Guinea Pig Rescue Sydney is a no-kill shelter, where every guinea pig that comes to us gets a second home.
How Many Guinea Pigs Can Birdsville Rehome at Once?
Every guinea pig we take in deserves the right new home, so we keep a close eye on how much space we have available at any given time. There may be periods where we’re unable to accept new guinea pigs for rehoming, simply because our small animal facility only has so much room.
If you need your guinea pig rehomed, please give us a call to check space availability first. We won’t accept any guinea pig without prior notice, as we don’t want to overcrowd our animals. If there’s no space when you call, stay in touch with us. As soon as a space opens up, we’ll let you know and get things arranged.
How Much Does It Cost to Surrender a Guinea Pig?
Our guinea pig surrender fee is $45 per guinea pig, payable when you drop your guinea pig off in-store. This fee goes toward the feeding, housing and care your guinea pig receives with us while we find them a new home.
Rehoming Your Guinea Pig
Owning a guinea pig is a lovely and rewarding experience, but it comes with a great deal of responsibility. Some guinea pig owners find themselves in a position where they feel they need to give up their pet. This can happen for a number of different reasons, although giving up a pet should always be a last resort.
Our Commitment to Every Guinea Pig
At Guinea Pig Rescue Sydney, based at Birdsville, we understand that in some circumstances, giving up a guinea pig really is the right decision for everyone involved. It’s not an easy time for you or your guinea pig, so we make sure it’s handled the right way. We will never euthanise a healthy guinea pig; only a guinea pig with health issues would ever be euthanised. We’ve helped thousands of pets find loving new homes over the years, and been able to give guinea pig owners real reassurance during a hard decision.
We’ve never turned away a guinea pig in need of a new home, as long as we have the space. The one thing we can’t accept is a guinea pig that’s sick, matted or injured, since Birdsville isn’t a vet clinic. In those cases, we ask that the guinea pig sees a vet first, and we’re happy to help with rehoming once they’re back to full health.
How Guinea Pig Rescue Sydney Started
Guinea Pig Rescue Sydney didn’t start as any kind of grand plan. In the early days, Birdsville was a pet shop specialising in all things avian, and rehoming older birds was where we first started lending a hand to pets in need. As the team’s own interests grew, we branched out into small animals, and it grew from there into what Guinea Pig Rescue Sydney is today.
Our goal became offering customers something different: becoming Australia’s leading small animal specialist. Along the way, we noticed plenty of guinea pig owners facing changing circumstances and needing to find their pet a new home. Most other places only sold baby animals, since older pets are naturally less popular, but we recognised older guinea pigs deserved the right home and proper care just as much. That’s how Guinea Pig Rescue Sydney, based at Birdsville, came to be. If your circumstances ever change down the track, any animal you’ve bought from us can always come back for rehoming.
We still sell a small range of birds, fish and small animals alongside our full range of products, and we take in and offer for adoption any bird or small animal that needs a new home, not just guinea pigs. We don’t have the facility to rehome cats or dogs.
How Guinea Pig Rehoming Works
We understand this isn’t an easy decision, so we keep the process simple and straightforward for you and your guinea pig. There’s a car park out the front of our small animal facility to make drop-off easy.
Checking Availability
Availability comes down to a quick phone call first. We can only look after so many rehoming guinea pigs at once, so whether we have space depends on how many are already waiting for their new homes.
If nothing’s free when you call, we’ll let you know when to try again, whether that’s a week, a fortnight or a month away, depending on how much interest there’s been in our current guinea pigs.
Booking Your Surrender Appointment
Once you have approval to bring your guinea pig in, a $45 surrender fee applies on arrival. We’ll ask you for a name, and the day and rough time you’ll arrive (within a few hours is fine), so we can have a team member ready to walk you through everything and set your guinea pig up in a temporary enclosure.
Weekday Appointments
Our preferred rehoming hours are Monday to Friday, 11am to 4:30pm.
Weekend Appointments
We can also arrange weekend appointments, though please be aware there may be a bit of a wait. Weekend hours are Saturday 11am to 4pm and Sunday 11am to 3pm. We’re then open for an hour after these times, giving your guinea pig time to settle into their new surroundings before it’s time for the lights to go off.
What to Bring With You
Please bring your guinea pig in a cardboard box or carrier. Not sure what to do with your guinea pig’s old enclosure, accessories or food? These are often handy for other animals coming through our rescue, so feel free to bring them along too.
It’s optional, but it really helps both the guinea pig and their new owner if you can bring along a short information sheet, covering things like their name and age, what they like and dislike, and how they get on with kids. If there are any toys or favourite treats they’re attached to, bring those too, as familiar items make settling into a new home much easier.
Settling In With Us
Your guinea pig will spend some time in a holding area with us first, so we can make sure they’re happy and healthy before being rehomed. While here, they’ll be fed a proper diet of Vetafarm Cavy Origins, oaten hay and meadow hay, along with fresh fruit and vegetables, and they’ll also be wormed and treated for mites.
From there, they’ll come out onto the shop floor to get used to being around our team and customers again. Guinea pigs who take a little longer to settle get extra one-on-one attention from us until they’re comfortable.
Guinea Pig Rescue Sydney has a loyal following of people who love giving a rehomed pet a second chance, and there’s never been a guinea pig we couldn’t find a home for.
Interested in Adopting a Guinea Pig?
Come see us at Birdsville, or give us a call to find out what’s currently available for adoption. Before we rehome a guinea pig to you, we’ll want to know they’re heading somewhere set up properly, with a suitably sized enclosure, good food, enrichment toys and any vet care they might need along the way. Haven’t got it all sorted yet? No problem, Birdsville stocks everything a guinea pig owner could need, including discounted enclosures in-store. We’ll also ask to see a few photos of where your new guinea pig will be settling in. Adoption fees run from $25 to $40 per guinea pig.
If things don’t work out after adopting, you’re always welcome to bring your guinea pig back to us. We’ll continue working to find them the best possible home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to surrender a guinea pig?
Our guinea pig surrender fee is $45 per guinea pig, paid when you drop them off in-store. It goes toward the cost of feeding, housing and caring for your guinea pig while we find them a new family, which can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
Is there an adoption fee to take home a rehomed guinea pig?
Yes, adoption fees for our rehomed guinea pigs run from $25 to $40, depending on the guinea pig. This helps cover the cost of their care with us. Call or come into Birdsville to see which guinea pigs are currently available and their individual pricing.
Can I bring in a sick or injured guinea pig for rehoming?
We’re not able to take in guinea pigs that are sick, matted or injured, as Birdsville isn’t a veterinary clinic. If your guinea pig needs medical attention, please get them seen by a vet first. Once they’ve recovered, we’re happy to help find them a loving new home.
Do I need to book an appointment to rehome my guinea pig?
Yes, please call ahead before bringing your guinea pig in. Our small animal facility can only take a limited number of rehoming guinea pigs at a time, so phoning first means we can confirm there’s space and set up an appointment that works for you.
What should I bring when rehoming my guinea pig?
Bring your guinea pig in a secure box or carrier, along with any food or accessories they’re used to, as these are often handy for other animals too. An optional info sheet with their name, age and personality helps their new owner settle them in faster.
Will my guinea pig be treated for parasites before being rehomed?
Yes, every guinea pig that comes through Guinea Pig Rescue Sydney is wormed and treated for mites as part of their time with us. This, along with a proper diet and a period to settle in, helps make sure they’re healthy and ready before being rehomed.
Get in Touch
Got more questions about rehoming your guinea pig? Email us, give us a ring, or drop by for a chat with the team in person. We’re a small, independent operation looking after plenty of animals (and people!) day to day, so emails can take us a little while to get back to, but we always do.
Find us on Facebook and Instagram for updates on our rehoming guinea pigs and stories from the shelter.
We’re at 684 Botany Road, Alexandria NSW 2015, with parking right out the front.
