CWI vs City of Las Vegas

10/15/24

Early in October CWI learned of a pending bill that would have dire consequences for guinea pigs. A city councilwoman and candidate for mayor proposed a bill in response to a guinea pig hoarding situation that took place over the summer. Her bill aimed to limit ownership of guinea pigs to four per household and to limit store sales to four per household per year.

Without knowing anything about the small animals, on its face, you might think the bill is a good thing and wonder why we'd oppose. In working closely with Vegas Friends of Guinea Pig Rescue over the last year in the development of our guinea pig focused microsanctuary, the cruel reality of guinea pig "ownership" has come into focus. Sadly, most people buy guinea pigs as an impulse purchase in a pet store without adequate understanding that they are not a "kids pet" (whatever that is), but an exotic animal requiring specialized and time-consuming care over the course of 5-8 years. After 4-8 months of cleaning cages or facing unexpected vet bills, guinea pigs find themselves abandoned or left at shelters and rescues.

A bill limiting guinea pig ownership to 4 does not take into account the fact that those caring for guinea pigs frequently have more than 4 and that having even 10 or more guinea pigs is not necessarily a sign of poor treatment or hoarding. Guinea pigs are herd animals, and it is common to keep females in groups of three or more. Leaving them solitary, unless the animal is inclined to it, is animal cruelty.

The other half of the bill, limiting sales to four per household per year, is also extremely problematic and would do little to stem the endless tide of unhoused guinea pigs. In response to this proposed bill, CWI, in conjunction with Vegas Friends of Guinea Pig Rescue, sent the following letter to the Las Vegas City Council, the mayor, the city manager and city attorney:

Within three days of submitting our letter, we had meetings with both candidates for Las Vegas mayor. We were gratified that people were making time for guinea pigs with only weeks to go until election time! And we are thrilled to say, we got a great result!

The bill has been tabled in order to do a new business impact statement based on a reduction of the number of animals able to be sold from 4 to 2. While we did request zero, this is a goal we will continue to pursue with whichever candidate assumes the mayoral position. We also had the stipulation on the number of guinea pigs allowed per residence eliminated.

The newly revised bill should go to a vote in another month. We will continue to monitor this situation and keep you posted!

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CWI's guinea pig microsanctuary currently houses 6 male* guinea pigs:

Mochi and Nibs -- elderly guinea pigs at risk in the local shelter due to overcrowding

Tony the Werewolf -- CWI's animal testing campaign ambassador

Dusty -- found in the trash by animal control (along with his brother, who died a week later)

Ozzie -- thrown over a wall during a police raid and nearly mauled by dogs

Coco -- a baby guinea pig found in a Southern California Walmart parking lot

Please sign up to be a monthly donor to help support our six team members! Any amount keeps them in endless hay, food, treats, supplements, and fresh vegetables and ensures proper veterinary care.

*male guinea pigs cannot be kept in herds due to infighting. We presently have 2 sets of pairs and 2 individuals we are hoping to "bond".