Fifth birthday celebration for Leamington guinea pig sanctuary

A Leamington guinea pig rescue centre has held an open day to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its opening.

PuddleDucks was set up in 2017 by Gemma Jennings (pictured).

Since then the sanctuary, at 13 Southway, has continued to grow with hundreds of surrendered pets passing through its doors each year.

Many find new owners, but many live out the remainder of their days in Gemma’s care.

She said: “I never turn away anyone who needs helps, I get guinea pigs coming to me from miles around.

"People know that if their local sanctuary is full, or has had to close its doors, I will always find a space.”

The event on Saturday (August 13) welcomed prospective pet owners, well-wishers and curious neighbours to meet PuddleDuck’s friendly rodent residents and to hopefully have some of them adopted.

There are usually around 120 guinea pigs at PuddleDucks at any given time.

Gemma estimates that each year they get through over 100 bales of hay, over 1,500 kilos of nuggets, 100 sacks of sawdust and over 1,500 litres of litter.

Cleaning out all the enclosures generates enough waste to fill five green bins per week.

Fortunately, a small team of regular volunteers comes every week to help out with cleaning and feeding, otherwise it would be a full-time job for Gemma.

If you would like to find out more about adopting guinea pigs, or would like to make a donation to Puddleducks, go to its Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/PuddleDucksGuineaPigRescue/