If you're thinking about the rewarding and incredibly helpful task of fostering a guinea pig, we ask that you carefully review the following information. Foster parents and families are the backbone of AGPR. We cannot exist without people who are willing to bring animals into their homes while we search for their forever homes. Fosters have our undying gratitude and our deepest respect and admiration. There are never enough foster homes to go around, so each is precious to us and the animals we are trying to save.

Here's how it works

1. We will provide supplies (cage, carrier, bowls, water bottles, fleece liners, etc.). Foster families typically provide hay, pellets, fresh veggies and fruit, and litter if not using liners without reimbursement from us. 
   
   
2. When you get your fosters home, gradually introduce them to your household members. Let them settle into the new place, and keep your pets separate from the fosters.​
   
   
3. Of course, it’s most important that you feed your fosters and keep them safe. (See below for responsibilities.)​​
   
   
4. We will prompt you for your fosters' weights and behavioral or wellness changes.
   
   
5. Once a month, we would like you to trim their nails (instructions) or schedule a nail trimming with us. Every other month, please attend a well check, if you can.
   
   
6. When an adoption applicant is approved and wants to meet your fosters, we will send an email to you so you can arrange a meetup. (If you do not want to host the meetup, let us know so we can arrange for another location.) We will generate a contract before the meetup so the adopter can sign the contract before they take the guinea pig(s) home.
   
   
7. If your foster animal becomes ill or gets hurt, contact the foster coordinator immediately. We have relationships with various vet offices and we will pay approved bills.

Responsibilities

• Keep their cages clean. At a minimum, sweep once a day, switch out pee pads every other day, and do a full-cage launder once a week. It’s important that they don’t live in a wet, soiled environment.
  
  
• Interact with them and socialize them. Talk to them and let them have supervised floor time. Love on them! We want them to be acclimated and inviting so that potential adopters fall in love with them. It’s also important that you know their behaviors so you can spot problems if they arise.
  
  
• Weigh them using a kitchen scale and report back to us (in grams). If you’re fostering adults, please weigh them once a week. If you’re fostering babies, weigh them daily. 
  
  
• You may also be asked to participate in transporting animals. Be sure to transport animals in a secure carrier. 
  
  
• Take pictures of your fosters, at least one group pic and one solo pic of each. We need these pics so we can post them for adoption, and we can use the pics on social media.

Beyond these guidelines, please direct any questions, concerns, comments, insights, and ideas to us at austingpr@gmail.com. Again, thank you so very much for your willingness to consider fostering a rescued animal until a loving home can be found. Your compassion and caring are both a rarity and a gift!