Meet Nutmeg & Midnight

It’s Saturday afternoon, and after coming back home from spending time with family, Chantal and I are greeted with two beautiful (and tiny) nine week old guinea pigs. These pups were originally Chantal’s birthday present. Some fifteen year olds ask for an iPad, some ask for a PS4, but my sister wanted guinea pigs… I’d say that was quite a lovely birthday wish.

Buzzing with excitement like a child on Christmas Day, Chantal and I got them out of their cages this morning and held them for a while. There’s something so relaxing and stimulating about cuddling a guinea pig, especially a nine week old one! We took it in turns. I held Midnight first and Chantal held Nutmeg first (guess which one is which!).

However, these aren’t our first. Ever since 2007 up until 2016 (Mum, if you’re reading this is that right?) we have always kept guinea pigs. We started off with three chestnut siblings; Rosa, Honey, and Melody. Due to the short life span of a guinea pig, we kept adding to our little guinea pig farm (Lord, we had the room for it in their huge double-storey cage outside!) so after one passed away, we added two more; Mollie and Maisie. And when Maisie died we added two more; Fizz and Jazz. (We had about five cavies running around in the cage at one point I think!)

There came a time when we thought we shouldn’t add anymore to the family, not for a while at least. But when the last lady standing, Mollie, was left, we realised she was too old to have more company. We thought she wouldn’t last the year by herself when Jazz died. How wrong we were… Mollie lived for another year, nearly two before she passed away near Christmas of 2016 (Again, Mum, am I right here?).

And now, after two years of my sister persuading my parents to get guinea pigs again, the Gilmore household now has two little guinea pig pups again. Although I’m only home two days a week, I know I’ll receive a lot of updates on the little “squinnies” as Chantal likes to call them. At least I hope I’ll receive updates! I suppose a good thing about not being home 24/7 as well is I’ll be able to notice how much they grow each week, whereas Mum, Dad and Chantal won’t be able to see it.

I can’t wait for the days of hearing them scuttle in their cage in the kitchen again, or hearing them squeak loudly when you rattle a bag of spinach. How I’ve missed guinea pigs. I never realised how much of an impact living with guinea pigs ever since I was seven had on my life until I had to leave them earlier today to go back to university.

-Emily