This is Katelyn and her beloved guinea pig, JJ, enjoying one of the final warm days of the year just last week. Sadly a couple days later we came home from soccer to find that JJ had passed away while we were gone. We knew that he was coming to the end of his life because he was 6 1/2 and had lost a lot of weight. He just looked different and felt different the last couple months. He was still happy though and squeaked for fruits and vegis any time we were in the kitchen. But, even though we knew he was seeing his final days it was still very, very sad to find that he had passed away.
Maggie found him. As soon as we pulled in the driveway Maggie asked if she could bring JJ out because it was so warm and beautiful and I said yes. We were going to walk down to a neighbors house with JJ and let the little guy eat as much grass as he wanted! Sadly that didn't happen. We buried JJ in the back yard woods and had a little memorial for him.
Almost right away Chris asked the kids if they wanted to go get a new guinea pig and they all wanted to. I'm not sure if that's the best way to deal with the loss of a pet but that's what we did. A couple of Katelyn's best friends came along. We went to an early dinner and then to the pet store to adopt a new guinea pig.
We were all happy to find this little fellow. He's just a baby, probably no more then a month old! He settled right in when I held him at the pet store which was very important to me. JJ was just the best guinea pig, so well socialized with kids, and we want our new pet to be the same.
He is skittish for sure. But, he is already settling in nicely! He's starting to eat treats out of our hands some and doesn't run away when we put our hands in his cage. Just like any baby he loves to be closely snuggled and seeks small cozy places for comfort!
The kids absolutely adore Gizmo! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that his name is Gizmo. I do have to remind them that he is just a baby and they have to go really slow and gentle with him. They were so used to being able to pretty much do anything with JJ. Not that they were rough with him or anything but he was such a laid back guinea pig and so used to kids that he pretty much just hung out when they would play with him.
Whereas Gizmo bolted under the couch when Connor set him on the floor this afternoon! Fortunately he didn't get hurt and I was easily able to get him out.
So, RIP our dear JJ, you will be missed!
And welcome to the crazy house we call home Gizmo!
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