Cavy Cavalry - Guinea Pig Rescue

*Adoptable*

Moonpie is an adorable Absynnian convered in rosettes.
He came to me by way of an animal control that took him in as part ofa hoarding situation. Being one of the more scared of the group he wasn’t doing well in the shelter environment and they reached out to me.

He is still very skittish and does not like to be handled at all. The first few months he pretty much hid 24/7. He will now come out into his cage with human presence, call out for food, and take some from your hand. Food is absolutely the way to his heart.
He did have a cagemate for awhile who was older and friendly (his previous cagemate had passed away). It took them a few days to settle in with each other but there were never any actual fights. Then the only problem was that he likes to resource stash (unsurprising considering the conditions he was saved from) which made it difficult to ensure the other pig was getting enough to eat, being so passive he’d just starve rather than push it.

He could probably be bonded to another not quite so passive male pig, you’d just have to be careful to monitor both are getting plenty to eat.
He also does well adjacent to others and doesn’t cage fight.

-Moonpie has a full set up, cage included, that can go with him for a $30 adoption fee.

*Adoptable*

Duncan is my longest resident foster looking for his new home.
Finding him a forever home has been more difficult as he doesn’t get along well with other pigs, and he is on the shyer side.
So long as being able to hold and snuggle a lot isn’t your priority, he’s become pretty bold and very interactive while not being held.

He’ll be 3 years right around Christmas. I took him in at 8 weeks old. He had either never been handled or was mistreated and was wordlessly handed to me taped inside a small cardboard box.
Over the following months, he slowly started to trust.
He is now interactive and talkative inside his cage, runs up to take veggies through the bars or from your hand. He likes to be cuddled for a few minutes at a time, but still gets overwhelmed with too much handling.
He loves outside time in nice weather, and enjoys having interactive boredom busters in his cage.

He does need to be a singleton. As he got older, it became clear he’s a dominant boy, but he does well caged nearby for company (doesn’t fight through bars).

Overall, he’d be a good option for a first time owner that’s okay knowing it’ll take him longer to acclimate and relax in his new home.

Duncan has a full set up, including cage and small playpen that can go with him for a $30 adoption fee.
I’m located in Clarksville, TN, but can make arrangements to bring him to you or meet halfway up to a certain distance.

If you’ve messaged the page in the last year, I sincerely apologize if you did not receive a response.
I was diagnosed with a sudden onset auto immune disorder last summer, have had two major surgeries and have been in two car accidents since November.

I closed down to taking in new piggies with the health dx a year ago, and just tried to respond to people looking to adopt, as it was all I could do to keep up with the care needed of those I’d already taken in.

I am now down to the last three piggies who are in need of adoptive homes, after which point I will be closing down indefinitely to intake, as my health just won’t allow me to continue with the upkeep they need.

I would however like to continue to help with advising people interested in getting their first guinea pigs and help people to rehome their pets or personal rescues that they can keep while finding a new home or help locate a rescue that can take them if that’s not an option.

All of that stated, I’ll be making a concerted effort to be more active on this page in general and will be posting the guinea pigs I currently have that need new homes this weekend.

*pictured was my last female foster who was adopted yesterday and has taken right to her new sisters ❤️ *

Not trying to rush the acclimation process is key to your new baby settling in and bonding with you faster.

Here's a sneak peek at Moonpie. He's not quite ready for a full introduction yet, but he's settling in and that will be coming soon.

He is a young male absynnian an animal control asked us to take in.
The was the last left to be adopted from a hoarding situation the shelter had taken in, a volunteer was concerned about his well being without cavie company.

He's already squeaking up a storm when I approach looking for veggies, so I don't think it will be long before he's ready to be adopted.

The last of Pumpkin's girls went home tonight.
Their new family was so excited to come get them ❤️

Previously posted momma and babies are doing great.
The babies, both boys, are a bit over 3 weeks old, eating on their own and now ready to be separated from mom.

From tee tiny little things to pudgy little boys that fill up my hand and are just so adorable it's hard not to squeal when you see them.

Two adoptions this weekend!
Yesterday Dixie went home to join another little girl her new owner had saved and needed a cagemate.

Daisy Dude and Domino went home today with someone committed to continue working on their human socializing and getting them comfortable with being handled ❤️

With such nice weather today, have you considered giving your guinea pigs outside time?

Precious Macey has been adopted!
She's gone to join little Poppy with repeat adopters ❤️

What to feed?
A common question and there is so much misinformation out there.
There are many schools of thought as to exactly how much and what variety of produce is best, but here's a good starting point.

These 14 week old sisters are looking for forever homes.
They're currently separated into pairs and I would like for them to be adopted as such, unless you're looking for one to be a companion to a guinea pig you already have, in which case two can be split up.

Beautiful Adonis was adopted last week.
Gave it a little time before calling it official as bonding males can be iffy, and his new brother had rejected a slew of others before deciding he liked this fluffy boy.

He's now in piggie heaven with one of the coolest set ups I've seen and an experienced owner prepared for his coat upkeep.

Happy adoption day to spunky Poppy this morning, who's adopters were such diligent new gp owners doing all their research before bringing one home 💖

And, shy sweet Zoey yesterday!
Her adopter was looking for a mate for their shy girl they've been working with to get more comfortable being handled and were happy to add another shy baby to work with.
All adoptions are exciting, but those for the shy, previously mistreated babies that need plenty of patience and time to come around hold a special place in our hearts.

Happy Adoption Day to Zippy and Jett.
They now have two little girls that are so excited to love on them ❤️

Momma had her babies a couple of days ago.
She only had two that lived and they are tiny.
I'm hopeful that they'll survive, but know that starting out so small, even with supplemental care, only time will tell.

This is the sad side of rescue, and the dangerous side of breeding guinea pigs.
I'm grateful that mom is doing well and no babies got stuck during delivery, but having two litters back to back (the age of her last litter, she must have gotten pregnant very soon after their birth) puts a strain on the moms body and can limit the nutrition she's able to provide the babies while pregnant, and after birth, therefore resulting in a higher mortality rate in the babies.

Most people don't realize guinea pigs can get pregnant pretty much as soon as they give birth, and male babies can impregnate her as young as 3-4 weeks old.

Breeding is never a hobby that should be entered into lightly, but especially with guinea pigs as there are so, so many things that can go wrong.

What type of housing guinea pigs need is often confused as unlike most other small fuzzy pets, they don't climb. Multi-level cages are meant for pets like mice, ferrets, hampsters, and sugar gliders.
There are many brands of cages that state they're for guinea pigs, but are way too small.
C&C cages are a cost effective, customizable option to provide plenty of room, but are not the only brand that is suitable for guinea pigs.
Follow these tips to ensure you're getting a proper species specific set up.

We took in these beautiful babies last week.
I think they were breeder overstock, but I didn't get a lot of details.
They've spent the last week decompressing and I'm still getting to know them, but they look to be healthy and aren't terrified of me anymore, so it was time for a photoshoot and introduction.

Poppy is an Absynnian, and is a spunky 7 week old female. She's still pretty skittish of humans but is getting used to being handled and is hanging out with the other young females who she settled in quickly with them.

Adonis is a beautiful 8 month old male Silkie.
He's a big boy and will need an accommodatingly large cage.
He's shy and quiet so far, but seems to like being held so long as I stay still.

Happy Adoption Day to Daisy Jr. and Squeak ❤️

Our other new recruits include an 8 month old male silkie who's pretty freaked out from moving around and will be decompressing for awhile before I attempt to do much with him, including getting better pictures.

Also a 6 week old Peruvian female who made a big mess in her water en route to me and started out with a bath.
She's also a bit freaked out and wasn't a fan of her bath, but I think will settle in faster being so young.

These two won't be available for adoption until they've had time to settle in and show their personalities.
They'll be looking for experienced and knowledgeable owners that are prepared for the grooming upkeep their longer coats will entail once they're ready for adoption.

Meet our precious new intakes after their owner decided guinea pigs aren't well suited to their lifestyle.

Momma is the sweetest thing and I was surprised to find she's pregnant after taking them in. I don't know exactly, but based on looks and being able to feel babies moving, she's pretty far along. Sweet girl is only 6-9 months and already on her second, and last pregnancy.

And little Squeak is her baby from her last litter they'd planned on keeping with momma before deciding to surrender them.
She's a really vocal cavy, thus her name, and has the softest coat. She's 7 weeks old and is socializing with the rest of female babies.

Everyone had a fun visit outside for some fresh air, grass, and clover buds in the nice weather today.

Happy trails to Nico and Godiva who were adopted today and are going to be absolutely spoiled in their new home!

Daisy Dude (cream) and Domino (black) are a shy, submissive pair.
Other pigs, even babies tend to pick on them, so they must stay together and cannot be with other pigs except possibly one more submissive male and adequate cage space.

Daisy was thought to be a girl and seemed to respond to his name a bit when he came to me, so I didn't feel the need to change it once I realized she was a he.
After quarantine and decompression for Domino, I tried them together and they took right to each other.

They both hid at my sight for a long time.
Daisy now knows I bring food, runs up and starts wheeking when he sees me or hears food prep.
Domino has made slow progress with human interaction and didn't really start to get comfortable with my presence until putting him and Daisy together.
He still hides a lot, but is progressing now.

They need a quieter home without young children and either experienced owners to continue working to get them used to being handled.
Or any experience level that's more interested in providing an engaging cage set up, and want guinea pigs more for the company and fun of watching them versus taking them out and holding them.

Ophelia is a shy and sweet girl who comes out of her shell pretty quickly.
She's does well with other guinea pigs, including in larger groups given proper introductions.

She loves to be handfed and climb up on top of things in her cage. She likes attention and does best when held in a blanket.

Trixie is a sweetie. She likes to be held and petted, but nothing more than dinnertime. She's always the first to get veggies or dive into a fresh hay pile.
She was abandoned at a pet store, but must have been well cared for prior to that.

She's in with my female herd and does well. She's on the dominant side and does really well with shy pigs, she doesn't bully so long as she gets her veggies first.

There can be some dominance challenging with other headstrong pigs, I've never seen her actually fight, but she's a bigger girl and clearly head of the herd here.
She's not bonded to any of my girls in particular so there's no one here she needs to go with, but she must be with at least one other pig in her new home.

Overall she's a well rounded girl that would be a good choice for first time owners.

ADOPTED!

Zippy and Jett are a bonded mother/daughter pair that must stay together.
Their previous owners took great care of them and that's reflected in how they act.
Zippy is friendly and doesn't run when you go to pick her up. Jett doesn't run from being petted but has always been more nervous by nature and may spook when you go to pick her up, but settles quickly once you catch her.
They're currently in my female herd. Jett has really come out of her shell in the group setting. She used to hide a lot but now she's usually right in the thick of things.

They'd be great for first time owners or kids, joining an established herd, or giving a lonely female piggie some friends.

Reggie is our newest addition from a family that took him and a female in. After they had a litter of babies, the owners realized that was not something they were interested in happening again, but also weren't wanting to have multiple set ups.

Best I could determine from his limited history, he's 6-9 months old. He's a really sweet boy who likes to be held and handfed his produce once he has a chance to settle in. He's currently still in the decompression period I give pigs before trying to bond them so I'm unsure of his temperament towards other guinea pigs.

His markings are almost a perfect mirror for Duncan's.

Sweet little Duncan is 5 months old and came to me at 8 weeks old, taped inside a box and terrified of everything. He'd clearly never been handled or had been mistreated, and it took a couple months before he'd even come out of hiding with me in the room.
He's made slow but good progress. He now comes running and wheeking when he hears me looking for food.
His favorites are leafy greens and cucumbers, which he'll now come up, take from my hand, then come running back looking for more.
He is hard to catch, but is comfortable being held for short periods of time once you have him. With continued daily interactions, he will keep getting more comfortable with human handling.

He's by himself currently as he's a more dominant pig. He does well with middle of the road pigs that aren't too dominant or overly submissive. I had him in with a much older male, and they co-existed peacefully, but never bonded and I found a better match for the other boar.
He can be adopted as an only pig given a set up with adequate mental stimulation, or as a trial to pair with a laid back but not overly submissive male.

Ben and Jerry are the cutest and sweetest babies.
Ben is 8 weeks old and Jerry is 3 weeks. Ben was the only boy in a litter of 7 and Jerry was the last left from an oops litter that I took in, along with his daddy.
I put them together and they instantly took to each other.

They've both been well cared for and handled since birth. Ben is a calm snuggly little guy and Jerry is spirited and talkative.

*ADOPTED*

Nico and Godiva are adult males that came to me from separate places. They are now paired and looking for a home together.
They're two of the most human social cavies I've taken in.
Godiva can get spooked when you go to pick him up, but enjoys being held and petted once you have him. With his rich chocolatey coat he resembles a chocolate bar.

Nico will actually come up to your hand for pets and is pretty easy to pick up, then is outgoing, talkative and curious. He's a really fun dude with the cutest little hairstyle.

These two would be a great choice for first time owners. They're not biters, but Godiva can get nibbly when you're feeding produce.

They cannot share their cagespace with other guinea pigs. Multiple adult males placed together will usually fight. It's a delicate process putting just two together and adding more will certainly upset that balance with these two.
They were both alone initially.
Neither did well with submissive, shy, or baby males, and before committing to them needing to stay by themselves, I decided to try them together.
It took them a couple days to work things out and get comfortable with each other, but they have taken a shine to each other since.

After looking for a couple guinea pigs to take in as personal pets, I kept encountering more and more in need of rescue. With no other organizations I could find taking in small animals nearby, I continued taking them in.
They've come to me ranging from spoiled family pets who's lifestyle change no longer afforded them the time needed to properly care for their spoiled pigs, to a young boar taped inside a box that had never been handled by humans before.
However they come to me, I ensure they have appropriate living spaces, are groomed, fed a varied diet including fresh produce, and work to get them comfortable with human handling, or at least human presence in the more severely unsocialized/neglect cases.

If you don't have experience with guinea pigs, I'm happy to help you in determining if they're the right pet for your family.

I ask for $20 adoption donation and will gladly accept donations of food, hay, bedding, toys, accessories, etc. in lieu of money.