Since opening in November, the Cavy Conservation has found homes for over 30 guinea pigs!
Please keep visiting for new information.
Who We Are
Cavy Conservation is the only non-profit small animal rescue
in Utah that specializes in guinea pigs.
We home our guinea pigs in private foster homes located in Salt Lake City.
At Cavy Conservation, our guinea pigs enjoy living in large, well ventilated C&C cages. Eating premium quality KMS Pellets and fresh KMS Hay. They receive fresh nutritionally sound salads every day. With seasonal visits outdoors to grass grazing and floor time in the winter.
They receive daily health checks with plenty of love and cuddling.
We are an alternative placement rescue for the municipal shelters in Utah.
Why foster homes and not a public facility?
Foster piggies who are housed with a family become well socialized, are often introduced to other pets, like dogs and cats, and children of all ages.
It's so important for guinea pigs to be "part of the family", to squeak when the fridge is open, to venture out of their huts when the family comes home from baseball practice, and to be loved and cuddled while the family watches TV.
Foster homes ensure the means for the rescue to provide the piggies with one on one care. A shelter with 20 or more piggies might miss subtle signs of illness, injury or changes in behavior. This risk is greatly reduced in a foster home setting.
Please consider fostering or volunteering today!
Why a Guinea Pig Rescue?
“I didn't know there were so many guinea pigs in need!” EXACTLY!
When most folks think "rescue", cats and dogs come to mind. Often shelters do not advertise the literally hundreds of critter in-takes each year, or many transfer their small animal surrenders to private rescue groups - like Cavy Conservation!
Because of this lack of knowledge, people end-up buying Guinea Pigs at pet stores, while shelter pigs are often put to sleep because of lack of space and proper critter care facilities.
Most shelter Piggies come from homes that thought Cavies were cheap, low-maintenance, and short-lived pocket pets. Pet store employees may not be very knowledgeable about the proper care of Piggies, and are trained to sell products, some of which are not in the best interests of the pigs.
Now, off goes the families, home with their piggies, completely unprepared and uneducated for the reality of a Guinea Pig. Time and again we see these pigs become ignored, neglected, malnourished, or sick. Vet bills can be costly for an "Exotic", so off to the pound...or worse, the Guinea Pig goes...and into action Cavy Conservation goes!
Cavy Conservation has a three-part mission:
1) To relieve municipal shelters and private rescues of crisis capacity.
2) To eliminate the euthanasia of healthy adoptable cavies.
3) To provide unlimited guidance to the public at large, thereby ensuring the expansion of qualified caregivers.
Adopting a friend
Please call or email to set up an appointment. >
The adoption donations are as follows:
Adult guinea pigs (7 months of age or older): $25 for a single and $40 for a pair
Baby cavies (6 months of age or younger): $30 for a buddy and $50 for a pair*
Cavies are social creatures, and do best in pairs or more. We rarely adopt out singles, unless they are unbonded and a "buddy" for your lonely piggie at home. However, we generally foster a couple adult males that would be fine on their own, with lots of human attention and interaction.
Please note that we never adopt babies alone, they must have a friend, either your lonely
pig at home, or a buddy from the rescue.
Cavy Conservation requires that all of our adopted piggies are housed in C&C (cube & coroplast) cages or something comparable, as pet store cages are just too small. Click here to learn more...
Supplies
Please do not buy any supplies at Pet Stores without seeking the advice of your adoption specialist.
Most pet store employees are not cavy experts, regardless of what they might claim, and they are trained to sell products, many of which are not in the best interests of your pet or are simply a waste of money. Perfect examples include vitamin C drops, "rat" balls and treats with yogurt or seeds.
