In the grid
We came back from honeymoon to some furry surprises
Staring out at our brand-new garden, I was already plotting away. ‘What are you up to?’ my fiance Mark, then 40, asked. ‘Nothing much,’ I giggled. ‘Just thinking about all the piggies that’ll soon be taking over.’
It was late 2015 and we’d just moved to our new home in Lincoln.
We loved everything about it, but its selling point had been the garden.
It seemed to stretch on forever. The perfect home for guinea pigs.
See, for as long as I could remember, I’d adored them.
Just something about their cute little faces made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
But, as a kid, I’d not been allowed one.
‘When you get your own place, then you can get one,’ my mum Karen, 54, had said.
So when I’d turned 19 and moved into my first home, it was at the top of my list.
Even before I’d bought a TV or a bed frame, I bought not just one, but five guinea pigs.
It was
everything
I’d ever hoped for.
In the years that followed,
I had two sons.
Joshua arrived in July 2010, and Jacob in May 2012.
And it soon became apparent I wasn’t the only one who loved guinea pigs.
Little Joshua and Jacob were mesmerised by them. Could stroke them for hours.
Sadly, though, their dad and I separated in February 2014.
It meant I’d had to give up my guinea pigs, too.
I was devastated.
But because of our changing financial situation, I’d had to rehome them.
Then in March 2014,
I became an item with my friend Mark.
We’d got chatting online, and he was an animal lover, too. It made it so much easier to confess about my guineapig obsession. And, thankfully, he didn’t run a mile.
We started dating,
planning
a future together.
One that incorporated all my piggy plans.
‘You promise we’ll have a big herd one day?’ I’d ask.
‘As many as we can handle,’ Mark would smile.
He even promised to build them a massive hutch to keep them safe.
I couldn’t wait until that day finally came.
So now we’d finally moved into our new digs, I started researching online, looking for female guinea pigs.
I quickly found two up for adoption.
A scruffy ginger one, who we called Pecan, and a black and ginger one we named Truffle.
Next, Squeal, Hazel, Poppy, and Luna followed.
‘Once they’ve settled, we could think about buying more,’ I told Mark.
But six would do for now! Mark and I married in December 2015 – and a month later, set off on our honeymoon.
We’d left the boys with their dad, while a neighbour watched the guinea pigs.
Only, when we returned a week later, our little ladies were all looking a bit porky...
‘Maybe they’ve been pigging out while we’ve been gone,’ Mark joked.
Worried, we whisked them straight to the vet.
On the way there, it began to dawn on me...
‘I bet they’re pregnant,’
I said.
Mark snorted.
‘Don’t be daft. They’re all girls.’ But I couldn’t be so sure any more.
When we arrived, I asked the vet to check for a boy.
And sure enough...
‘It’s this one,’ she said, holding Pecan up high.
A quick scan of the other bellies and my suspicions were confirmed.
They were all pregnant. ‘Someone’s been busy!’ Mark chuckled.
‘You little rascal,’ I laughed, too, tickling Pecan’s head.
Not long after, we welcomed a whole new litter of guineapig pups.
They were adorable – but I knew we couldn’t keep them all.
We took two, and the remaining nine were adopted by other families.
But, even with our newest additions, I still wanted more furry friends.
After a year of breeding, we decided to stop.
There were already so many guinea pigs out there needing homes.
And we had Pecan neutered. Then we began rescuing guinea pigs from all over the place.
Adopting some from other homes. Taking them in from families no longer able to care for them.
Before we knew it, our herd had grown from six, to 20, to over 50.
Mark converted our shed into a guinea-pig sanctuary.
They could run, play, sleep and eat to their hearts’ content. Now we’re at full capacity. It’s a shame we can’t take in any more – I’d love to if we could.
But this lot keep us busy enough. I’m constantly washing the mats and bath towels they use.
Or chopping up £80-a-weekworth of veg.
It’s a full-time job.
But I’d choose relaxing with my guinea pigs than watching TV any day.
And the boys love helping out. Thanks to our fluffy family, our house is happy and stress-free.
Exactly how it should be.
When we returned, our little ladies all looked a bit porky…