Wheektopia Origin
My path to a guinea pig rescue is a bit different than some. I did not dream of owning guinea pigs, watch videos, read blog posts, even subscribe to social media. When I decided to hatch a rescue, I was 43 years old and bringing in 10 guinea pigs from someone facing eviction the very next day.
I did have a guinea pig when I was young, 7 in fact, back in 1986. My second grade class had guinea pigs and Cindy Lou gave birth to two baby pigs. Our teacher let us bring in a note saying we could adopt and on a fated day, drew two notes out of that box. For a week I brought in a note every single day and I was one of the two children who “won” a guinea pig. I named him Arizona and he moved outside in a hutch. Why? Because that was the accepted practice then. As a kid, I didn’t question it. Looking back, I should never have been responsible for a guinea pig. I fed it and watered it and played with him in the grass, but he didn’t have a good life.
Fortunately, guinea pig care, knowledge, and resources have improved tremendously. Unfortunately, many people do not try to learn more before purchasing guinea pigs from a pet store and many pigs still live a life similar to Arizona back in 1986. I want to change that.
When I adopted another guinea pig I was 42 and my son was 8 years old. He is autistic and was struggling after lockdown and everything that upended our lives in 2020. After an occupational therapy appointment, we went into our local Petsmart to look at frogs and pickup some fish food. While walking through, we saw a worker carrying around a sweet guinea pig. We asked questions and found out he had been returned twice because he didn’t get along with others and was a special, sweet guinea pig who needed a unique home. I didn’t know much at all about guinea pigs, but my heart went out to that piggy who reminded me of my son. I bought the biggest cage they had, a water bottle, pellet dish, bag of food, and paper bedding.
We set up Queso on a dresser in our den and he quickly became a big part of our family. From day one I hopped on google and searched for guinea pig care. I realized we had so many improvements to make. Day two we were picking up a bag of hay and day three we visited Joann Fabrics, letting my son choose some fleece, and I had an order in for Zorb. At this point my sewing skills were nominal, but I was determined to figure this out. I watched some fabulous YouTube videos (Little Adventures, Scotty’s Animals, and Squeak Dreams) and soon realized I need to upgrade his cage too.
Living in New England, Guinea Pig Cages Company was the natural next step. I loved the bright colors, safe materials, and fun layouts. I also needed a lid because my cats were very curious. We purchased a lidded medium cage with a narrow loop loft and Queso was SO happy. (This cage is pictured at the top of this post.)
Throughout this time, my son connected with Queso in a unique way. He made him little paper hats, built him mazes and houses out of Lego, even started attending other therapies and eventually school as long as Queso went along for the ride. I started to suspect Queso needed a freiend and just wasn’t bonded right with another guinea pig in his previous homes, so we applied to adopt three little boys from Manchester SPCA who needed a home and were stuck in a small cage. Before bringing them home, I ordered and setup another cage and liner from Guinea Pig Cages Company as well as an extension for our current cage to make it a large. Fleece liners were sewn, cages were stocked, and those pigs had a great home. Fortunately, Snack Pack bonded with Queso, while Merri and Pippin got their own fabulous cage.
As I learned more about these precious animals and the proper care they required, I became more interested in adopting more pigs. I was particularly interested in helping male pigs. I watched all I could about caring for and bonding males and I saw how fun and loving my boys were. I knew boars had much to offer, but required more space and specific care, so I started to keep an eye out for boars who really needed a home. I quickly learned there were people giving away guinea pigs everywhere for really poor reasons and decided to focus on pigs with extreme needs. This eventually led to the idea of starting a small rescue, when I realized I could go one step further and find great homes for pigs who would benefit from being spoiled and loved by their family.