My name is Hallie Squibb. I’m 12 years old and in 7th grade at Cherokee. My dad’s name is Steve, mom’s name is Amie, and my sister’s name is Leah. We have lived in Rivercut since July, and my favorite part about living here is watching the squirrels and golfers in the backyard. When I grow up, I want to be a veterinarian because I love animals. It seems super fun because I get to do my favorite thing all day long!

I have two guinea pigs. One is an American Guinea Pig and the other is an English Crested Guinea Pig. They are both males and about 3.5 years old. The tan one is named Peanut and the white one is Cozmo. They joined our family in August three years ago when my parents gave me guinea pigs for having teeth pulled. It made me a little less anxious about getting my teeth pulled!

I almost named Peanut “Teddy” when we got him, but I thought Peanut suited him more because he was kind of shaped like a peanut and looked like one. For Cozmo, I don’t really know how I thought of his name. I just thought that would be a cute name and wanted it to be unique.

They actually can! Some tricks they can do are standing on their back feet and spinning in a circle. Teaching them tricks was actually super easy. I took their favorite treats (which are pea flakes), and I had them follow it with their noses in a circle. Once they completed a circle I gave it to him. This is super easy because they love the treats and they’re very food motivated.

Every time they hear chopping on a cutting board they get super excited thinking it's their daily salad. They start wheeking at the top of their lungs because they are so happy.

The cutest part about them is definitely their soft, fluffy noses. You can easily boop them and when they sniff you, you can feel their little whiskers tickling you. It’s so cute!

I think if Cozmo had a superpower it would be mind control, and Peanut's would be teleportation. My guinea pig's favorite treats are pea flakes which are little dried peas. They love them so much and eat them everyday. Peanut would want to teleport to where we keep his pea flakes!

I have learned so much from taking care of guinea pigs - like how much responsibility it actually is. I’ve also learned that they all have their own personalities and different preferences. For example, Cozmo is very picky and doesn’t like a lot of treats, but Peanut will eat just about anything I put in front of his face. They are unique just like people are.

Guinea pigs usually stay inside, but if they could go somewhere I think they would enjoy the farmers market with all of the fresh fruits and veggies. That or a big garden with lots of veggies. They’d be in heaven!

I’ve started a dog walking business because I love dogs and I want to earn some extra money to get my own dog. In our old neighborhood, I used to pet sit for my neighbors when they went out of town. Text or call my mom Amie at 417-353-8575 for more information.