I know I recently posted that I was considering returning my two guinea pigs to the shelter where we adopted them, but I am really seriously considering it now. I plan on emailing the shelter tomorrow to get their opinion...
Why I want them to go is:
-I can barely breathe in my own house. I have developed such terrible allergies to their hay. (bedding is not an issue for allergy because we changed it to fleece)
-They are pretty high maintenance. Fully cleaning their cage takes hours, and it is disgusting within minutes again afterwards.
-The smell and the noise. Just..terrible. (they're in my bedroom..there is no where else in my house for them) It's impossible to make my room smell good at all...and they can be so loud at times.
Why I don't want to surrender them:
-I feel REALLY uncomfortable letting them go home with a stranger. When we adopted them, I realize the shelter never educated us on how to properly care for them. They never told us what to feed them, how to hold them, how fragile their backs are, what their housing requirements are..(I already knew alll this when we got them, but if the average person and their two kids come in looking for a new pet..I doubt they will know.)
-You know the feeling that no one else could care for your pet but yourself? I kind of get that..but at the same time..I know I'm not giving them the best life they could have. --Please don't bash me for this--..but their cage doesn't get cleaned nearly as much as it needs to, and I rarely take them out to spend time with them
-I can't rehome them to somebody I trust, because the shelter requires us to return them.
-I've never turned any animal into the shelter. Ever.
-I don't know how adoptable a bonded pair of 3 1/2 year old guinea pigs are, who don't like to be handled, who need to live together but have to have enough space or they'll fight, and are just generally loud and smelly.
I need you guys to offer your honest opinions on what I should do. Should I let them go have a chance at a better life, or let them stay here where at least there's carrots and consistency. I know if I return them that means I've failed as an owner and guardian, something that I promised to do my best at when I agreed to take them in, but I feel like I'm failing them already.
Why I want them to go is:
-I can barely breathe in my own house. I have developed such terrible allergies to their hay. (bedding is not an issue for allergy because we changed it to fleece)
-They are pretty high maintenance. Fully cleaning their cage takes hours, and it is disgusting within minutes again afterwards.
-The smell and the noise. Just..terrible. (they're in my bedroom..there is no where else in my house for them) It's impossible to make my room smell good at all...and they can be so loud at times.
Why I don't want to surrender them:
-I feel REALLY uncomfortable letting them go home with a stranger. When we adopted them, I realize the shelter never educated us on how to properly care for them. They never told us what to feed them, how to hold them, how fragile their backs are, what their housing requirements are..(I already knew alll this when we got them, but if the average person and their two kids come in looking for a new pet..I doubt they will know.)
-You know the feeling that no one else could care for your pet but yourself? I kind of get that..but at the same time..I know I'm not giving them the best life they could have. --Please don't bash me for this--..but their cage doesn't get cleaned nearly as much as it needs to, and I rarely take them out to spend time with them
-I can't rehome them to somebody I trust, because the shelter requires us to return them.
-I've never turned any animal into the shelter. Ever.
-I don't know how adoptable a bonded pair of 3 1/2 year old guinea pigs are, who don't like to be handled, who need to live together but have to have enough space or they'll fight, and are just generally loud and smelly.
I need you guys to offer your honest opinions on what I should do. Should I let them go have a chance at a better life, or let them stay here where at least there's carrots and consistency. I know if I return them that means I've failed as an owner and guardian, something that I promised to do my best at when I agreed to take them in, but I feel like I'm failing them already.