City Council bans guinea pig sales in NYC

New York City pet shops must stop hawking guinea pigs under a bill passed by the City Council on Tuesday that aims to rein in a local population surge among the cuddly domestic creatures.

While it bans the sale of guinea pigs, the bill does not restrict adoption of the pet rodents from local animal shelters and rescue groups.

Manhattan Councilwoman Diana Ayala, a Democrat who authored the legislation, told the Daily News ahead of Tuesday’s vote that limiting guinea pig parenting to adoption is crucial at the moment.

The reason, she said, is that hundreds of New Yorkers bought guinea pigs during the pandemic as “comfort animals,” only to abandon them once they realized the rodents are rather “high maintenance.” Many of the abandoned guinea pigs ended up in animal shelters, which are overcrowding as a result.

“It is becoming unmanageable,” Ayala said, adding that the situation is being exacerbated by the fact that guinea pigs procreate at a rapid clip.

Making adoption the only legal option would help alleviate burden on the overcrowded animal shelters, said Democratic Queens Councilwoman Lynn Schulman, a top co-sponsor of the bill.

“Guinea pigs should be adopted, not sold,” Schulman said.

Many of the city’s animal shelters are run by the Animal Care Centers of NYC, or ACC.

According to data ACC shared with the Council, the group’s shelters received about 300 guinea pigs per year before the pandemic. But in the 30-month period that ended in December, ACC’s shelters accepted some 900 of them, the data shows.

“People have left them in parks and playgrounds. It’s very sad,” Ayala said.

Her legislation passed in a 42-7 vote.

The seven nay votes came from five of the chamber’s Republicans and moderate Democrats Althea Stevens and Kalman Yeger.

The legislation now heads to Mayor Adams’ desk for a signature. A spokeswoman for Adams did not confirm Tuesday that he will sign it, but pointed to Council testimony delivered on Dec. 14 by Alexandra Silver, his director of animal welfare.

“[The bill] is a common-sense effort to address a concrete problem,” Silver said in that testimony. “While it would ban the sale of guinea pigs in pet shops, it would not prohibit New Yorkers from keeping guinea pigs as pets, and guinea pigs could still be adopted.”

Queens Councilwoman Joann Ariola, a Republican representing Howard Beach, said she voted no because she argued the city’s guinea pig overpopulation problem will stabilize on its own.

“It seems like an overreaction to an increase in guinea pig intakes by shelters during the pandemic,” she said. “This was likely temporary and could be better addressed by an adoption and awareness campaign rather than an outright ban.”