Post by 3piggles on Aug 25, 2012 15:51:55 GMT
Some of us have dealt with the same rescues repeatedly, are known to other rescues through word of mouth, etc. Rescues know they can trust us to not bring a sick pig into their rescue for a meet and greet, so it's not an issue.
Some rescues have experts who can size up a pig/owner situation and decide if they will allow a meet and greet. If the rescuers don't know the owner/pig situations, or have such an expert, it's safer to not do meet and greets/dates. Those rescues will insist you adopt a pig and take it home.
If you do a meet and greet, there is no point in doing quarantine. If there is no date/meet and greet, do quarantine. Even the stress of moving can cause illnesses that need to be treated before they spread to the rest of your herd. That's also why you wear something over your clothes when dealing with the quarantine pig, and leave the covering with that cage. Then you don't transfer parasites or anything to the healthy pigs.
Always quarantine any pig from a questionable source such as a pet store or online ad. Even when adopting from a reputable rescue and having a meet and greet, have the new pig thoroughly checked by your cavy vet, so the vet has a base line for that pig, and the vet can find any indications of problems and stop them before they get worse. I hope this explains.
That rescue lady doesn't sound very cavy savvy. Pigs react to and interact with each other, and if they are going to be placed in forever homes, have to interact with other pigs. If her pigs are so emotionally fragile, she should be socializing them not putting them up for adoption. She doesn't sound like someone who would stand behind her adoptions, which is sad. That means her pigs don't necessarily go to good homes.
I have heard of pigs living that long, but 5 years seems to be a reasonable life span to expect. Some go way too soon, and others have incredible longevity. Generally, we don't know exactly when our pigs were born or any of their family history, so it's mostly guess work.
Some rescues have experts who can size up a pig/owner situation and decide if they will allow a meet and greet. If the rescuers don't know the owner/pig situations, or have such an expert, it's safer to not do meet and greets/dates. Those rescues will insist you adopt a pig and take it home.
If you do a meet and greet, there is no point in doing quarantine. If there is no date/meet and greet, do quarantine. Even the stress of moving can cause illnesses that need to be treated before they spread to the rest of your herd. That's also why you wear something over your clothes when dealing with the quarantine pig, and leave the covering with that cage. Then you don't transfer parasites or anything to the healthy pigs.
Always quarantine any pig from a questionable source such as a pet store or online ad. Even when adopting from a reputable rescue and having a meet and greet, have the new pig thoroughly checked by your cavy vet, so the vet has a base line for that pig, and the vet can find any indications of problems and stop them before they get worse. I hope this explains.
That rescue lady doesn't sound very cavy savvy. Pigs react to and interact with each other, and if they are going to be placed in forever homes, have to interact with other pigs. If her pigs are so emotionally fragile, she should be socializing them not putting them up for adoption. She doesn't sound like someone who would stand behind her adoptions, which is sad. That means her pigs don't necessarily go to good homes.
I have heard of pigs living that long, but 5 years seems to be a reasonable life span to expect. Some go way too soon, and others have incredible longevity. Generally, we don't know exactly when our pigs were born or any of their family history, so it's mostly guess work.