Top Document: Guinea Pig FAQ, Version 1.2.2 Previous Document: 2. Why would I want a guinea pig? Next Document: 4. What should I feed my guinea pig? See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge There are basically four places to get guinea pigs -- from a breeder, from a pet store, from an ordinary guinea-pig owner who has had a litter of small guinea pigs, or from an animal shelter. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, but a detailed discussion is not in the scope of this faq. To be brief -- reputable breeders often sell high-quality pets but they cost slightly more. Try to get recommendations from other guinea pig owners, or by asking on the net, before choosing a breeder. Pet stores are somewhat cheaper, but depending on the pet store, the guinea pigs are more likely to have caught a disease and may have been improperly cared for. Most people do not recommend purchasing animals from pet stores. If you can find an acquaintance giving away a litter, or selling them at a reasonable price, by all means go ahead -- this way you can be fairly sure of getting a healthy, well-treated baby, while probably not paying too much. Do check out your local animal shelter to see if they have guinea pigs -- you may be able to find a lovable pet and save a guinea pig at the same time. Whichever route you choose to go, make sure you choose a healthy- looking, energetic guinea pig with no signs of disease. If you go to pick him (or her...) up and he shows very little interest in the procedure, there's something wrong-- a healthy guinea pig will usually either run away from your hand or investigate it. Spend a few minutes with him before taking him home, to make sure the two of you get along and aren't allergic to one another. User Contributions:Top Document: Guinea Pig FAQ, Version 1.2.2 Previous Document: 2. Why would I want a guinea pig? Next Document: 4. What should I feed my guinea pig? Single Page [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: ecrocke@princeton.edu
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:12 PM
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