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'Why bother adopting when the ACS process seems so complicated? I could easily just go down to my local Pet shop and purchase a guinea pig straight away without all this hassle'.
In answer to
this:
- ACS Shelters are managed by people who have
many years practical experience and knowledge in guinea pigs and their
care. We feel it is our responsibility to the animals and to you to ensure
that you are up to date with how to correctly care for guinea pigs. Your
guinea pigs will thank you in turn for bringing them such a happy, long
and safe life with you. At ACS you are assured high quality and correct
advice/info prior to adoption and also a healthy happy guinea pig in turn.
- Many Pet
shops in Australia commonly can house male and females together or can
incorrectly sex their guinea pigs for sale. As a result you may end up
with a pregnant guinea pig and not even know this till several weeks down
the track.
- Most Pet
shops do not health check their animals. If you buy a guinea pig from a
Pet shop you could inherit a guinea pig with underlying mites, fungal
conditions or other health issues that may not be noticeable to the
average/naked eye.
-
Many Pet
Shops still stock their stores with guinea pigs that are brought in by
their regular 'backyard breeder' supplier. How the guinea pigs are kept in
the pet shop is not nessessarily how they are living behind the scenes.
They may be coming from a regular supplier that keeps their animals in
poor conditions. ACS have seen cases of this it is not uncommon so by
purchasing from the store you are helping to 'clear out pigs so more can
come in' and the cycle continues without anyone even knowing how the
animals are previously kept.
- The staff
at many Pet Shops do not need to have animal experience or an animal care
certificate to be working their. You may be told incorrect information
about guinea pigs at the store or incorrect information about guinea pigs
and their care.
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PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTINUING TO OUR ADOPTION ENQUIRY PAGE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.
The Grunt of the ACS Adoption Process: ACS receive 1000's of adoption enquiries each year. The guinea pigs that ACS receive often come from pasts of neglect or mistreatment. ACS Volunteers spend every day of the year giving up their lives so help save lives. We do not get paid for what we do. Because of what we have to witness both physically and emotionally with many of the guinea pigs we receive we have been forced to have a process like we do in place to ensure that once the animals leave our shelters they will go on to a happy, long, safe and loving home and future. This is the reason our organisation exists. To save lives but not just from past neglect but to ensure their future welfare as well. Sadly words cannot describe some of the things we have to see day in and day out in our line of work but we hope that by placing this information here it helps people to understand why we have the adoption process that we do. We have an up close and personal adoption process in place whereby we can share quality information back and forth with families purely for your and your pets benefit. Our process also in turn gives families long and happy special bonds with their guinea pigs that is unbreakable. For those willing to accept our process it can be very fulfilling and worthwhile. Due to the amount of time it takes us to write back to each adoption enquiry we request your understanding and patience in reading this page so that hopefully in turn it will make the adoption process quicker for you when you send through an adoption enquiry form to adopt. If you are new to guinea pigs we understand that your adoption enquiry form may have gaps and questions and that you may not yet be ready for adoption right away. We are more than happy to take the time to help you through the process of planning to adopt some guinea pigs We appreciate the understanding of those that may have already done a lot of research and planning for their new family members. Sadly everyone has to follow the same process at this stage whether new to guinea pigs or very much experienced in guinea pigs and their care. 1: The ACS View on Guinea Pigs: Guinea Pigs make wonderful family pets. At ACS we view and value guinea pigs as treasured members of the family just as larger companion animals such as a dog or cat would be. Our adoption process is in place so that we can assure the guinea pigs adopted will have a long, safe and happy life in their new home and that potential new homes are prepared for the correct responsibilities and costs involved of keeping guinea pigs as pets. Unlike the common myth, Guinea pigs are not cheap pets and correct care of guinea pigs will each week end up costing similar to that of that of 1 dog or cat. Guinea pigs are generally quite hardy if kept and fed correctly but if your guinea pig falls unwell at any stage you will also need to consider the cost of vet/medical bills if they arise. 2: Correct Guinea Pig Care: Over recent years their have been significant changes introduced in the way people in general view guinea pigs as pets. The 'backyard disposable/replaceable pet days have gone and we like to think that guinea pigs mean a lot more to us than this and that they deserve to be valued as members of the family. Now days their is far more detailed and correct information and knowledge on the keeping of guinea pigs readily available on the internet (including here on the ACS Website) and through many vet practices throughout Australia. If you have had guinea pigs in the past but not for many years we suggest reading up on the more recent updated information on guinea pigs as given on this website and through other resources online so that your guinea pig/s have the best chance of living to a ripe old age of 5-7yrs which is the average lifespan of a guinea pig. With correct information readily now available comes new information on the correct housing of guinea pigs to ensure their safety and good health. Proper diet also plays a large part in the overall health of your guinea pig. 3: Shop/Search Around! Guinea Pig Housing! The responsibility of correctly keeping a guinea pig as a pet is not as easy as simply purchasing a cage labeled 'guinea pig cage' and assuming it is a good cage type or good size cage. Not everything available on the market labeled 'for guinea pigs' is appropriate. We highly recommend searching around for different/good cage sizes, safety and types and to also search other information on cage sizes and types online and via the ACS Website to really find what is best suited for your potential new pets as what's out their varies greatly depending on the store. Some stores still sell enclosures that are far too small for guinea pigs, with wire bases, little weather or predator safety, among other issues yet members of the public are simply believing that what is given to them is in fact fine Remember that MANY Pet Shops do not hire staff that have studied vet science or that have done pet care courses. At many stores almost anyone with retail experience can be hired to work in a Pet Shop. We highly recommend 'Pet Barn', 'EBAY' and 'Pet Cafe' stores as good suppliers of correct guinea pig housing, diet and care. These stores also hire staff with trained/studied animal experience and knowledge. 4: Read the ACS Website! We recommend having a good read of the ACS Website's guinea pig care and information section before enquiring to adopt so that you can find out as much as you can about guinea pigs and their correct care and general upkeep including the costs involved with this. In particular please take the time to read through our DIET and HOUSING section of the website in before enquiry to adopt. If your housing is not something you think that we would accept as appropriate please either let us know and we'll work with you as best we can to improve this. In turn you may decide to go elsewhere to get guinea pigs but please be rest assured what is stated on the this website is for the benefit of your pet. The information on the ACS Website has been written by long-term experienced guinea pig owners and is also based on experienced small/exotic animal vet recommendations and our own founders 20+years of practical hands on and medical experience.
CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE TO THE ACS ADOPTION ENQUIRY PAGE
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