AT LEAST 75 guinea pigs are desperately in need of new homes.
Hutches and Crutches, a Bolton-le-Sands rescue centre for small animals, is helping to re-home some of the guinea pigs, which came from a breeder with a small pet shop in Kendal who was struggling to sell them.
Demand has dropped off due to a lar
ge pet 'superstore' opening up.
Lisa Chapin of Hutches and Crutches is hoping to re-home the guinea pigs in pairs as they are social animals and live in herds in the wild.
Lisa said: "I suspect that the movie 'G-Force', an animated film about crime fighting guinea pigs earlier in the year, resulted in more guinea pigs than usual being both bred and purchased.
"Usually, this type of demand is very shortlived and if the supply outweighs the demand, we will generally see a lot of animals becoming surplus to requirements.
"I have been informed that a pet superstore is opening in Lancaster in the near future.
"I would ask any breeders supplying small pet shops around Lancaster and More-cambe to be aware that they may well see a significant change in the demand for their particular animals, should another, larger retailer be satisfying some of the demand for pet purchases."
Lisa also has 11 hamsters, 15 rabbits, two degus, six rats, two chinchillas, seven gerbils and two mice in need of homes.
If you can offer a small animal a caring new home, contact Lisa at Hutches and Crutches Pet Centre on 01524 727600.
