It is a sad fact that there simply aren't
enough safe havens for every abused, unwanted or abandoned guinea
pig in need of a good home. Luckily there are a number of organized
rescues and kind individuals who are willing to take in such
guinea pigs, care for them and try to find them wonderful homes
of their own. We'd like to help spead the word about guinea pigs
rescued or fostered by others in Minnesota and nearby. If you
are looking for a guinea pig, please think about contacting the
folks below to see if they have the perfect cutie for you. Thank
you for considering a rescued guinea pig as a new member of your
family!
Abigal and Madeline
 Abigal and Madeline are two lovely American sows hoping to find a safe
caring home where they will be loved and cherished. These girls are probably
sisters as well as BBF (Best Friends Forever) and must be adopted together. Both
have short smooth coats. Abigal is mostly white with big lemon agouti (dark
hair tipped with cream) eye patches. Madeline is lovely warm golden agouti (dark
hair tipped with red), red and white. Both have dark eyes. Abby is the
larger of the two girls, Maddy often hides behind her bigger buddy when she thinks
something suspicious is going on nearby.
Abigal and Madeline were taken in by Jack Pine Guinea Pig Rescue on 2/6/06.
The sows were originally taken to a humane society when their owners tired of
them, but because Abby and Maddy were so frightened at that time the humane
society was unable to adopt them out and asked JPGPR to take them. However,
even when very frightened or anxious, Abby and Maddy never did try to bite.
With lots of TLC and gentle secure handling from their foster "mom and dad",
Abigal and Madeline have become much more sociable and comfortable with
their humans. They are now much easier to get out of their cage and seem to enjoy
attention and snuggling. The girls may not be quite ready yet to sit on a
lap through an entire episode of Lost or CSI, but they're getting there.
According to Stephanie, Abby and Maddy's foster mom, the girls can be swayed to
visit longer when small treats of fresh veggies are offered.
Abigal and Madeline are currently being fostered by Stephanie through Twin
Cities Guinea Pig Rescue where they're receiving tons of special attention and
socializing from their wonderful foster mom. Stephanie and her husband have
worked hard on building up the sow's confidence and comfort level for
cuddling. Abby and Maddy have come a long way already and continued one-on-one
attention will help them get better and better at "hanging out" with their human
beans. The girls are becoming social butterflies! Below is a cute example
Stephanie shared of how well the girls are interacting now:
They have become so interactive and are really ready to attach to "their"
human. One night, Mike and I were sitting in the bedroom. Abby waddled out of
her pigloo and came right to the side of the cage. She stuck her little
nose just above the coroplast. It was pretty cute, so I said "Hi Abby". She
responded with a huge WHHHEEEEEKK! I was surprised, so I said "How are you?"
Again, a loud wheek was the answer. We continued on like this for about 5
minutes. I had just refilled everything, so I knew she wasn't asking for
anything, she just wanted to interact. Likewise, when we got back from vacation,
we walked into the bedroom, and out they came, wheeking their hello back to
us.
It is important for adopters to know that Abigal and Madeline are shy pigs,
but they undoubtedly want to bond with that special human. Potential
adopters must understand that these girls will be shy and require a little extra
effort and one-on-one attention to open up and trust, but once they do - they
will be great pigs for an adult human or two.
Abby and Maddy cannot be adopted to a family with young children. There were
very young children in their previous home and I suspect rough handling from
the youngsters is why these sows were so "unsociable."
If you are interested in getting more information or adopting these two
delightful egg-shaped pigsters, please contact Allysse at Twin Cities Guinea Pig
Rescue:
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/tcgpr.html
Click on the link below to see more pictures Stephanie has taken of these
adorable little ladies:
http://imageevent.com/allysse/pets/guineapigs/fosterpigs/maddyabby?n=0
Twix and Tiki
Tiki & Twix first came to Twin Cities Guinea Pig Rescue in early October of
2006. They had been surrendered together because their former family no
longer wanted the responsibility of caring for them. The girls were adopted that
same month but were "returned" to the rescue 5 months later in early March
2007. Their adoptive family was no longer able to care for them.
These two petite sows are very curious and sweet, and have been adjusting
well to their new surroundings back in foster care. Most likely sisters, the
girls are about seven months old. Twix, a chocolate/white/cream short hair, is
the bold explorer of the pair and will run out of her hidey to see what is
going on nearly every time someone walks by her cage. Tiki (aka Teacup), a
multi colored American/Silkie mix with agouti markings, is more shy and reserved.
She is content to stay put and lounge while Twix checks things out. Tiki is
a bit harder to catch than Twix, but both girls will sit quietly for snuggle
time.
One of the cutest and most endearing traits both girls share is how vocal
they are. Twix and Tiki are both loud squealers when they think its veggie time
and when they'd like fresh hay. Twix will often "yell" so loud that her li
ttle ears bob up and down.
For further information please visit the Twin Cities Guinea Pig Rescue web
site:
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/tcgpr.html
Contact Allysse at tcgpr@comcast.net if you are
interested in adding these two fun girls to your family!
This shelter in Fairmont, Minnesota deals
mostly with dogs and cats, but occasionally has "pocket
pets" brought in though they really aren't set up to care
for them. Rural shelters often have difficulty adopting out small
animals like guinea pigs as there is little local interest in
them.
If you live in the SW part of the state
and are interested in adopting a rescued guinea pig, rabbit or
other small animal please contact the Martin County Humane Society
first to see if they have such a pet available.
Telephone: (507) 238-1885
You can also visit their web page for
directions to the shelter. Click on View Our Pet List at the
top of the page to see pictures and descriptions of the guinea
pigs (and their other animals) listed at Petfinder.org:
The Humane Society of
Douglas County, Wisconsin - located in Superior, Wisconsin -
occasionally gets in "other pets" such as guinea pigs
and rabbits. I've been told this shelter has educated themselves
to take better care of guinea pigs and rabbits they've taken
in and try to adopt them out to good homes. If anybody in this
area is interested in adopting a guinea pig, rabbit, or rodent
please check with the Humane Society of Douglas County, WI to
see what they have available:
Telephone: (715)
398-6784 or 1-800-773-PETS
Minneapolis Animal Control in Minneapolis,
MN gets small animals like guinea pigs, rabbits, rodents and
even birds in fairly frequently. They usually try to find dedicated
rescue groups to take these small animals in, but sometimes have
them available for adoption at their shelter. In the past Minneapolis
Animal Control was commonly called The Pound. However, MAC now
has a lovely new shelter, bright and clean, designed with animal
comfort and safety in mind. Please consider contacting Minneapolis
Animal Control to see if they have any "pocket pets"
waiting for a good home.
Telephone: (612) 348-4250
Animal Humane Society
Golden Valley, MN - (763) 489-2203
Coon Rapids, MN - (763) 862-4030
Humane Society for Companion
Animals
St. Paul, MN - (651) 645-7387
Woodbury, MN - (651) 730-6008
Minnesota Valley Humane
Society
Burnsville, MN - (952) 894-5000
Tri-County Humane Society
St. Cloud, MN - (320) 252-0896
Other options for finding adoptable rescued
guinea pigs:
www.petfinder.org (click on "small and furry" in drop-down
menu, enter state abbreviation)
Twin Cities Shelter and Rescue Directory
Worldwide Shelter Directory for Minnesota
This article and the JPGPR.com
logo are © 1993-2006 Vicki Palmer Nielsen - Jack Pine Guinea
Pig Rescue. No copyright is asserted herein regarding the photographs
accompanying the article; copyrights, if any, of the photographs
are retained by the original holders. If you would like to reproduce
anything from the website, please first e-mail Vicki at JPGPR@aol.com for permission.
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