If you're thinking of getting small animals...

[bendertherobot]

Please go to a rescue instead of Pets at home or other pet shops. I've just been helping out at a rescue today. The lady there has taken on about 100 unwanted guinea pigs and about 20 unwanted rabbits from breeders who got out of hand. Some of the animals have come to her pregnant, so there are many more on the way. There are all ages, breeds and colours to choose from, and they are all cute and friendly.

If you are in the Kent area, here is a link to the rescue I was at today.

Rescue

There is bound to be one near you so please have a look if you are thinking about getting a new pet. Thanks! :)

Agree 100% bender.
My two boars were year old rescue boys and when I needed to source a new hoglet to replace GP2 we got a piglet from Rescue.

There's a saying that adopting an animal won't make a difference to the world of rescue but it makes all the difference in the world to that one animal (or something like that)

I sometimes 'put people off' in PetShops. When I hear a small child excitedly "Oh I want a GP" and the parents say "Yes I'll get you one"
then my DD will tell them about our boys and what they need day to day (the space, cleaning, commitment timewise)
Hopefully if it stops an impulse buy of a GP then I'm glad. If they are undecided then it might make them think "Oh, we can't put it in the old hamster cage"
And anyone who is clued up and done their research will happily have their ears bent and made to look at dozens of ipod pictures chat to my DD about her hogs.

It's a sobering read on Gumtree too. "Child lost interest" "Don't hhave time" "Needs to go" and "Getting a new puppy so I can't keep the guinea-pig"

Rescue all the way! The bonus is that you know what your getting personality and looks wise. Those tiny baby little cute fluff balls get big and in some cases grown massive unsightly testicles!

I've just applied to adopt an elderly rescue rat to live with my girl rats. I will also be adopting a pair of baby rescue rats to live with my elderly male rats.

Amee I really don't understand why people object to rat testicles. They aren't doing anyone any harm trailing along behind the rat!

Madratlady you've just made me snigger because although I don't object to rat testicles I just can't take the poor creatures seriously. :o Testicles the size of their heads!

Mind you, my girl rats would love some boys in the room. They were most disappointed when I adopted some neutered lads. Not happening though.

Naoko They do look a bit silly! If human testicles were that big in comparison to their bodies then men wouldn't be able to walk.

The girls and the boys are used to being in cages next to each other so just ignore each other now. The girls were very excited when they first arrived though.

Well my neutered lads were being adopted to join the girls. When they arrived from the fosterer it turned out to be the easiest (and funniest) introduction ever, all the girls went straight into heat and sat there waggling their ears at them while the boys completely ignored their antics. I nearly died laughing when one of the girls parked herself in front of one of the lads, waggled her ears and he just sat there going '...what?! I'm washing my tail. Can't you see I'm washing my tail? This is important. What do you want?'

Girls were most put out. :o They eventually realised neutered boys make really good comfortable cushions in rat piles though, so that made up for it.

Madratlady
I don't object to rat testicles, I just know that others do.

if I wasn't so allergic I would have rats, I developed and allergy after many wonderful years of rat keeping. male or female they are the best small pet by a mile!

Male rats that I have seen just lard about sleeping (while the females are swinging from one side of the cage to the other like a Gladiator contestant) showing off their mahoosive bollocks.

My adult boar has a mighty fine set but he keeps his tucked away all neatly (GP3 is not mature enough yet ), ooh the advantages of low slung, non climbing rodenty boys

I agree on the differences between male and female. I mostly had females and thought they were great, always affectionate but also loads of fun. The males just moped about.

Amiee I wasn't accusing you of being anti testicles, just expressing surprise at how many people seem really bothered by them.

We currently have both and and female groups of rats but we've agreed no more females as they die of old age, so that we end up with just one group of males eventually. I will be very sad to have no hyper, bouncy girlies anymore. The boys are lovely and some of them love attention and will happily be petted and cuddled for ages, but mostly if we get them out of the cage now that they're elderly they just find somewhere to take a nap. I'm loking forward to having energetic, explorey younger boys around again soon.

Aw you are a nice bunch. :) Thanks for the replies and making me smile.

Just giggling at Naoko's ladyrats strutting their stuff to no avail! :)