This huge hype going around about not breeding guinea pigs?

Question

Theres this huge hype going around about not breeding guinea pigs today. But whose to say I'm going to sell them? And what if I'm just going to help them along in their natural way of building up into a small colony? can you blame me for wanting to observe their actual way of life?
Is it my fault that I in every 5 guinea pigs die? ever think it could be the breeders fault because their not being taken care of properly? eg. 8 pregnant guinea pigs plus young litter plus a few males arent going to get the attention they need. I've housed at least 50 pregnancies and only ONE guinea pig died. And i think that was simply because if exhaustion. She delivered all the babies fine and died in the hours afterward. Luckily my other female took on her babies mothering them for her. ABack to the point. I think before you people go calling other people cruel, selfish and inconsiderate for wanting to breed, that maybe you should know their situation before you go assuming. Thanks

Ok well believe it or not living things do die. people die. does this mean we should not have babies? oh god forbid we would get ourselves pregnant what if we die?!?!?! I dont mean to be rude but **** happens its nature. where did ur guinea pigs come from? i bet they were born! i bet they came from another guinea pig right! well if everyone stopped breeding guinea pigs the fact is they would become extinct. mayb your alright with that. but im not. good day

Answer 1

i dont think you should do it have you thought about other animals in the area?? what about the cats??
you will so bad if they die

Answer 2

The reason for the "hype" is because hundreds of guinea pigs are euthanized each day because there are no homes for them. They languish in a shelter for 30 days, alone & scared, before they get a heart prick. It is very very sad.

So you have a herd of more than 150 pigs, assuming that each sow had a minimum of two pups? I supposed if you have the space and financial resources to properly care for all 50 of the pregnancies you've housed, then more power to you. Personally, I would not risk the life of one of my sows to establish a "colony". I would find piggies that desperately need a home to build my colony. I have adopted a herd of 12. I do my part by NOT breeding & educating others about the dangers of breeding to their sows and WHY its an irresponsible thing to do.

I seriously doubt guinea pigs will become extinct, simply from the standpoint that there will always be "accidents" by well meaning people, pet stores, piggie mills, and backyard breeders that will not allow the pig population to decline. Until everyone does the ethically correct thing and stop purposeless breeding for money or through stupidity/ignorance, we will continue to euthanize sweet innocent pigs that did not ask to be born. Good day to you too!

Answer 3

*The other thing is that people say their opinion but don't actually know the person, so you shouldn't listen to what people say because they do not know who you are.*

So I guess we don't have to listen to you.....

Many of the people who come on here for breeding advice should absolutely NOT be breeding. They have no clue about genetics, risks to the sow, how to pay for vet care if there's a problem, what to do with a bunch of babies.... It's quite obvious they never research anything. And sorry, but the pet overpopulation problem is a huge one, just because you don't see it right at the local rescue doesn't mean it's not happening.

It is cruel and inconsiderate when you don't do the research before jumping into something. And you have to do more research than Yahoo! answers, where some people will tell you that guinea pigs will eat their young and some of the other crap I read around here.

Edited to add:
If there is a store selling guinea pigs near you, or a breeder, guaranteed there are unwanted guine pigs. They are quite the impulse buy, unfortunetly.

Answer 4

It's called being a moral and ethical person. A person who does not risk the life on another living thing for their own entertainment. A true guinea pig lover does not risk the well being of her sow or the offspring. One who does, whether to sell or not, is selfish and heartless. They do not care for their pets and do not deserve to have any.

Is it your fault that 1 in 5 die? It wasn't until you started breeding them, but now it is. It's YOUR fault that you risk your sows' lives and mistreat them. Yes, you mistreat them by breeding. It's abuse.

Just because YOU had one death from a guinea pig pregnancy, doesn't mean you won't have more or that's breeding is safe. That's like saying, "Oh, I've driven drunk 50 times and only killed someone once." ONCE IS ENOUGH! You would think that you'd understand the point!

I don't "assume" that guinea pig breeders are cruel, selfish and inconsiderate. I KNOW they are. It is blatently obvious that they all are.

Addition: "People die, things die... etc.." You are 100% right. And what do we call it when a person dies b/c of another person? We call it murder. Just a point.
Sows that die b/c they are bred, die b/c of the breeder not nature. SO, in my eyes they killed their guinea pig.


BTW, My pig came from a Rescue. He came from a person who mistreated their pet, much like you do. I saved a guinea pig life, I don't willingly risks my pets' lives.

Answer 5

Many people still just go against breeding of any kind, no matter of the story or reason. Breeding Guinea Pigs should be left to an expert, I don't think it is so nice that many just breed like crazy to show their children or themselves ''mother nature''. Natural ways SHOULD stay natural, which means, keeping the guineas in a natural habitat. Keep in mind that there are millions of people online, each with different opinions and answers. Btw, By expert I mean like a job at a zoo or something to do this.

Answer 6

I agree. Lot's of people on this site find breeding cruel. I can't see why it is cruel, in the wild breeding is a part of life, yes a few guinea pigs may die but many do not. As long as you:
A) keep all of them
B) or find someone else to keep them
I don't see the problem. If you are breeding them then that must mean that you have great knowledge in guinea pigs and want to extend that further via breeding, I congratulate you. I also believe that you aren't one of those people that just give them food and water, I believe that you actually care for them.

The other thing that gets on my nerve is the amount of people that call breeding creul and then go on to say, "There are lot's of guinea pigs in a rescue, why don't you go and get one from there?" What happens if I don't have a rescue near where I live?

Addition -
I see the point that Justified has. There are hundreds and thousands of guinea pigs in rescues, but I do not think that there are any in Australia.

Basically it comes down to this:
You can breed if you want to but just think of those that are in the rescue (unless you are in Australia in which I don't think there are any rescues).

Answer 7

Um, who said you shouldn't breed guinea pigs? If you're giving them a good home, that's your business! I bred for years and always found great homes for them. Just do your research and know what you are getting into and what to expect. :)

Answer 8

How is this a question?