Rescue Guinea Pigs Showcased at Bemis ‘Pignic’

Guinea pigs. Guinea-pig toys, accessories and books. Guinea-pig Olympics, complete with parsley-eating competition and races. Guinea pigs socializing with other guinea pigs. And dozens of adoptable guinea pigs looking for a good home.

This was the scene at the Critter Corral’s annual spring “Pignic,” a mini-festival of all things Cavia porcellus, this year hosted in the Bemis Woods grove just north of Western Springs, with a focus on placing rescue guinea pigs with new, loving homes.

And plenty of guinea pigs badly need such homes, said event organizer Rose Zamarocy. “There’s just as many small animals left at shelters as there are dogs and cats, if not more,” Zamarocy said. “The number of guinea pigs dumped in shelters is horrendous.”

Since 1999, Zamarocy’s Critter Corral has been working to rectify that by taking in and placing over 3,000 of the animals throughout the Chicagoland region and the Midwest. They operate through sites like Petfinder and Adopt a Pet, and also place the guinea pigs (or “cavies”) in local stores.

Sebastian Cox, 14, and mom Kimberly, of Western Springs, attended the Pignic with their four guinea pigs: Disco, Tiger, Brussels and Sprout, the latter two of whom are rescue cavies with special needs. The furry quartet frolicked in a kiddie swimming pool filled with cardboard shavings.

“They’re so small and cute,” Sebastian said. “They’re really fun to play with, to see how they act around each other and other toys… They’re really great pets for little kids.”

Other guinea pigs roamed in or outside cages and nibbled on the forest preserve grass—acceptable, since it is not treated with any chemicals—as their owners ate lunch and fraternized over various guinea-pig trivia and lore; many are good friends outside of such festivals.

“Everybody really loves their guinea pigs, so it’s nice to talk to someone else who understands how much you are into the guinea pigs,” said Diane Swiss of Glen Ellyn, who along with husband Mark owns six guinea pigs and arrived to consider adopting a seventh. “It’s a nice way to meet kindred spirits.”

Tables were laden with toys for guinea pigs, artwork of guinea pigs and innumerable guinea-pig accessories. Several open-grass pens housed animals for whom Critter Corral is actively seeking homes.

At one point, owners brought their guinea pigs in for a huddled parsley-eating contest—speediest eater wins—and later, the cavies ran races (when they could be coaxed to do so) for glory and bonus veggies. (Brownie, raced by Chicago’s Stone Harris, won the females’ races; Cappuccino, from Addison resident Gabriel Albarino, won the male heats.)

Many attendees were vocal about the advantages of adopting a guinea pig, citing the animals’ intelligence, relatively long lifespan, sociability, low maintenance and docile nature—plus the fact that it’s badly needed for animals who may have been bred or purchased with insufficient forethought.

“I think they’re the perfect little animal, the perfect little size,” said festival attendee Maggie Arelt. “I just love them, love holding them. I let them run around my bedroom.

“They’re so cute—I don’t know what it is, but I just have a special place in my heart for them.”