Think it might be time to rehome...

[DeeSpark]

Ok so I need to admit something about my guinea pigs. It's been over a year since I got nibbles now, several months since winmar. I love them the same way I do every animal, but I don't love them like I feel a pet should be loved. I have no bond with them. And I don't feel like they get the life they deserve. In fact when pumba died I was pretty sad, but the thing is it wasn't so much because I had lost him, it was because I thought he deserved to have lived a better life. Sure I got him from my friend and rescued him from a bad life, but I just think they deserve more love, more time, more care.

I do take care of their basic needs, I try to make time for them, I try to let them have time in their outside run. And I've tried to find the bond and love they deserve in me, and it's just not happening. Honestly, I'm not even sure why I got guinea pigs in the first place. Maybe I wanted to try a new pet? But the only pet rodent I really can see myself loving is mice, unlikely in the next few years. Gah I can't even explain properly, because I do love them, just not enough. Sometimes looking after them almost feels like a chore, and I know when other people say that about their pets, I think they should just rehome.
I know I must sound like a b***h, but I can't help the feeling.

I only have 2 options really for rehoming. One is give them to an animal shelter and hope that they chose good owners, 2nd is sell them online and try and find somebody who will keep them inside, feed them properly, take care of them ( has to be online, and virtually nobody in this town would fit the requirements)

I don't know. I want them to have a better owner, but then I'm worried that I'll
end up giving them to the wrong owner. I think I should have another talk to my mums friend about them. She seems to kind of want them but doesn't seem sure. But I know she'd take great care of them, and her daughter would give them the love they deserve. She's only 8, but a very responsible one, and knows how to handle the guinea pigs properly.
Advice? I feel like the most horrible pet owner right now  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Please don't leave them with a shelter. I dunno what the situation is in your area but my shelter is overflowing with guinea pigs (and rabbits) they actually have to ship them out to other shelters that don't have any. On top of that, you have NO idea who will adopt them, or even IF they'll be adopted. I have SPCA exotics on my facebook, probably not a good idea, I see the number of rats for adoption always unchanged. After 3 months, and the cages they live in are like my emergency cage. Even if you donate your cage, chances are they won't have the room to give them a proper sized cage and they certainly won't get out to roam around.

Online could be just as bad, because it is so hard to judge if someone will be a good owner. Sometimes they give you these wonderful stories about the care the piggies will get. But in reality it could all be a lie, or they could get tired of them.

I would try giving them to someone you know, and who you are confident would give them the care they need. Otherwise, I know it sounds harsh, but, if you can't find a proper home than just try to tough it out. How long to piggies live again? I had started to feel that way about my first fish. Because the only interaction I had with him was when I fed him. But he still required constant care. Water changes every week, then I was running around buying stuff for his tank trying to keep him healthy. Cause even though I didn't have a connection with him, I felt responsible to give him the best care I could since I made that commitment to him the day I brought him home. When he died I was sad cause I felt like he should have had a filter, and he only got his air bubbler that had actually given him stimulation about a week before he died. Plus I think I overdosed him on his antibiotics in my attempts to save him. And yet I have fish again! Now do I have a bond with them, no, not really. But I find with the proper care Zuko has shown a lot more personality. I noticed that the betta's in bowls all seem depressed and lethargic. And the betta's kept in the 50g plant display were lively and easier to see that they had personality. Zuko likes to explore, likes to sleep on the plants, likes to "sunbathe" by the heater. I find now with a community they're really fun to watch. Plus it adds a natural element to my room.

Is it possible you haven't connected with them because they're kind of out of sight, out of mind? I'm not saying don't rehome them. Just, makes absolutely sure that they will have at least as good of care that they currently do. A pet is a commitment, and rehoming should really only be done in the best interest of the animal. I mean poor Savage has been trying to rehome her cats for how long now? And she has a really good reason to be doing so.  

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

I think you should talk to your mom's friend and her daughter about it. See if they're genuinely interested and give it a trial run of a couple weeks or so. IF they're giving the piggies the time and attention and care they need, and want to keep them, AND you're okay with not having them in your daily life, work out some sort of sale agreement - put everything in writing, and include a clause that should something happen and they can't continue to care for the piggies, you'll take/buy everything (you gave/sold) back.


I understand how you feel about all this, though - I felt a similar way with my fish. It was like the novelty and excitement of having him wore off after a few months. I started to lose interest in him and I know I wasn't giving him the care he deserved. It's why I haven't gotten another, why I sold my tank and supplies, and why I really want to think it over before getting a small mammal. My experience is also why I won't personally recommend caged/tanked animals for children - it's too easy to lose interest and slip on the care, and such slips will be easier to forget than with dogs/cats.  

[DeeSpark]

Thought about it, decided to keep them and give them the best carei can. If im meant to give them away, then the right person will come along. Until that person comes around, if they do, then i will stick it out with them. I mean, its not like i dislike them or anything, its not to bad. I just feel sorry for them that for some reason.... I guess im just not a guinea pig person  

[Celestial Fireflies]

I think I know how you feel. I care for my rats the best way I can, I cried when one of them got sick and did everything I could to make her better, but at the same time I don't know if I feel this big special bond with them. Not how I thought I would, anyways.

But I noticed that the more fuss I make about them, the more I feel that bond. When I take pictures of them and make silly captions that give them personality, I start to feel it. When I sit there and actively take notice of their personalities-- Aries is pretty spunky, Virgo is kind of like Monica from Friends, and Pisces is laid back but curious-- they become more endearing, since I have personalities to bond with. I still have to work on it, though.

I noticed this with my boyfriend, too. When he comes home from work, he hasn't seen me taking them out of the cage and playing with them. He doesn't sit down and observe their personalities. He sees them as animals with animal instincts and that's it, as opposed to our cats, who are animals with very obvious and vivid personalities. So now I'm working on bringing them out and even training them to do tricks while he's home, not just when I'm alone all day.

Anyways, I don't think you're a bad person because you don't happen to be a guinea pig person- or that you didn't find that out until you had them. Sometimes, owning a certain animal isn't what we thought it would be. Even though you haven't bonded with them, I can see that you still care about them and you're doing what you can to make sure they get the best care you can give them.  

[DeeSpark]

Thankyou, i will keep trying to bond with them. I have holidays from school now, so i have more time to spend with them  

[Vanilla eXee]

My favorite way to bond with a pet (especially wheekers) pop on a movie (turned low of course) and sit with them in your lap, just loving them while you watch it.  

[Radpops]

It was the same way with the guinea pigs I had. Luckily my friend was going to buy guinea pigs anyways so I gave them to him. He loves them and takes even better care of them than I did. So that makes me happy.
Good luck with your situation.  

[DeeSpark]

Vanilla eXee

My favorite way to bond with a pet (especially wheekers) pop on a movie (turned low of course) and sit with them in your lap, just loving them while you watch it.

Ahh good idea. I'll probably have to do this covered in newspaper, with an old shirt I don't care about, otherwise my mum will freak out. She is getting better though, I used to just take them out of the cage and she'd be like "Put it back it's going to pee everywhere!!"
I think she's learning that they don't explode pee everywhere every 2 minutes though haha  

[Vanilla eXee]

DeeSpark

Vanilla eXee

My favorite way to bond with a pet (especially wheekers) pop on a movie (turned low of course) and sit with them in your lap, just loving them while you watch it.

Ahh good idea. I'll probably have to do this covered in newspaper, with an old shirt I don't care about, otherwise my mum will freak out. She is getting better though, I used to just take them out of the cage and she'd be like "Put it back it's going to pee everywhere!!"
I think she's learning that they don't explode pee everywhere every 2 minutes though haha

Yeah, once they're used to being out of cage, they can go at least 15 mins without needing a pee break, sometimes longer. Something that helped me when I used to give my boys free time on my bed was a cheap disposable plastic table cover, like the kind you get if you're having a party? you can cut it to size and it can be washed down with a hose if they have any accidents.