Friday, January 28, 2011

Guinea Pig Swap

Yesterday I picked up a guinea pig in Phoenix who is a chronic biter; the last time one of the kids held him he got dropped because they were afraid he was going to bite. They were so upset to see him go that they came by tonight to pick out another guinea pig, and they chose Rex because he is so well-behaved, gentle and calm. The family really wanted a guinea pig and hated to see Bo go, but hopefully Rex will be more suited to their lifestyle, as they do like to take him out for cuddles.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Sad News :(

The two piggies I was expecting this weekend have not arrived...Lisa discovered that one of them was very sick, and despite her best efforts, he died yesterday. His brother seems to be doing well, but his diet was poor so we will wait a few days to see how he does and then, if the weather is ok, we will get him here.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Breakdown of Expenses

Here is an approximation of what we spend per week on our guinea pigs:
4 heads of Romaine @ 1.99 each=7.96
15 lb. carrots @ 2.99/5 lb. bag=8.97
3 lb. apples= about 3.00 (whatever is on sale)
3 cucumbers, ONLY if on sale=1.98
timothy hay=(depends on size of bag and where I buy it..anywhere from 6 to 9 dollars)
pine shavings, one bale per week=6.00
Blue Seal pellets, 50 lb. bag=about 9.00 per week (we buy one every other week)
This comes out to just about $42 per week, or $168 per month. I'm not sure how much we spend on laundry detergent and utilities just for the fleeces we wash. I guess the point is that we are happy to get ANY donations, no matter how small. Whenever we adopt out some guinea pigs, we almost always end up getting more, so we can always use a little help!

Donate Button...Hooray!

You may have noticed that we now have a donate button on our site, courtesy of Mary Green from CNY Piggies. Mary is a little more computer savvy than I am; I tried to do it myself and failed miserably, so I had to enlist some help! The money will go straight into PayPal. I'm going to mark our post about expenses, so everyone can see the general breakdown of what we spend on the guinea pigs. These expenses are mainly for pellets, bedding, and produce. We do take our guinea pigs to the vet whenever needed, but these expenses are few and far between. So far our most expensive single bill was about $600, when Nova was hurt and needed staples (he was only four days old). Other than that, we average $40 a week on food and bedding.
We are not an official "nonprofit" in New York, but we do NOT make any profits on adoption fees or donations. I am also still hoping to get funding so that we can provide emergency assistance to people who want to keep their piggies but can't afford to.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Adopted! Lola and Roxy

I realize I didn't post pics of these cute little texel girls; I didn't have much time, as they arrived last night and just left for their new home. They had LOTS of stuff to go with them so we know they will be well-cared for.
We also have interest in a couple other guinea pigs, so I will keep you all posted over the next few days. We also have another person who wants to surrender her male piggy; his name is Rex and he should be here by Saturday!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

The Adoption Process

I've had a few people get a little confused regarding adopting from us, so in this post I'd like to explain it step by step:
1. My Gmail account is specifically for the rescue, so someone who finds me on Craigslist or Google contacts me either via my cell phone or Gmail. I then send them the application as an attachment via e-mail.
2. There are a few options as far as returning the application. You can either do it right on the computer and send it back to my e-mail (I'm not exactly sure how this is done, but a few people have done it). It can be printed out, completed and brought here, or it can be filled out here, but I do let people know they will need vet and personal references, so they can have those ready ahead of time.
3. Once the application has been reviewed, I set up a time/day to meet the adopter(s) and they can meet their guinea pigs in person. Some people aren't sure who they're interested in and want to see who's here; some people definitely have a specific guinea pig in mind. Either one is fine; I don't like to rush the adoption process and I want to make sure the new owner picks out the best match for them.
4. A few people wonder about the vet reference. All I need is the name and phone number of a vet you would take your guinea pig to IF it were sick or injured. I don't need any type of letter, etc. from the vet; I just want to know that the adopter knows who treats guinea pigs in their area, just in case.
5. In most cases, the guinea pig is adopted the day the person comes out to meet them. Some people like to think about it or discuss it with other family members, which is fine. If the application is approved, I will also hold onto a guinea pig if the new owner has to pick it up at a later date; this does NOT require any additional "boarding fee."
6. When the application is approved and the adoption fee paid, the piggy goes to its new home. Hooray! :)
7. I will follow up about a week later with either a phone call or e-mail to see how things are going. I will also take back any guinea pigs if things don't work out, HOWEVER, if the animal is sick/injured it MUST see a vet before coming back to me. I do not believe any animal should be returned to a rescue without first getting needed medical treatment, as the new owner is responsible for vet care.
Hopefully that covers everything!