Penny & Wild Smalls of South Florida is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit rabbit and guinea pig rescue and sanctuary.
📍 Miami-Dade, Broward & Palm Beach (est. 2021)
We are currently caring for 50 rabbits and 40 guinea pigs, many of whom are seniors or lifelong sanctuary residents with ongoing medical needs. Our priority is providing every animal with the highest quality of care during their time with us.
We are a 100% foster home based rescue and do not have a shelter facility. Our ability to help with strays, colonies, and larger groups is limited and often depends on Good Samaritans who are willing to temporarily foster the animal(s) until one of our foster home becomes available.
We are happy to assist with corralling and lend enclosures, food, and supplies to fosters.
We offer free weekly Bunny 101 and Guinea Pig 101 classes via Zoom, covering proper housing, diet, veterinary care, behavior, and more. Anyone that is considering fostering, adopting, finds a stray, or simply want to learn more about rabbits or guinea pigs is welcome to join!
Available for Adoption
ADOPTION FEE: $100
All rabbits and guinea pigs are spayed or neutered (unless medically exempt) and receive annual wellness exams before being responsibly adopted into loving, indoor-only forever homes.
TO APPLY:
- Must be 21 years of age or older and provide a driver license or state ID.
- Everyone in the household (spouses, parents, roommates, etc.) must agree to and participate in the adoption steps.
- Renters must provide written approval from their landlord and/or building to have rabbits.
1. INDOORS ONLY: Domestic rabbits and guinea pigs should be housed and kept indoors at all times. Taking prey animals outdoors is not only stressful for them but exposes them to many dangers, such as: predators, parasites (fleas, ticks, mites, lice, fly strike, bot flies, etc.), heatstroke, ingesting pesticides or a toxic plant, escaping, and RHDV II for rabbits.
- NO: patios, porches, backyards, or walks/outdoor playtime.
2. CENTRAL: The enclosure should be in an adults bedroom, office, dedicated rabbit /guinea pig room, or a central, high-traffic area like the living room.
- NO: children’s bedrooms unless 13 or older, laundry room, kitchen, bathroom, garages, patios, etc.
3. FREE ROAM TIME: rabbits and guinea pigs cannot stay in the enclosure all of the time and will need 3-4 hours of daily supervised free-roam time to explore and exercise in an indoor “rabbit/guinea-pig proofed” room.
4. PREDATORY PETS: there should always be at-least 2 barriers (such as a closed door and sturdy enclosure) between prey and predatory pets when not supervised.
MINIMUM LIVING SPACE for 🐰
4ft x 4ft, 16sq ft 1 dwarf sized rabbit (2-4lb)
4ft x 6ft, 24sq ft 1 medium sized rabbit (5-9lb) or a pair of dwarfs
6ft x 6ft, 36sq ft 1 large breed rabbit (10-14lb) or a pair of medium sized rabbits
FREE ROAM giant breed rabbits (15lb+)
TO SURVIVE a single dwarf rabbit needs a minimum 4ft x 4ft, 16sq ft horizontal living space. This is appropriate for short-term fosters and a starting point for introducing free-roaming.
TO THRIVE a minimum 4ft x 6ft, 24sq ft horizontal living space is recommended for adopters and longer-term, sanctuary fosters.
The enclosure is their “home-base” for when you cannot supervise them. For each additional rabbit (or 4lb of body weight), add 8-12sq ft to their living space.
MINIMUM LIVING SPACE for 🐹
2ft x 4ft, 8sq ft female/female pair
3ft x 4ft, 12sq ft male/male or a male/female pair
4ft x 4ft, 16sq ft trio
TO SURVIVE a female/female pair will need a minimum 2ft x 4ft (8sq ft) living space when enclosed. Male guinea pigs are more territorial so a male/female or male/male pair will need a minimum 2ft x 5ft or 3ft x 4ft (10-12sq ft) enclosure. This is appropriate for short-term fosters.
TO THRIVE a minimum 3ft x 4ft or 4ft x 4ft (12-16sq ft) enclosure is recommended for adopters or longer-term, sanctuary fosters.
For each additional guinea pig plan to add 4sq ft of living space to maintain harmony and prevent fights and bullying due to resource guarding.
Cages and hutches DO NOT provide enough room for exercise and overall well-being and are not appropriate even “just overnight”.
Not providing enough space can cause stress, frustration and depression leading to pacing back and forth, digging, loud cage chewing (which can damage their teeth), and cage aggression (growling, lunging and biting at hands that reach into their space or during cleaning). Health issues such as obesity, heart disease, muscle atrophy, skeletal changes, and infections such as bumble foot in guinea pigs are more common.
