Big Problem Facing Guinea Pig Community!

I see this on reddit all the time
The worst is when 10 or 50 people all tell the owner, please get a bigger cage and the person argues reasons to not do it....

My pig pen has two levels, built by my husband. Piggies love hiding below and we might they jump up on their platforms to watch telly with us! How about a platform we can share our pig pen designs.

The problem with controversy is that it makes people dislike you. Sure it gets attention, but you also risk the "yeah but those nutjobs are the ones saying it"
We don't want the PETA/Just stop oil effect, where people view us as nutjobs.

My suggestion is more political. Make it harder to sell small cages. NYC banned the sale of guinea pigs. We can make changes by contacting local/state politicians who are more receptive to input than the federal ones.

People need to know you care about them and their pigs before they care what you know about piggies. So care and establish relationships then you can have the opportunity to speak into how they care for their pets.

Maybe also showing them cool enclosures where it looks exciting but with good facts, I find that with any Animal with however much experience people have there is always ways to improve

I've seen so many pet shops with poor care for the animals, and that standard is then seen as acceptable to many. I definately think that the earlier people learn about good care and see animals as family, that's where things can change. I was taught to see the world from the point of the animal we cared for, and to treat them the way I'd feel best treated. I saw the world differently after that, and it's very positive.
A good idea I have seen is a simple course on caring for your pet, for free, only it is not well advertised. It would be dependant on people available to help and resources. Also, giving out free care guides at pets shops would be a great start, or giving more info on channels like yourself, to really reach out to people.
Your videos not only offer advice, but are relatable, open, creative and can be serious or funny. You offer everything, including your website holding so much info. Seeing life from the point of the animal would possibly help change the way of seeing a pet on a very personal level.
Thankyou for this well thought out and important video, you have many ❤.

Yeah, tell me about it. That's the struggle we go through on an almost daily basis. Try telling someone they're wrong about a subject that you know they obviously don't have a lot of info on and they will not listen.

I love the little bits of editing you added into this video! I noticed them for sure :D

I’ve adopted several guinea pigs from Grandma’s animal rescue and I just love Linda Jones she has so much knowledge. I’ve learned so much from her I just can’t thank her enough. I love that I can ask her anything. Please adopt don’t shop.

I make sure with my short and longer videos everyone sees their huge living spaces and enclosures! And massive hay piles everywhere. Also clarity on girls and boys SEPARATE rooms!❤ Share the knowledge of living large with space and hay for our little loves ❤

I am taking this video as a sign I need to post more shorts of my guinea pigs being cute

I can see the problem. I was recently at PetSmart, looking for a companion for my girl, we recently lost her sister and I suggested to the manager of the area that maybe they changed the skill level of care from beginner to at least intermediate. She just shrugged me off.
And before I get the adopt dont shop crowd, I have found another problem, the lack of rescues willing to work with me. Im in PA and I have for the last month looked at every conceivable pet site looking for a single girl piggie. I have been on Craigslist, PetFinder, Home to Home, GP finder, etc. The Humane society had one they wont adopt out bc shes vicious. I suggested it might be bc she's in a shelter and asked if I could bring my girl in WITH a health cert from my vet, No. I found a rescue 4 hrs away and also no on a meet and greet. Another rescue won't adopt out of their metro area. I've called vets left my name, nothing. I will be plunking down $60 on a young piggie in hopes that my shy little Poppy will find her spark again. Would i prefer to rescue yup, that's how i got my herd, but I'm not waiting any longer, I don't want to risk my little Poppy.

Share your videos on social media!

The biggest problem, I think, is unrealistic expectations of guinea pig behavior (as well as the housing and nutrition requirements, which you have documented well.) People who are unfamiliar with rodent behavior, the behavior of prey animals, or have only had other types of pets (such as dogs) often expect greater interaction and immediate bonding with their guinea pigs. People in these days seem to have no patience, or expect an animal to conform to behaviors beyond their natures and capabilities. I would caution against making “cute” or “funny” videos, showing guinea pigs doing tricks, obeying voice commands, etc., which can only be achieved by exceptional individual animals, with enormous amounts of their humans’ time devoted to training. Most people or their guinea pigs are not going to be successful with that. People need to be informed/taught to accept their individual piggies as they are, to conform their human behavior and expectations to their pets’ needs, and be content with that.

Well, if each of us would share the videos you're speaking of on our fb and other social media pages, they could reach a lot of people. Just one thought...

A lot of the guinea pig FB groups kinda hate me now because I do not come to play when it comes to piggie care. I got into a pretty heated debate on a post, long story short they kept their single piggie in the smallest cage I had ever seen (tbh I think it was a hamster cage" and they would not realize anything was wrong because "they get lots of cuddles" like no. I basically said that the small cage was like asking a human to live in a porta-potty and only being allowed out when a giant who does not speak the same language decides it's okay. I know I need to be nicer but I am so sick of seeing people take on these lovely little animals and not bother to do any research whatsoever, I know everyone is different but I researched piggies for over a year before I got my first pair.

My daughter did a large animal learning event for her green clover pin but would have liked to put on the small animal event: bunnies, piggies and chickens/turkeys/ducks. In the club. we made animal friendly gardens, animal biology crafting and read fun books about the animal.

Just shared this on my main fb page. Go Scotty!! 👍

Hey Scotty!. I love how you are so kind to these guinea pigs! It is really sad that people have been mis-treating guinea pigs. I will support your channel and support these guinea pigs. I think that the idea to make cute and funny videos to get people to watch and support and treat guinea pigs better. I also think that you should make a video that's really long and just tell people everything they need to do and what types of food to get and how to take care of them. I have two guinea pigs so I understand how you feel and how you want to help them.

A major problem here in Springfield IL is the scarcity of vets schooled in exotics. We have 12 veterinarian clinics, but only 2 have such doctors. One of those will only take these pets if you also have a dog or cat with them. The after-hours emergency clinic sees only cats & dogs. My GP's doc is wonderful! I have only 1 pig due to extenuating circumstances which the vet agreed with. But I spend ~2 hrs with her every night & stimulate her mentally by teaching her tricks, talking to her, and singing to her. I keep a light and radio on at all times so she's not in dark silence at night. But finding a dr can be very hard. And if you want to spay or neuter them to allow co-ed living, it costs ~$250. There are no low-cost options here. With people seeing pet rodents as throwaway or not worth the money, it is probably creating the same overpopulation we see in cats and dogs. I also don't think we have any rescues in this area, so pet stores are the only place to get them.

Sadly, some of those people do seek out help at one time, but people attack and shame them so they end up asking for advice again. It’s all about educating and not shaming.

Great video, click bait is the way to go. People don't read information leaflets anymore, they need to be told through visuals. You do a fabulous job Scotty. Keep going strong 💪 ❤😊

One time I went to Petsmart to ask if they had an abyssinian guinea pig. The guy goes to the back to check and they had them in cramped tight shelf’s and there was an overwhelming urine smell in the room, made my mouth drop

I can honestly say that when we got Guinea Pigs it was thanks to content from you, Saskia, Abby that guided us. In fact it was the hutch that Little Adventures made that inspired me to get one built with slight tweaks.
So Thank You all for imparting your knowledge and wisdom upon us. Our Piggies are having much better lives for it ❤️

It is my impression if a petstore manager would know how what the proper care for guinea piggies is couldt change how the company operates. I they do their job motivated by love for animals, their only option would be to quit after a long and resultless bottle. Decisions are not made on their level.

Can I ship 2 Guinea Pigs to you?

My Scarlet is not in a cage and I certainly will not put her in one either its unfair to be neglected and deserve love and care ❤

I think the care sheets at the pet stores need to have more up to date husbandry instructions and suggest you and Saskia as reliable sources of information. This is only second to banning the sale of animals at pet stores. They only sell the animals to sell the stuff anyway. A relationship with rescue and shelters to source the animals would be more appropriate. Also companies that make the right cages should be getting room on the shelves. This is just my opinion. Big gold star to the NYC council who have so far banned the sale of Ferrets, bunnies, and most recently Guinea Pigs!

It’s a huge problem Scotty I try to teach people but everyone has an ego problem in this community they would rather block me then learn it’s very sad indeed most people think that they’re doing a great job it’s important for everyone to take constructive criticism once in a while

I just made a video saying no buying Guinea pig or hamster from pet stores

When I had my first guinea pigs I bought a pet shop cage with bars across the roof. It had great reviews but shortly after at home I felt it was kind of boring both for them and for me. So I bought stuff and built my own home for them four or five times as big. Now that was fun!

I guess that could be one way. Inspire to create and build your own. I did the same with my birds. All animals now take up more than half of my apartment but we share it together so why not?

Younger ppl might not have that opportunity but perhaps inspire to build something with many floors.

Hey Scotty I think doing Tiktoks with viral music or tends would be helpful bc most younger generation is on tiktok.

The top response I get when I’m sharing the information is “my pig is happy and healthy the way they are” or “ this is too extra, they are just Guinea pigs”.

I am sorry that I got it wrong. I had no idea how to properly care for my piggies when my piggies got ill. Yes, we went to vets, but there is so much more they needed. I didn't even learn about critical care food until it was too late. I have been watching your videos to heal. Gus reminds me of my little guy. I would suggest going to pet stores or vets and having biz cards to promote cute piggie videos - and your care guide - to draw people in. Thank you for all you do.

I wonder if a skit showing guinea pigs caring for humans would work?

A massive part of the problem is the pet stores selling guinea pigs and other small animals. They don't properly vet who gets the animals and they portray a level of care that is totally inappropriate. I really, really wish pet stores would stop selling animals.

I wear my Scotty’s Animals shirt every time I go in a pet store and tell people to watch your videos that teach proper care.

The main goal of my channel is to promote proper guinea pig care. I really try to make fun, cute, entertaining videos that feature their large enclosure which is about 9’x12’. I know that size isn’t practical for most people but I want viewers to see what is possible when you really approach their care as you would a family member. I hope to make more informational videos in the future but I’ve gotten so many comments like “I didn’t know guinea pigs could run like that!” or “I had no idea they were so smart!” that I’m happy that I’ve at least changed some people’s misconceptions about them. 🙂

Keep up the great work , we all have to do our part in the education of guinea pig care🖤🧡🤍 I rescued my first piggy 7years ago from a situation where he was neglected and I had no idea as a teenager who has never had any rodents what I was getting myself into when taking him in, but I knew that he needed a better life. I think pushing the fact that they are exotic pets that require special vets and care is required also annoying the poo out of pet stores with evidence of neglect ( all pet stores in my city are not allowed to sell any pets because of the great people who gathered and put justice to the horrific living conditions of pet store animals). That piggies are not pets for kids and are not a starter animal because those don't exist. People need a reality check , me included I was ready to take him and learn everything I needed, but as a 16 year old living alone I could never have expected how much care and expenses they would need. I wouldn't change anything for the world because they are my babies, for now I got 3 babies rescued and I hope in time I'll get to rescue or rehome more, but the learning curve was definitely there. Hope to one day have my own proper rescue like you because my country doesn't have a piggy rescue ( sorry English isn't my mother tongue)

You're totally right, Scotty! I can't believe the lack of information these people have. I think you're right about trying to reach these people with eye-catching videos. They'll see that our piggies have large cages, plenty of hay, etc. When I first got my guinea pigs, I was fortunate enough to have a knowledgeable Petsmart employee help us pick out the cage (the only one that they sold that was the minimum 8 sq feet for 2 piggies). Looking back, I cringe at the fact that I went to Petsmart instead of a rescue, but newbie mistake, I suppose. I began learning more right away about guinea pigs with the help of your videos, and Saskia's, Julia with Little Adventures, Sarah with Squeak Dreams. A lot of what keeps people engaged is keeping the content interesting. Throw an Easter Egg hunt in here, and a Christmas party in there. Let's make it fun. 😀 Also, when learning about piggies, people don't like to feel like they're being lectured or scolded. I know you and the others I mentioned don't do that, but there are online groups and forums, especially on Facebook, that are really bad as far as this goes.

Believe me, I understand your frustration, Scotty. I spent 40-plus years working as a clerk in various pet supply stores -- never stores that sold animals. I researched all the animals usually kept as pets, every one of the animals for which we had supplies in the store, worked with rescues that held adoption events in the store, mainly dogs, cats, and rabbits. I wanted to be sure if someone asked me a question about a companion animal, I could give them accurate information. I never assumed I knew everything about any animal, even ones I had kept as pets myself over the years. Information changes.

Love the Mary Poppins reference...too cute.

Nailed it! When I got Harriet, I was so overwhelmed by everything Petco was saying and what some of my friends who had guinea pigs had. I then googled, but that really wasn't help. I had to keep at it and I found you Scotty. Honestly, I did it all wrong and you know it was hard as getting Harriet first and then knowing she needed another, but she was all alone in her tank. She was bonded and that friend was sold and Harriet was isolated before I got her. Maybe more informative bonding with strong personalities,dominance with those who have been alone. I credit you,Saskia and Valerie and seeking the information with trying to find Harriet a friend, but it was hard. Getting her alone from a pet store made it a challenge. Scotty, you said things I might not wanted to hear, but I know I had to leave my feelings behind, not be selfish, and do what's best for Harriet. I found Clementine at a rescue and Harriet and Clementine have a close bond. So thankful!

I just wish the pets stores would stop selling all animals. There are way too many that need good, clean proper homes. So many animal rescues that have such overcrowding it’s despicable. Not to mention the uneducated salespeople who don’t know what pen, bedding, toys are appropriate for the individual animals. They sell sick, or dying animals with nutritional malnourishment. People go and buy to smallest cage they can afford. 🤬

I need to post more photos of my C and C cages. I’ll start introducing them while they are in the cage. That’s probably a great idea.

Scotty, does anyone know where I can purchase Oxbox vitamin C tabs? We are out everywhere!

You're doing a fantastic job. Thankyou ! 👍