Sometimes life throws circumstances at you that you can’t possibly prepare yourself for. In some cases, it results in having to make the heartbreaking, grueling decision of re-homing your guinea pig.
No matter what the circumstances, we know that you can’t have come to this decision lightly, and we’d like to give advice on how to go about this process.
Rehoming guinea pigs
There are a few options that you’re able to consider when rehoming your guinea pig or guinea pigs. The viability of these options will vary depending on your individual circumstances and accessibility to resources around where you live! Choose the option that is best for your and your piggies, because in the end, your goal is to give them a new home that is safe and healthy for them.
A family member or a friend
This is probably your easiest and most immediately available option! Reach out to your friends and family members to see if there is anyone that is willing to and able to take in your guinea pigs. This is probably the easiest option for you emotionally as well, because you might even be able to visit the piggies from time to time.
If your loved ones want to take in your guinea pigs, but are inexperienced at caring for them, you should make sure that they are fully aware of what they are deciding to take on. Make sure they understand the level of care, time, attention that is required of taking care of piggies, especially if any of them have any special medical conditions that require extra time and dedication. This includes things like infections, whether they’re respiratory, fungal, urinary, or otherwise.
Teach them how to cut their nails, how to groom them overall, how to clean their cage, and all the other parts that come along with owning guinea pigs. It’s also important that you tell your loved one what kind of quirks and habits your guinea pigs may have. Not every guinea pig is the same, so if one of your piggies has a particular behavior in certain situations, make sure it’s known.
If you’re absolutely sure, and they’re absolutely sure that they’re able to take this task on, then you’re good to go. Make sure that you also teach them how to bond with the guinea pigs, and remind them that it will take time for the piggies to adjust to a new environment, and new people, and that it won’t be completely easy at first!
Guinea pig rescue centers
The easiest way to find a rescue near you is to pull up your search engine of choice and type in “guinea pig rescue near me” and look for the closest locations. Read through their website information to make sure that they’re not only a good rescue, but one that is the best fit for your situation.
Not all rescues are the same, and some require appointments to be made in order to surrender your guinea pigs to them, or some won’t be taking in any at all depending on when you’re looking to do it. Many rescues run purely on donations, so they might not be fully equipped to take in guinea pigs at will.
There is most likely going to be a waitlist type of situation, so you won’t be able to surrender your piggies right away. This is due to the influx of guinea pigs being given up, and the lack of funds and staffing or volunteers that it takes to care for the guinea pigs.
For example, the Southern California Guinea Pig Rescue says they are “experiencing crisis levels of unwanted guinea pigs.” Because of this, they’re not able to take in every single guinea pig that they get asked to. As an organization, they’ve stated that they’re prioritizing certain situations, which they refer to as “life or death guinea pigs” when it comes to chronically ill guinea pigs, guinea pigs that have been abandoned in unsafe and life–threatening circumstances.
The Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue also requires an application process before they are able to take in your guinea pigs, and it’s extensive! It will ask different kinds of questions about your piggies so they are aware of your guinea pig’s entire history, and they will also ask why you are surrendering your guinea pig.
They also can’t take guinea pigs in at will and it depends on the population of their rescue at the time. Most of the time, they will only be able to take guinea pigs in once some have been adopted and they have the space.
One last thing…
If rehoming your guinea pigs isn’t something that needs to be done absolutely immediately, we recommend seeing if there is absolutely anything within your power that you can do to change the situation so you don’t have to rehome your guinea pigs. This is just to make sure that you have exhausted all of your options before you have to let them go!
If there’s absolutely nothing else that you can do, then we wish you luck in rehoming your guinea pigs, and we hope that they are able to live happy and healthy lives with their new piggy parents and new family!
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