Why do some rescues insist on rehoming pairs

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lindalebeau

New Born Pup
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Points
95
Location
Loughton, Essex
Hello

This is just something I need to get off my chest at the moment. I understand most rescues do a fantastic job at rehoming small animals, but when I have looked at websites they do make a point of saying they will only rehome pairs of single sex guinea pigs. I have kept quite a few over the years, and I can honestly say that there are guinea pigs who live quite happily on their own, with lots of interaction with us humans. And others, including my two new males, who are having lots of problems getting along.

I feel that maybe rescues should be a bit more flexible about this as looking through this forum I noticed a lot of threads about male guinea pigs fighting and the owners then faced with trying to find room for another cage or having to rehome one of them. I know I may be annoying some people with this comment but I feel quite strongly about it.

Feel free to argue this with me, I certainly won't mind. Would just be interested in other peoples opinions.

Linda
 
I agree with what you are saying.
A lot of people also go to rescues in order to get their own pigs a friend, and do not want, or have the space to take a pair home.

Some guinea pigs seem to prefer to live on their own, as they enjoy their own space, and all the attention of their owners, as well as having the veg all to themselves! :p
 
I understand your point of view and see what you mean, especially for those who do not keep lots of piggies of have the space. The thing that annoys me sometimes is there are no/if any piggies going on there own (such as single sows) who could be rehomed with a herd of other girls. Everytime ive looked at rescues nearby there are no individual pigs.

But i do think homing centres do a brill job, they just need to be flexable thats all.

x.
 
Is it not the case that rescues will rehome only to live in pairs or groups? They will rehome a single pig but that is to live with another or within a group, which is where they are best suited. There are some pigs who will only live on their own, but often before a rescue declares this, they will have probably tried a number of bondings. If the rescue has taken in a pair that has always been together, or bonded two single pigs whilst in rescue, then it is only right that they will not then be separated, and rehomed as a pair. xx
 
I must admit, I think it is vital for a Guinea Pig to have a friend. We can't be there all day long. For me watching them interact is amazing entertainment.

I did have a Guinea Pig who was happy on her own, she lived side by side other Guinea Pig's although she didn't want to live them. They would sleep beside the divides and still interact with one another, it was very cute and ment she was never lonely.
 
Lindalebeau said:
Hello

This is just something I need to get off my chest at the moment. I understand most rescues do a fantastic job at rehoming small animals, but when I have looked at websites they do make a point of saying they will only rehome pairs of single sex guinea pigs. I have kept quite a few over the years, and I can honestly say that there are guinea pigs who live quite happily on their own, with lots of interaction with us humans. And others, including my two new males, who are having lots of problems getting along.

I feel that maybe rescues should be a bit more flexible about this as looking through this forum I noticed a lot of threads about male guinea pigs fighting and the owners then faced with trying to find room for another cage or having to rehome one of them. I know I may be annoying some people with this comment but I feel quite strongly about it.

Feel free to argue this with me, I certainly won't mind. Would just be interested in other peoples opinions.

Linda
Click to expand...

Have you actually contacted a rescue and been in the situation where they'd only rehome a pair or have you just seen it on a site?

Nutmeg summed up what I'd have said beautifully. Most places actually ARE more flexible than what they say on their site.
 
We rehome singles. As not all piggies like other piggies. Are you interested in adopting a single? Or is this just a ranting post (we all need to rant at some point ;) )? Either way read below.

We currently have two single females who have been tried with 40 differnt sows who will sometimes get along for a few days then both of them will tear chunks out of their new cage mates.

We also have a boar who HATES other pigs with a passion.

However we have recently been asked to seperate one of our pairs as the lady only wanted one boy out of the pair. This will not happen in our rescue. We will not split up a working bond. weather it be a long term bond or a recently paired.

We have split up those that insist on not getting on, this imo is justified.
 
What a good reply i agree, we assess all our piggies as individuals. Bonded pairs are left well alone and thorough advice given to new owners on continuing that bond.If its possible we try and get as much behaviour history as we can from previous owners.If a single piggie came in we would try bondings but for a long term forever home we would rehome a single piggie , if it was going to have daily piggie company cage to cage x
 
Over the years I've homed 4 pigs from 3 rescues as singles to live with pigs I've already had, I just took them for dating at the rescue!
 
We also do dating ;)

However we do that here and the animal usually stay atleast 7 days to make sure we are confident with the bond. We then take them to their new homes (pre approved ofcourse) and watch them settle into their new surroundings.
 
You expressed your opinion. On a public forum you have the right to do that.

Others do not agree with some of mine and i do not agree with some of theres. How you settle this is a differnt matter (i have lost my temper before and probably will again, however not very often and i need to be pushed a long way for that)

Rescues all do things differntly and we may not all agree with what each other do but thats is how we find things work. Nobody agrees all the time. Thats a way of life.

When you say you look for singles to intro, why just singles? Odds are if they are singles and in a rescue with many other piggys of the same sex, they have been "tried and tested" with others (depending on the rescue ofcourse)

We have a co-habiting group of nine that was two groups of two and a group of 5 but we needed the extra cages so went ahead with bonding this group. However they do tend to roam in their own groups so will be rehomed in their own groups as this would work fine for this perticular group. However they would probably (not definatly obviously) be able to be bonded into a larger group again. So a single to intro is not always needed.


Another note, not all rescues (including mine) have the time to update their websites or forums all the time to say who thay have available or who they have rehomed, so consider emailing the rescue to ask if they have whatever you desire. You may just be saving them the extra time needed to advertise that animal and you may be lucky enough to get what you are wanting.

However another opinion of mine ..... Its not about the colour, breed or sex.... your other pigs will no doubt not care what they look like so why should you? We have longhaired pigs that I'm seriously allergic too... however i can understand if this is a factor in anyone wanting to rehome.

We find boars get the raw end of the deal... nobody wants a boar because they heard they are hard work.... hard to tame... smell more... None of which are true. Worse still our black boars are often rejected because of superstition. How can rescues get through to people the above is not the case.... its darn hard work, thats for sure. You can rarely change peoples mindsets, so we just keep loving those boys and treating them like royalty. I'm sure other rescues do too.
 
Same here - if piggies come in as a bonded pair (or group, for that matter) we will keep them in their pair unless it becomes obvious they are not that close.

We do have single piggies coming in for homing - these are put in with a group, after quarantine, so we can see what they are like with other piggies and so that they have some company.

I have never rehomed a single piggy to live as a single piggy, this is personal choice. I feel that every piggy can find a friend eventually, and in the meantime they are better off in my rescue surrounded by other piggies than being homed alone. I know others do... each to their own. We've never had a piggy so bad that we couldn't bond it, or neuter it.

Most decent rescues offer piggy matching services for lonely pigs to find a friend, but as has already been said, most won't split a bonded pair just for someone else's convenience. Rescues will do what is best for the pig(s)

Sophie
x
 
I do the same as most. I don't split bonded pairs or trios if they are working. I don't rehome singles, if I have a really difficult one who refuses all partners then they either live here surrounded by all the other pigs or they go to a long term fosterer who also have lots of piggy company for them.

If I get a pig in that needs to stay for life due to a health condition their partner stays too - whether or not they have an issue.

As I've been rescuing for quite a while I do have a lot of repeat homings - often when one of the pigs passes away the remaining pig comes in for a new companion. I have a waiting list for single girls as most of the females that have arrived have been pregnant and have been paired with their own daughter. After a couple of months of no single girls I now have a couple in so will be starting the Sow-Dating Service shortly, once their qurarantines have been completed and they are fit and ready to go home. The Boar-Dating Service is in full swing.

Suzy x
 
I have only ever rehomed one piggy to live on his own and that was years ago. He came to me after being badly bullied by his cage mate and despite everything I tried he would not live with another male of any age - no aggression, he was just terrified and climbed the walls to escape. He was therefore neutered with the intention of pairing him with a sow - however, the same thing happened. He was still terrified, even of a baby sow.

Eventually he ended up living in my lounge, as even if he could hear or see other piggies he sat huddled in the corner and wouldn't move, eat or drink :(

This was an exception I know but all piggies are different and need to be found a home that suits their particular needs. Boris eventually went to live as an indoor piggy with a lovely family - mum worked from home so Boris had company all the time and lived a very happy and relaxed life.

I realise that ideally all pigs should have a friend but very, very occasionally we have to accept that what we think is ideal may just not work for all piggies - it certainly didn't for Boris.............................

Teresa xx
 
The local rescue near me allows single adoption although she does have some piggies that have been bonded and must go together but I got my teddy Betty on her own or I could have taken Betty her sister snowdrop and their mum but I didn't have room for 3 girls :( only 2 so I decided to take just Betty and leave snowdrop and her mum to be rehomed by someone else (which happily they have).
I think the RSPCA where I am also rehomes single piggies.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top