RIP Rocky Guinea Pig

[bunrab]

Rocky passed away during the night, apparently quite peacefully. We knew he was getting old - guinea pigs tend to get thinner when they get really old, even when they are still eating heartily. Which he was, yesterday, and wheeking and being scritched and nipping me when I was checking his teeth and nails. We have no idea how old he was - as with all our pets, he was a rescue, and in his case he was already an adult, and his previous owner had no clear idea of his age, when we got him. He is survived by his son Boots, age 3. Rocky was an abby-ruvian* mix of tortoiseshell colors, very cute looking. He was not the brightest headlight on the highway, but he was a sweet and gentle piggle who enjoyed running around, munching on hay and treats, and wibbling conversationally with Boots.

* for the non-cavy-cognoscenti out there, abysinnian is a breed with rosettes, or cowlicks, all over the body hair, and peruvian is a breed with long hair; the mixture produces an even sillier looking coat than abysinnian alone does.

We'll have to wait till the snow melts to find the appropriate spot for Rocky. His silly nose and floppy ears will be missed.

Comments

[bunrab.livejournal.com]

Oh, marsu is taken then from the same source as the Russian, and the German (and lots of other northern languages), all of which have to do with "little ocean pig" - in Russian it is marskaya svinka and in German, Meerschweinchen. How nice to see a Finnish word that I can actually recognize a cognate for!! Thank you!

[elfbiter.livejournal.com]

It could originate as a shortened form of either one - it would not be that uncommon.