Adopt a Guinea Pig Month

Adopt a Guinea Pig Month Millions of cats and dogs are left in shelters to die every year in the United States alone. However, did you know cats and dogs are not the only ones who are in desperate need of homes? March is “Adopt-a-Guinea-Pig Month!” Throughout the U.S. and other countries, there is a huge surplus of guinea pigs in shelters and rescues waiting for you to adopt them. However, some shelters euthanize their guinea pigs on the spot.

Many people blame the over-population of animals solely on the people who disown them. However, people who breed and sell animals (including pet stores like Petco and Petsmart) also play a major role in the over-population. Without these pet stores and breeders, there would be no over-population at all. We do not need anymore guinea pigs right now, so they will not go extinct anytime soon like other people claim. Also, there are many wild guinea pigs that are thriving in Peru as we speak, so the entire guinea pig species will not become extinct if all pet stores and breeders were to close their doors. Pet stores also often have no idea what they’re doing with their animals at all and often end up mistreating them.

Also, millions of unreported animal cruelty cases happen yearly to not only cats and dogs but small animals like guinea pigs, too. Many of these occurrences happen just because the owner does not know how to care for their animals. For example, many owners do not know how subtle the symptoms for an upper respiratory infection in a guinea pig may be, because the guinea pig can easily hide its symptoms. In the wild, this instinct to hide symptoms of illness is vital to their survival due to them being prey animals, and domesticated guinea pigs have still kept this instinct. That is why it’s important to research on any pet you may want. www.guinealynx.info is a wonderful place to start for care information if you plan on adopting a guinea pig. They also have a forum with people who are quite knowledgeable when it comes to guinea pig care.

You can find adoptables by searching on www.petfinder.com if you live in the United States, exploring www.guineapighome.com if you do not find any there, looking at the pet classifieds, or by going to your local animal shelter. Some shelters do not list their guinea pigs on Petfinder. There are many more websites to find adoptable guinea pigs if you cannot find any from those resources. Wherever you may be, chances are there is a guinea pig that is within two hours of where you live that needs your help, and rescues are often willing to send someone to travel some distance in order to get their guinea pigs adopted by a responsible owner.

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