The therapeutic effects of having a furry friend are well documented; many people made the best of being at home during the Covid lockdowns by welcoming a new cat, dog, rabbit or rodent into their home. This is where I found myself in the autumn of 2020. I was living alone for the first time, having left the hustle and bustle of London for rural Hertfordshire with my two guinea pigs, Pudding and Popcorn.
I met the boys during a visit to This Little Piggy, a guinea pig rescue run by volunteers in Richmond, south-west London. I was introduced to big pigs, little pigs, confident pigs and shy pigs. When I met these two, I realised they were the ones. As they licked my fingers and leaned in for a cuddle, I knew that I had to take them home.
When I had moved into my flat, I had envisioned travelling into London regularly to work and see my friends, but the reality could not have been more different. As Covid cases rose, I became increasingly isolated and ended up spending many months without any human company. Pudding and Popcorn were a lifeline. I installed their cage in my living room and allowed them to roam free for most of the day, only shutting them in again when I went to bed.
They absolutely loved the setup and spent much of their time nibbling on hay underneath the sofa, or sleeping at my feet while we watched television. At dinner time, the boys would chase me over to the fridge, climbing on to my feet while I prepared their evening veggies, squealing at the top of their lungs.
If you are wondering whether guinea pigs can be potty-trained, the answer is: kind of. They still spent a lot of time in their cage and I placed litter trays strategically throughout the room; any other messes were easy to clean up, as I had laminate flooring.
Lockdown was extremely difficult for me. I really struggled with a relapse of depression. They were not a replacement for human contact, but having the guinea pigs around meant that I was never truly alone. I would chatter to them throughout the day and cuddle them when I was feeling low. They even licked my tears as they rolled down my face, although that might have been because of the salt.
I met Pudding and Popcorn when they were two and a half. They died suddenly at five. While no animal can be replaced, I have since acquired two new guinea pigs with different personalities, Toffee and Domino. I just can’t imagine my life without guinea pigs in it.
