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No Small Feat: What it means to have “smalls” in our shelter

Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2024

While it might not be a small feat, we do have um… small feet. Tiny toe beans. Itty bitty paws.

You may have noticed some new additions to both our “adoptions” pages and “we were adopted” weekly posts. Among the whiskers, muzzles, and cute snoots of our dogs, cats, puppies and kittens, you can sometimes find guinea pigs, rabbits, and, occasionally, ferrets available for adoption at the Richmond SPCA.

Taking in smaller animals (or “smalls” in shelter lingo), is a bit of a change in the normal modus operandi of the Richmond SPCA, but our staff and veterinary team are up to the challenge. Shelters across the country have seen an uptick in smalls or “exotics” and there is some suspicion that a “pocket pet” became a popular pandemic trend. The ubiquitous number of small animals for sale in many national pet retailers make them cheap, accessible, and often too-cute-to-resist as an impulse buy on a random shopping outing. Unfortunately, the food, enrichment, and lifestyle needs of these pets can be more complicated than their small size might suggest. As a result, new guardians experience buyers’ remorse when they realize they either cannot meet the needs of the pet or that having a prey animal isn’t conducive to a happy life with traditional pets in the home.

In 2018, California was the first state to pass a law to ban the sale of cats, dogs and rabbits at pet stores. Recently, a number of major American cities have joined in, adding guinea pigs to laws already in place that ban the retail sale of cats, dogs, and rabbits. These recent legislative moves each cite the influx of these small animals into regional shelters as motive behind the actions.

While legislation works to find solutions to the over-saturation and cruel breeding conditions of the retail pet market, shelters become a de-facto solution, working to make accommodations to provide proper care and responsible adoption alternatives. At the Richmond SPCA, associate veterinarian David Molinas is the go-to-guy for sterilizing our tiniest residents. While small animals are a departure from our standard pets, we do ensure that all animals are sterilized prior to being placed in their new adoptive homes.

Staff are also getting involved. At any given time, you might find a bunny or a guinea pig in habitats created inside staff offices. In addition to offering their workspace as housing, staff are learning about their unconventional office mates. What does a guinea pig enjoy as a treat? How can you teach a bunny to use a litterbox? What is the best enrichment activity for ferrets? For many, this work is the first time staff have ever had the opportunity to hold a ferret or cuddle a bunny.

The rewards are tangible. We’ve been able to bring these adorable homeless pets into our care, alleviating shelter space among our transfer partners, AND we’ve been a humane option for families interested in adopting smaller companions. We intend to continue bringing smalls into our shelter and helping them find their perfect matches among our wonderful community of adopters.

Next time you visit our Robins-Starr Humane Center, ask and our adoption counselors might show you the tiny toe beans of a friendly ferret or a cuddly bunny. Maybe your next family member is a real (guinea) pig.


For a deeper dive, check out the article “Small animals come with big obstacles for shelters” by Brianna Grant at the Humane Society of the United States.

Our friends at Gloucester-Matthews Humane Society are a great resource if you are interested in adopting other smalls or exotics, including farm animals. They are definitely the organization I’ll be reaching out to when I’m finally ready to add a turkey to my flock.

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