Rodent Spotlight: Guinea Pig

Here we have one of the more popular and well-known pets of rodentia. The guinea pig is a very fun creature, and I should know. My sister used to keep one when I was very young. These tubby little critters are quite friendly and easy to get along with. It is no wonder so many people enjoy keeping them as pets and giving them silly names.

Guinea pigs are very cute. Like their namesake, they are quite fat. They have a comical look on their faces which is very endearing. Also, they can have a variety of hair styles; although, perhaps I should say fur styles. But you have to admit that that sometimes it really does look like hair. You can imagine how the girls love to groom and brush these cuties. Sometimes they even get decorated with little bows and flowers. Aww!

But what about guinea pigs in fiction?! You likely imagine that they are quite cute and dressed up in the stories we create. The answer to this is a clear and resounding... not really. Turns out the only guinea pig story in fiction that I could find was a Disney movie called "G-Force." Quite literally, this was a movie about commando guinea pig secret agents who had been specially trained by a government funded program. They also had really cool technology and even these awesome rapid transport rodent balls they could drive down the street.

Even still, there was a scene where a human girl was playing dress up with one of the agents. It was insanely cute but somewhat bordering on disturbing as well. The secret agent stuff was a lot cooler, and even the plot was not really that bad. Okay, so it was a silly movie, but its one of the very few things these piggies have to brag about.

Personally, I just do not think I would go the secret agent route. That seems more suited for mice, rats, or gerbils. In reality, guinea pigs are really not that athletic. I see them more as merchants. I love the idea of a tubby merchant who travels about selling his wares. They would spend a lot of time in the tavern as well fattening themselves up with the money they make. Still, I am glad to see they have been immortalized in fiction. Not every rodent out there has had that pleasure.

Thank you for reading this blog. If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Ho ho!