(Picture: Cid Dwyer / SWNS)
This man didn’t expect to end up with 80 guinea pigs living in his back garden.
In February 2022, Cid Dwyer moved into a new house in Sydney, Australia and found that the previous tenant had left 10 guinea pigs behind.
‘I just thought “they are cute, I’ll let them hang around,”‘ the 25-year-old said.
But, within a few weeks, the guinea pigs had multiplied.
The males were impregnating the females, and Cid couldn’t keep them apart.
The herd grew to 80 in just under a year before he was finally able to stop them from mating.
They now all live in his back garden and Cid spends his days caring for and hanging out with his furry friends.
Cid, a content creator, can recognise all of them by their themed names.
He added: ‘I named one Claudia after Claudia Winkleman because she has long hair that covers over her face – like bangs.
‘One is Curious George because he’s always so inquisitive.’
He has his favourites, too.
‘Cookie Dough, who has chocolate chip patterned fur, is one of my favourites,’ he added.
Cid was shocked when he first noticed four baby guinea pigs had been born – and the group of 10 had grown to 14.
It was cute at first, he said, until more of the females started to give birth.
He added: ‘The males were intent on making them all pregnant.
‘I put a fence up, but a male still managed to get in.
‘Now I’ve built a new enclosure for the females so it’s under control.’
The herd have lots of space to run around outside, with guinea pig-friendly plants and wood.
They even have little covered sections of their enclosure to protect them from the rain.
Cid starts his days by putting out four trays of home-grown barley grass, dry food and sometimes a carrot or watermelon as a little sweet treat.
He also cleans their bedding every day before spending time ‘hanging out.’
‘They have a lovely life,’ Cid said.
‘They are very spoilt.’
However, giving them this lifestyle doesn’t come cheap.
Cid spends £115 a week on food for the pets and has to treat them for lice and fleas every three months – costing £600.
In total, this adds up to almost £8,000 per year.
Cid’s yearly spend on the guinea pigs:
Food: £5,520
Flea Treatment: £2,400
Total: £7,920
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