TWO cute guinea pigs, one due to become the new pet of a six-year-old girl, have disappeared from a Bournemouth rescue centre.

Owner Sarah Collins said she feared the pair of guinea pigs had been taken by someone to keep as pets.

She said one of the duo, an unnamed brown and tan stripey, was meant to be handed over to its new owner today.

The other guinea pig, named Sheep for her fluffy fur, was Sarah’s own pet.

“If it was about money I’m sure they would have all been taken, so I think they must have been taken as pets,” said Sarah, who runs the Guinea Pig Ranch.

“The six-year-old girl had her heart set on the guinea pig she had chosen and now I will have to tell her it’s gone.

“There seems to be quite a few guinea pigs being taken around the country at the moment.”

Sarah, who noticed the pair missing on Thursday, said the animals would only survive up to six weeks if they weren’t fed a proper diet.

They were taken from one of the large hutches on the front lawn of the rescue centre on Ibbertson Road.

Sarah said she was certain the guinea pigs had not escaped themselves.

“They are herding animals, so if one had gone they would have all gone,” she said.

“I checked the hutches straight away and there was no way they could have escaped.”

Anyone with information about the missing guinea pigs can contact 01202 242541 or email sl.collins@hotmail.co.uk.