PIGGIES ARE STILL DYING FROM HEAT STROKE WHEN IT COULD SO EASILY HAVE BEEN AVOIDED!!! 😥😥😥
SUMMERS ARE BECOMING LONGER AND HOTTER SO IT IS ESSENTIAL YOU TAKE EVERY MEASURE TO KEEP YOUR PIGGIES COOL TO ENSURE THEIR SURVIVAL! FOLLOWING ARE SOME HELPFUL TIPS - 1. Put frozen water bottles, large frozen icecream containers (if leaving your piggies all day), or esky ice blocks in the cage (don’t use the soft gel type as they will chew through them). You can wrap in a tea towel, hand towel or similar or leave uncovered – some piggies do like to lick the condensation off the container as the ice melts. Adding salt to the water will help it stay frozen for longer. 2. If housed indoors with no aircon, cover the cage with a thick wet towel and place a pedestal fan a few feet away from the cage. The wet towel will help cool the air as it blows on the cage. Put the fan on slow with no oscillating. 3. If outdoors, ensure the cage is in the shade for the entire day. Many piggies have been lost when left in the shade but by the time their owners have returned from work, shopping etc the cage has been in full sun long enough to cause heat stroke. 4. If you place your piggies in a playpen or similar, cover completely with a pale coloured sheet then shadecloth (even if the playpen is in the shade). Apart from helping keep your piggies cool, it will also protect them from predators such as birds and cats. This does NOT protect them from snakes and dogs unless the enclosure has been snake and dog proofed! 5. In regard to #4, make sure the covering is securely attached to the playpen/cage as it only takes one gust of wind to loosen fasteners such as plastic pegs, allowing the coverings to blow off, exposing your piggies to full sun. 6. Save plastic domes for the cooler months, replacing with such items as fiddlesticks (wooden archways), upturned polystyrene boxes with holes and doorways cut in them (place a brick or something else heavy on top to stop them moving around), small stools. Anything that provides shade while still allowing air to circulate. 7. Keep on hand plenty of fruit and veg with a high water content such as cucumber, watermelon, celery and crisp cos or gourmet lettuce. These will help keep your piggies hydrated. 8. Add an extra water bottle to your piggy’s cage, freezing one the night before. Remember to remove the bottle from the freezer each morning otherwise it may crack. This applies to both plastic and glass bottles. 9. Place one or two large heavy ceramic bowls full of fresh cool water in the cage/playpen (can add ice cubes) . Even if your piggies don’t drink it, they like to put their front paws in to help cool them down. 10. White ceramic tiles remain cool to the touch so place one per piggy in the cage for them to lie on. 11. Finally, whatever you do, PLEASE don’t think that the enclosed bedding area of a wooden/lawn hutch, or a plastic dome, provide protection from the sun! These types of areas become like saunas and your piggies, while trying to find refuge from the hot rays of the sun, will die in these conditions. You MUST cover all types of cages, hutches, pens, with shadecloth, preferably leaving space between the cage and the shadecloth to allow airflow. PLEASE NOTE IT IS OUR RECOMMENDATION THAT ALL PIGGIES BE MOVED INSIDE FOR THE DURATION OF SUMMER IF NOT PERMANENTLY, UNLESS YOUR HOUSE IS EXTREMELY HOT AND YOU DON'T HAVE AIRCONDITIONING AND/OR YOU HAVE A COVERED AREA OUTSIDE THAT REMAINS SHADED AND AT A REASONABLE TEMPERATURE. YOU WILL STILL NEED TO FOLLOW THE ABOVE GUIDELINES TO ENSURE YOUR PIGGY'S COMFORT. C & C CAGES ARE GREAT FOR INSIDE HOUSING, ALSO LARGE PLASTIC BASED/METAL TOPPED ANIMAL CAGES AND DOG CRATES. OUR PIGGIES ARE HOUSED IN A LARGE SHED WITH TWO AIRCONDITIONERS RUNNING 24/7. MOST ARE IN LARGE DOG CRATES WHICH ALLOW AIR TO CIRCULATE. WE OCCASIONALLY HAVE SECONDHAND CAGES FOR SALE. CONTACT US IF YOU ARE WISHING TO MOVE YOUR PIGGIES INDOORS. WE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP YOU WITH HOUSING. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR INSIDE HOUSING ARE PLASTIC STORAGE TUBS! YOUR PETS ARE PRECIOUS AND ARE DESERVING OF A HOME SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR SMALL ANIMALS! HAVING SAID THAT THERE ARE MANY ENCLOSURES FOR SALE THAT ARE TOTALLY UNSUITABLE FOR GUINEA PIGS EG TOO SMALL AND WITH WIRE BASES!! SPONSOR A PIGGY!!!
One way of helping our shelter is to join our Sponsor a Piggy Programme! Click on the photo below to find out more. 
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AFTER HOURS AND IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES!
Animal Emergency Centre 4/492 Scottsdale Dr Varsity Lakes Qld Ph: 07 5593 4544 Animal Emergency Service 104 Eastlake St Carrara Qld Ph: 07 5559 1599 ADOPTIONS -
Updated 20th March 2018: We are open for adoptions most weekends, by appointment. If you are interested in adopting please visit our Guide to Adopting page then contact us by email. If you already have a cage, please provide the dimensions and at least one photo with your application. We have minimum size requirements and prefer indoor homes. Following are several other organisations who also have lots of guinea pigs waiting for new homes. Qld Guinea Pig Refuge Bracken Ridge The Fox Residence Guinea Pig Sanctuary Mt Cotton Brisbane Miss Piggy's Lair Eudlo Sunshine Coast Animal Welfare League Coombabah Gold Coast Cavy Angels Guinea Pig Rescue Elanora Gold Coast Alittlebitiffy Animal Sanctuary Gatton Qld SURRENDERING YOUR GUINEA PIGS Please Note: From 6th September 2018 we are no longer able to accept any surrenders (with the exception of those who were adopted from us) as we are seriously over and above our maximum capacity 😟 If you have guinea pigs you can no longer care for, PLEASE do not advertise them on Gumtree or any other classifieds as animals advertised on these sites often end up in irresponsible, uncaring and unsafe homes where once the novelty wears off they are either neglected, dumped, resold or given away. Guinea pigs, especially if offered for free, are sometimes acquired as snake food. Surrendering to a shelter gives you peace of mind, knowing your pets will be well looked after whilst in their care, and if adopted will only go to a loving responsible home where pets are a part of the family. All rescues screen potential adopters to try and ensure the piggies go to only the best of homes. Until further notice, contact any of the above rescues if you have guinea pigs you wish to surrender. 
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RESCUE EXPLAINED......
The neglect changes you. The abuse hardens you. The suffering breaks you. The ignorance angers you. The indifference disturbs you. The injustice destroys you. On a daily basis…your faith will be tested. Your heart will be wounded.... Your soul will be altered. On a weekly basis…you’ll question yourself. You’ll question your strength. You’ll question the world. On a monthly basis…you’ll fall down. You’ll get up. You’ll go on… On a yearly basis…you’ll look back… You’ll see faces… You couldn’t save them. You’ll learn to mourn. To grieve. To sob. You’ll learn to trust a little less. To do a little more. To fight a little harder. You’ll learn to try. To hope. To pray. You’ll learn to fail. To succeed. To accept. You’ll learn when to hold on. When to give up. When to let go. You’ll learn who you are. What you stand for. Why that matters. Then… at times… you’ll forget why you matter. You’ll question what you’re doing. You’ll wonder if it’s worth it. But…here’s the good news… When you forget… When you question… When you wonder… All you have to do… Is take a look around… And you’ll see them. You’ll see their faces. You’ll see their smiles. You’ll feel their love. In their eyes, you’ll see their journeys… You’ll remember their beginnings… You’ll know how far they’ve come… You’ll remember when they didn’t know you… When they didn’t trust you… When they’d given up. You’ll remember how you healed them… How you loved them… How they loved you, too. And as you look back… You’ll want to move forward… For them… and because of them. In your darkest hours, you’ll look around… To find the differences made…the hope given… and the lives saved… Because you existed. In those moments, when you look into their eyes… Every doubt will be erased. Every question will be answered. Every worry will subside. Because in that instant…in each of your hearts… You both share the very same thought: “Every bit of pain was worth it…for this moment here with you.” And honestly…no matter what else happens… Those moments hold all the strength you need… To keep going. Rescue is pain. Rescue is joy. Rescue is worth it…because they are worth it. And that’s the honest truth. ~ Ashley Owen Hill 
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