Two of the hottest attractions at the library for the past three years are our guinea pigs, Ivy and Bean. Ivy and Bean came into the library courtesy of an animal-loving library assistant who wanted nothing more than for the library to have a pet. She did her research and used her persuasive skills to win over the library director. One quick trip to Petsmart and two little guinea pigs became library stars.
After much library staff debate, the girls (because they are girls) were named Ivy and Bean after the titular characters in Annie Barrows’ beloved chapter book series (though my personal favorite choice for their names is still Tater and Lil Spud). Ivy is light brown with some darker speckling and Bean is black with longer hair that sticks up in every direction.
Ivy and Bean loved storytime and could frequently be seen “popcorning” (or jumping straight up in the air in joy) when little kids came to see them. One of the first and most frequent questions we got after we closed down during the pandemic was “What about the guinea pigs!?” They stayed with their favorite library assistant for a while, but came back when employees started coming back to work in the building.
Ivy and Bean love books (mostly Bean, but Ivy is content to listen when stories are read to her), but they hate having their nails clipped. They love fresh veggies and yogurt snacks and can frequently be seen burrowing into their fleece blankets or hanging out in their igloo. They’ve participated in two Stuffed Animal Sleepovers, been present for close to 100 storytimes, and entertained probably around three times as many children and adults. Guinea pigs are great library pets – they’re relatively hypoallergenic, very small, pretty quiet, and very cute.
If Ivy and Bean have stolen your hearts, like they’ve stolen ours, consider supporting them. We accept donations of aspen bedding, fortified guinea pig food, timothy hay, fleece for blankets, chew treats, toys, and monetary support.
If you’d like to learn more about guinea pigs, check out:
Squeak!
100 Fun Facts About Hamsters, Mice, Guinea Pigs, and More
by Rose Davidson
Easy 599.35 DAVIDSON
|