Jack Pine Guinea Pig Rescue -- RETIRING!!!

Thank you for your interest in adopting a rescued guinea pig!

Vicki Palmer Nielsen of Jack Pine Guinea Pig Rescue is retiring (more or less) after 13+ years of taking in unwanted, abandoned and neglected piggies.

JPGPR is now more of a guinea pig sanctuary rather than an active rescue. We still have dozens of guinea pigs here but the majority will live out the rest of their lives here, safe and well cared for. For the most part I am no longer taking in guinea pigs from the general public, nor am I adopting guinea pigs out to people I don’t know.

People that have adopted guinea pigs from me in the past are welcome to contact me about adopting. I LOVE return adopters. I am also happy to consider people I know or folks referred to me by people I know for adoption.

There are plenty of other rescued piggies waiting for that perfect forever home. Be sure to check out Are These Minnesota Guinea Pigs Waiting for YOU?!
Humane societies in the Twin Cities area accept and adopt out guinea pigs. Below are links to directories of animal shelters in Minnesota.

Twin Cities Shelter/Rescue Directory
Worldwide Shelter Directory/Minnesota

Folks in other parts of the country might find the following web sites helpful:

There are also two wonderful gals doing guinea pig rescue in the Twin Cities area.
Both Allysse and Paula do an excellent job with their guinea pigs and are a valuable source of information on guinea pig care, health and adoption. Contact information is below.

Minnesota Guinea Pig Rescues

Twin Cities Guinea Pig Rescue, St. Paul MN
Allysse Henry
tcgpr@comcast.net
Twin Cities Guinea Pig Rescue/Petfinder.com

Paula's Pigdom, Roseville MN
Paula
crzy4piggers@msn.com
Paula's Pigdom/Petfinder.com

Folks in other parts of the country might find the following web sites helpful:
Critter Corral/Illinois
(Rose Pooler's guinea pig rescue near Chicago,IL)
Baraboo WI Area Guinea Pig Rescue
(Rachel Sincere’s guinea pig rescue in Madison, Wisconsin)
The Home For Unwanted and Abandoned Guinea Pigs
(Informational/educational site for better guinea pig care and lives)
Worldwide Shelter Directory
(A list of animal shelters all over the US and in many other countries)
CavyRescue.com
(A list of guinea pig rescues throughout the US and in other countries)

Some General Adoption Information
Most rescuers carefully screen potential owners to make sure their "kids" are getting a proper, safe, loving and permanent new home - with somebody that can afford the time, effort and money needed to keep them healthy and happy. The average life span of a cavy is 5 - 7 years, and I have heard of some making as old as 10! Potential adopters need to be aware of this, and should consider how this pet will fit in the future lifestyle of the family. Example: A child that gets a guinea pig when she is 10 or 11, may be working/dating/driving as the guinea pig enters its senior years. Will the child and family still be interested and committed to that guinea pig? Potential adopters must be willing and able to make a lifelong commitment to keeping the guinea pig safe, comfortable and loved.

When families adopt, it is important for parents to assume responsibility for the guinea pig as well as the children. No matter how mature or responsible a parent thinks their child is, chances are very good that in a year or 2 or 4, the appeal of cage cleaning will wear off. The child may feel he is too busy or has more important things to do then take care of and love an aging guinea pig. That is when the guinea pig will need the parent to make sure life is still good.

I don't generally recommend guinea pigs to families with children under 7 years old. I think young children can be too chaotic for guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are typically a gentle, easy to handle animal. However, if they feel threatened or stressed or uncomfortable they will bite - and being as guinea pigs are a good sized animal the bites can be painful. Thirteen years of dealing with families who no longer want their guinea pigs also shows me that very young children often don't really appreciate the animal and tend to quickly lose interest in it.

It is important to know that guinea pigs require a lot of time and care, and they can be a messy pet. Guinea pigs are NOT an easy, low maintenance pet! The majority of the animals I’ve gotten in here were given up because children they were purchased for had lost interest and stopped caring for the guinea pig and cleaning the cage adequately. Inadequately cleaned cages really stink.

It is a good idea for all members of the family to handle some guinea pigs before getting too set on adopting one or two. Many guinea pigs are given up because of allergies in the family. Sometimes people are allergic to the guinea pig's hay or wood shavings rather than the animal itself. If you'd like more information on allergies and guinea pigs, read my article Ah Choo, I'm Allergic to My Guinea Pig!

If you have not already done so, please read some of the articles on our web site covering guinea pig care. These can help give potential owners a good idea of what is needed to keep a guinea pig happy and healthy.

The articles Guinea Pigs: Guinea Pigs: General Information and Care Requirements, Guinea Pig Housing, and Adopting a Shelter Piggie are especially helpful when considering adding a guinea pig to your family. Again, it is important to know that guinea pigs require a lot of time and care, and they can be a messy pet.

So You Want to Adopt a Guinea Pig offers a rescuer's perspective of adoptions.

Thank you so much for visiting our web site, and for taking the time to learn more about these delightful animals.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING CAVIES AND THEIR
WONDERFUL NEW OWNERS:

Cocoa - adopted by Laura Seibert

Serafina and Natasha - adopted by Paul & Barb Reid

Cheeks and Turnip - adopted by Stacy Bestrom

Hambone - adopted by Jill Weimer

Poof - adopted by Angie Steer

Bhel and Kailo - adopted by Sybil Bohnett

Snowy - adopted by Holly Andreen

Bo and Jangles - adopted by Kara Khan

Rodney - adopted by Holly Rutten

Grant - adopted by Deb Dalton

Peanut - adopted by Amanda Bromen

Aries - adopted by Anna Lebak

Pumpkin - adopted by Silke Siepman

Moby and Baxter - adopted by Allysse Henry

Beanie - adopted by Sue Molloy

Buford - adopted by Kim Bosworth

Jelly Bean - adopted by Dawn Lange

Rumpy and Tweak - adopted by Sarah Etheridge

Oreo - adopted by Susan Brunell

Petunia and Oona - adopted by Melinda Fierro Westberg

Rooty Tooty - adopted by Mary Jo Wagner

Lindy - adopted by Sarah Etheridge

Sweety, Cinnamon and Stinker - adopted by Marvin Bohnett and family

Ramone - adopted by Lindsay Peterson and Piggy

Sidney - adopted by Deb Dalton and Grant

Ferdinand - adopted by Allysse Henry and Picasso

Tristan - adopted by Holly Andreen

Speedy and Oreo - adopted by Melinda Goedeke

Gingersnap and Grace - adopted by Loralee DiLorenzo and family

Fitzger (Fitz) - adopted by Sybil Bohnett and Bitz

Dewey and Zander - adopted by Sarah Groves-Speece

Hamlet - adopted by Karen Moore, Richard and Bissell

Oops - adopted by Karen and Danielle Sabat, and Pellet

Molly and Charlie - adopted by Eric and Vicki Fuglister

Dolly and Marshmallow - adopted by Karen Thimm

McKenzie - adopted by Sybil Bohnett and family

Stanley (AKA Pickles) - adopted by April Champion and Martin

Oliver and Andrew - adopted by April Champion, Martin and Stanley

Bug - adopted by Leann Ticknor, Jasper and Winnie

Willow and Anya - adopted by Melinda and Paul Westberg, and Oona

Louie - adopted by Lynn Kowalski and Clint

Kupo, Roz and Pickle - adopted by Ann Hagen and Rob Gibson

Harvey - adopted by Barbara Foster and Dodi

Lucy - adopted by Lynn Kowalski and Sally

Cokie - adopted by Jill, Holly and Jesse Weimer

Boomer and Murphy - adopted by LeeAnn, Taylor and Megan Stickler

Bear and Moose - adopted by Mickey Short and Buckwheat

Cookie - adopted by Jill, Holly & Jesse Weimer and Cokie

Rosy and Marigold - adopted by Tess Peterson

Andrea Ann and Charlotte - adopted by Heidi Greger and Muriel

Treble, Ms. Pigglesworth, Sydney and Bobbers - adopted by Nancy Cooper, Bubba and Pip

Charles and Revel - adopted by Susan Dannen and family

Baha - adopted by Holly Andreen and family

Calvin and Hobbes (formerly known as The Bad Boys) - adopted by Forest Seaberg-Wood and Wookie

(In most cases adopted guinea pigs are listed with the names they had here at the shelter.)

This article and the JPGPR.com logo are © 1993-2004 Vicki Palmer Nielsen - Jack Pine Guinea Pig Rescue. No copyright is asserted herein regarding the accompanying illustration; copyright of the illustration is retained by the original holder(s). If you would like to reproduce anything from the website, please first e-mail Vicki at JPGPR@aol.com for permission.