Super furry animals need new homes after being abandoned

The charity in Wales rescued on average more than one furry animal a day last year.

It says that rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, ferrets, chinchillas, hamsters are often seen as an easy, first pet for children. But such pets can, it says have complex needs.

Across England and Wales last year, the RSPCA rescued thousands of rabbits and other small furries from cases of cruelty, neglect, and abandonment - with 388 in Wales, 142 of them rabbits.

Newport was the area where the most small furry animals were rescued in 2018, with the figure standing at 103. Flintshire (50) and Swansea (30) also saw a high numbers of rescues.

The problem has continued this year and has included six guinea pigs found abandoned in a plastic bag in Barry in South Wales.

Dr Jane Tyson, the RSPCA’s rabbit and rodent welfare expert, explains: “Many people think the RSPCA only rescues and rehomes cats and dogs but this is not the case.

“We see thousands of small furries coming into our care every year and often this is as a result of owners being unable to cope with caring for these animals who they thought would be easy to look after.”

"They can make great pets but they are often very misunderstood. One of the biggest issues we see with small pets such as these is people taking them on with little or no research, often buying them on impulse because their children have asked for them. This can lead to families struggling to cope once they realise the large amount of time, money and care these animals actually need.

“It used to be a common sight to see a lone rabbit in a small hutch at the bottom of the garden or a hamster in a tiny cage in the corner of a child’s bedroom but hopefully these images are consigned to the past and people realise that these complex animals need so much more than that.”

A host of small furry animals available for rehoming via the RSPCA can be found online.