Guinea Pigs!

By Mira P

We've (my family and I) had two pairs of guinea pigs, the first, a pair of girls named Kiki and Whiskers and our current pair, two girls named Sugar and Charkie (like charcoal). Guinea pigs are a great pet. I, unfortunately, am allergic to them.

As much as I hate to admit it, my gut reaction when someone tells me they're getting a guinea pig is "no! Don't get a guinea pig!" Mostly because most people I know (not most people in general) don't really know how to take proper care of a guinea pig; they are oftentimes seen as an over-sized hamster.

This myth that a guinea pig is a big hamster can be deadly. Guinea pigs are actually rather complicated to take care of, and aren't the same as hamster at all. The first and most important thing - cage size. People commonly get the wrong sized cage for a guinea pig. Guinea pigs need a lot of space, because they like to run around and popcorn. (visit Cavy Cages for more info on cage size) I have never seen an appropriate sized cage for a guinea pig at a pet store - never.

I once read a book where the author most likely mixed up "hamster" and "guinea pig" or "rat" and "guinea pig". It included a scene where the "guinea pig" ran away and got lost (guinea pigs are not small and would likely be found moderately quickly, but of course, they could also get lost. My guinea pigs have never shown an interest), where they picked the guinea pig's cage up (a cage shouldn't be small enough that you can pick it up) and one of them said "close the top or she will climb out" (a guinea pig could jump out if their cage is low enough, but they can't climb out).

It was a minor mistake, but it just shows that guinea pigs and hamsters are too easily mixed up. What do you guys think?

Arizona Piggie Poo Rescue

by Mira P.

A few years ago, my family adopted our two current guinea pigs (Sugar and Charkie) from AZ Piggie Poo Rescue, who rescues guinea pigs. I e-mailed them a while ago to ask them some questions. Here they are below:

TC (Tiny Cages):  Did you start off a small organization and grow bigger? Was it hard to promote yourself?

APPR: (AZ Piggie Poo Rescue): Our organization, Arizona's Piggie Poo Rescue, Inc., began in 2006.  We've grown exponentially since then, and we now have our own permanent shelter facility and a big list of volunteers and foster families who help us to operate smoothly and care for the animals we have at any given time.  From one person and her family with a desire to help some guinea pigs destined to be sold as snake food, we've come a long way.  We promote ourselves as much as possible, while still providing the care level to guinea pigs and other small exotic pets in our care that they have come to expect, and that we demand of ourselves.  Our first priority is always the welfare of the animals.  That being said, we also constantly need to raise money to provide that care, so we are always in promotion mode.  Right now, social media, like facebook, is our primary means of day-to-day communication.  We also use our email list to help when needed, and participate at events where possible. 

TC: What do you think of the tiny cages at pet stores?

APPR: We have yet to find a pet store (large or small) that carries any habitat that is suitable in size or style for guinea pigs, either single or paired, on their shelves.  There are a few mail-order pens that will work, but the C&C (Cube and Coroplast) pens are what we recommend, and demand of our adoptive families.  We carry these in the SqueekShop online or at the store at 1610 E. Bell Rd., Suite 109 - on the Northeast corner of Bell and 16th Street in Phoenix.  They can be custom made with colors you like, too!  Plus...they are the least expensive you will find!  (Not to mention the other guinea pig approved supplies at the least expensive prices anywhere, and the BEST FRESH TIMOTHY HAY EVER!)

TC:  What's the hardest part of what you do?

APPR: The hardest part of what we do is probably seeing animals that are surrendered, for any reason.  Even if they are in perfect health (and most are not), the emotional trauma for the animal is devastating.  Imagine everyone you loved and relied upon just giving up on you.  Guinea Pigs are herd animals and bond deeply with their human caretakers.  To be separated, even if those caretakers were severely lacking, is tragic.  Yes, we have animals surrendered that are neglected and sick, too.  Because our primary purpose is the welfare of these animals, we do sometimes find it hard to just bite our tongues and resist giving a lecture to neglectful pig-parents.  However, we do it, with difficulty, and re-route our anger and hurt to helping the animals we have in our care.  I think each of us remembers nearly every single animal we've cared for at the shelter, be that for a day, a week, a month, or a year.   

TC: What do you want people to know about having guinea pigs and other small animals as pets?

APPR: Our primary item of education about Guinea Pigs is that they be seen as a part of your family, and not as a 'pocket' pet, or as disposable when you get tired of them.  Proper care includes everything from proper housing, food, medical care, and grooming care.  Guinea Pigs are intelligent and sensitive animals who rely on their humans for nearly everything.  They do better in pairs, and we rarely have difficulty matching up pairs, if someone has a single piggie.  We offer a Cavy Savvy education class frequently that offers humans a chance to better understand their pigs, their body language, their squeaks and wheeks, and even their play and personalities.  Also, when you adopt Guinea Pigs from Arizona's Piggie Poo Rescue, we are invested for life.  We are here to answer questions, give advice, and even help you find joy in your piggies again, should that feeling wane.   

TC: How do you care for all the guinea pigs? How many do you usually have?

APPR: Our all-volunteer staff assures each day that the pigs at the shelter are fed, watered, cleaned up after, and socialized daily, even if the shelter isn't open to the public.  We also care for a number of pigs who might have special needs such as illness or socialization issues.  A network of foster homes, where pigs can get very individualized attention helps with this task.  At any given time, we average anywhere from 20 - 60 guinea pigs in our care in the shelter and foster homes.  We have had as many as 120 in our care when needed, such as last September when we helped with a hoarding case in California, transferring 94 pigs in one day from California and Tucson to Phoenix.  People often look incredulously at us when we tell them these numbers, and that we've helped over 1500 pigs in total.  They can't believe so many piggies would need help and rescue.  It is our sincerest desire that people understand the need and find it within their hearts to adopt from or donate to Arizona's Piggie Poo Rescue, Inc.  People can find us online at http://www.piggiepoo.org where they can find information and donation/adoption opportunities. 

 Arizona Piggie Poo Rescue is a very good and kind-hearted rescue. If you live in Arizona and want a guinea pig, this is a very good place to go. Like their Facebook page and check out their site!

Thanks!

 

Welcome to Tiny Cages

Welcome to Tiny Cages, a blog dedicated to animals and stopping the abuse of them. In this blog, I'll be sharing animal facts, pictures, and videos, and charities, as well. 

Animal abuse can be well camouflaged and hard to spot. Like PetCo shows frequently, animal abuse can also be brushed aside easily, supposed to be forgotten. This blog is here to try and show that animal abuse can't be ignored or forgotten, and that it is never okay, no matter how eloquent the person denying it may be.

I've gone to the same PetCo many, many times, and only recently have I looked at their rodents section, which is pretty disgusting. There were so many rats packed into one very small cage, and while they didn't look very unhealthy, they didn't look very healthy, either. The guinea pig cage was pretty appalling, as well. Any guinea pig lover can tell you that even if you have just one, guinea pigs need a lot of space, so they can run around and popcorn (a way of expressing happiness for guinea pigs). They had two guinea pigs in a cage so small they could barely walk, much less run. And all the cages looked pretty gross. There was poop on the food bowls, and the cage just felt grimy. And if you go two or three days in a row, or possibly even more, you may notice the cages look exactly the same as they did yesterday.

When I told an employee there that the guinea pig cages were way too small, she told me rather rudely that it was very temporary and made a face at me, quite plainly trying to rush me out. True, at other PetCo's I've gone to, the employees were friendlier than that one, but they all pretty much said the same thing - that it was very temporary, that they were only in there for a week. Here's my argument for why I don't like that answer:

For a guinea pig, time is not the same as it is for humans. That's why people say, after a beloved animal has passed after a few years, that they lived a long life - because it's true. Not for us, but for them. To a rat, two years is sixty years old (give or take). So while to us, they lived for a very short time, to them, they lived a long and happy life. So putting a guinea pig in a small cage for only a week is not a good argument, because a human week is seven days, but a guinea pig week could be months or so. And even if time was the same for humans and other animals, imagine if someone put you in a box you couldn't really move around in for only a week. You'd know you were getting out, but wouldn't it be terrible to not be able to run around, exercise, express happiness in your own way, even if it's for just a week?

If you want to tell or ask me anything, e-mail me at tinycages@gmail.com.