If you are looking to buy and take home a guinea pig in the city, you should scurry to the pet store because guinea pigs will soon no longer be sold across the five boroughs.

"Prohibiting the sale of guinea pigs in pet shops will bring relief to animal shelters. Other rescuers have experienced a surge in abandon and surrender guinea pigs in the past three years,” Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the New York City Council, said.

What You Need To Know

  • On Tuesday, the City Council passed a number of bills and one of them banned the sale of guinea pigs in pet stores in the city.

  • The Animal Care Centers of NYC says shelters have been overwhelmed with surrendered guinea pigs

  • Other bills voted on by the Council require the Department of Buildings to educate building owners about the benefits of installing solar and green roof systems and ticket sellers to disclose full ticket prices for events including fees

  • Another bill will lead to a diaper changing stations being put in all New York City Department of Parks and Recreation bathrooms

On Tuesday, the City Council passed a number of bills and one of them banned the sale of guinea pigs in pet stores in the city.

The bill does not, however, prohibit adoptions of guinea pigs from local animal shelters or rescue groups.

Katy Hansen of the Animal Care Centers of NYC says this is great news for the organization’s shelters, which have been overwhelmed with surrendered guinea pigs.

“Pre-pandemic in 2019, we averaged a little under 400 guinea pigs a year coming in throughout the year. And in 2022, it was 825 guinea pigs coming in,”  Hansen said.

Hansen says nearly 200 have already been surrendered this year. She believes that during the pandemic, people bought the animals as companions, but didn’t realize how much special care they really need.

“They need fresh produce all the time. They need a specialized hay called timothy hay and you cannot bring a guinea pig to your neighborhood [veterinarians]. They need specialized back care,” Hansen said. “Also spaying and neutering a guinea pig is a really delicate procedure that only like three or four can do in New York City.”

Another bill voted on by the City Council on Tuesday requires the Department of Buildings to educate building owners about the benefits of installing solar and green roof systems. A second bill forces ticket sellers to disclose full ticket prices for events, including fees.

And another bill will lead to a diaper changing stations being put in all New York City Department of Parks and Recreation bathrooms

The legislation will now head over to the desk of Mayor Eric Adams, who has 30 days to sign the bills into law or veto them.