Homestar Runner a.k.a. Homer 2005-2008
Just after I moved to Scotland I begged my husband to let me get some guinea pigs. I wanted to get females, but there was a bad illness going around among UK guinea pigs at the time, and no breeders could afford to sell any of their females, so only males were available. We got two male piggies and Neil wanted to name the black one with the white spot on his head Spike, after the gremlin who was black with a white spot in the movie “Gremlins.” I agreed because I'm a big Buffy fan. I was left to pick a name for the other one: the brindle colored crested with the little white spot in his crest. I named him Homestar Runner.
Within a week we were calling him Homer because it fit his laid-back personality so well. He was not dumb like Homer Simpson. Never make that mistake. He was a clever devious little piggy. When they were little, Spike and Homer were like Pinky and the Brain, and Homer was the Brain. The first week that we had them, Homer peed on both of us several times, but never uttered the tiniest squeak. Meanwhile Spike never stopped squeaking. So for a while we called them Squeaky and Leaky.
Homer grew to a weight of a little over a kilo by the time he was full grown. He was the chubby one in the cage. We called him Homer-Chunk. He was a picky eater and a bit of a princess. He wouldn't eat anything until his royal food taster (Spikey) tried it first. He still never squeaked.
In November of 2007, when Homer was about 2 years old, he started losing weight. We brought him to the vet and they said he wasn't diabetic, and didn't look unhealthy, but they couldn't rule out heart, liver or kidney problems. He drank more water than two normal piggies, so I suspect it may have been kidney problems. But as long as he was healthy and happy we just treated him like all the other piggies and gave him attention and treats and playtime.
He stayed thin, but mostly healthy until last week. He caught a respiratory infection. He was treated with antibiotics, but his already weak system couldn't handle them, and the treatment killed him before the illness could.
I will miss Homer so much. I will always remember how he used to beg for fenugreek treats and tug on my shirt to let me know when he had to pee. He was a friendly and sweet piggy. Everyone who met him loved him. I just wish we could have had more time with him.
I love you and I'll miss you Homer. As I'm writing this, the song playing is "Closing Down" by Poor Old Lu, I think there might be more crying.
Alana
