It's Not All Dogs and Cats...

When people think about pet adoptions, dogs and cats most commonly come to mind. But all kinds of animals are surrendered to shelters around Australia, including horses, poultry, rabbits and guinea pigs. These animals, the lesser known of their domestic companions, are all in need of homes too.

A representative from the Education Department of the Burwood East RSPCA shelter in Victoria, Emma Ginsberg, spoke about the rabbits and guinea pigs in their care.

“All our animals are temperament assessed and that includes rabbits and guinea pigs ... to make sure that they’re all right for re-homing. All of our animals go through the same process, so even though they’re smaller and not so well known, they still get the same chance as all the other animals here. The amounts that come into adoptions – it would be very rare for us to have to euthanize because they all tend to find homes.”

Emma explains that the RSPCA stresses the importance of these animals being allowed time out of their hutch. “We try to make them more of an indoor pet than an outdoor. We do try to find people that are after a house rabbit or guinea pig. We won’t re-home them if they’re just going to be hutched animals.”

Children will need to come through and meet the animal, and if families already have rabbits or guinea pigs, the RSPCA recommends that they bring them in to see if they will get along with the potential new addition.

It is important that any animal coming into the shelter is up-to-date on its vaccinations, for both the safety of the shelters animals and the visiting one.

Next time you think about adopting a pet, spare a thought for the lesser publicised shelter animals. Rabbits and guinea pigs make excellent pets for children and families, and they’re looking for a second chance, too.