Animal rescue groups are asking the public to help find homes for hundreds of guinea pigs found this week at a South Los Angeles home.

Southern California Guinea Pig Rescue says 400 to 500 guinea pigs were at the residence when they visited Thursday night, and that the landlord gave the tenant until Saturday to find homes for them, or risk eviction.

That deadline has been extended, an SCGPR official told City News Service on Saturday, but it wasn’t clear for how long.

“We are currently exploring opportunities to safely transport some of these guinea pigs across the United States to trusted, ethical rescues and sanctuaries,” Valerie Warren, the group’s CEO, told CNS. “These potential partnerships could significantly expand our capacity to save these lives, and we urge the public to stay tuned to our social media pages for the latest updates as this effort develops.

“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from the community, and we want everyone to know that we are actively working on this and exploring every available option.”

The group is also working with Rescue Garden, Wee Companions Small Animal Adoption in San Diego and Vegas Friends of Guinea Pigs Rescue.

During their visit Thursday, SCGPR said the groups found the following:

— Deceased animals on the property

— Widespread medical issues, including ringworm, head tilt, tumors, open wounds and hair loss

— Overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions

— Countless pregnant females and newborn babies

— A diet restricted to cornhusks

— Insufficient water sources, such as a single bottle for 80-100 animals

Despite already operating at full capacity, the combined rescue groups removed 33 guinea pigs, prioritizing the most vulnerable animals, namely heavily pregnant females, nursing mothers, young babies, and those with visible health conditions. These animals are now receiving urgent care.

SCGPR said they were told the animals were left behind by a previous tenant.

“They moved out and left behind an already rather large group from what I understand. And that group continued to breed out of control in the months that preceded,” Warren said. ” … We felt like this residence were genuinely trying to care for these animals to the best of their abilities.”

“Female guinea pigs can be bred immediately after giving birth, and male and female babies need to be separated between the ages of three and four weeks old otherwise they can breed,” Warren added. “It’s a vicious cycle that can quickly get out of hand. When we were on the property Thursday night, we saw the breeding happening right in front of our eyes!”

The rescue groups also said they are disappointed by the response from the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services, which reportedly visited the home and determined that all the animals’ needs were being met.

“Given that our rescue team witnessed firsthand the situation’s severity, LA Animal Services’ statements are deeply troubling and antithetical to animal welfare standards and the rescue mission shared by our organizations,” SCGPR said. “We have been told that Animal Services may return to the property next week and attempt to remove the remaining animals, but Animal Services representatives have also stated that they do not have the resources to accommodate this number of guinea pigs.”

Attempts to reach LAAS officials for comment were not immediately successful Saturday.

The groups are calling on the public to foster or adopt the rescues, and are also accepting donations to support medical care and supplies for the 33 guinea pigs already taken in.

Fellow rescues in other areas are also being asked to assist in intake and placement.

SCGPR can be reached at socalguineapigrescue.org, or by email at socalguineapigrescue@gmail.com. Rescue Garden is at therescuegarden@gmail.com. Wee Companions is at weecompanions.org, or weecompanions@aol.com. Vegas Friends of Guinea Pigs Rescue is at vegasfriendsofgprescue.org, or vegasfriendsofgp@gmail.com.