Spicy was my first piggie; I got her in October, 2001. I was looking for a pet: I wasn't even considering getting a guinea pig, I had made up my mind on either a rabbit or a hamster. Then I went to Petco to get some supplies, and I saw the piggies. I decided just to hold one, they looked so cute and fluffy. They handed me a tiny handful of brown and white fur, and I was instantly in love. Chuck the rabbity-hamster idea; I was getting a guinea pig. Spicy grew into a beautiful girl and she had quite a unique little personality. When you were trying to pick her up, she would act like the most ferocious piggie that ever lived, chattering her teeth and nipping at anything that moved. But once she was snuggled in your lap, she'd stretch out and turn into a complete softie; if you pet her in just the right spot, she would even give you her low, quiet purr. She died in February 2005 and will be greatly missed.