Community Corner

Fireball the Guinea Pig is A-OK

The library pet is temporarily living at a page's home.

Families visiting the Fanwood Memorial Library in the past week have arrived to find the downstairs children's department closed off to patrons.

Library Director Dan Weiss said the closure is due to problems caused by flooding and complications in remediating the effects of wet carpet. Weiss said the library is in the process of getting replacement carpet, and the children's department should be open before the end of next week. A combination of library and municipal funds will ultimately pay for the repairs.

For the children who visit the Fanwood library each day, one of the biggest treats is their visit with the resident guinea pig. So during this temporary closure, everyone wants to know: where is Fireball?

Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Fireball is well and thriving," assured Weiss. "He's getting lots of love and attention in the home of one of our library pages."

Born on June 23, 2004, Fireball has been a popular attraction in the children's department for five years now. His father, "Smokey," resided in the library as well, but recently passed away. His mother was returned to her rightful owners a few years back. 

Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Guinea pigs are nothing new to the library. Childrens Library Assistant Annie Mackenzie says that the library has had the animals for at least 12 to 14 years.

Fireball is a big hit with the children, many who come on a daily basis to feed him oranges, grapes, cherries, and other foods high in Vitamin C. Carpeted steps were built leading up to the tank so the kids could safely watch and feed the pet.

While children are eager to get back to visiting their furry friend downstairs, Weiss said rest assured, Fireball is ready to return to them as well.

 "He too, can't wait to get back to the library," he said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here