Almost 300 Guinea Pig incidents have been seen by the charity in 2021 alone.
The RSPCA fears that it may be seeing the repercussions of increased pet ownership over lockdown, as it has seen almost 300 Guinea Pigs neglected and abandoned this year already.
The charity's frontline officers and inspectors have seen 272 Guinea Pig related incidents in 2021 alone, and of these 66 were abandoned, and 153 were neglected.
Dr Jane Tyson, RSCPA animal welfare expert, said of the charity's fears: “We do see instances of abandonment and neglect every year and even in 2020 and 2021, this was no exception.
“What is concerning is that before we have even reached the peak of the summer months our inspectors are already seeing hundreds of incidents involving Guinea pigs, and with many people still at home it is surprising that this is still happening already."
There was a 68 per cent increase in visitors to the RSPCA's 'find a pet' page searching for Guinea Pigs throughout 2020 – a rise to 103,703 searches from the 61,863 searches made in the previous year.
Dr Tyson is also urging Guinea Pig owners to come forward for support if they require it, saying: “There is support available for owners who feel they cannot cope, abandoning an animal or subjecting them to a life of neglect is never the answer. We would encourage anyone struggling to reach out to family and friends, charities and to make their vet aware that they need help.”
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
