Looking for the best places to adopt or purchase guinea pigs?
I’ve got you covered!
Below, we’re looking at every option, from shelters to rescues to reputable breeders and pet shops.
Let’s dive in!
READ MORE: 7 Extraordinary Reasons to Adopt a Guinea Pig
Table of Contents
How Much Does a Guinea Pig Cost?
So, you’ve decided that you want a guinea pig for a pet, right? Well, who can blame you?
Guinea pigs make great pets since they are easy to care for, they are inexpensive to adopt/purchase, they are great with kids, and they have a relatively long lifespan (an average of 5-7 years).
Before you head out to find your new guinea pig pet, you should have a rough idea of what they cost.
The typical fee for adopting a guinea pig from an animal shelter is anywhere between $20 and $40 while adopting from rescues averages between $10-35.
Pet stores like Petsmart are the next cheapest option, with costs averaging between $10-40 for your little critter.
Buying a guinea pig from a breeder is the most expensive. It can range anywhere from $40 to $100+, depending on the breed.
Now that you have a rough idea of how much you’ll spend, let’s look at the best places to start your search.
Check out this video to learn the signs that a guinea pig likes you.
32 Options on Where to Adopt or Purchase Your Guinea Pig
With so many cavies ending up in shelters every year, adoption should always be your first choice. We’ve included several rescue groups below as well, followed by places to actually buy a guinea pig.
1. Animal Shelters
A local animal shelter should be the very first place you look for your new guinea pig.
Too many people buy cavies thinking “low maintenance” means “no maintenance,” only to realize they’re not up to the task of caring for them.
2. Peninsula Humane Society
Located in Burlingame, California- A private, independent, not-for-profit, open-door animal shelter. It is one of the largest humane organizations in the United States.
3. Dumb Friends League
Located in Denver, Colorado- A non-profit animal welfare organization that serves communities across Colorado. It is the largest independent, non-profit, community-based animal shelter/humane society in the Rocky Mountain region.
4. Michigan Humane Society
Located in Detroit, Michigan- A private, non-profit organization providing animal welfare and sheltering services to the Metropolitan Detroit area. They are featured on Animal Planet’s reality television series- Animal Cops: Detroit.
5. Nevada SPCA
Located in Las Vegas, Nevada- A donor-supported, lifesaving animal shelter that provides care for Southern Nevada’s vulnerable pets and finds them loving homes.
6. Southampton Animal Shelter
Located in Southampton, New York- A privately funded and managed animal shelter that cares for homeless animals in the 16 hamlets and 7 villages that make up Southampton, New York.
7. Rhode Island SPCA
Located in Riverside, Rhode Island- A non-profit urban animal shelter and community resource that is governed by a Board of Directors.
Founded in 1870, it is the oldest humane animal welfare organization in Rhode Island.
8. Best Friends Animal Society
Located in Kanab, Utah- A non-profit organization that operates the nation’s largest sanctuary for homeless animals. They actively promote pet adoption, no-kill animal rescue, and spay-and-neuter practices.
9. Dane County Humane Society
Located in Madison, Wisconsin- A private, non-profit, community-supported organization that provides refuge, healing and new beginnings to over 9,000 companion animals, exotic species, farm animals and injured or orphaned wild animals every year.
10. Classified Ad Sites
Check your local paper’s classified ads section first. While they may seem a bit old-fashioned, plenty of older adults still use these ads to put their pets up for adoption.
If you don’t find your new guinea pig that way, these next few options are like classified ads on a larger scale.
11. ClassifiedAds.com
Free classified ads for jobs, real estate, pets, vehicles, and everything else. They are one of the largest classified ad websites, with over 3 million unique monthly visitors.
12. Craigslist.org
An American classified ads website with sections devoted to discussion forums, gigs, housing, items for sale, jobs, and services.
13. Hoobly.com
Primarily for pet adoption, Hoobly allows users to search from millions of classified ads that are posted every day.
14. Locanto.com
Offers free classified ads, in 60+ countries, in categories such as for rent, for sale, jobs, personals, real estate, services, and pets.
15. PetClassifieds.com
A marketplace for buying, selling, or adopting animals and pets of all types including birds, cats, dogs, fish, horses, livestock, reptiles, and small pets.
16. Guinea Pig Breeders
According to CareerOneStop.org, an animal breeder selects and breeds animals according to their genealogy, characteristics and offspring.
17. Cavia Bella
A small caviary in Sunnyvale, California that breeds American guinea pigs in broken color (patched coloring with large blocks of color that alternate with sections of white hair) and American Satin guinea pigs in self coloring (coats made up of entirely one color).
18. Fuzzibutt’s Rabbitry and Caviary
A registered hobby rabbitry, located in Hartley, Delaware, that exhibits and show nationally competitive rabbits and cavies.
19. By Chance Caviary
Located in Bangor, Maine, By Chance Caviary are an in-home caviary offering carefully produced and exceptionally luxurious bunnies, guinea pigs, and hedgehogs.
20. Cuddly Caviary
Located in Port Deposit, Maryland, Cuddly Caviary is a registered breeder of show-quality Peruvian, Peruvian Satin, Silkie, Silkie Satin, and Texel guinea pigs.
21. Guinea Pig Rescue Groups
Animal Rescue groups are volunteers who take abused, abandoned, stray, or unwanted pets into their homes and care for them until suitable, permanent homes can be found.
22. The Pipswheekery
Located in Cabot, Arkansas- A guinea pig adoption and foster center that is devoted to the rescue, rehabilitation, public education, and adoption of guinea pigs.
23. Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue
Located in Chatsworth, California- A no-kill, private animal rescue center that offers guinea pig rescue, sanctuary, and adoption services. It is the largest guinea pig welfare organization in the United States.
According to their website, they have upwards of 200 guinea pigs ready to adopt at any given time.
24. Guinea Pig Sanctuary
Located in Salisbury, Massachusetts- They rescue and accept surrenders of guinea pigs and then finds them forever homes.
Their main goal is to rescue guinea pigs and find homes for them in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont).
25. Flower City Critters Small Animal Rescue
Located in Rochester, New York- A volunteer-run, non-profit organization that is dedicated to ensuring the welfare of all small animals and pets. They also find and place the animals in loving homes.
26. Wheek Care Guinea Pig Rescue
Located in New Kensington, Pennsylvania- A rescue group that works to save abandoned and homeless guinea pigs.
Their mission is to provide rescue, medical, and sanctuary services to all guinea pigs while also providing boarding, grooming, bonding, respite, and hospice services to cavies.
27. Knoxville Guinea Pig Rescue
Located in Powell, Tennessee- A family-run, no-kill animal rescue that is the only guinea pig rescue in East Tennessee.
Their mission is to help Knoxville’s homeless and unwanted guinea pigs have a second chance at a wonderful life.
28. Second Chance Cavy Rescue
Located in San Antonio, Texas- A one-of-a-kind non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue, adoption, education, and rehabilitation of abandoned and surrendered guinea pigs in the South Central Texas region.
29. Pet Stores
While adoption is always the better option, if you have your heart set on getting a cavy now and can’t find one in a shelter near you, a small family-owned pet shop should be your next stop.
30. Petco
An American pet retailer that sells pet products and services, as well as certain types of live animals including chinchillas, ferrets, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, and rats.
Petco has more than 1,500 locations in the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
31. Petland
A privately owned operator and franchisor of pet stores, with stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China, and Japan.
32. PetSmart
A privately held American chain of pet superstores, with 1,650+ stores across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, which sells pet products, pet services, and small live pets including chinchillas, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, and rats. PetSmart is the leading North American pet company.
You can also check out this video:
References
Barrington, Kate. 2020. “The Cost of Owning a Guinea Pig – We’re All about Pets.” We’re All about Pets. April 26, 2020. https://wereallaboutpets.com/guinea-pig-cost.
Cosgrove, Nicole. 2021. “How Much Does It Cost to Own a Guinea Pig? (Updated in 2021).” Pet Keen. January 25, 2021. https://petkeen.com/cost-to-own-guinea-pig/.
“How Much Does a Guinea Pig Cost? – Cost Evaluation.” 2021. Costevaluation.com. 2021. https://www.costevaluation.com/how-much-does-a-guinea-pig-cost/.
“Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue.” 2021. Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue. 2021. https://www.laguineapigrescue.com/.
Where did you buy or adopt your guinea pigs? Please share your experience with us below!
Deanna is a passionate animal lover. She is the mom of several guinea pigs and sugar gliders.
When she’s not writing, Deanna loves listening to country music, or watching Dancing With The Stars.
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