Where to Get Your Guinea Pigs

The first and best option (in our humble opinion) is to adopt. There are many rescue centres dedicated solely to guinea pigs, as well as animal shelters and organisations (like the RSPCA) that will have piggies in need of a new forever home. There are lots of benefits to adopting and we would always encourage you to look into this option above all else. For more information on adoption and its plus points, there’s some further reading here!

Not all pet shops are bad (contrary to what you may read on the internet). There are plenty of responsible pet shop owners out there doing things the right way: using good breeders; housing the animals in appropriate enclosures; caring for them well. But do make sure you do your research first! Check them out and see if the guinea pigs are being kept in suitable conditions and are cared for properly. Don’t be afraid to ask questions first and don’t jump in and buy them just because they look cute!

Going directly to a breeder is another option for buying guinea pigs. However, we would advise you to proceed with caution! Some breeders will have a much better reputation than others, so do your research before you commit to anything. Irresponsible and improper breeding can lead to guinea pigs with serious health and genetic problems (leaving you to foot the vet bills as a result!). As with pet shops, research the breeder’s reputation and see for yourself how the animals are being kept and cared for.

Recent years and the rise of the internet have seen an increase of people offering up their pets ‘for sale’ or even for free on various online websites. We would not advise under any circumstances that you should buy your guinea pigs using this method, even if you feel as if you would be ‘rescuing’ them. It’s completely irresponsible to treat animals as online purchases or freebies in this way and you have no idea how the guinea pigs have been treated or what state their health will be in. By supporting such websites you are encouraging this behaviour, which is unacceptable.