The Ugly Business of Selling Guinea Pigs

[@bigzaria]

I love how she doesn't make the people that didn't know feel bad Edit: Wow, thanks for the heart and was not expecting all these likes

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Absolutely! And thank you for commenting on that. There is no benefit in that whatsoever, it is not fair to do so and is a lot of negative energy released into the world, there is enough of that already, and lastly, I am not and never will be the guinea pig police! 🙏

[@SamPspire]

@@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue learning about proper cages unfortunately came too late for me, one of my 4 year old girls was fatally injured in a cage i bought from a petstore. We need better information snd regulations for this kind of thing

[@morgonaarchuleta2690]

@@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue 10 4, Saskia!

[@cheshi2391]

I feel like pet stores should just stop selling pets in all, and just the PROPER supplies for them

[@tmaxim2651]

Superhamster129 the store I work in only sell rescues and we try to recommend rescues or responsible breeders to people :) With our rescue guinea pigs we try to recommend dog play pens (the only big “cage” we have) and only the cages for overnight/shorter periods.

[@cutesybunnny]

They care to much about the money though, not the well being of the poor animals. I don't think it's gonna stop anytime soon unfortunately.

[@cheshi2391]

Jackie sadly yeah

[@maddykiss3317]

Where would you get an animal though? Not all places (citys/towns) have ethical breeders for this type of thing. I think pet stores should reevaluate care, making every single one of the workers go through a training course on proper care of every animal they sell. The animals should be higher priced insuring that the place the pet store got them from was a (Real) breeder. And to also insure anyone who wants one has to be willing to pay the care for the animal. They also should make anyone who's buying/adopting the animal in the pet store get interviewed and or fill out a servey on the animal care to see if the way they will take care of the animal is ethical. And also remove any tiny cages from there store naming the tiny cages travel cages. And selling real cages for hamsters that are the appropriate size, and big habitats for guinea pigs of course. I feel that would majorly redesign the way pet care has been perceived by pet stores. And laws should be inforced if any pet store isn't up to date on care for the animals they should be shut down. Or have the right to sell animals taken away.

[@hannahtowgood995]

Some pet stores I know in NZ are doing that now ( but they're still going to sell pet fish). Others only sell rescue animals which is really good.

[@audrey1690]

Thank you, Saskia, for not lecturing us about the bad things, but teaching us how to do better. You're a real inspiration to me and others all around the world.

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Awww Thank you so much!!

[@audrey1690]

This is the most likes I've ever gotten. Thank you all! ☆ But honestly the only reason I would ever want likes is if... each like was one guinea pig in a safe loving home.

[@MaynardsSpaceship]

People hide from shame. When you know better and are treated with compassion and empathy, you do better. 😊❤

[@janekatzer1199]

A “return” is how I came to have one of my little boys:( He was sick and was in a cage all alone DISCOUNTED!🤬 I was furious and took him home right away. Luckily I became his mamma and he now has a herd but this happens too often.

[@karaleetrapp]

That is how I came to get my Missy girl. She was an early Christmas present for someone in 2016 and that person rejected her!! She was dumped at the petshop with mites, the petshop treated her and she is now a very Loved member of my gang. Missy may not love attention as much as my other piggies (Sadly I think she has memories of her previous 'owner'). But Missy is learning to love cuddles.

[@notheretodayortomorrow]

Similar story to my Hope! Plus two girls later on, from the owners who weren't educated or interested.

[@karaleetrapp]

I got my Houdini girl from a family who rehomed her simply because they had a new neighbour who moved in next door in with a cat. The neighbour simply REFUSED to keep the cat inside-said that the cat was naturally a predator and cares about some rodents!!!! The poor family didn't have the room inside for the piggies and I believe 1 family member may have been allergic to the hay or the piggies. All piggies but my Houdini Girl were killed by this neighbours' cat.

[@karaleetrapp]

Missy enjoys cuddles, she just doesn't like the picking up process. All my gang hate the picking up process. But Missy is the only 1 to squeal when being picked up, but when you cuddle Missy, she is content and doesn't squeal.

[@Yeewen88]

Karalee Trapp that’s why unless the person is responsible, researched,discussed wanting it with u and is able to care for it pets shouldn’t be given as presents how many other piggies were there? Maybe sit and let her climb up to you then?

[@bunberrier]

I almost didnt want to watch this because the idea is so depressing but Im glad I did because that message was great! And Ive not been saying your last name right! Not even close.

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Phonetically is is pronounced key-eh-sa (Chiesa) means church in Italian

[@presakakeya]

I applied to Petco years ago and their application had a freaking math test but couldn't be bothered to ask anything about your knowledge/experience/anything about animals. It was disgusting, they don't care at all and shouldn't be allowed to handle animals. Thank you for helping spread the word on this.

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Oh that is interesting ... and you are welcome!

[@fawn2911]

It's similar in the UK with a pet store chain called Pets At Home. I applied thinking that my 7 years worth of guinea pig experience would be valued but they ask no questions about your experience with animals or even if you have any pets. All they wanted to know was if you had any customer service experience!

[@flufflewarrior]

Presa Kakeya Well that is actually disgusting.... :/

[@PageShearling]

My Petsmart put me in the petcare department because they knew my experience with animals. Unfortunately it often feels like all the work has been put on to me when it comes to caring for the animals and I literally don't have enough time in a day to do it alone.

[@marydebeer5825]

i hope you worked there and set al the workers straight!

[@faustfelin9558]

I just made an appointment to see you guys, I got my guinea pig from petco because I didn’t know that guinea pigs were also looking for homes at shelters but now I know that they’re also waiting to be adopted there. I’m hoping to finally get my guinea pig a friend so I want to give another piggie a home before the holidays.

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Most people do not know an adoption place for guinea pig even existed. See you soon

[@firstnamelastname4778]

Every animal you see in a pet store you see 10 in an animal shelter

[@blueice3200]

Wait were plz tell me cause i want 2 females

[@guineapiggardenschristinan2276]

I'm so glad you said this! I dealt with this situation. And we forced Petco to pay for the vet. We drove 3 hours to get there, but she was worth it. And it was more than 1 visit. And even the vet talked shit about them. So you know they are terrible when the vets don't like them! My husband sees it as rescuing them from the store situation but I tell him that it just gives them more reason to continue mistreating them and selling them.

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Indeed. Great job!

[@Benjami.n567]

I really wish I could start a guinea pig rescue in my area. Keep up the amazing work, and thanks for educating the public. Because of you my boys are healthy and super sassy.

[@bunberrier]

You can still work to rescue pigs from where you are. Send her some money so she can do more of the work she is already doing. If you go to their website there is a link there for donations. You can also help by doing any Amazon shopping through AmazonSmile , and choose your charity there as Los Angeles Pet Recue in Chatsworth CA. The links are under the video here.

[@breannedixon9712]

My mom runs a mini rescue in Ohio. It’s kinda hard but rewarding. She has 6 permanently who are spoiled. We have only fosters 6 but are still going Seeing someone else as amazing as her do the same thing in a way bigger way makes me so happy. Guinea pigs are perfect pets.

[@arieheim5001]

My piggie was a rescue, along with his brother who passed away a few months ago. I used to work at a pet store, and I was the bane of my manager's existence. I was the only one with experience caring for rodents on staff, so I always made sure to pull the sick ones and ask the manager to schedule appointments for them. I became so depressed at all I saw in that store, the constant disregard for living, loving beings. You're right. Stores get large shipments of piggies separated from their moms and often they are sick. Same goes for the fish and other animals. And the exchange policy broke my heart. One animal's soul isn't comparable to another. Loved your video and I love your channel.

[@PageShearling]

I currently work at Petsmart and feel the same. I feel like I'm the only one who really cares about all the animals. I'm not sure what I want to move on to but I'm not sure how long I'll last at Petsmart. I do really try to educate people about the animals they want but it's hard when we still sell fish bowls and crittertrails to convince people that those aren't viable options.

[@animejesus4941]

I wish people like her were everywhere, bruh come to aussss

[@Myjoytea]

That talk has me thinking about a lot of things. You are so right, Saskia, guinea-pigs are not merchandise, there living and breathing, cute as little guinea-pigs! I have two girls and they are fed well, they have a good sized cage and an outdoor one as well, and they are very healthy, and it's all thanks to you. thank you for more info on guinea-pigs.

[@KhaleesiMotherOfGuineaPigs]

Who would dislike this video?? Must be petco,lol.

[@kaitlyn148]

Is petsmart or Petco better which do u reccomend

[@KhaleesiMotherOfGuineaPigs]

@@kaitlyn148 no idea im english we dont have either in the UK.

[@PROPZNMAYHEM]

@@kaitlyn148 non NEVER support petsmart though they abuse

[@tropics6221]

@@PROPZNMAYHEM acualy they dont abuse there animals. They get them from abusive suppliers and if we keep buying from petco and petsmart the suppliers will still keep breeding animals. And also petco and petsmart dont give out great information about animals so it's not good to buy from them.

[@piggybank4559]

Jayytings where do I go other then online for guinea pig stuff

[@BetweenTheEvergreenTrees]

My piggy is a rescue from Judge's Park here in Pennsylvania

[@ACockatielsSong]

You hit the nail on the head, the smaller the animal, the more vulnerable they are. I would love to run a rescue for animals someday. How did you get started?

[@jackieroper8419]

I received a special needs guinea pig because the previous owners kid dropped him, then returned him. He cannot be housed with another male, he cannot be neutered because he suffered mental damage so he can only be housed next to my females, it’s very possible he won’t live his full lifespan, he also panics when he’s picked up, my exotic vet said it’s because he has flash backs from being dropped. Animals have feelings, treat them with kindness and do your research when adopting any pet.

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Great job looking after this little guy 😍

[@tamara.afollowerinjesuschr6748]

I’m so happy about this truthful video. I thank you all for your channel. I am a guinea pig momma of five beautiful guinea pigs and have learned so much. I built my own cage for my herd . Thank you all❤️

[@jaymejames67]

I was very naive and this same thing happened to me. I got a pair of Guinea pigs from Petco (Oregon) and within 5 days one of my girls stopped eating and began to start acting sick. I called the pet store and assumed that 30 day guarantee meant you could take your sick animal to their vet for care. I was very misinformed! They said exactly what you said! That's ok you can come get a different one!! I was floored! Excuse me? After I huffed and puffed a manager called me and said you can sell her back to us, we'll treat her and if she survives we will call you and you can repurchase her!!! I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I didn't sell her or give her back of course, she was MY pet and I loved her, it didn't matter how long I had her and I wasn't willing to give her back to a place I knew would not want to "waste money" to help her!! I took her to an exotic vet and even tho the total expense was $1,000 and she ended up passing. But she passed out of pain and with love all around her. Was a devastating experience and a very hard lesson to learn. I now have a exotic vet who I love and trust. I also found a shelter 300 miles away in Seattle where I went and adopted a friend for my other remaining baby girl who too was heartbroken. I wish I would've know than what I know now but please listen to this video and listen to me... never buy your guinea pigs from a pet store and never exchange them or give them back!!! Thank you!

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Thank you for sharing your story

[@Snookii.Jefecita]

Shared through Facebook we need to spread the word and make this known ! Not just for guinea pig owners but for EVERYBODY

[@GuZMDrop]

Who ever didn't like this video.. You don't understand nothing... This is the guinea everything.

[@Myjoytea]

More like guinea-pig heaven! Would love to rescue guinea-pigs, and maybe one day work with the LA guinea-pig rescue! Fingers crossed.

[@p-51player13]

Pet stores can be cruel places sometimes

[@annesnair3158]

i fell into the petco trap. My pig was sick out the door. i wish petco would not sell them. my pig still is not well. we need to make them stop.

[@TheSaraibsb]

Did you take your piggie to the vet to see what is going on with your baby? 😟

[@ClassPunkOnRumbleAndSubstack]

It could be scurvy. I think the pet stores are going to rely on pellets and not giving any other Vitamin C supplementation. One of mine was a baby that had scurvy when I bought him.

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

yes we do

[@jeanlaws8210]

Thank you for all your hard work, Saskia. As someone who spends a lot of time educating people on guinea pigs, guinea pig care, and advocating for guinea pigs, many people new to guinea pigs (or people who had pigs when they were young) have no idea about proper cage size, diet, appropriate sensory activities, bonding, handling, etc. We just have to continue to educate, continue to advocate, continue to highlight the wonderful Guinea Pig. They may be small, but they are worthy.

[@nikicaki7010]

When I was younger my mom used to buy me animals from pet stores and no matter what kind of animal it was (rodents, fish, birds) they never lived for as long as they should... Then I started adopting and all my animals are living longer than the average lifespan and I'm so happy ❤ Just stop buying animals from pet stores, there's always another way and it's probably better than supporting this disgusting industry.

[@fredeemoon6053]

I agree ...my story is that my parents didnt help me enough, when I had concerns....I was only 10. I hated my rabbit being in a hut in the garden wll season. I wanted him indoors in a secure space so I could look after him better and give him lots of fun and interests, but my parents wouldnt let me. Also when it got sick, they couldnt afford to treat it....so soon enough they died, and I was so upset. In the 70s 80s,, even the budgie cages seemed too small.....there is much more information and better equipment , toys and food that life for pets seem to be improving all the time. Please dont get a pet until you have fully researched it, and have enough money to maintain good health and medical fees, for many years. Parents should be made fully aware what is expected to give them a great life, before allowing a child to take one on. I'm retired now, and I am looking forward to adopting a guinea pig or two, if I can, but I will wait until I have moved house next year......to give it the best peaceful calm life possible. The pets always come first. 😁😁😁👍🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

[@arin.6995]

I have two female guinea pigs, they are my babies❤️ they share a 2 by 6 c and c cage, with a 2 by 2 loft.

[@Asuu86]

Hey Saskia, I rescued my piggy. He was bitten and had a lot of scars. Especially his ears have a lot of bites and holes. After one year he completely trusts me and squeaks every morning, when he sees me. It is good to have my King Ray Sawdust. I love watching you. Have a nice day. Aggi

[@MishkaMeshel]

I always feel guilty that I got my boys at pet smart, especially since my intention was to adopt from a rescue. But at the same time I feel like I rescued them and gave them a much better life than what they could have had. But I understand that it feeds into these "guinea mills". I just feel awful when I see them in these stores. A pet smart by me has had a couple Guinea pigs for a long time now but they keep bringing babies in. So everyone buys the babies and the older ones remain. It breaks my heart that they have been in these cages for at least 5 months if not longer because you know they have probably not been let out to run free ever!

[@brachiosaurus6350]

Think about it this way they went to a good home with a responsible owner rather with someone who doesn’t care

[@MishkaMeshel]

@@brachiosaurus6350 i always feel like i saved them and gave them a longer life than they probably would have had with someone else

[@Kt-cn2rq]

@@MishkaMeshel i saved a adult male alone with very little hay and pellet mix from exotic pet store. Did your also get excited over vegetables? I gave mine a bowl when first got him and he went nuts like he was at all you can eat salad buffet😄.

[@MishkaMeshel]

@@Kt-cn2rq yes! They went nuts for their veggies. Still do

[@reesecialini2175]

I honestly love your channel so much, you provide so much information that ACTUALLY helps. I have 2 guinea pigs and I am so glad to see them happy, I found your KZbin and it helped me so much. They now have a big C & C cage instead of the terrible pet store ones. They should stop selling cages all together because they are just not suitable. I love animals so much and it is so hard to see them not treated right!

[@cheyaily]

Now that you’ve said bunnies can’t be sold I’m extremely concerned about that bunny I saw at Petco 😕

[@cheyaily]

She said they’re not allowed to be sold in California. There’s a Petco in my area in California where they had a bunny for sale.

[@kimberlymarie9435]

Search online to see if it's okay n if it's not report them

[@Jynxxy13ravedoll]

It could have been surrendered for adoption.

[@kimberlymarie9435]

@@Jynxxy13ravedoll they can't intake any bunnies , my sister works there trust me

[@emilybrobst2049]

Sometimes shelters will bring animals to petco or petsmart to be adopted. The money that people spend to “buy” the animal goes straight to the shelter as an adoption fee. That’s how I got my bun.

[@fox7378]

Instead of getting Guinea pigs from stores, I took up a malnourished Guinea pig that was being given away for free. She was a super cute girl, terrified little thing, and super scrawny- she was extremely underweight. I took her from a tiny wire cage and put her in a giant plastic water trough (with my other Guinea pig) and had the oppertunity of seeing her personality come out and blossom. This Guinea pig, I named her Jinx, lived a full and healthy life. They deserve people to stand up for their wellbeing. I have had rabbits and rodents of all sizes and a Guinea pig is arguably the most loving of all of them. They are social creatures so they bond and it is...it is so sad to see these things happen to them. They deserve the best lives! Guinea pigs are so so underappreciated ♡

[@Seredetia]

I didn’t have room for a large cage, either. So, I bought two six-shelf modular grid bookcases on Amazon (like $20/each) plus a few extra grids. Made a three-tier bookcase. Front is a bookcase, back is deep storage, sides are shallow storage. On top of the bookcase is a one and a half story guinea cage enclosed by grids and finished with a coroplast sheet (home Depot, $20 for a full sheet that will cover almost two cages). It takes up minimal room and serves as storage for books (over 100!), guinea pig supplies (hay, houses, food, treats, bedding) AND an air mattress (that’s another story...). I encourage anyone that gets discouraged over having “no room” to employ their Minecraft skills. This cost me as much as a pet store cage, which was 1/9 the size of my current setup.

[@localenby6387]

I got my current two piggies from a pet shop (because we didn’t know any better) and one of them actually had scabies when we got him. Our vet provided free treatment for him though and I’m very, very grateful for that. Now they’re both living happy healthy lives with us! I agree getting piggies from a shelter is much better of course, but when it comes to pet stores a lot of animals that don’t get sold get put down or plain killed and tossed away and that’s why whenever I see an animal in a pet shop I truly hope from the depths of my heart that someone will buy the poor thing, and that’s also why I don’t regret getting my two boys and giving them the care they need

[@vicioustoadie]

Okay, I've seen this video on my front page and clicked on it out of curiousity. I didn't think that I'd watch the entirety of it but here I am. I'm actually really happy that there are people like you who care about these beautiful cuties. There sadly isn't too much people spreading awerness about guinea pigs, as you said in the video comparing it to the bunny situation. So basically what I'm trying to say is that I really appreciete this video, clear information and overall the raise of awerness about pets that we and our friends could have. I also hope that because I found it on my front page other people might too and that would be great. It's a really great bit of info that really everybody should know 💖

[@cheyennethesylveon6186]

I rescued my piggies from a miss informed family my piggies are sisters and they were in tiny cages and the kids thought you could play with them like puppies so my ruby became very scared of people and Meg became aggressive towards people. They never got veggies and were only fed hey and pellets. They're 2 years old. I've had them sense april and upgraded their living space to something more proper and big enough for them, got them the veggies they need, and ruby is still scared of me but shes coming around and Meg let's me hold her and pet her, so slowly improving. I love that you guys care for these beautiful animals and if I ever come to that side of the country you bet I'll be stopping by and seeing all these lovely piggies you are saving and seeing what I can do to help. :)

[@bieniemonster2394]

Saskia, you are my angel! I love you! Thanks for your great job!💞💞

[@raylasagna]

Now that I’ve watched this, I realized that my guinea pigs have a big cage that is the right size, and I am proud of myself for not putting them into a cramped area! Thanks for letting us know!!!

[@mal-b8y]

Ugh, that is so sad. I have a teddy bear hamster (a very good boy, I love him so much)- that I bought from a petsmart. No clue that this is where the little guy came from. I love him so much and we have a close bond but it’s just so horrible to think that the beginning of his life was like that, and that I’m lucky he wasn’t horribly sick. Thank you for making these videos, we need to raise awareness. These pets aren’t just novelty items, they are living breathing animals and it is HORRIBLE that they lose their lives to corporate greed. Thank you for doing what you’re doing. Stay safe little guinea pigs.

[@bwitched5782]

When I was little I bought a hamster from a pet store and a couple days later it died. So I went back to the pet store to warn them that their hamsters might be sick but sadly all of them died as well :( they had over 20 in a small cage. Now I work at a local pet supply store and I absolutely hate big business pet stores.

[@ZephirahMirp]

I am so grateful for this rescue and this channel, always teaching us things we didn’t know about our piggie babies. Providing the best quality life for piggies is what is important, and this channel helped me so much. Thank you guys!!

[@Fionamarie0211]

It makes me so sad. I was given a single guinea pig so I started to research and found out ok he needs a buddy and I went to petsmart to get my second one before I knew this information. Once I started watching lots and lots of videos to make sure I was caring for them the right way I found your channel and watch you now every day. I admire you so much and have fallen completely in love with guinea pigs. I'm looking for land right now to start a homestead and I'm seriously considering and researching starting a guinea pig rescue here in Massachusetts. Thank you for being an inspiration. If I decide I'm capable of starting the rescue after I look up all the details I need to know, I hope to start fighting the pet stores. We can ban together and make a difference. I hope soon I am able to live up to every one of these words, I'm a very determined person. Thank you for putting this information out there, I'm so grateful to have learned so much from your channel.

[@potatoqueen5787]

I just switched my guinea pigs bedding to fleece and she loves it so much

[@Lukurio]

I got my first piggy from the petstore and didnt know of any of this, by now this piggy has cost me 600 euros on teeth surgery, bladder stones etc etc, she is small and fragile but a fighter and really strong. I give her meds every day. My other piggies are from a breeder and they are all healthy and fine, once I knew about the horrible story behind the pets in a petstore I was shocked. I love my girl tho, even if she turned out to be my most expensive piggy. She had 3 toes on her front feet too, who knows what happened to her, Im just glad I could save this one, many people here still think so easy about replacing piggies or letting them die, even my family didnt understand why I spend so much on one piggy cuz I couldve bought 10 new ones. Thats exactly what the petstore wants. Im hoping that at some point this will change

[@bellw5834]

Saskia!!! I love your videos I’m so glad you are getting this through people’s heads! I feel like I should tell you about this guy. His videos were popping up as ads. They were normal at first like “types of guinea pigs” and “what to feed sick guinea pigs” but then I got an ad of his where he was brushing a tessle. He was using a brush for huskies where it really grips onto that fur, and the poor piggy was squealing in pain and trying to run away! And another one was a piggy giving birth and he would not leave the mama pig (baby half out) alone, he was flipping her onto her back, dang near flipping her upside down and scared her so bad that she popped out the baby and ran away leaving the baby in the little sac! My brother told me that another one of his ads popped up and and he clicked on the channel. I guess there was some drama about the dude. Apparently he was sued for “clipping” a piggy’s nails... because he ripped the nail off at the quick!! I felt like I should tell you and let anybody else know about him. (he speaks Spanish and there’s another guy’s voice who translates it into english played over his talking be aware!)

[@Call-me-Al]

That's horrifying! Thank you for the information

[@gabbgabbzz]

I wish there was someone like her here in Florida. I got my girls from a pet store and one of them were sick. I thank god I took them to the vet a couple of days after getting them, she’s doing better now. The pet store tried to tell me to bring her back and I told them no but best believe they are covering her medical bill. Ever since I’ve got my girls I’ve been watching Saskia’s videos and I’ve learned so much about guinea pigs. I’ve even being following her taming video and it’s still a work in progress but I’m definitely seeing a difference. Keep doing what you’re doing Saskia!

[@marchincapitals7336]

My Guinea pig was sick when I bought him, He had bugs in his fur and they caused Him to constantly scratch himself! We didnt know At first, but after a few months my mom noticed red Spots on his fur, it was blood... we took him to the Vet ahd they gave him medicine, but the medicine needed Some time to start working, so before the medicine Actually started working, my other Guinea pig had bugs Too. We need to back to the vet now!

[@NerdyNarrator]

This!! All of this! And small pet shops are just as guilty! I try to help people understand by asking them, if you think that a small pet shop treats their small animal better and gets them from better breeders, would any ethical breeder of any animal allow you to get that animal without meeting you in person, doing a home check, having you fill out an adoption application, ensuring you know how to properly care for it, and that you have their contact info if you have any questions? Because pet stores dont do that. They dont care about the animals. Animals are not OBJECTS TO SELL

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Well said

[@TheSaraibsb]

Makes me so sad people don't see these animals the way we do. I love my guinea pigs and my dog so much it makes me sad stuff like this happens. God bless you Saskia I have learned so much from you and Scotty to take better care of my girls

[@natureeyt]

Thank you Saskia, you are truly inspiring!

[@linlouwho123]

You go Guinea Pig Warrior Princess. I foster for the Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue in Northern Virginia and Maryland and we obviously see lots of pet store refugees, but we also see hoarder victims and breeder rejects. We have been getting lots of Himalayan rejects. These are doubly sad because many have red eyes and I see the prejudice with that also. I agree that we need to show people that guinea pigs have just as much value to their owners as dogs. I say this to people all the time and they scoff at me. A well cared for guinea pig can live as long as a large breed dog. I adore my pigs. They bring me joy, and I know after a long day of work they help to calm me better than any glass of wine. I agree that abuse of this noble and worthy animal needs to stop by pet stores, breeders and hoarders. That is why it is so important to support your local piggy rescues such as LAGPR and MPGR. I know that Daisy, Mud Flap, Trenton, Rosy, Clark, Brad, and even goof ball, George, thank you. They all came from bad pet store, breeder or hoarder situations (and one way too grabby 3 year child!)

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Very well said. I like your comparison with a big breed dog regarding life span. I am going to "steal" that one if you don't mind. 🌻

[@linlouwho123]

Please do. I’d be honored. My heart pig, Princess, was least 7 and probably closer to eight when she died. A lot of the big dogs, Great Danes, Irish wolf hounds, generally live about 7 years. She was my first first GP and when she died I was crushed. I am a mid-level project manager working for the government. People understand when your dog dies, not so much when it’s your guinea pig.☹️

[@lorriemiller6750]

Our boy Rex lived to 9 and a half years old just a little shy of 10 years old and most of our other piggles averaged 5 years old but out of a family of 7 pigs there is one girl pig named Blaze who is currently 6 years old.

[@lorriemiller6750]

They can with the proper care live a really long time especially with regular medical care to make sure their teeth don't overgrow and other medical issues if they can be caught in time and you can afford their medical care if they need pet insurance to cover if they need surgery for anything so they don't just let them die because they can't afford their potentially lifesaving care.

[@lorriemiller6750]

There are a lot of areas where they do absolutely nothing for Guinea pigs at all in terms of clinics and it is all just limited to dogs and cats only at a lot of places which is sadly not a rarity and some of those places try to claim that staw is interchangable with hay and try to sell you cheaper straw that has no nutritional value at all in place of actual hay to feed them. I have come across a couple places where someone actually suggested that because they were out of hay entirely.

[@Sylk505]

Thanks for caring so much 💕 keep spreading the word 🙌🏻

[@langenandanimals]

The work you do is so so so important. Thankyou!!!!

[@nunyabusiness4904]

When I was a kid my family had a guinea pig and at night she went into a cage like the ones you see at all the pet stores but first thing in the morning we put her in her play pen and she would spend all day in there whether we were home or not, the weird thing is she was never a very active guinea pig even when she was very young, on occasion she would popcorn around or just do a few laps but she always seemed more interested in watching the world around her, she was never fearful of our dogs and would purr when she saw our boxer. As long as she had snacks and people gave her attention when they walked past she was happy.

[@jaehudson5649]

All 3 of my piggies I purchased were sick, two of which I knew what would happen if I left them there or returned them. I will not purchase them anymore knowing what goes on, makes me sad and angry. They did not tell me that my piggie needed a friend, sold me a tiny cage and found out that my piggie was blind. My poor guy lived the wrong life for so long until I found the right information on caring for them. I never saw my piggie pop corn until I got him a larger proper cage. He almost died from the diet they had me feed him also, such a mess! Thank you so much for spreading the word!

[@dollverwelken6757]

This is so very important. Ive been raising guinea pigs for 7 years now. Ive fully decided I no longer will get guinea pigs from the distrusty pet stores and keep an eye out for local shelters if I decide to adopt more. While unfortunately the original 2 I originally got at pet stores just barely reached 4 1/2 years- which is a miracle itself considering how many health issues they had. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the final two I got from pet stores who showed struggle just around 2-3 years despite my best efforts and vet visits. It's a really sad situation and wish I had realized sooner. Unsurprisenly my rescue guinea pig has been my longest living guinea pig, actually reaching 5 years this year! Though I'm uncertain if I'll continue avidly caring for guinea pigs after this one due to my own poor health and just how demanding guinea pig care is, I'd love to support more local shelters and help spread proper care information since its generally uncommon where I live.

[@rainpooper7088]

Ironically, where I live it’s much easier to find a bunny in a pet store than a guinea pig. Sure, you‘ll find them in the big pet stores, but most of the small ones (where the conditions are usually much worse) stopped having them, unfortunately due to a lack of customer interest, not because they care about their well-being.

[@PopcorningPiggy]

You are so right in regards to what the pet shops are commercially thinking! Great interview Saskia!

[@TheCrazyGuineaPigFamily]

Great video. Really sad to see the guinea pig “puppy” mills.

[@laurenoliver8489]

I totally agree with you about piggies being sold in huge pet stores!! I bought 2 Guinea pigs from Pets at Home in the UK. They told me they do daily health checks with them and I spent about £170 on the piggies and all their stuff! 3 days after I bought them I got a free health check at the vets in pets at home, they told me they were both fine and I said I was concerned because they are shivering all the time. They told me it's normal, 3 days later they both died. I was sooo sooo gutted! I took them straight to pets at home and was crying and crying and crying and demanded they do an autopsy for free and give me my money back and they said or you can exchange them for different ones!! I was like NO WAY I want to know what happened to my boys!! So they did an autopsy for me and they both died of pneumonia! I was sooo upset for weeks and weeks and I only had them for 2 weeks!! I got my new Guinea pigs from a private breeder about an hour drive from where I live. They breed their own Guinea pigs at home with their family and sell them! I'm hoping and praying that they're much healthier and already I noticed a huge difference between these guys and the others. These boys come out of their house so much, they're Skittish and nervous when I hold them but they don't shake (so that lady did misinform me!!) Anyway, I'm praying my new babies will be much healthier but I'm so against chain pet stores now!! Will never ever buy pets from them again!!!

[@LilBabySaturn]

I adopted my most recent 2 guinea pigs from a rescue shelter who was full 💙

[@amberfuller9550]

Oh my god thank you so much for posting this video! I have a friend, who’s a vet student, sent me this video to watch because I was about to go to pet smart and buy a guinea pig there. It’s really sad that things like this is happening. Your video was such an eye opener so thank you so much! New subscriber ♥️

[@animiteva6122]

Thank you for this video! I have two guinea pigs, and when we bought the second one from the store it already had really bad pneumonia. It took a month of antibiotics and we spend more than 300 euros and luckily, the little one recovered and he is the most awesome piggy ever. I love him so much. But it's so sad that stores and farms won't take care of sick guinea pigs because it's all about money for them. Poor things.

[@maddbbekah]

Such an IMPORTANT message! Thank you so much for posting! ADOPT DON'T SHOP!

[@vanessathibault2339]

Woah, I shared. I don't own any guinea pigs but I love what you do. Thank you so much for everything you do for them!!! - Love from Canada.

[@kristenwilson2141]

Thank you for this watching your videos the last year has really inspired me, a teenager to start a guinea pig rescue and become a vet because there are so few rescues for guinea pigs and guinea pigs really do require a lot of care in my opinion more so than a dog or a cat. Thank you for the work you do and you are my idol! Keep up the great work!

[@KRCox]

So happy we adopted our Guinea's pigs from a farm and from a family who was moving and couldn't take them with them. We love or hammy, misty, squirrel and teddy.

[@guineapigsue7785]

Very well said Saskia, glad you are getting the message out there.

[@ashleyd2882]

My hairless piggy is so spoiled. I wish something like this was near me so I could friend match him. My fear of getting another one, that they wont get along, and when I bring home a pet... I keep them until they die. I just dont want another cage if it didnt work out. I love this service. I wish it was in Arizona.

[@mikecummings7054]

Excellent educational video Saskia. I spotted a guinea pig in a large chain pet store in the United Kingdom. No hay and kept in a small glass enclosure. All the animal had was pellets and water. I have been watching your videos and Scott's to and have learned a great deal about these animals and the specialist care they need. I also noticed some white bloom on the pigs ears, it was a black and white one i asked a staff member about it and they said its just her skin markings, she then went on to say how easy they are to care for, there ideal first pets, really, I was shocked. I told her about things like bumblefoot, bloat gut stasis if you don't give the correct diet. She said just feed them pellets, she went an got a bag to show me and then said all there nutrition is here and only give vegetables as a treat, she said there Ideal pets for children. These stores are in denial and lack staff training. Giving such advice will no doubt cause suffering which the likes of the rescue places have to fix, not to mention where the animals come from prior to arriving at the store, conditions and treatment ect. Sadly its the rescue places who pick up the pieces because some realise that guinea pigs are high maintenance so they get abandoned or dumped in the wild or if there lucky they end up at rescue. The law needs to change. These stores should only stock feed and accessories because clearly they have no knowledge on the animals there selling, lack of research equils animal suffering. Thank you Saskia and Scott for educating people because its saving animals from suffering through lack of proper care. You and your volunteers have way more knowledge on these animals than the staff at the pet store. If I decide to get pigs it will be from an adoption place and not a pet store. Its not a simple case of giving a bowl of pellets a day and the odd treat, guinea pig care involves way more than that, as I have said bad advice will no doubt equate to more guinea pig suffering. Things really need to change for the animals sake. Your videos are educational and entertaining at the same time. Thank you so much for the hard work you do helping these animals.

[@anae3459]

I got mine in a petshop as well as I didn't know any other places I could get them in my country.. It was only after I got them that I found groups selling and giving them out for adoption. It's not really a thing here and it took me weeks to get that information. I wish I had known about it before because what you mentioned in the video was exactly what happened... I got my baby waffles from the pet shop. He was so so sweet and I loved him so very much and then he died a week later and it broke my heart .. I only just realized in hindsight that he had a urinary tract infection ever since I got him... I realized the symptoms too late.. And now I have my other two babies and they have mange mites... I'm treating them now. Sadly, vets here are only familiar with cats and dogs and they don't know what to do. They don't even have ivermectin for my babies. I'm currently waiting for it to come in the mail so they can feel better soon. Your videos really help a lot and I'm so very thankful to you and the information that you share.

[@annalynncabinbabiesnursery9984]

You are so right knowledge is power, I love listening to you Saskia 💝

[@kaycollarfeild]

My local pet store sells rabbits ,very small cages which is just sad. But they definitely give you more information on cage sizes for rabbits than Guinea pigs. We ended up making our own cage for our guinea pigs (we have two boys), they love eachother! And we have a large play pen where they go outside on warm days.

[@yiruki5846]

If I lived in LA, I'm sure my guinea pig would've received proper treatment when she got sick. She died. Seeing this,seeing everything that you're doing for guinea pigs, softens my heart so much. Thank you.

[@deanssavvycavies]

Excellent video...I agree more needs to be done to stop the business of breeding mills and the shops that support them. Other than boycotting those pet stores and adopting from rescues and raising awareness what else can we do to change this sad cycle? Thanks for being a bold caring voice for the sweet helpless guinea pigs! ❤️

[@chrystalelizabeth]

I wish that Guinea pigs were put in the same boat as bunnies... I have a bunny and before we even got her we did research on them ... my husband build a cabin like cage on a trailer that can be moved around either for a new grassy spot to play or into a shady spot or out of the wind. I'm glad YT suggested this video to me so I can share it with people I know who have piggies 💗💗

[@msspears8915]

You are absolutely beautiful that you teach the community.

[@tracygli192]

Thank you for being a gardian Angel of guinea pigs. Our Tommy and Sprite were born on August 12th of 2019; due to the fact that Petco had sold a friend of ours to supposable 2 female guinea pigs.Now with a litter of six guinea pigs she did not know what to do; there was not a huge demand for these animals in our area; and she could not find homes for them. We were blessed with these two gorgeous animals our two boys. I never thought that I would love these animals so much. You have a plethora of wisdom and knowledge I really enjoy watching your channel.maybe I had missed this; but I always wanted to know how and why you fell in love with guinea pigs and how do you know so much?☀️😇😘💫😘💫☀️😇 Best regards, Tracy😇

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Hi Tracy!! I have been working with these little guys for over 20yrs in a rescue / rehab capacity and another 10yrs of intermittent piggie ownership before that. Fell in love when I properly met my first piggie when I was 18 or so. I named her Montana and she was an agouti brown abby mix with tons of personality. I started the rescue when I moved to LA and realized that there were no resources for guinea pig whatsoever in LA so right away I filled a huge need.

[@healingsprings11]

Powerful message Saskia ! I totally agree. 🌏 Buying pets from pet stores also supports the continuation of this cycle of them putting sickly animals up for sale. They are sentient beings and all animals deserve to be treated with respect and that includes making sure their health is taken care of .

[@michelleschneider3220]

I got my Harriet, a skinny guinea pig from Petco and since then, I have learned so much from Saskia and Scotty and have become such a strong advocate against pet stores like Petco. I don't even buy supplies there.When I found out where Harriet came from, I had nightmares! I look back on the picture I took of her in the tank she was in and I am glad I have her, but so angry and agree, we need to be a voice--a loud voice for these sweet,gentle, smart animals.

[@phynchen8139]

I love how in my country, things are different. Our regional petstore has live animals of course, but never many. They have bunnies too, but it's always just a handful and after they're sold and they get new ones in, they don't immedaitely sell them off, but give them time to settle and relax again. And you can never only buy one bunny or one guinea pig, because you always need two from the same species (something that isn't very well mentioned in this video but super important). Every child here has either bunnies or guinea pigs as a child. It's great and a good oppertunity to learn about responsibility. It's worth mentioning that not every pet shop is bad or evil and sells sick animals or treats them like they're not living, breathing creatures. Go to a responsible pet shop and buy yourself your little companions there.

[@chubbzbunn]

I remember I got a guinea pig who I named Starlight back in 2016 and she was blind, no one told us we just figured it out ourselves like in a week or two of having her. But another one who we believe to be the sister is completely and 100℅ fine maybe over weight but either than that she seems to be in pretty good shape. While Starlight is very light, she weight as light as a body pillow maybe a bit heavier! Also if you wanna know where we got her and her sister Midnight we got them at PetSmart in Belmont, CA!

[@LakeGael]

Saskia is a Saint to these sweet little babies, she provides knowledge and advice that you don't get a lot of elsewhere.

[@erkheth]

About time it was said!! Unfortunately in Holland, rabbits and guineapigs are still kept in small cages, being sold at petshops and ppl are still being told: yes it's fine to jail them for life.... These ppl are running petshops. At petting zoos, no space is available for both these creatures. I understand that they only get a small monthly allowance for their animals. So don't keep the animals that you don't have space for. It's time to act like we're in 2019. Thankyou Saskia and co 🥰🐹🥰

[@JennyNTay]

It's sick what goes on behind many places and this is what we need some people to know about pet stores and mores

[@stienengelaar9445]

I wanna hive you a big compliment for telling this to people and helping this beautiful creatures! It was very hard to watch this Cuz I am an animal lover especially guinea pigs. I hope the pet store will not do this anymore after this video so fingers crossed 🤞🤞 Again than you for helping not only the guinea pigs but also helping people realising what really happens in the pet stores (sorry for my bad English I'm Dutch)

[@mantalol2276]

I was going to get 2 guinea pigs from the rescue a few years ago but a friend of mine was looking for cats on craigslist and she found this woman with 3 guinea pigs and she couldn't afford to take care of them anymore so I ended up getting them instead. I decided not to change their names which are Tiki, Sasa, and Haze. I got a c&c cage for them which is 2x4 on the bottom and has a 2x2 loft. Unfortunately, Tiki and Haze don't get along so I ended up having to separate them and block the ramp so Tiki is separate on the loft part of the cage. It's a bit small for a guinea pig, but it's still much bigger than the tiny cage he was in before which I think was even smaller than the cage I'd used when I had a hamster.

[@imchloenatasha]

I got one of my piggies as he was a return, he was absolutely beautiful but whoever had him couldn't put up with the maintenance of his long hair. So sad :( I had him for ages and we called him Sherlock because of his long locks! He passed away two weeks ago of old age, but he was the best decision I ever made :) x

[@kellyspetcarecorner2448]

Such an important message!! Everyone who owns guineapigs, wants guineapigs, or even likes any pet store animals should watch this

[@yourglasshouse]

I found my guinea pig online. Someone was moving and couldn’t care for him anymore. He was free. I got him when he was still very young and now he’s a chubby adult 😂❤️ He’s everything to me and my brother built him a two floor mansion made of wood with two little homes, a resting log, and he likes to play with cardboard rolls. His mansion is outside but I live in California so it’s always warm out. I bring him inside for some of the fall and winter. He’s been inside my home since late September and will be outside again around March. I feel sad because I can tell he gets lonely. :( I’ve been meaning to go to you guys and get him a friend but I live so far! 😭😭😭

[@annieunico2157]

I know and have seen the cruelty myself. I went to a pet shop and there was these guinea pigs in a pen on the actual floor, and some guy was chasing a load of guinea pigs around with a massive brush to catch this woman’s guinea pig she wanted. I was horrified and when the guy had left I basically told her that this was abuse and animal cruelty, and it’s was like so I don’t care mind your own business kind of thing. So the only thing I could do was report the store for cruelty. God knows what those guinea pigs went through poor things.

[@juliettej.9676]

I totally agree with you Saskia. I love little rodents. Guinea pigs are my favourite, but I have a huge heart for hamsters as well. Once I bought a little Syrian hamster. She was very young. It was my first ever rodent and though I was informed about taking care of them, I still had a lot to learn. The hamster I bought was way younger than they had told me. Also I bought a cage that was too small for her. I was informed about deseases and stuff. Some of you may know this, but Syrian hamsters can get a desease called "wet tail". It's a desease they can get if they were taken away too early from their nests. It causes a lot of stress, which results in getting that horrible desease. The chances of survival are almost 0%. A few days after I got my hamster, she started to become very sick. She had all the symptoms of Wet Tail, but I was already too late. Wet Tail develops itself really fast, so by the time you notice it, it's often too late. The vet had to put her down. I only had her for 7 days. I knew their was something going on with pet store animals and I asked the staff where the hamsters came from. They said it was from a store nearby. I knew a lot of people had good things to say about it, so I decided to risk it. After my first hamster died, I started to look up information about how these animals are bred. I was shocked and after this, I swore to never get a pet store animal again. I got a second hamster some time later. The hamster came from a very good breeder who really cared for the animals. She also was a lot bigger (as pet shop animals are often smaller due to fast breeding). She is now 1.8 years old and she is still doing very well. Of course I got her a bigger cage (I was already planning on doing this for my first hamster, but I never got the chance). I adopted two guinea pigs a while ago. They were very scared at first, but now they are just happy little pigs and thy mean everything to me. One of the piggies was underweight, but now she is doing pretty well. Since I became aware of the industry behind these rodents, I have been thinking of plans to make the situations better in my country. I often hear people make the same mistakes I made at first (cage too small, wrong bedding, dangerous products etc). Some of those people will never change the way they take care of the animal, as they don't know more than what they were told. Bunnies, guinea pigs, hamsters and other little rodents are just not represented well enough. As a law student, I looked at the laws that were made for selling these little rodents professionally. I found out that there were almost none. I think it's very sad.

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

You should specialize in animal law!! 🙏

[@juliettej.9676]

@@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue Thank you! Yeah that would be lovely, but unfortunately there isn't really such a thing. The country I was talking about is The Netherlands. I believe you once told in a video you're from The Netherlands as well, so you might know what I am talking about.

[@sammylindsey6482]

Wow I didn’t know my piggie went through that and now I keep up with his health and everything and he is just so affectionate where as at the store he was timid and scared now he loves people

[@ItsKen]

At first I started with little bin cages and one guinea pig, then I upgraded to a wayyy bigger cage and got her two sisters that she loves♥️🥰 I’m so happy for my baby piggy’s

[@vickieroyer-1684]

If the pet shops could work in conjunction with the rescues that would be great, have trained rescue people come in to educate the customers properly and adopt the piggies in a better way. There is no need to be breeding more in a warehouse. I will be honest and say, just a month ago I was going to get a guinea pig from a pet store and thankfully I found your channel on KZbin and you have set this mom straight on how to care for a piggie and the size of cage and pairing a piggie with other piggies. I love what you are doing, you are educating us, I am proof! Hehe Love you all at LAGuineaPigRescue!

[@SwoopScoopie]

We are saving up for a 2 story big cage

[@GojjiraAJC]

My guinea pig lived for 6 years, unfortunately she passed away when I was 8 :( Rest in peace Scooby

[@brooketinch9327]

I recently got a Guinea pig in the back. Someone brought her, called her aggressive, and threatened to kill her if the pet store, if they didn’t take her back. I now have her. She’s the sweetest thing ever! I love her so much, and she now has a furry little friend. 💗

[@ghostu.]

I got my first two guinea pigs from PetSmart, one of them had ring worm and the other had an ear infection that was so bad he doesn’t quite act right anymore. Luckily they have been treated and are all healthy now but it just makes me so sad whenever I go into a pet store with a cage, or glass box of Guinea pigs that is over filled and is way too small. I was blown away at the amount of guinea pigs at the shelter near me where I got my third guinea pig. This poor little dude had been in a hoarder house with who knows how many other pigs and has the scars to prove it, but he’s one of the sweetest little pigs you’ve ever met. People really should do their research before getting a pet, I know I did mine but sadly I did not look into the pet store I was buying from. It all worked out in he end though, I’ve got my three little men and wouldn’t change it for the world.

[@arielparsons1141]

I quit my job at a petstore because customers and coworkers would get annoyed with me for telling it like it is. It got to a point where I was told I "cared too much about the animals" and I wasn't allowed to deny most sales where people didn't want to give their animals proper treatment because "not everyone is going to give the best quality life to their pets". i was so upset that i was suppose to think that way about living, breathing animals. coworkers would try to tell me yes, this small cage is okay for hamsters. yes, this small cage is okay for guinea pigs. i did so much proper research that people would just get annoyed for correcting them. i loved those customers who actually took the time to listen and cared! i wish i had something like this where i lived! id be there to help in a heartbeat. hoping to start my own one day

[@l0llozer836]

I recently just “rescued” a Guinea Pig from a family member who purchased it at Petco for their daughter. It was living in one on these extremely small cages surrounded by its own waste. Soon as I seen him I took him home & over the next few weeks spent a few hundred dollars on supplies so I could give him better living conditions. felt so bad Bc ik there are THOUSANDS of others living the exact same way I wish I could save them all 😓

[@LosAngelesGuineaPigRescue]

Indeed! And education is they key. Most people do not know it can be done differently so getting the info out there is key.

[@sushiboy7249]

I have a guinea pig and I showered him now he’s so cute 🥰🥰🥰

[@654321klewis]

I have 4 rescue piggies from a mesa AZ based rescue all boars and brats but I love them