Originally setup by Amy after her noticing how many guinea pigs were being given away for free on Facebook and animal rehoming sites, the rescue started in a small shed and has now grown at a rapid rate. They have rescued 250 animals in the last year.
They are now fundraising for a new shed and Amy has joined forces with Maria to enable the rescue to help even more guinea pigs.
Amy said: “It was so alarming to me as I had heard of people taking free guinea pigs as snake food! I went and collected one, then another one and then five more and before I knew it, I had created my Facebook page and filled the back room of the house with guinea pigs!
“I paired up two sows named Izzy and Muffin (who I’d picked up as single females) and they adored each other. I kept them for a little while I was rescuing others and finding them new homes. It all kind of snowballed from there really.”
Amy and Maria are involved in all aspects of the rescue, coming up with new ideas and talking about the health and welfare of the guinea pigs. They are supported by a team of guinea pig foster carers.
“Currently most of the rescues we have are living in my conservatory while we try and raise funds for a new shed which we desperately need,” Amy added.
“If the piggies are poorly they will come to either myself or Maria. We have had a huge influx after Christmas and we can’t physically take any more in until we can raise funds for a new shed. It’s heartbreaking turning them away as I’m getting hundreds of messages asking for me to take their pets.
“We mainly have males that are needing homes and any single males that come to us all get neutered and find a home with females so they don’t live a life alone.”
Amy and Maria are also passionate about raising awareness about guinea pig care requirements and the cost of vet treatments, which is the reason many guinea pigs arrive with them.
Among their happy-ever-after stories including Violet and Rocky, who both had to have their eyes removed due to lack of veterinary care but are now thriving.
If you would like to contribute towards the cost of the new shed, so they can move out of the conservatory before it gets too hot in there, please check out their GoFundMe page: gofund.me/8e9b1df7. You can also find ‘Mansfield Guinea Pig Rescue’ on Facebook.