Debate: Are Guinea Pigs From Gumtree And Other Websites "rescue" Guinea Pigs

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I am an old fogey so will openly admit that I do not understand sites such as Gumtree. I have recently seen a few threads where people say they have rescued Guinea Pig from sites such as Gumtree and free advertising sites .


I appreciate these Guinea pigs were in places where they were not wanted - so there is a lot of merit in offering them a forever home - but are these rescues?

I have always assumed a rescue is a charity and the reason for giving an adoption fee to a rescue is to support that charity.

Please let me know your thoughts.
 
Our thoughts on Gumtree and other free add sites really give us the shivers with respect to selling animals, it is well known that these sites are used as dumping grounds for breeders surplus stock. It also greatly upsets us when we see free to a good home. It is a fact that a great number of these unfortunate piggies end up as snake food.

A question you should ask yourself " Would you give your pet to a complete stranger and never know what happened to it " We think not..

Also if you purchase an animal from these ads you have no idea of it's condition, health or otherwise. If you do decide to purchase from such a source, you need to be prepared for the worse case scenario.

:btt:

Our stance on Piggies purchased from Gumtree etc, Is that yes you are rescuing the Piggies, but they are definitely not Rescues, which in our minds can only come from reputable Rescues..

Lisa & Ali.. x
 
I wouldn't equate something like Gumtree (which I assume is similar to Craigslist or Kijiji) as a rescue... it is a place where people are trying to get rid of things they don't want. I have seen plenty of ads for free guinea pigs, largely on the ads it's because the owner 'has to move' or 'just doesn't have time anymore.' It's not a rescue, though I would definitely feel like I potentially saved those pigs if I took one from such a place, as who knows what would have happened to them otherwise.
 
Rescue definition save (someone) from a dangerous or difficult situation.

Depending on the scenario for the guinea pigs I would consider that you rescued them from a bad situation.

I recently inherited two boys who needed gone ASAP from a friend, do I consider them 'rescues?', I stopped them going free to good home so I guess in a way they are, I didn't buy or want another it just happened. I have there cages and did not exchange money, I guess that may mean I rescued them?
 
I'd say they were rescued. They are no longer wanted and need a forever home, just like the guinea pigs in an actual rescue. I agree with supporting the actual rescues, but to me if a guinea pig is no longer wanted and could end up with anyone, and I've taken the action to give them a loving forever home, I'd be content on saying they were rescue.

The free to a good home ads are just asking for people to use them as snake food in my opinion. So knowing you got to them first and they won't ever end up in that situation is an action of rescue to me :)
 
Ok, lets throw something else into the mix here.

Personally I would like to see all rescues licenced and inspected regularly. Unfortunately there are some 'rescues' out there that obtain guinea pigs from freeads and then rehome them for a rehoming fee, without getting the guinea pigs vet checked first (as I see this, they are running a business and making a profit under the guise of being a 'rescue'). Totally unacceptable!
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Ok, lets throw something else into the mix here.

Personally I would like to see all rescues licenced and inspected regularly. Unfortunately there are some 'rescues' out there that obtain guinea pigs from freeads and then rehome them for a rehoming fee, without getting the guinea pigs vet checked first (as I see this, they are running a business and making a profit under the guise of being a 'rescue'). Totally unacceptable!
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Some people have no morals!
 
I agree that only guineas from rescues are 'rescues'. But that is not to say that gumtree guins have not been rescued. And there have been occasions where I have begged the OH to let us 'rescue' guins I've seen on gumtree (he's always said a firm no!). I feel that if you have space, you should make the conscious decision to go to a rescue and adopt and if you are concerned about a guineas welfare on gumtree, give them details of the nearest rescue.

PiggyOwner said:
the reason for giving an adoption fee to a rescue is to support that charity
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Just to add, adoption fees don't even cover the costs of looking after guineas in rescues - we got Errol from the Blue Cross and paid an adoption fee of £20 - by the time they've paid for food, hay, bedding, vet checks etc., I don't think there's any change!

furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Ok, lets throw something else into the mix here.

Personally I would like to see all rescues licenced and inspected regularly. Unfortunately there are some 'rescues' out there that obtain guinea pigs from freeads and then rehome them for a rehoming fee, without getting the guinea pigs vet checked first (as I see this, they are running a business and making a profit under the guise of being a 'rescue'). Totally unacceptable!
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I agree with this. Why isn't it being done already? How could it be done? A petition?
 
Uh, sorry but...as a snake keeper I feel the need to say that we DON'T scour free ads for free to good home animals, rodents give a nasty bite and guinea pigs are not a good food source as they're fatty and too large for the majority of commonly kept snake species. Pre killed feeders are cheap enough, we don't need to look for free animals to feed our pets! The chances of them going as bait for fighting dogs or some nutter who just wants to kill something or even just flipped so they can make a profit on them are much higher. So saying that a great number of free guineas or that putting them up for free is asking for it isn't really correct. There are a few bad apples with everything, but just because a minority do it doesn't mean it's rife.
 
if they are in free adds, or low priced then most certanaly yes they would be in more potentional danger then a pig in a rescue
 
This is a great debate !

I'm so pleased people are taking part .

I am pro rescue and agree with @furryfriends (TEAS) about the importance of rescues being licenced and inspected.

I appreciate that a lot of "rescues" are well meaning ....But ......

I recall a letter in a magazine ( I think it was Guinea Pig Magazine) where a reader saw a very nice gentleman at stall in their local pet shop - collecting for their "rescue". A few weeks later , this reader saw a photo of this person in their local newspaper . The RSPCA had been in and taken all their animals as they were a hoarder.
 
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Eriathwen said:
Uh, sorry but...as a snake keeper I feel the need to say that we DON'T scour free ads for free to good home animals, rodents give a nasty bite and guinea pigs are not a good food source as they're fatty and too large for the majority of commonly kept snake species. Pre killed feeders are cheap enough, we don't need to look for free animals to feed our pets! The chances of them going as bait for fighting dogs or some nutter who just wants to kill something or even just flipped so they can make a profit on them are much higher. So saying that a great number of free guineas or that putting them up for free is asking for it isn't really correct. There are a few bad apples with everything, but just because a minority do it doesn't mean it's rife.
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I appreciate your comments . I'm afraid it's the bad apples that we hear about most.
 
It's understandable, bad news makes good news. That the majority of snake keepers are also animal lovers rather than cruel rodent killers isn't really news so not worth talking about. I wasn't wanting to derail the conversation (sorry about that lol) just wanted to put it out there than for the majority of the reptile keeping community, taking free to good home animals is as unacceptable as it is to everyone else, we're just normal pet owners like the rest of you :)

As for my opinion on the actual topic at hand, I believe if you have paid money for the animal then it's not a rescue, it's a purchase. The person who has neglected that animal now has the funds to go and buy someone else to neglect. So while you've saved one from a bad home, you've condemned another to take it's place, whether from gumtree or a pity purchase from a shop etc.
It bothers me that people can claim to be a rescue without any form of inspection... it's so easy to start off with good intentions and then cut a corner here or there to take in 'just one more' and without realising slip into neglect. I was under the assumption that if you took in animals/bought them and then sold them on regularly you needed a pet shop licence? So if a 'rescue' is doing that then it may be a good idea to report them for not having said license? I could have that wrong though, it's a long time since I was at college but i'm sure that's what we were told!
 
A few of mine are from Gumtree - Buzz and Woody were clear neglect cases (knee deep in poo and no hay plus Buzz looking sad at the hutch door). They also had really bad mange mites and fungal and Buzz was left brain damaged for the rest of his life. Tim was also from Gumtree and was shown living in in Imac Fantasy hamster cage. I do agree that a lot of the time it is breeders trying to get rid of their stock but there are the odd genuine cases too.
 
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Oh I love a good debate. Here are my thoughts :)

Rescue definition save (someone) from a dangerous or difficult situation. As the definitions says to save someone from a dangerous or DIFFICULT situation.

Often the poor piggy's and other animals being advertised on Gumtree and such like sites have been purchased by people who knew nothing about the care, love and attention needed. Or the owners are no longer in a position to care for them and are trying to find them a new home.

I would like to hope that as piggy and animals lovers in general that no-one would feel that they would have a clear idea of who and from what situation they would 'rescue' an animal.

A question that comes to mind when talking about legitimate rescues is 'do they also decide which piggy's they will take in to find a new forever home for? Are you saying that they would not take in a piggy to find them a new forever home just because the person's circumstances had changed or the owner was naïve enough to buy the piggy for a child who had lost interest. Does the poor piggy need to be in a dangerous situation to be rescued? I do not believe so and I am so grateful that they do not.

I like many forum members have taken (purchased) 2 lots of piggies from Gumtree from people who clearly did not understand what they were taking on. They were not intentionally being cruel and not looking after them but they all had severely long nails as they did not realise a) they needed to cut them or b)how to cut them and/or long hair and dirty grease glands or bottoms. However both were keen to have them go to a good home and wanted me to update them with details and pictures once they had settled. The money I paid for them was asked for by the owners more so to ensure that hopefully the right sort of person would come along.

I think education is the key to stop people thinking that any animal is suitable for a child without the help of a parent and/or that any animal does not cost money and time no matter how big or small it is.

So lets all continue to help all creatures great and small from whatever situation they are in to ensure they get the care and attention they need if or when they need it.
 
I got a rabbit and a guinea pig from gumtree that were advertised as free to a good home.I consider them rescues as they were in a stAte in awful, dirty conditions .They certainly needed help.I have supported rescues in the past and donated to furry friends but if I see an animal that needs help I will rescue if I can.Got two boys out of terrible conditions and into a rescue.Any animal that you get out of bad conditions is a rescue in my book
 
My concern about taking animals in from "Free to a good home " sites is that these people may never learn - and just get more animals.
 
Percy was from a Facebook buy/swap/sell site and I believe I rescued him. He was being kept in undesirable conditions (not dreadful, just uninformed) and the previous owner asked for a photo of him when he settled in.
 
I don't buy animals from sites like this, all the ones I've got have been free to a good home.Even my dogs were free from bad circumstances.I would rather pay a rescue than pay for one off these ads
 
It's a good debate. My first guinea pig, Archie, was found on a gumtree ad. I got in touch with the woman out of casual interest with no intentions, but when she informed me he was going to a rescue that weekend if no home was found... that kinda swayed me into action! I gave her some money, but it was a tiny cost considering he came with his entire set up and home. I couldn't say I rescued him, but surely 'rehoming' is still positive if the circumstances are right ie seller has genuine reason for rehoming and wants to see who their pet is going to? I'm still in touch with the previous owner with updates as she likes to hear how he's getting on.
 
As a fosterer for a rescue we tend to call piggies 'rescues' when they come from squalid conditions ie hoarders, unscrupulous breeders or ignorant owners. These are always given priority. The piggies that come from homes where peoples circumstances have changed or children have got bored, are called 'rehomes'. These are less urgent and go onto a waiting list usually. Obviously there can be some overlap as unwanted piggies often end up being neglected. I have had admissions from seemingly good homes where the piggies have been in a sorry state.
The free ads are where people go to move piggies on when they don't have a rescue place or don't know about rescues (or don't like the idea of rescues).
My problem with these free ads is twofold. Firstly, people can take animals in from these sites as an emotional reaction and without thinking it through. These people then either get overloaded and essentially become hoarders unless they again pass the animal on (often to rescues). The same applies to people who buy animals from pet shops or auctions because they 'feel sorry ' for them.
Secondly, people often tag rescuers on Facebook to these free ads, this just causes us stress and sadness, we have enough to deal with without going looking for more animals on free ads.
So please think very carefully before taking animals in from these situations, have you room for them, can you afford the veterinary care they may need, could you cope if they were pregnant, could you quarantine them effectively. Please don't look at free ads or go into pet shops or auctions if you cant say no. By all means report squalid conditions to the relevant authorities but DO NOT buy animals, you are not rescuing them, you are perpetuating the breeding of more animals. If the market stopped, so would the breeding for cash.
 
I suppose my main thought is that there is a HUGE difference between rescuing an animal and that animal being a rescue. Rescuing the animal is definite but the animal is not a rescue animal, it is a potentially mistreated pet (I say potentially as I have seen - and on one occasion taken in - free ad piggies that look in very good condition). I think anyone taking in free ad animals of any type need to consider the potential implications to them and any existing animals (ill health, fungal etc) and also the motivations of the current owner (are they trying to rehome because they don't have space/landlord won't allow pets/too ill to look after or are they potentially breeders shifting "bad stock") as I feel we need to consider responsibility for future animals that may end up in the same position by the same person.
 
Lady Kelly said:
I suppose my main thought is that there is a HUGE difference between rescuing an animal and that animal being a rescue. Rescuing the animal is definite but the animal is not a rescue animal, it is a potentially mistreated pet (I say potentially as I have seen - and on one occasion taken in - free ad piggies that look in very good condition). I think anyone taking in free ad animals of any type need to consider the potential implications to them and any existing animals (ill health, fungal etc) and also the motivations of the current owner (are they trying to rehome because they don't have space/landlord won't allow pets/too ill to look after or are they potentially breeders shifting "bad stock") as I feel we need to consider responsibility for future animals that may end up in the same position by the same person.
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I totally agree. I have two piggies were rescued but are not rescue piggies. They came from a pet shop who refused to withdraw them from sale when I pointed out Hamish had sight and hearing difficulties... I rescued them froma situation that was less than ideal but they are not rescue piggies. H and my other past boys are rescues, All have come from reputable rescues where they were handed in for a variety of reasons from genuine need to rehome through to neglect.

Also @pig in the city makes some great points... I see rescues turn away animals all the time because there isn't the space to take them all and that's without the free ads or gumtree piggies added to that number. it's not fair to ask rescues to act on things that they can't change...

Every piggy is loved no matter where it came from but that doesn't mean they are all the same.
 
I have a slightly different view of Facebook/gumtree/etc ads, I often find the ones who ask for money (especially a lot of money) to be quite worrying. I've often seen ads that make me feel like the person is saying "I don't want my dog any more any more so I want my money back, you can have him for £300 and I'll throw in his 2 £1 bowls as well". I've mostly seen dog ones in my area but have seen a few guinea pig ones as well and it's normally along the lines of someone wanting £80 or so for a guinea pig in a ridiculously unsuitable cage (seen one in a fish tank recently) that their kid no longer wants. Maybe it's just my weird opinion but but if I needed to rehome a pet for whatever reason getting money for them wouldn't even be a consideration.

On the topic of this thread though I would consider any animal that you have saved from a bad situation a rescue whither it came from an official rescue center or not.

I consider my dog a rescue dog, My husband seen her on ad on gumtree years ago and felt sorry for her and really wanted to help her (we were already looking into getting a dog). She might not have came from a rescue center but she was living in pretty bad conditions and was obvious when we went to collect her that the owner really disliked her. She used to shut her in a cupboard under the stairs when she went to work for 8 hours a day and by the looks of it she was kept in that cupboard a lot more, it was filthy in there and the poor puppy was filthy too. Never understood why her previous owner even got a dog as she was only 4-5 months old when we got her and the owner clearly never had time for a puppy, and if the owner got bored of her that quickly then she should never have gotten a pet in the first place. That woman actually did want money for her though, I told her I would give the dog a good home but wasn't giving her the £200 she wanted for the puppy (She was a mongrel puppy which means she probably got her free or really cheap) and came with a filthy pee and poop stained blanket and 1 badly chewed plastic bowl and 1 tin of food. At first she didn't agree and then she messaged me back the next day saying I could come take the dog
 
SingyPiggys said:
Well, guineapigs from shops need rescuing so they all kinda do :P
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I have to avoid pets shops that sell pets as I'd feel so sorry for them- I'd want to take them all home !


The problem with this is , the Pet Shop would just replace them with new stock so, buying pets from pet shops just perpetuates the cycle.
 
I can see the problem with that as well though @SingyPiggys . If someone kept buying all the guinea pigs from shops to rescue them then the shops would just get more piggies from breeders which would then up the demand of guinea pigs, breeders would breed more as the pet shops sold more and more to the people "rescuing" them increasing the amount of guinea pigs needing good homes. There is already far too many guinea pigs needing homes all over the country (and in America and other countries too from everything I've read). And at the end of it all the pet shop is still making lots of money and so is the breeders, as sad as it seems it does seem better in the long run to help what piggies you can that are actually living in bad conditions or in a rescue instead of helping perpetuate the sell more = breed more situation.
Also a lot of animals sold through pet shops do go to good homes so you might not even be rescuing them at all
 
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