Rest in Peace, Butch

I adopted Sundance and Butch together as a bonded pair in November of 2024. They are named after the cowboys Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (as played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the eponymous movie)

Butch came with some health problems; he had a head tilt and was blind in one eye.

Unfortunately, about a month after I adopted them, Butch fell ill with something called gastric volvulus (you may have heard of bloat in large dogs - this is the same. Butch's stomach had flipped over.)

He spent several days at the vet with the hope that the volvulus would spontaneously resolve, but ultimately there was nothing that could be done and I made the decision to have him euthanized.

Though I only knew Butch for a short time, I loved him deeply, just as I love my current pigs. I feel lucky to have had him in my life and I miss him to this day. Thank you Butch for the time we had together.

My Guinea Pigs!

Sundance and Fiji

^Sunny on his Bridge^

This is Sundance, also known as Sunny. He is an adult male Abyssinian guinea pig (age unknown) with dark eyes, gray/agouti fur with some patches of red/orange on his nose and butt. Originally he was very shy and skittish but he has now come out of his shell! He is a feisty pig who likes "rearranging his furniture" aka disrespecting his environment. If Fiji is sugar, Sunny is spice! Sunny is slightly more talkative out of the two, and makes little chatty peeps when he is hungry.

^Sunny in the haypile, suspicious of camera^

^Fiji in the haypile, suspicious of camera^

^Fiji in his tunnel^

This is Fiji, sometimes called "Feej". He is an adult male Abyssinian guinea pig (age unknown) with pink eyes, white/cream/lilac fur with some patches of light orange in a "mane." As I said earlier, Fiji is sugar and Sunny is spice. Fiji is less feisty than Sunny; he seems to like being held and petted more, and where Sunny will give you the occasional love nibble, Fiji is obsessed with giving kisses. At treat time, Fiji stands on his hind legs and bites the cage bars, as sometimes his wheeking is a little hoarse.

The Abyssinian Breed

I have owned four guinea pigs in my lifetime. All the guinea pigs I've ever owned have been Abyssinians (or Abbys).

Here is Moses, my childhood guinea pig (a pink-eyed, red, Abyssinian). He is a young pig in this picture; his rosettes became more defined later in life. Moses lived to be 9 years old!

Sometimes guinea pigs are professionally bred to a show breed standard, but most guinea pigs you will encounter are not. In fact, unlike dogs, you can have guinea pigs of different breeds born to the same litter, since "breed" is often just a description of appearance and less about pedigree.

Show-quality Abyssinians have eight to ten perfectly placed and symmetrical rosettes (whorls of fur) with pinpoint centers. The breed standard is very strict about the placement and definition of the rosettes. In my opinion, the Abyssinian standard is the most extensive breed standard of all guinea pig breeds.

Pet store or rescue Abyssinians are rarely bred to this standard. You'll know you have an Abby or an Abby mix if your pig has whorls or ridges in their fur. If they look like they have bedhead constantly, that's likely an Abby.

Abbys are known to be feisty! Owners sometimes call this Abby-tude! Since I have only ever owned Abbys, I don't know anything different. My pigs have definitely always been chatty and not shy about telling me that they're done cuddling and ready to explore (Sunny in particular has a tendency to nibble). I love how much personality they can fit in their tiny bodies, and their hairstyles are just irresistible to me. I definitely have bias towards the breed and would love to get more in the future!