Purpose of this page: To help guinea pigs by providing accurate and humane information about all issues affecting them.

Mission of The Home for Unwanted and Abandoned Guinea Pigs:The Home’s mission is reduction/elimination of guinea pig suffering and cruelty. Our goal is to encourage responsible, ethical guinea pig treatment. We are strenuously opposed to breeding and to the resultant indiscriminate giving away and selling of guinea pigs, as these cause guinea pig overpopulation, neglect, and homelessness. We also specifically take a stand against traditional classroom use and all laboratory use, as these usually constitute guinea pig abuse.

I WANT TO ADOPT! or WHERE CAN I GET A GUINEA PIG? 

I NEED TO GET RID OF OR FIND A HOME FOR A GUINEA PIG

GUINEA PIG CARE

CHILDREN & GUINEA PIGS

GUINEA PIG OVERPOPULATION

SCHOOL GUINEA PIGS

OTHER GUINEA PIG QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 

THESE POPULAR FLYERS FROM THE HOME on the Guinea Pig topics listed above are also available on paper for distribution. 

ARE YOU concerned about guinea pigs in pet stores?  So are we! 
Click here to read more about PetCo and PetSmart. 
Click here to learn what you can do when you see guinea pig abuse in any pet store, and how to contact local officials to stop it:   Pet Stores-How You Can Help
And if you did not read it already, click here to read about Guinea Pig Overpopulation and Why Not to Breed. 

FOR Shelters, Rescues, Humane Societies, and kind-hearted people. . . 
So many people write to The Home wanting advice on how to start a Guinea Pig Rescue!  So The Home has provided its professional rescue and adoption policies and materials here, free to anyone who can use them to help guinea pigs!  (These are also useful for individuals who are serious about finding safe, responsible placement for a homeless or unwanted guinea pig.)
      Postscript 2003:  When I published these adoption materials, I hoped that by their use, more people might help unwanted and abandoned, homeless guinea pigs find permanent, loving, humane homes through responsible rescue and adoption. I am overjoyed to report that while in the early 1990's I was the only Guinea Pig Rescue in the country,  now there are quite a few excellent ones, and many of them are using The Home's quality materials!   I am glad that my years of experience are helping other people to help guinea pigs.

CLICK HERE TO SEE: 
How to Adopt Out a Guinea Pig
How to Start a Guinea Pig Rescue
Adoption Application
Adoption Contract
Foster Home Contract
Release Form
Landlord Letter

AND FOR anyone who ever said "I Love Guinea Pigs"click here:  I Love Guinea Pigs
(warning - this is not a warm & fuzzy page; this is a "tell it like it is" hard-hitting essay) 

One way you can always help guinea pigs is to distribute The Home's educational flyers on humane guinea pig treatment, or make a link to this web site so that people can read the materials online. 

Volunteer Your Time to Help Guinea Pigs
Another way to help guinea pigs is by letter writing.  Remember, "the pen is mightier than the sword!"  Don't underestimate your power to make societal and legal changes, to reduce animal suffering. 

Legislation:  You can write to your state and federal congressmen about legislation to help guinea pigs. 
     Find out the issues here:  Humane USA (PAC)  andSociety for Animal Protective Legislation
     Find out the status of bills here:  Fund for Animals (Action Center)   andThomas
     Find out the names and contact information of your representatives here: Project VoteSmart
     Here's the story of how one guinea pig owner took her concerns all the way to the top and changed her  state's law to protect guinea pigs! Maine legislation

Laboratory Experiments (Vivisection):  Learn about the issues and who is involved in this type of guinea pig torture, here:   PETA, National Anti-Vivisection Society, American Anti-Vivisection Society .
Boycott companies that fund experimentation on animals, and write letters for these poor animals.

What is The Home for Unwanted and Abandoned Guinea Pigs? I started The Home as a Guinea Pig Rescue in the mid-1980's, and for 16 years ran a shelter for needy, homeless guinea pigs. I published a newsletter, The Wheeply, for a decade. The Wheeply and The Home's educational flyers have been read by people in most of the 50 states and over 6 foreign countries. I am proud that The Home has had favorable write-ups in Animals' Agenda magazine, Animals' Voice magazine, and Bunny Huggers' Gazette, as well as other animal welfare/rights publications. The Home is in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and is no longer doing adoptions or taking in rescues. The shelter closed in 2000 (after 16 years)  when the last resident died a natural death. "The Home"  continues as a resource organization. 

History of How The Home Began: (excerpted from article in The Animals’ Voice Magazine,Volume 6, Number 2, April 1991)
Although Lee M___ had been taking in unwanted guinea pigs since 1984, The Home for Unwanted and Abandoned Guinea Pigs truly began when, in one week in March 1988, she rescued six guinea pigs from a dirty cardboard box at animal control. Three were pregnant and four live babies were born, bringing the total to ten rescued guinea pigs at once! She committed to care for them for the rest of their lives. 
If M___ had kept her pact with those guinea pigs (which she did) but didn’t rescue any more animals, then her guinea pig population would have been zero 3 ½ years later when the last of them died. Butwhen the last of those did die, 16 guinea pigs remained in The Home, all rescued after the original six and their four offspring were taken in.

Newsletter (The Wheeply): The last issue of The Wheeply was Winter '98-99. This web site replaces the popular newsletter. 

Places to Visit:

     Vicki's Jack Pine Guinea Pig Rescue in MN
     Judi's Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue in Washington DC/Maryland (aka Bunsnpigs)
     Tammy's CavyMadness (info site)
     Mary's Cavy Companions (adoptions) in Washington state 
     Sandi's Best Little Rabbit, Rodent & Ferret House in Washington state (a former Wheeply  subscriber, a guinea pig expert I have known for 15 years; she has a guinea pig list you can subscribe to,  just don't know if she has a web site)

I don't know this person well but boy do I admire her site! 
     Theresa's Cavy Spirit (info site and rescue) in California

For those whose dear beloved guinea pig has passed, you have my deep sympathy.  This site may be of comfort to you in your grief and mourning:  Rainbow Bridge

Additional links (to shelters that rescue guinea pigs and adopt them out) are on The Home's "Where to Adopt a Guinea Pig" page. 
 

If you would like to ask The Home a question, please see if it is already answered on this site.  All we have to tell you about adopting, finding a home, and most other questions are on the pages (please follow the links). 
We will not make referrals other than those already listed on the site. 
We are not veterinarians, and so we do not answer medical questions. 
You can email The Home at HomeforGPs@aol.com, or by clicking on the mailbox now.

Please do not phone The Home. We are unable to handle phone calls!