, suitable home etc. I have now happily adopted 2 cats through a friend, they were due to meet their maker as no centre had room to take them in!! Silly, they let any fckr have kids!!

I did feel a bit that I was able to pass the rigourous assessment for adopting a child but was deemed to stupid to manage a small dog.

I have worked in animal field (for want of a better description) and a lot of people who work in that area think all humans are idiots and none of them love animals as much as them.

I know why its easy to assume this when you work in rescue/welfare. I saw some awful things.
But the whole 'people are stupid' and the rude attitude towards the public got very waring.

I encountered it from the other side when I rehomed from Battersea and some of the staff their were incredibly patronizing and just bloody rude. I would also rather sell my sofa to pay a vets bill than take my animal to the RSPCA because of the incredibly rude staff.

It puts people off and there is no need for it.

I have my guinea pigs in a 4th hutch, there is a little plastic igloo in the sleeping compartment and they never come out from under the igloo apart from to grab some food and then run back afaik. They do also have a run where we put them when the weather is ok.

Mine stay out all year, even last winter when the snow was 3ftdeep. They have a thermal rainproof cover with a space blanket lining. Also under this cover I've put loads ofpolysterene. We ram the hutch full of hay.

4ft hutch not 4th