[Gpdd] Breeding (The power of the consumer)

[Gillian Hayward]

I would like to echo Carole's comments. I too live in the UK and we don't seem to have the same sorts of problems as you guys do in the USA. I'd never heard of GP's been fed as live food to reptiles until I read about it on this site. 

I've done a bit of research into some of the comments made about breeding just to see if we do have a problem here that I've been blind about. Regarding using GP's as live feed. It's actually illegal to use live animals as feed in the UK. Don't know whether this is the case in other countries too. All the pet shops that I use in my city keep a record of the name, address and telephone numbers of people that purchase pets. 

My local paper carries a list each week of the animals that are in the RSPCA (largest UK charity for welfare of animals) Rescue Centre receiving treatment and awaiting new homes. I have been checking it for the last few weeks and although there have been lots of animals in it, in particular rabbits, theer haven't been any guinea pigs. 

The pet shop that I get my feed from sells guinea pigs. The owners are guine pig breeders and are extremly knwoledheable and helpful. They know all about my GP's, even the ones that I didn't get from them and are happy to answer any of my queries. Thye were particularly helpful last week with a pregnant rescued sow, even though they themselves had no connection with it. 

The pet shop that I get my shavings from had a one year old pair of sows in just before Christmas. The children had got fed up of them the mum didn't want to take responsibility for them. She phoned the pet shop and asked them if they could help. They did. They took them back and kept them there together until they could find a home for them together. They knew all about their history to pass on to the new owners and did their best to re home these lovely GP's. 

I'm sure that not all pet shops are as good as this, in fact I know from personal experience that they are not. I recently got a pregnant GP with toxaemia that was for sale in pet shop. She had been sold by the pet shop with two boars. They had been sexed incorrectly as all being boars and of course the sow got pregnant. The owners brought them all back and the pet shop promptly put them back up for sale again. Unfortunately one of the boars had been sold already, otherwise I would have bought them both and let them live together in a pair. Anyway I bought the sow and the remaining boar and took them home. I paid for the piggies and drove home via one of the "good" pet shops mentioned previously to buy an extra cage. I had no choice but to pay for the guinea pigs to get them out of there. I did have the choice to buy the cage elsewhere and not give this irresponsible pet shop any profit. Selling pets doesn't make pet shops their money, its all the accessories, feed etc. that makes them their big profits. As consumers we have the ultimate power in choosing where to spend our money. If everyone shopped ethically then the bad pet shops/breeders would go out of business. 

Gillian