It might be a surprising phenomenon but at this time of year, now that the school summer holidays are over, rescue centres across Britain have an increased number of unwanted pets handed in to them.

The pets were bought to entertain children for the six-week holiday period and then abandoned once the school gates re-opened.

Many people choose to purchase pets during the school holidays, when the children are at home and routines are less strict - but as soon as the new term starts it can become apparent that fitting the needs of a pet around hectic routines of back to school and work is not something that was considered seriously enough.

Last year the Dogs Trust reported taking in double the number of calls on September 5, the beginning of the new school term, than they would normally take on an average day - and taking in 220 dogs in one day.

Thankfully we haven’t had any dogs brought to us this year as a result of the ’back-to-school’ phenomenon, but we have had several smaller animals handed over. We never make judgements when an owner brings their unwanted pet to us, and we focus on establishing the facts about the animal’s health, diet and behaviour so that we can provide the best ongoing care for it.

We didn’t have the opportunity to find out anything about two young guinea pigs, Boomer and Pigglesworth, because they were abandoned in a cage on someone’s doorstep last weekend. Luckily they were discovered by the house-holder before they came to any harm, and brought straight to Ard Jerkyll.

Although we don’t know the guinea pigs’ background, we suspect that their previous owner underestimated the care they need. They require a hutch that is at least four feet long and access to a large, secure garden enclosure that is at least six feet in length. Guinea pigs love grass and it is the most natural diet for them, and they will happily graze all day. They also need fresh vegetables because they can’t produce their own vitamin C, a special dry food, and a sleeping area filled with good quality hay (which they will also eat). They need to be cleaned out several times a week and when the weather gets colder they should be brought indoors into a shed, conservatory or fume-free garage. They can live for up to eight years (the oldest recorded guinea pig was a staggering 14 years old) and so they are not the short-term, easy-to-look after pet that some people mistakenly believe.

Lily and Alice, two adorable black and white kittens, are also a big commitment and initially they will need lots of human interaction because they are quite shy. They were brought in as strays from the Ballamodha area and spent some time in our quarantine unit before moving to the main cattery.

They are very much a bonded pair, sleeping curled up against each other, spending hours playing together. Sometimes the grooming turns into a playful romp when one of the kittens decides enough is enough - they really are magical to watch.

We still have lots of kittens looking for new homes and so please complete a home finder questionnaire (available on our website or from Ard Jerkyll) if you are interested in adopting one of them.

Don’t forget it’s our giant car boot sale this Sunday 17th, the first one we’ve held in the Isle of Man Business Park. It starts at 10am in the Canada Life International car park.