Chatsworth house winds up with 1,000 guinea pigs after taking in survivors

Even from the road outside Saskia Chiesa’s ranch style, in Chatsworth, you can hear high pitch squeals and squeaks of excitement.

The two-acre estate is home to 13 horses, a goose, a tom turkey named Canela (“cinnamon” in Spanish), and a couple hundred guinea pigs.

Exactly how many guinea pigs Chiesa has now, and how many she was hoping to host, is an unresolved question.

Chiesa runs the Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue. Until three months ago, she housed and cared for a maximum of 125 guinea pigs.

But in October, Chiesa was called on to rescue guinea pigs from a home in Eureka, where more than 700 of the creatures — which can grow as big as 2.5 pounds — were wandering in plastic kiddie pools, the kitchen and a living room.

As one of the few guinea pig-centric rescues in the region, Chiesa volunteered to transport the survivors back to her place. She didn’t get them all. Some went to rescues in Arizona and San Diego. But when the Eureka crew got to Chatsworth, her guinea pig population instantly ballooned to about 450.

That number, too, was in flux. Many of Chiesa’s new guinea pigs were females and pregnant. Soon, she had a guinea pig population boom on her hands.

“They were having babies every single day,” she said.

At one point, Chiesa estimates she that her Chatsworth rescue was home to nearly 1,000 guinea pigs.

“We definitely broke the record last year.”

Chiesa also rescues thoroughbred horses that are unable to race, rehabilitating them for adoption. But to make room for the rodent influx she had to clear out four stalls, though many of the skittish creatures now roam a large enclosure where they spend their non-sleep time hiding in colorful plastic huts and crawling through tubes.

“We had to kick three of the horses out,” Chiesa said. “(That) put a strain on our thoroughbred rescue.”

To accommodate the new arrivals, Chiesa had to hire a full-time and part time staffer and buy a second industrial refrigerator. When she adds in the extra costs of food and vet bills, she estimates the guinea pig boom is going to run her about $50,000. (Adoption rates are $35 for a single guinea pig; $50 for two.)

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Chiesa’s Chatsworth rescue is one of three in the state that is focused on caring for abandoned and neglected guinea pigs. The others are in Orange County and another in San Diego. In addition to founding the Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue, Chiesa is chief executive of a global logistics company with a warehouse in Van Nuys.

Her passion for guinea pigs started when she was a young woman in Holland.

“I was never allowed pets,” she said. “At 18, I saw a guinea pig in a pet store. I picked it up and it was instant love.”

From there, wherever Chiesa lived – Holland, London, California – she had guinea pigs. In 1999, Chiesa started the Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue in Santa Monica. In 2011, she moved to Chatsworth and expanded the effort.

“What I… love about them is they’re so funny.”

Some guinea pigs, like Valerie and Suzanne, are playful and vocal ambassadors. They greet visitors, even from Chiesa’s garage. Others stand up to beg for food or track visitors’ every step. Most will trot off if given a piece of lettuce.

It was a chance encounter that led Chiesa to her life as a animal advocate. While sitting on the train in London’s underground she saw a silky long haired guinea pig being ushered around by a man who she would later come to call “the guinea pig guru.” He claimed to own more than 100 guinea pigs.

When she started a rescue of her own, she called the guru for guidance. Today, the role is reversed, and would-be rescuers call her with questions about guinea pig care and feeding.

She sees her advocacy as more than mere happenstance.

“There are no coincidences,” Chiesa said. “What are the chances?”