Did you know it is Guinea Pig Awareness Week?
Every year the GSPCA helps guinea pigs in many ways from strays, to those owners keep to give up to find a home to investigating cruelty.
Nicolle Morgan GSPCA Animal Care Assistant said “Guinea Pig Awareness Week, or GPAW, is a week of activities dedicated to improving the health and welfare of guinea pigs!”
“The 22nd - 28th March is the first ever awareness week for guinea pigs, organized by Burgess!”
“We are very excited to take part in this important week as guinea pigs are definitely common friends here at the GSPCA!”
“Each year the GSPCA gets guinea pigs in looking for new homes, averaging at 23 a year, but this changes yearly, from 2014 when we looked after 0 pigs, to 2017 when we had 77 pigs to find homes for!”
“So this week we have been posting some information about these wonderful creatures and how to care for them and what to look out for and what to consider!”
“We also have a few guinea pigs currently looking for homes.... so watch this space for more info!”
“For more information on GPAW you can visit the official website; https://www.burgesspetcare.com/gpaw/ “
Here is one of the posts we shared -
‘Guinea Pig Awareness Week
Here are our current piggies in our care receiving their afternoon veggies!!! (More info coming about them soon.....!)
A guinea pigs diet consists of 5 things;
1. Plenty of fresh water available 24/7
2. Hay or feeding hay, this should be accountable for 80-90% of their daily feed!
3. Veggies!!!! A handful of greens is a brilliant way to get their daily dose of vitamin C, which they cannot produce themselves!
4. Natural snacks, these food help with bonding and also to encourage natural foraging behaviour. We include small chunks of fruit twice a week along with wild dandelions and nettles we find on site!
5. Nuggets, always found in pet shops, should only make up around 5% of their daily intake as they can be quite starchy and too many can lead to an unbalanced diet
At the GSPCA we only give our guinea pigs (and other small furries) plain nuggets as muesli type brands can cause our piggies to selectively feed, just like children!
Selective feeding can increase health problems when they are not getting the correct amount of nutrients such as;
- Dental diseases
- Gut stasis
- Fly strike
- Reduced hay intake
- Reduced water intake
For more information please visit the GPAW offical website, www.burgesspetcare.com/gpaw/guinea-pig-welfare/diet/ ‘
And a second post -
‘Natural diet and forage!
In the wild small animals will hunt and search areas to find succulent plants and fruits and you can do the same for your small furries at home!
What you'll need:
Gardening gloves,
Secateures
Wheel barrow or large bag
The best place to start foraging is yours, your friends or families garden. Once confident, try more public areas however the more out of the way an area is from contamination such as chemical sprays, litter and dog urine, the better. These should be avoided at all costs! Instead pick plants higher up or deeper into the plant growth.
Here's some safe garden and wild plants that your guinea pigs can eat:
- Blackberry, raspberry and strawberry leaves – very good for poorly guinea pigs
- Chickweed
- Wild mallow
- Wild geranium
- Dried out nettle
- Plantain
- Shepherd’s purse
- Goose grass.
For more safe plants, take a look at @woodgreentheanimalscharity website here > https://bit.ly/3tHl2Xn ‘
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said “As Nicolle has said it is Guinea Pig Awareness Week and we have a number of guinea pigs in need of homes.”
“Pictured are Phoebe, Rachel and Monica 3 lovely ladies looking for a home together.”
“They will need to be kept indoors during the winter as Phoebe gets a little chesty in the colder month.”
“We also have a little lad called Teddy in need of a home.”
“Keep an eye on our social media for more posts about Guinea Pig Awareness Week.”
“Please remember if you live in rented accommodation or States Housing you need to ensure you have written permission and to see the States Housing procedure please go to https://www.gov.gg/article/119684/Family--Pets .”
“To see some of the animals looking for homes at the GSPCA Animal Shelter please watch our Social Media pages or go to http://www.gspca.org.gg/animals. ”
“Animals come into the Shelter for all sorts of reasons and we have to ensure each is suited to a home that can meet its needs.”
“The GSPCA is a self-supporting Guernsey charity and we depend on the people of the Island for the funding needed, more so now than ever to maintain our work for the animal welfare and rescue work that is carried out 24 hours 7 days a week.”
To download an adoption application form please click on the following -
For a Dog Adoption Application Form please click here http://www.gspca.org.gg/sites/default/files/GSPCA%20Dog%20Rehoming%20Application%202019.doc
For a Cat Adoption Application Form please click here http://www.gspca.org.gg/sites/default/files/GSPCA%20Cat%20Rehoming%20Application%20Rev%202.doc
For a Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Bird, Reptile and all other species Application Form please click here http://www.gspca.org.gg/sites/default/files/Interview%20Form%20%28Rabbit%20or%20Guinea%20Pig%29.doc
Once your form is completed please email to [email protected] or post to GSPCA, Rue des Truchots, St Andrews, Guernsey, GY6 8UD and a member of team will phone you to discuss the animals in our care
To find out more about the Dog Adoption Procedure please click here http://www.gspca.org.gg/services/dog-adoption .
To find out more about the Cat Adoption Procedure please click here http://www.gspca.org.gg/services/cat-adoption .
To see the animals looking for homes please go to - www.gspca.org.gg/animals
For more information please call 01481 257261 or email us [email protected] .
MINIMUM ADOPTION CHARGES ARE AS FOLLOWS and if we are delivering the animal we do ask for an additional £10 transport charge:
(Correct as of 1st January 2019, additional costs may able to certain species)
Mice/Rats/Hamsters £8.50
Chickens £8.50
Ducks from £8.50
Birds (varied) from £10.50
Quail £10.50
Zebra Finch £12.50
Budgie £16.50
Canary £16.50
Cockatiel £26.00
Guinea Pigs £30.90
Amazon Parrot £412.00
All guinea pigs are treated for parasites
Ferrets £41.50
All ferrets are neutered & treated for parasites
Rabbits £44.00
All rabbits are neutered where possible, vaccinated against myxi & treated for parasites
Cats/Kittens £109.00
All cats are neutered (or booked in when of age), vaccinated, treated for worms & parasites
Dogs £268.00
All dogs are neutered (or booked in when of age), vaccinated, treated for worms & parasites
Gecko £31
Bearded Dragon £36
Moroccan Eyed Lizard £36
Musk Turtle £15.50
Corn Snake £36
Rat Snake £36
Fish From £5.50
Other species vary, please ask for details. To provide the welfare and care for animals on site the adoption charges only cover part of the costs, please ask how you can support our work.
Steve continued “With few fund raisers and next to no boarding due to lockdown the GSPCA income has been hit hard and we need your support now more than ever.”
“There are many ways you can help support our vital 24/7 work and donate or raise funds for the hundreds of animals in our care.”
“With over 140 hedgehogs, 3 seal pups, dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, fish, reptiles and many birds we help over 3000 animals through the doors every year.”
“With so many animals in our care we would love you to join our sponsor scheme to help us each month.”
“Just a couple of pounds each month can make a massive difference in helping the animals in our care and to find out more please go to http://www.gspca.org.gg/sites/default/files/Angel%20sponsor%20form%20special%202018%20new.pdf .”
“To make a donation you can go to https://giving.gg/donate/charity/2/Guernsey-Society-for-the-Prevention-of-Cruelty-to-Animals-(GSPCA) .”
“We couldn’t do so much without your support and here a few ideas of how you can help us help animals in Guernsey.”
Donate
Donate by calling 01481 257261, by post to GSPCA, Rue des Truchots, St Andrews, Guernsey GY6 8UD or online https://giving.gg/donate/event/5876/GSPCA-Coronavirus-Emergency-Appeal
Sponsored Event
Why not create your own sponsored event or challenge - https://giving.gg/donate/charity/2/Guernsey-Society-for-the-Prevention-of-Cruelty-to-Animals-(GSPCA)
For lots more ideas why not visit our fundraising page www.gspca.org.gg/fundraising
Wish List
Check out our wish list page from the smallest of items to our biggest of projects there are many ways to support us - http://www.gspca.org.gg/about/our-plans-wish-list
To visit our Amazon Wish list to see some of the items we need to help the wildlife please visit - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/25MJPPDAGXHL1?type=WishList
Legacies & Bequests
By leaving a gift to the GSPCA in your Will really helps us to improve the lives of animals into the future. After providing for those you care for, please consider leaving a proportion of what remains to the GSPCA it is so appreciated and makes a real lasting legacy.
A gift like this to the GSPCA ensures our animals and those in Guernsey will always have someone to keep them safe. To find out more please http://www.gspca.org.gg/about/gifts-wills-and-funding
Gift Aid on Donations over £500
To find out about the the States of Guernsey tax relief information on gift aid up to 2020 on donations totalling between £500 and £5000 please see the details by going to https://www.gov.gg/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=2617&p=0
2021 gift aid is from £500 and up to £7500 and here are the details - https://www.gov.gg/article/151830/Income-tax-relief
To download the form to claim for 2020 or before please follow this link https://www.gov.gg/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1994&p=0
Become a sponsor and GSPCA member
Why become an Angel Pen Pal Sponsor and support our work each month please visit - http://www.gspca.org.gg/sites/default/files/Angel%20sponsor%20form%20special%202018%20new.pdf
To become a Corporate Angel Pen Pal form for your business to sponsor animals in our care each year please click here http://www.gspca.org.gg/sites/default/files/Corporate%20Angel%20Pen%20Pal%20sponsor%20formnew.pdf
Share our posts and follow us on social media
Many of you will have seen us on social media and your support liking and sharing our posts is really appreciated, and to visit our social media pages please go to
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GuernseySPCA
Twitter https://twitter.com/GSPCA
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gspca-guernsey-965b0751/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gspca_guernsey/
Subscribe to our Supporters Newsletter
To subscribe to our supporters newsletter and find out about upcoming events and news please go to https://us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9324335c87c8b3ec9f0016f2a&id=e61c951a08
In line with States of Guernsey advice please DO NOT visit the GSPCA if have been outside of the Bailiwick of Guernsey in line with their advice or have any symptoms of Coronavirus and we continue visits to the Shelter for only essential reasons and to please call us on 01481 257261 or email [email protected] before your trip to see if we can help without you coming to the Shelter. For the latest information and advice please visit http://www.gspca.org.gg/search/node/coronavirus
With huge challenges on our resources and a drop in income from boarding and donations please help us help animals in Guernsey with our #GSPCACoronavirusCrisisAppeal by donating online via - https://giving.gg/donate/event/5876/GSPCA-Coronavirus-Emergency-Appeal
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