by Sass Greenwood

Created on: June 20, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

My love affair with the humble cavia porcellus started back in the early 1990's. The novelty of bottle-feeding cutesy baby lambs only to watch them being carted off for Sunday lunch had well and truly worn off, and being a very independent 7 year old, I wanted a pet that I alone was responsible for. My parents duly complied and along came Blacky, which looking back was a moniker only slightly better than 'Fluffy'. Anyway, our first week together was a blurry haze of carrot feeding and over-zealous cuddles, but I noticed she looked a bit lonely. Better get another one. One trip to the pet shop later and Blacky is popcorning round the hutch with Rosie, a sleek-looking Silver Agouti. However, I deduced that something was slightly amiss when Rosie started giving Blacky rather odd-looking hugs, and getting her out the cage I realised two things; one was I was going to have to think of another name, and two, I knew more about genetics than a grown-up in the pet shop.

Fast forward 63 days. Blacky and Rosie (now called Sammy to preserve his masculinity) had 3 baby balls of fluff, which I excitedly found on arrival home from school. Prince was so named as he looked a bit purple in certain lights (how I had picked up on the Prince-Purple Rain connection at this age I don't know), then Roger who looked like the Phil Mitchell of the guinea pig world, and Whitepaw, because, well, he had a white paw. So these were my first little cavy family, which I loved dearly until they all died off. Sammy had the worst luck, as a weasel got into the outbuilding he was kept in, and all I can say is I'm glad it was my Dad who found him...

When I was about 12, we moved to a big farmhouse with an outbuilding that I instantly visualized packed with wheeking piggies and rabbits. First came Mel, a rustic golden coloured Abyssinian, and yes, she was named after a member of the Spice Girls. Her Tortie & White husband Spike wasn't named after anyone, but when they had 2 boys I couldn't resist calling them Lee and Jimmy (If you've never been a 911 fan, never fear, you didn't miss much). Lee was a deep brown, timid little thing, while Jimmy was the spit of his dad and the much more headstrong of the two. They had 2 sisters, Alanis (isn't it ironic) and Ludo, named not after the popular board game, but a friends horse.

When they eventually passed away, I bought a pudgy-nosed chap called Randi, and that's when I started my addiction to Self Creams. Randi did so much more than sit and poop; he helped

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