The Guy and his Guinea

So Wyatt desperately wanted a turtle for his 6th birthday.  We talked about it for months, even received "turtle money" in the form of Petsmart gift cards.

We picked him up from school, took him straight to the pet store and started looking at the turtles and tortoises.  Sea turtles, it turns out, do not like to leave their tank, need to be handled with extreme care and pose a risk for salmonella.  A big no.  

A tortoise seemed like a better fit.  They're land animals and made of heartier stock, plus you can feed them veggies and stuff.  A tortoise it is.

So then the clerk proceeds to make us a list of the items we will need to keep "Luke Skywalker" the tortoise alive.  It's double sided.  The lists includes, among other things, a 40 gallon tank, three different kinds of lights, three thermometers, vitamin c tablets and a water de-chlorinating system.  Total cost to take home tortoise.  Over $400.  

And did I mention how long a tortoise lives? More than 50 years!  We look at Wyatt and ask, "Do you know how old you will be when this tortoise dies?"  

"Old enough to be a Grandpa?" he says. Yep.  

It is at this point we begin the desperate search for a viable alternative.  A fish? Too boring. A lizard? Too creepy? A hamster? They bite.

And then we find her.  The tiny, social, non biting, non disease spreading $34 dollar rodent.  Sold.

Meet Princess Leah the Guinea Pig.  A week later I'm still convinced we made the right choice!