New York City animal shelters are overwhelmed with all of the guinea pigs being surrendered recently. Many people in New York got guinea pigs during Covid. Now they have gotten bored of them or can’t take care of them anymore. This results in them abandoning or surrendering their guinea pigs. 

The Animal Care Center of New York rescued 22 guinea pigs, and five of them were pregnant, that were just dumped in a building. This happens because people think they have two girls or two boys but really they have one girl and one boy and that results in them having babies and people have too many guinea pigs. Some of the guinea pigs are even being abandoned in parks and even the streets. According to the ACC in the past year, 600 guinea pigs have been rescued in New York alone.

Shelters also had to spend $20,000 on more space for the guinea pigs. Now the city is considering passing a bill that will ban pet stores from selling guinea pigs. Now New York shelters are looking for foster and adoptive homes for the guinea pigs.