Finding your furry friend at a local animal shelter is the best way to bring a guinea pig into your life. Depending on where you live, you may not have an animal shelter that houses guinea pigs near you, but if you do, be sure to look there first! Guinea pigs, like bunnies and cats and dogs, are in abundance and there are many homeless guinea pigs just longing for a permanent family. The goal is to find homes for the needy guinea pigs at shelters to help cut the homeless population and give them a loving, safe place to live. This is particularly important when shelters are not no-kill, meaning if an animal hangs around without being adopted long enough, it may be euthanized!

Shelters will often have friendly volunteer staff ready to talk to you about any questions or concerns you may have about guinea pigs or whether you're ready to adopt one. They will take the time to give you some literature to read, forms to sign to make sure you're able to take care of your pet, and can be a continual resource if you have questions after you've adopted, or if you just want to send in a picture of your piggie in his or her new happy home!

Shelters may ask for verification of your residence by bringing a copy of a bill or credit card statement. They may also ask for the contact information for your landlord if you are renting, to verify that you're allowed to bring a guinea pig into your home without getting in trouble or being forced to give him or her away or move.

There is also often a small adoption fee or donation to ensure that you're serious about adopting, and to help fund supplies for the other animals at the shelter. You will know your money is going toward a great cause and you can feel wonderful knowing that you saved a homeless guinea pig from life (and possibly even death) in the shelter.

If you don't have any shelters near your home, or you have visited several and haven't found the guinea pig for you, you may want to look at a pet store. I generally would not recommend pet stores, and many other cavy parents would say the same. The reasoning behind this is that if you're 'buying' a guinea pig instead of adopting, you're putting your money toward a business of animal commerce. Beyond the fact that animals shouldn't be considered as objects to buy and sell, there is also the fact that if you purchase a guinea pig from a store, that guinea pig will be immediately replaced with another guinea pig, and the shelter guinea pigs will still be waiting for homes.

It would be hypocritical of me to say never buy from a pet store, however, because my second guinea pig, Max, came from such a place. I picked him up and he looked at me as if to say, "PLEASE get me out of here!!", and that was the end of that. I suppose the best thing to do is to avoid looking in the first place so you don't get attached, but I like to think that regardless of where a guinea pig is, if you buy or adopt, you are rescuing a guinea pig and taking him or her to a better place.

When looking at a pet store, you want to make sure the conditions look sanitary and that there is plenty of hay, pellets and fresh water available to the guinea pigs. I've been to pet stores that didn't have hay and didn't even mention that hay was necessary! I was tempted to scoop all the piggies up and yell at the manager! Some pet stores house males and females together, which is a big no-no. So be aware that if you get a female, she may be pregnant, and you will need to know how to prepare and deal with that.

Sometimes the urge to rescue a guinea pig from a bad environment can take over the logic to leave them there, and in my opinion, I think that's okay. I don't like the idea that it's furthering the business and creating bad homes for new guinea pigs, but at the same time, each guinea pig is unique and wonderful and deserves a happy place to call home, just as people do. If you feel a connection with one, no matter where you find it, that's what's important.

If you know someone who has guinea pigs that that are breeding, or even if you have a friend who has a pregnant guinea pig, you may want to adopt a guinea piglet this way. As with dogs or cats, be careful to find a breeder that's ethical and that truly cares for their guinea pigs. Some people decide to show their guinea pigs, so they will often choose this option to get a 'purebred'.

This also gives you the chance to get acquainted with the parents of the litter to see what their temperament is like, which will give you an idea of what their babies will be like. Of course, all guinea pigs require extensive 'socialization', meaning interaction and development of trust with humans, so this is no replacement for that, but you may have an easier time with that process if you know your guinea pig has been born from a pair of docile, friendly, healthy piggies.