Jack & Finnegan Guinea Pig Abyssinian Mix Philadelphia, PA

LAST UPDATED: 11/24/22

Jack and Finnegan are a newly bonded pair of boys who came from different backgrounds.

• WHO IS WHO?

Jack: abyssinian ridgeback mix; white & grey/cream agouti; to the left
Finnegan: peruvian/long haired mix; red/orange, white, & light brown; to the right

• ABOUT THEM

RELATIONSHIP: Jack and Finnegan are not biologically related.

AGE: We estimate Jack's birthday to be February 27th, 2022. We estimate Finnegan's birthday to be July 13th, 2022.

PERSONALITIES: Jack is a curious and sweet boy who likes to do zoomies! Finnegan is a loud wheeker and a bit shy.

FUN FACTS: Jack is the first "ridgeback" piggy we've ever come across! Finnegan was rescued from a backyard breeder with 12 other guinea pigs.

• BACKSTORY –– JACK

Jack was surrendered to us on April 3rd, 2022 along with his two brothers, Wesley and Jacob, and their father, who was separated and neutered (by the previous owners).

The reasoning for surrendering the four boys was as follows:

"I had two females and took in one more to foster found out he was a boy separated them, he jumped his 14” tall enclosure and got them both pregnant we did get him neutered but can’t handle 4 babies on top of everything else and am having a horrible time finding them a good home"

The three brothers went to a foster home, where they still reside. Their father has been adopted.

Wesley, Jack, and Jacob were originally a bonded trio, but as they grew older, their foster noticed there had been increased fighting and bickering between them. At one point, the fighting got too violent and their foster had to unfortunately separate them for good.

Since then, Jack was a single pig who lived alone. That is until October 29th, 2022, when we were successful in pairing him with his new buddy, Finnegan! Since then, the two have been happy to together and have shown to be a great pair.

• BACKSTORY –– FINNEGAN

Finnegan was rescued alongside 12 other piggies from a very sad backyard breeding situation.

On September 26th, 2022, I was sent a Craigslist listing simply titled "Guinea pigs". There were no photos, but the description said: "I have a bunch of guinea pigs to rehome in interested text me for pictures". The listing had been posted on September 8th. The person who sent me the listing said they had come across it and curiously inquired the poster about what their situation was and the guinea pigs they were looking to rehome. Unfortunately, after a short conversation, they realized that they were a backyard breeder. They then sent it to me to see if I would be able to help in any way. At this point, I was unaware of how many there were exactly, so I went in pretty blindly.

I talked to this person for a bit, slowly gathering more and more information without being too obvious that I was looking to rescue them. In these situations, it can actually be dangerous to mention your true intentions or identity, so I pose as just an interested customer.

Over the next few days I learned that they had 13 guinea pigs total that they were keeping in filthy conditions in a barn. They had originally told me that they wanted to "keep a male or 2 and keep 4 to 5 females". My goal was to rescue as many as possible without coming off as suspicious, so I never forced anything. I was just simply agreeing to "purchase" every guinea pig they showed me, and to my surprise, they randomly texted me a few days before I was going to pick up the couple that I had agreed to buy, "Would you be willing to buy all the guinea pigs?"

Of course, I was like, "score!" and I said yes. They wanted quite a lot of money for them which I am not comfortable sharing the amount, but luckily we were able to settle for a bit less.

Over the next few days, I was super busy planning everything out. I would not have agreed to take so many had I not had the space, of course, but I had to reconfigure my basement gym as well as figure out how many materials I needed and where they would go.

The day came for me to pick them up, October 1st, and I set up all the cozy carriers and bins in my car. It was about an hour and a half drive to a Good's store where we planned to meet. I had no interest in conversing with this person much so my main objective was just to hand them the money and take the piggies. They had them all in cardboard boxes with hay, and sadly they had also mixed a lot of them up. I was very clear in asking them to organize them for me, like which ones were pregnant/possibly pregnant, which ones were females who got along, and which ones were males who got along. Eventually we were able to get everyone settled, despite a few mix-ups, and I was on my way home.

Upon arriving home, I preformed a short health check as I always do with new intakes. Many had mats and overgrown nails, but luckily the majority seemed in good health. All of them were hesitant at first when they were first placed in their cage, as if to say, "What do I do with all this space? I'm used to a tiny cage." It was so heartwarming to witness them all come to terms with their clean and cozy new environment and thrive.

Finnegan is one of the funniest and most unique little guys from the group. His fur is all over the place, and he almost has a lion's mane. I was so happy to have paired him with his new buddy Jack.

• ADOPTION REQUIREMENTS

OWNERSHIP: Potential adopters must be knowledgable of guinea pig care. Previous ownership of guinea pigs is not required. Children must not be the main caretakers or be financially responsible.

CAGE SIZE: These boys require a MINIMUM of 13 sqft in their cage, regardless of how much time outside the cage they get. This could be a 2x5 C&C cage, or two Midwest Guinea Habitats put together. Of course, bigger is always better, and if you can give them more space then you should!

CAGE NECESSITIES:
- WATER BOTTLES: They should have at least 2 water bottles filled with fresh, clean water and refilled frequently.
- PELLET DISHES: One pellet dish is enough for the two of them.
- BEDDING: Safe, clean, cozy, and unscented bedding is a must. We highly recommend fleece liners from GuineaDad.
- HIDES: These boys will need at least three adequate hides. While beds are cute, they don't necessarily count as hides. Adequate hides for them should be wooden or cardboard. Tunnels are great, too.
- ENRICHMENT: While not entirely necessary, toys are fun for piggies. Toys would be great for them as long as they're safe and don't contain any harmful ingredients. They do not require time outside the cage if their cage is large enough.

DIET NECESSITIES:
- 80% HAY: All guinea pigs should have an unlimited amount of fresh hay available in their cage at all times. These two are over 6 months old so they should be offered timothy or orchard grass hay.
- 15% VEGGIES: 1 cup of veggies per guinea pig per day is ideal. These two get fed 1/2 cup varied veggies twice per day––morning and night. After about 30 minutes to an hour, uneaten veggies should be removed and disposed of.
- 5% PELLETS: Pellets only make up 5% of a guinea pig's diet, and should be fed in limited quantities. 1/8th cup pellets per guinea pig per day is the ideal amount. These two are over 6 months old so they should be offered timothy-based pellets without any additives or harmful ingredients (ex. seeds, colorful bits, fruit, etc). Uneaten pellets should be removed and disposed of.

• OUR PROTOCOL

If guinea pigs are listed as a pair or trio, they are not to be separated unless serious fighting occurs. It is very important to keep bonded piggies together.

All females, (unless born here) regardless of background, will be kept under pregnancy watch before being adopted out.

Upon adoption, all guinea pigs will: be properly sexed, checked for health issues (which we will be transparent about), have their nails clipped, and (if long haired) have been properly groomed.

• OTHER

Guinea pigs are adorable and make great pets, however as many small animals often do they require special care. We ask that you do some research about their care before reaching out to us uninformed.

For more information, please reach out to us via email!