How Do You Choose A Pet Guinea Pig?
• Avoid pet stores and breeders as they are notorious for selling sick, parasite infested guinea pigs. Pet stores usually get from pet mills that are like puppy mills for smaller animals which is why they often get sick animals in stock. Show and back yard breeders breed solely for money and looks with little to no regard to health, longevity, or temperament of the animals they are producing. Your best bet is a guinea pig specific or exotics rescue. • Check on PetFinder (http://www.petfinder.com/index.html) and the Petfinder Classifieds (http://www.petfinder.com/index.html) to see if there are any listed (many shelters do not list exotics, but some rescues do) guinea pigs in rescues or shelters in your area. • Look on the Guinea Pig Adoption Network for adoptable guinea pigs in your area; http://gpan.net/listings.html • Call around to local shelters and ask if they have any guinea pigs for adoption, as most shelters do not list their guinea pigs and other “exotics” for adoption online.
