The United Kingdom rat population is ballooning because first-time owners who acquired them during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed them to overbreed, according to a leading animal charity.
The RSPCA has been left attempting to care for hundreds of abandoned rats, mice, rabbits and guinea pigs handed to the animal charity after the end of the pandemic, reports the Telegraph.
The number of rats and mice left at shelters over the past two years had skyrocketed by 193 per cent and 191 per cent respectively, the animal charity said.
And there had been a 37 per cent spike in the number of guinea pigs taken to its branches this year. Up to August, the charity took in 237 guinea pigs, nearly as many for the whole of last year.
The influx of the small animals is now stretching its staff to breaking point.
RSPCA animal welfare expert Jane Tyson said ownership of rats, mice and guinea pigs jumped in the UK during the pandemic.
Many families believed they would provide suitable starter pets for children during COVID-19 lockdowns.
"But like other small animals, they actually have complex needs and they are not easy or cheap to care for well," she said.
Owners often fail to correctly desex small animals, Tyson said.
"So a pair can quickly spiral into double figures and beyond."
The UK rat population is estimated to be about 150 million - more than twice the number of humans - according to professional pest controllers.
