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Guinea pigs can be delightful and lovable pets. The decision to bring one into your home must be made carefully, as the average lifespan of a guinea pig is six to eight years, but they may live as long as 10 years. Your guinea pig will depend on you for food, water, an enriched environment, veterinary care and companionship.

Rodeos are a form of entertainment in which horses and cattle are used in competitive events. These events include bronc riding, bull or steer riding, steer wrestling, and rope and tie. SPCA advocates for an end to the use of animals in rodeo in New Zealand because these events cause unnecessary distress and can result in significant injuries to the animals involved.

The 3Rs are ethical principles used to advance the welfare of animals used in research, testing, and teaching.

Rats are intelligent, inquisitive and sociable animals! They grow on average about 20-25cm and their life span is about 2-2.5 years.

In New Zealand, animals are used for research, testing, and teaching (RTT) for a variety of reasons. Animals may be used in experiments to find new health treatments for humans or other animals, to better understand wildlife behaviour such as migration routes, to test the safety of a new drug, or to facilitate learning outcomes for students.

SPCA supports a ‘One Welfare’ approach which recognises the interconnectedness of animal welfare, human wellbeing, and the environment.

​SPCA supports the use of appropriate companion animals in human assistance programmes provided they are trained using reward-based methods and assessed as suitable for participation in the programme and that their physical, health, and behavioural needs are met for the whole of their life.

SPCA advocates for the use of the ‘Five Domains’ model of animal welfare in science and legislation in preference to the ‘Five Freedoms’.

SPCA advocates that rabbits must only be kept as companions when a person has the knowledge, ability, and means to provide them with a Good Life where they experience positive welfare and their physical, health, and behavioural needs are met.

​SPCA advocates for the term ‘physical, health and behavioural needs’ in the Animal Welfare Act 1999 to be redefined. SPCA advocates for animal welfare standards to be clear and enforceable.