“When I was looking for a guinea pig, I knew I wanted an adult, and Marvin was one of the first guinea pigs I saw that was over a year old. Ruff Start Rescue posted Marvin as a two year old intact male that was surrendered from a hoarding situation. He needed a calm home with an experienced owner to help him blossom. As someone who always roots for the underdog and had prior guinea pig ownership experience, I knew he was the one for me. About a week after I brought Marvin home, when I started handling him more frequently, I noticed that there was a lack of testicles. Either he was somehow a neutered male, which was unlikely given his background, or he was actually a she. Then, a few weeks later, the vet confirmed my suspicions: my little boy was actually a little girl. Marvin had been her name for a month already, and it seemed to suit her, so her name stuck. Marvin had a rough start to her life, but she turned into one of the most easy going guinea pigs. Wherever she went, Marvin was a staff favorite for her cuteness and because she was so easy to handle. She allowed pretty much any diagnostics or treatments to be done on her with minimal attitude – until she got home that was. Once back at home she would hide and refuse to look at me again, until I made amends by giving her a treat. Miss Marvin managed to get three corneal ulcers in one year by quite literally playing in her hay. She was a trooper nonetheless, and I never had issues administering her eye drops or eye ointment. I think she knew that if she just let it happen, it’d be over sooner. It took trying multiple different hay holders and changing from Timothy hay to orchard grass hay for Marvin to finally stop getting corneal ulcers. She never gave up the chance to redecorate her cage with hay. I got Marvin when I was really struggling in life. I adopted her just a month after my cousin, Lexi, passed away suddenly, and she was there for that, as well as a lot more over these last five years. Marvin watched as I endured multiple other losses, withdrew from one university and enrolled in a new one, met the love of my life and got married, and welcomed many different animals into our home. Through it all she was my steady sidekick. Every day Marvin was there for me, unwavering in her presence. I do not know what I did to get such a loyal, sweet guinea pig, but Marvin was the best part of my last five years.”
Marvin is remembered by her family and loving companion, Christina.
