Humans of The Sloop: Our Guinea Pig

Welcome to Humans of The Sloop!

Humans of Sloop is a spin on the ever-popular Humans of New York blog that features community members and their stories. Our goal is to share Sloopers’ stories, bring joy to people and connect our neighborhood in unique ways. The South Loop is an incredible neighborhood and we have many gems within it - businesses and humans alike. Check back often for new stories of our residents! 

Do you or someone you know want to be featured in an upcoming story? Please email us at sloopin@gmail.com to communicate your interest.

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Are you guinea pig obsessed? Yeah, I wasn’t either. But, then I talked to one of our Sloopin’ friends, Jen, and I think I’m going to reconsider. Jen is our first ‘guinea pig’ (GP) for our Humans of the Sloop feature stories. Turns out, she cares for 4 GPs of her own - fitting. 

It sounds a little strange at first. Guinea Pigs. Obsession. Really? These tiny little creatures? I guess they’re cute. But, FOUR? Four GPs? I need to know how this happened. Jen, who has called the Sloop home for 19 years, lights up as she starts the story. 

I couldn’t help but notice some tiny marks on Jen’s shoulder that she quickly tells me are bite marks. Like a proud mama, she tells me that gps are sweet, smart, and very communicative. When they are done playing and ready to go back into their cage, they start to nip. Plus, they have tiny bladders and need to go to the bathroom every 15 mins or so. Wow. That’s distracting. Nelly - named after Nelly Furtado - is the original “Hello South Loop Front Lawn Special” that began as a Facebook post and became a neighborhood rescue mission, Jen laughs while telling me.

Wait a minute here, Jen - Nelly was a GP rescue? This story is getting even better! Yes, Nelly wouldn’t have made it without the neighbor who found her and posted on Hello South Loop! and the help of some Sloopers that intervened. Jen goes on to tell the wild story that ended with she and her family welcoming a new roommate home in May 2024. Wrapped in a small hand towel! Ok, I’m starting to see how obsession happens.

 
Jen had hamsters growing up, so she thought she’d just raise Nelly like a big hamster and feed her pellets. After intense research on gp forums (yes, they exist!), Jen learned that 80% of the diet for a gp should consist of hay. Oops. Ok, Nelly - we’re upgrading your meal plan! Not only does Nelly get hay, but she also eats fresh mini salads presented by Jen each morning. Now, this is the life! Remember how Jen said that GPs are communicative? Yeah - well, Nelly went from scared and timid to happy and energetic when her meals went from McDonald’s to gourmet!

She also ‘wheeks’ (cute squeaking noise) with her other GP roomies when salad breakfasts with lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, parsley and cilantro are presented each day. The gourmet salads are the highlight of the gps’ day AND Jen’s! The anticipation and squeals are just too much.

So, tell me more about these roomies….. GPs are herd animals and thrive with at least one other GP friend. It’s difficult to find a GP single, so Jen adopted a pair that were already bonded. Nelly, meet Coco and Mila! Hm, apparently that didn’t go so well. Nelly must not have wanted anything to interfere with her gourmet lifestyle and attacked. Now, Coco and Mila live in a separate cage in the “GP duplex” Jen has built.

 
After the roomie drama, Jen adopted Lucy to pair with Nelly. Once Lucy arrived and the two bonded, Jen started to hear GP-specific noises that Nelly had not used prior. I don’t speak ‘Guinea’, but I think this means Nelly’s happy with her new friend!

 
Now, if you’re as in love with these cuties as we are, you should know it all comes full circle in the Sloop! We’ve been sloopin’ around and noticed that “One Tail at a Time”, which is where Jen adopted Mila, Coco and Lucy, is moving into the neighborhood (inside Petsmart 1101 S. Canal)! We’ll be welcoming a lot more GPs and other animals.

As Jen and I close out, she nervously gushes about her big dream of owning her very own GP rescue. I’d say she’s well on her way. Thank you, Jen, for being featured as our first Humans of Sloop guinea pig!

Sloopin’ Love: Jen’s favorite South Loop hotspots are Tapas Valencia (1530 S. State) and Spoke ‘n’ Bird (205 E. 18th)! Say hello if you see Jen or any of our salad-eating friends around!