Oxfordshire charity takes on 50+ guinea pigs after population explosion in woman’s shed

Watch: More than 50 guinea pigs are now in the care of the Blue Cross in Oxfordshire, as ITV News Meridian’s Natalie Verney reports

An animal charity in Oxfordshire has doubled the number of guinea pigs in its care, after more than 200 were taken from a woman’s home.

The woman, from Wales, raised the alarm with her local animal charity after she found she was dealing with an accidental population explosion.

The Blue Cross in Burford is one of 22 charities that came to the rescue of the 224 guinea pigs who were living in her shed.

The Oxfordshire charity has taken on 56 of them, but that number could almost double in a few weeks, because many are pregnant.

Anouska Ashmead-Bartlett from the Blue Cross Rehoming Centre said: “It can be quite difficult quite quickly to get out of control – especially when they can breed so quickly.

“It is important to ensure that pets are neutered when they need to be and are split into same-sex groups.”

Staff say caring for them all is a never-ending cycle of feeding and cleaning, with twice as many meaning twice as much food.

The logistics of finding space for them all has also been a challenge.

Anouska said: “We have had to move some animals around to create space for the guinea pigs and change some accommodation to fit them.

“All of the team have got involved from other sections, management have got involved, and people have come in early to support in cleaning and feeding them, so it is a real team effort to support all the guinea pigs.”

They have now been split into more than 20 different enclosures, with males and females kept separate to ensure there is no more multiplying.

However, as some of the guinea pigs are already pregnant, staff are bracing themselves for the arrival of dozens of new pups in the coming weeks.

The team is confident they will be able to find them all new homes.

Anouska said: “I think they’re fabulous. The noises they make are great. They’re really really lovely animals to have around which has made our jobs a lot easier as well.”

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