Celebrate Small Animals At Raystede This November

Wednesday, 13 November 2024 13:34

By Dominic Kureen @WriteOnDom

On Saturday 30 November, Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare will be holding a day dedicated to small animals and their welfare needs.

From mice, hamsters and guinea pigs to degus, rats, and rabbits, the day will provide an opportunity for both existing pet owners and potential owners to learn more about these fascinating creatures.

In 2023/24, Raystede had 952 requests to surrender small animals into its care.

This figure included 507 rabbits, 277 guinea pigs and 160 other small rodents.

However, over the same period, the charity has experienced a slowdown in adoptions and was only able to rehome 199 small animals meaning there is still a large waiting list of animals waiting to come into the centre.

Gemma Price, Head of Education and Prevention at Raystede said:

“We continue to see a high number of small animals surrendered to Raystede, with many owners citing a change in their personal circumstances or that they don’t have enough time as the main reasons for giving up their pet.

“Pet ownership is a big commitment, and something which should be thoroughly researched and thought through.

"While small animals are often thought of as simple first pets, they require just as much care and attention as cats and dogs do.

“Our Small Animal Day is a great opportunity to find out more about caring for everything from rabbits to rats and gerbils to guinea pigs. For anyone thinking about adding a small animal to their family then this event is for you!”

As well as providing information about the main welfare requirements for the different types of small animals, including housing, food and healthcare, visitors will also be able to learn more about the various small animals currently available for adoption as well as details about how fostering a small animal, particularly rabbits, can really help the animals at Raystede.

Raystede’s Small Animal Day, takes place between 10am-4pm on Saturday 30 November and includes a variety of family friendly activities including:

A trail to follow around Raystede’s site to uncover the clues to discover all the things that make small animals happy.
Match the small animal ‘show homes’ with their perfect small animal resident.
Watch some behind the scenes films of life in our rodent room, guinea pig house and rabbitry.
Stock up on healthy small animal food, treats, and toys in our pet goods shop.
Opportunity to ‘Ask the Experts’ all about adoption, fostering and pet care advice.

Entry to Raystede’s Small Animal Day event is free but tickets must be booked in advance, for more information visit www.raystede.org/smallanimalday