Valentine first came to me June of last summer. She is one of my only two adopted from a pet store. Just days before I had lost my hamster who was a rescue from my school after the zoology class finished their "maze project" which always leaves dozens of mice and on occasion a rat or hamster in need of a home. My hamster lived a good long life but I felt like i needed another small buddy to accompany me. I began to scroll the internet for local animals for adoption and came across some recently adopted guinea pigs. From that moment forward, I began reading about them, what they eat, how much room, and what to expect. I was quite surprised how different they were from hamsters!
My mom and I decided that we would go to the pet store to see some for ourselves and ask some questions. Big mistake! as a new owner I was confused when she started telling me some conflicting information about what to feed them and how they should be housed. I knew they needed to be in pairs as they are social animals but the girl told me they have high chances of not getting along! Mind you, in the 40 gallon tank there were EIGHT GUINEA PIGS!!! I asked which one had been here longest? She picked up an all white Abyssinian guinea pig with bright red eyes and told me most of the people were afraid of this girl and wouldn't give her a second thought. I immediately knew she was the one and scanned the rest in the tank. Another girl who looked absolutely terrified of what was going on caught my attention. I knew they'd be a perfect pair.
Valentine's name came about a week later when i was thinking of names for them. I debated between that and oatmeal for a few days until I decided she was definitely a more sweet relaxed girl. Now, she lives happily as head of the herd!
