We first got Hazel along with Muffy back in 2001 when I saw them together in Petco.  They were both in a separate cage from the others because they were up for adoption (free with cage) from the manager of the store.  I fell in love with them instantly, although we originally got them with plans to give them to our relatives.  Needless to say, that never happened because we couldn't see ourselves parting with them after we brought them home.

Hazel was always more independent than the other guinea pigs because she preferred to not be held or handled whereas the others loved the attention.  She was a very quiet guinea pig who was usually overshadowed by Muffy's large personality.  They were quite the pair to look at because of the vast size difference between the two, and this is one of the reasons we decided to put them in separate cages.  Muffy tended to eat much more than her fair share of food, and Hazel either wasn't quick enough or motivated enough to stop her (she was kind of laid back compared to the dominating personalities of our other pigs).  Hazel really began to thrive once we separated the two of them.  They could still see each other through the bars and Hazel really seemed to appreciate that her food would not disappear if she didn't want to eat it all at one time like Muffy did.

Hazel led a pretty healthy life up until September of 2006 when she suddenly stopped eating and drinking.  Her weight dropped quickly and we brought her to two vets, desperate for an answer.  The first vet thought it might be kidney failure and the second (our usual vet) thought it could be related to her heart, when she noticed Hazel had a heart arrhythmia.  Both gave us medicine to ward of an infection in case that was the problem.  We diligently forced the Critical Care into Hazel a few times a day along with her medicine and syringes of water to keep her alive.  After about two weeks of being completely off her regular food, Hazel began to eat and drink again.  Her normal personality showed through and we all were thrilled at her unexplained recovery.  However, the joy was short lived as she went downhill quickly again at the end of October.  We could tell that this time was different and that it would not be long until she left us.  We checked her several times on the 23rd, knowing that it would be soon.  Sadly, one of the times we checked on her we found that she had passed away in her little log cabin.  At least we could rest easy knowing that she went peacefully and had several extra good weeks before it happened.

It is still so amazing to us how different the personalities of guinea pigs can be.  We had five females at the same time, and none of them acted the same.  Hazel liked her independence much more than all of the others, and we respected her wishes to be left alone because she seemed happier that way.  She loved Muffy and would purr if we pet her, but really enjoyed being alone and doing things in her own time, which was kind of cute.  I guess you could say that Hazel was the introvert of the group.  She was so adorable, and even if her personality wasn't as big as others, she was a special little pig and we loved her just as much.

- Liz