Empty Cages Collective

09/13/2024

COURTESY POST - Westchester NY

07/23/2023

Fluffernutter has been adopted!

From roaming the streets of Brooklyn, to the city shelter where she was brought as a stray, to one of our foster homes, Fluffernutter has had quite the stressful last couple of months. This sweet and mellow girl opened up at her foster home and showed us how badly she wanted to be a part of a family, and she found that today.

Now, she will have an older guinea pig sister, named Twix, and a human family of 4. They lost Twix’s companion a few months ago, and had been looking for a new friend for her. As knowledgeable guinea pig guardians, they understood that guinea pigs are social creatures who need companionship of their own kind, and the girls hit it off! It doesn’t get any better than this.

Have a wonderful life, Fluffernutter! It was an honor to help you on your way.

05/03/2023

Did you hear the news? The sale of guinea pigs in pet stores may soon be a thing of the past in NYC!

The last 3 years have been tough on all of us—for different reasons, and for some more than for others. One common factor shared among shelters and small animal rescues is that in this time we became inundated with pleas for help, after small mammals were purchased during the pandemic, and then were surrendered or abandoned when the world returned to the new normal.

While guinea pigs are often promoted as low-maintenance, “starter pets,” this is far from true. Guinea pigs require specialized care and a great deal of attention. They require a proper diet involving pelleted food formulated for the species, daily fresh greens, and unlimited access to hay and clean water. They require a spacious and enriched indoor enclosure, floor time to exercise and bond with their humans, regular grooming, proper handling, close monitoring for changes in health status, and visits to a veterinarian knowledgeable about the species. Guinea pigs are also highly social animals that need the company of other guinea pigs to thrive. Unfortunately, some people fall prey to impulse buying at pet stores or fail to do their research, and do not realize the kind of commitment that these animals require. Guinea pigs are not props, toys, or “starter pets” to teach children responsibility; they’re sentient beings with physical and psychological needs, who can live up to 8 or more years, and who need responsible and respectful treatment.

Adopting an animal from a rescue group such as Empty Cages Collective greatly reduces the IMPULSE BUY at the pet stores- a huge contributor to animal neglect, misinformation, abuse, and abandonment. Contact us at adopt@emptycagescollective if interested in either fostering or adopting!

On Tuesday, the City Council passed a number of bills.

01/05/2023

10/20/2022

Check out our foster boys Yoongi and Kookie, doing so well, and almost fully recovered.

Found days apart, the boys came from the same flock and were both grounded, unable to fly, weak, and in danger of predators and pedestrians. Kookie also has a leg injury, making it hard to move freely and nest properly.
When rescued, both had pigeon pox's characteristic wart-like lessons on their eyelids, beaks, and head, and while not life-threatening, it is highly contagious to other hits, so they needed to be separated, in a safe and clean foster home, allowed to recover, get strong, and safely pass the 4-6 weeks of the illness, that’s is also the time it takes for warts to scab off, and fall out. Luckily, they had the dry form of pigeon pox, and the lesions were on the outside only. Wet form tends to grow them in the throat, often resulting in suffocation.

Not, 3 weeks in, the warts have mostly dried out and fallen off (Kookie's beak mass has just fallen off today, and you can see the fresh pink on his face), and we get to see their beautiful faces, emerging character, and resilience.

Fingers crossed for a spring release!

09/05/2022

Our newest , baby Mochi is only 2-3 weeks old, and already in distress.

Fallen out of his nest, on a busy sidewalk, baby Mochi had more than passersby to fear.
His throat is filled with cheesy yellowish deposits, characteristic of the most common disease- canker. If unchecked, and treated, the yellow deposits would continue to grow, making feeding impossible, and restricting/cutting off airways.

And while baby Mochi is safe now, his recovery will be tricky, as we will need to scrape out the deposits at least once a day for the next few days, but his very young age and fragile state make it hard.

08/30/2022

Lilo and Stitch are our couple, rescued separately, but bonded during their recovery.

Lilo is a survivor of the Paramyxovirus virus, very contagious to other birds, and often deadly, that required long isolation time, medications, and daily tube feedings. She has the characteristic twisted neck, caused by the virus, and walks backward when stressed.

During her isolation, she was so stressed by her caretaker feeding her and cleaning her cage, that she never groomed herself, or was able to lift her twisted head off the floor. When taken out, months after her intake, and let to interact with other birds, she was bullied, attacked, and withdrew again.

Luckily, Stich came along and immediately designated himself her protector.
He is unreleasable due to a wing injury and is THE bossiest and most alfa male bird we ever had the pleasure to . Just check out that chest pump!

Now, our love Lilo is thriving with her hubs Stitch, living in their own large enclosure, making nests, taking baths, and is never again seen backed up in the corner, with her head twisted in distress.