Questions about adoption
What is the adoption fee for your guinea pigs?
Each guinea pig, regardless of age, sex, medical history, or transport requirements is $25. This fee helps to cover the cost of their general care while at Wheektown. All other expenses, including de-sexing and medical fees, are covered in our fundraisers and are not passed onto you. For post-interview approved adopters, the adoption fee is non-refundable; this helps ensure people are serious about adopting and reduces the risk of us paying transportation fees or rejecting other interested parties only to have the adoption cancelled later.
How much will I need to pay in transport?
If you live in Victoria or mid to south New South Wales, then the transport will probably be covered entirely by us. Further locations have higher transport fees and thus you may need to cover the difference of the additional cost. We have more information here.
Where can I adopt from?
For ground transport we rely on Dogmovers, which travels along the eastern edge of Australia. You will need to meet the driver at a certain place near or on the route to receive the animals. Adoption is possible elsewhere in Australia using air transport, though fees are higher. We have more information here.
Why are you so strict with your adoption process?
A considerable amount of time, money, and effort goes into rescuing, treating, caring for, and rehoming the guinea pigs at Wheektown. Only high-quality homes with high-quality people will be considered as there is no point going through everything with the animal if they're going to wind up back in the same kind of home they were saved from. The adoption contract needs to be signed and the adoption fee paid before we can hand over the animals, to avoid people taking the animals and then disappearing. Even in the short amount of time we've been open we have had many inquiries where the potential adopter bailed after realising that we call over Skype and require a contract signed to guarantee the animals' safety. It is a good way of weeding out the low-quality homes. Everything we do has the animals as the number one priority.
Why do you only allow indoor homes?
Indoor homes are generally of better quality. The owners are around the animals more and therefore able to pick up on illness quicker, as well as being more involved in their lives and well-being, and it is safer for the pigs when they are away from predators and temperature extremes. A pet's place is inside with their humans, not outside as a garden ornament. We have, in the past, approved outdoor homes that we believed otherwise met our requirements and that were good homes. These all ended in disaster and therefore we do not risk it anymore.
How long does the adoption process take?
If you already have your cage set up, then from when you submit your application to when you are approved should not take more than a couple of days. If I am at the computer when you apply, and thus get the email immediately, and you and your household are free for the Skype interview, it may even be completed on the same day. The two primary things that extend the process are:
- Not having the cage ready, in which case we wait until it arrives and you have set it up.
- Waiting until the next available transport date if you are adopting long-distance, which, depending on your location, may take from a couple of days to a couple of weeks from when you finish setting up your cage.
What are the requirements for adoption?
Housing
Housing should be indoors, preferably a C&C cage of at least 2x5. Smaller cages are considered when floor time is provided. A base of absolutely no less than 8 sq. ft. is considered, and that is with at least one hour per day of running around time. Wire flooring is not allowed. They must receive adequate cooling in hot weather and adequate heating in cold weather.
Care
They must have constant access to fresh water, constant access to fresh hay, and they must be fed an appropriate diet of pellets (Oxbow, Burgess, or Vetafarm) and fresh produce. They must be provided with appropriate veterinary attention when sick. They must never be left unattended in a car, intentionally bred, isolated from their own species, or neglected or abused in any way. If one day you are no longer able to look after them, you must either return them to Wheektown or, if you have another home already in mind, have the new owners go through the adoption process with us.
Relationship with Wheektown
When the guinea pigs arrive you will need to send us a photo of them in their new home so that we know they arrived safely. You will need to tell us if you rename them (so we know their new names), if your legal name, address, or phone number changes, when they die, or if you need to permanently separate them. We would also like to Skype every year to see how the guinea pigs are going.
Can I adopt a single guinea pig to match with my current guinea pig?
If you are adopting long-distance this is not possible because there is no way to guarantee our guinea pig will be compatible with yours. However if you are able to visit the residence, you are perfectly welcome to bring along your existing guinea pig(s) and have playdates with our available singles. In these situations we require a trial period of at least one week to ensure that the guinea pigs get along - this can be done by either boarding your pig with us, or by taking the candidate home and finalising adoption after the trial is completed.
What is the adoption fee for your guinea pigs?
Each guinea pig, regardless of age, sex, medical history, or transport requirements is $25. This fee helps to cover the cost of their general care while at Wheektown. All other expenses, including de-sexing and medical fees, are covered in our fundraisers and are not passed onto you. For post-interview approved adopters, the adoption fee is non-refundable; this helps ensure people are serious about adopting and reduces the risk of us paying transportation fees or rejecting other interested parties only to have the adoption cancelled later.
How much will I need to pay in transport?
If you live in Victoria or mid to south New South Wales, then the transport will probably be covered entirely by us. Further locations have higher transport fees and thus you may need to cover the difference of the additional cost. We have more information here.
Where can I adopt from?
For ground transport we rely on Dogmovers, which travels along the eastern edge of Australia. You will need to meet the driver at a certain place near or on the route to receive the animals. Adoption is possible elsewhere in Australia using air transport, though fees are higher. We have more information here.
Why are you so strict with your adoption process?
A considerable amount of time, money, and effort goes into rescuing, treating, caring for, and rehoming the guinea pigs at Wheektown. Only high-quality homes with high-quality people will be considered as there is no point going through everything with the animal if they're going to wind up back in the same kind of home they were saved from. The adoption contract needs to be signed and the adoption fee paid before we can hand over the animals, to avoid people taking the animals and then disappearing. Even in the short amount of time we've been open we have had many inquiries where the potential adopter bailed after realising that we call over Skype and require a contract signed to guarantee the animals' safety. It is a good way of weeding out the low-quality homes. Everything we do has the animals as the number one priority.
Why do you only allow indoor homes?
Indoor homes are generally of better quality. The owners are around the animals more and therefore able to pick up on illness quicker, as well as being more involved in their lives and well-being, and it is safer for the pigs when they are away from predators and temperature extremes. A pet's place is inside with their humans, not outside as a garden ornament. We have, in the past, approved outdoor homes that we believed otherwise met our requirements and that were good homes. These all ended in disaster and therefore we do not risk it anymore.
How long does the adoption process take?
If you already have your cage set up, then from when you submit your application to when you are approved should not take more than a couple of days. If I am at the computer when you apply, and thus get the email immediately, and you and your household are free for the Skype interview, it may even be completed on the same day. The two primary things that extend the process are:
- Not having the cage ready, in which case we wait until it arrives and you have set it up.
- Waiting until the next available transport date if you are adopting long-distance, which, depending on your location, may take from a couple of days to a couple of weeks from when you finish setting up your cage.
What are the requirements for adoption?
Housing
Housing should be indoors, preferably a C&C cage of at least 2x5. Smaller cages are considered when floor time is provided. A base of absolutely no less than 8 sq. ft. is considered, and that is with at least one hour per day of running around time. Wire flooring is not allowed. They must receive adequate cooling in hot weather and adequate heating in cold weather.
Care
They must have constant access to fresh water, constant access to fresh hay, and they must be fed an appropriate diet of pellets (Oxbow, Burgess, or Vetafarm) and fresh produce. They must be provided with appropriate veterinary attention when sick. They must never be left unattended in a car, intentionally bred, isolated from their own species, or neglected or abused in any way. If one day you are no longer able to look after them, you must either return them to Wheektown or, if you have another home already in mind, have the new owners go through the adoption process with us.
Relationship with Wheektown
When the guinea pigs arrive you will need to send us a photo of them in their new home so that we know they arrived safely. You will need to tell us if you rename them (so we know their new names), if your legal name, address, or phone number changes, when they die, or if you need to permanently separate them. We would also like to Skype every year to see how the guinea pigs are going.
Can I adopt a single guinea pig to match with my current guinea pig?
If you are adopting long-distance this is not possible because there is no way to guarantee our guinea pig will be compatible with yours. However if you are able to visit the residence, you are perfectly welcome to bring along your existing guinea pig(s) and have playdates with our available singles. In these situations we require a trial period of at least one week to ensure that the guinea pigs get along - this can be done by either boarding your pig with us, or by taking the candidate home and finalising adoption after the trial is completed.
Questions about donating
Are donations tax deductible?
Yes! Just ask us for a receipt and you will be able to claim on tax.
How do I cancel my sponsorship?
Go to the PayPal website and log into your account. Up the top, on the left of log out, there is an icon in the shape of a cog. Click this icon. A new toolbar should appear that says account, security, payments, notifications. Click on payments. Click manage automatic billings. There should be a table showing your pre-approved payments. Find the row that describes the Wheektown sponsorship, and click on Wheektown. This will open your subscription details. Toward the top it will say cancel | view history. Click cancel. It will ask you if you are sure that you want to cancel. Click yes. You will no longer be charged for your sponsorship.
Are donations tax deductible?
Yes! Just ask us for a receipt and you will be able to claim on tax.
How do I cancel my sponsorship?
Go to the PayPal website and log into your account. Up the top, on the left of log out, there is an icon in the shape of a cog. Click this icon. A new toolbar should appear that says account, security, payments, notifications. Click on payments. Click manage automatic billings. There should be a table showing your pre-approved payments. Find the row that describes the Wheektown sponsorship, and click on Wheektown. This will open your subscription details. Toward the top it will say cancel | view history. Click cancel. It will ask you if you are sure that you want to cancel. Click yes. You will no longer be charged for your sponsorship.
Questions about Wheektown
What is your logo meant to be?
The petals depict the colouration of each of the twelve permanent residents of Wheektown.
Are you a registered Australian charity?
Yes! Our ABN is 29454016452. You can find our credentials at the ACNC portal here.
How come you don't have guinea pig care information on your page?
Wheektown works full time researching for a guinea pig encyclopaedia series. We come across interesting stuff so often that if we were to have a section on guinea pig care, we would be constantly back on here updating it. We prefer to prioritise our focus on the series and getting that finished as fast as possible. We do, however, post a daily fact on our Facebook page. These are categorised into Facebook albums as per the sections of the encyclopaedia to make it easier for you to find relevant information. You can browse all our fact posts here.
Can you help me with X?
Possibly. Send us a message and see; even if we don't know the answer we can direct you to a source that does.
What is your logo meant to be?
The petals depict the colouration of each of the twelve permanent residents of Wheektown.
Are you a registered Australian charity?
Yes! Our ABN is 29454016452. You can find our credentials at the ACNC portal here.
How come you don't have guinea pig care information on your page?
Wheektown works full time researching for a guinea pig encyclopaedia series. We come across interesting stuff so often that if we were to have a section on guinea pig care, we would be constantly back on here updating it. We prefer to prioritise our focus on the series and getting that finished as fast as possible. We do, however, post a daily fact on our Facebook page. These are categorised into Facebook albums as per the sections of the encyclopaedia to make it easier for you to find relevant information. You can browse all our fact posts here.
Can you help me with X?
Possibly. Send us a message and see; even if we don't know the answer we can direct you to a source that does.
