You won't believe the adorable TikTok sensation coming from a 'tiny town' in Tasmania
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It all started with Steve Ransley and his wife struggling to maintain their quarter-acre orchard outside Hobart.
'I needed some lawnmowers,' Steve said.
The father-of-seven had a cosy little bed of grass at his orchard and decided to get some guinea pigs to mow the grass for him.
'This orchard is about a quarter of an acre big and set out with fruit trees,' he added.
'I got a couple of guinea pigs just to use as lawnmowers.'
Now, the extensive property outside Hobart is known as GuineaVale — where nearly 40 guinea pigs live in a tiny town that has captured the public's attention.
The cuddly community is totally enclosed, and its compound has a model water reservoir and white picket fence.
Aside from the little houses with names plastered on their doors, their tiny town has other features, such as playpens and tiny lounge chairs, a clothesline, and even a barbecue area with rubbish and recycling bins.
Steve shared: 'I actually fell in love with the guinea pigs myself.'
'So every Christmas, every birthday, every father's day, what did I get? I got guinea pigs as presents.'
He fondly recalled one memory that was made as a result of his passion to look after the furry animals.
'One of those memories they would have later in life as something quirky, something different like we all have about our parents or grandparents,' he remarked.
The tiny village is not just a hobby, but it's also his full-time job.
Mr Ransley said that cleaning around the village and changing the guinea pigs' bed sheets take up to two hours each day.
And forget about using an ordinary broom, he also has to use a high-pressure hose to clean the whole area. Aside from the cleaning, the construction of the two houses reportedly took him a month each.
'Everything in the houses is hand-painted and made. The windows are all made,' he explained.
'They're quite well insulated — during the summer months, these guys will live inside these houses mainly and go in and out of them, and then during the colder months, they have an indoor area as well.'
Mr Ransley said that he never anticipated that his love for the animals would take such a big part in his life. But, nonetheless, he is pleased that he built such a wonderful 'town' for the guinea pigs to live in.
And GuineaVale has not gone unnoticed on social media, amassing a significant following on the video-sharing platform TikTok.
'The grandkids said to me, 'Put them on TikTok', and they got a couple of thousand views,' he said.
'Then they got 10,000 views and 100,000 views. Now, they're getting millions.'
Followers are able to keep up-to-date with the cuddly community's meals, playtime, and even their 'lightsaber skills'.
'People just love seeing them in this big open area,' he said.
'They're in and out of their houses, they're lounging around.'
'It's like a full working community of lazy layabouts.'
As of now, Mr Ransley has hit his 'guinea pig limit', intentionally keeping the males away from the females. Additionally, he doesn't have any plans to boost the population since the maintenance for a town this big already keeps him busy.
But that doesn't mean that his tiny town will remain the same.
'These guys need a church. I think they can do with a bit of religion,' he said.
'And then they'll have a pub — and the pub will serve, obviously, Guinness.'
We're not sure if Steve is serious about mini 'urban planning' or not but either way we'll be keeping an eye on GuineaVale in the coming months and years!
What did you think of this story, folks? Have you seen this adorable little town? Are you a guinea pig owner yourself? Let us know in the comments below.
'I needed some lawnmowers,' Steve said.
The father-of-seven had a cosy little bed of grass at his orchard and decided to get some guinea pigs to mow the grass for him.
'This orchard is about a quarter of an acre big and set out with fruit trees,' he added.
'I got a couple of guinea pigs just to use as lawnmowers.'
Now, the extensive property outside Hobart is known as GuineaVale — where nearly 40 guinea pigs live in a tiny town that has captured the public's attention.
The cuddly community is totally enclosed, and its compound has a model water reservoir and white picket fence.
Aside from the little houses with names plastered on their doors, their tiny town has other features, such as playpens and tiny lounge chairs, a clothesline, and even a barbecue area with rubbish and recycling bins.
Steve shared: 'I actually fell in love with the guinea pigs myself.'
'So every Christmas, every birthday, every father's day, what did I get? I got guinea pigs as presents.'
He fondly recalled one memory that was made as a result of his passion to look after the furry animals.
'One of those memories they would have later in life as something quirky, something different like we all have about our parents or grandparents,' he remarked.
The tiny village is not just a hobby, but it's also his full-time job.
Despite not being accessible to the general public, GuineaVale's adorable antics have gone viral online. Credit: TikTok/GuineaVale.
Mr Ransley said that cleaning around the village and changing the guinea pigs' bed sheets take up to two hours each day.
And forget about using an ordinary broom, he also has to use a high-pressure hose to clean the whole area. Aside from the cleaning, the construction of the two houses reportedly took him a month each.
'Everything in the houses is hand-painted and made. The windows are all made,' he explained.
'They're quite well insulated — during the summer months, these guys will live inside these houses mainly and go in and out of them, and then during the colder months, they have an indoor area as well.'
Mr Ransley said that he never anticipated that his love for the animals would take such a big part in his life. But, nonetheless, he is pleased that he built such a wonderful 'town' for the guinea pigs to live in.
And GuineaVale has not gone unnoticed on social media, amassing a significant following on the video-sharing platform TikTok.
'The grandkids said to me, 'Put them on TikTok', and they got a couple of thousand views,' he said.
'Then they got 10,000 views and 100,000 views. Now, they're getting millions.'
Followers are able to keep up-to-date with the cuddly community's meals, playtime, and even their 'lightsaber skills'.
'People just love seeing them in this big open area,' he said.
'They're in and out of their houses, they're lounging around.'
'It's like a full working community of lazy layabouts.'
As of now, Mr Ransley has hit his 'guinea pig limit', intentionally keeping the males away from the females. Additionally, he doesn't have any plans to boost the population since the maintenance for a town this big already keeps him busy.
But that doesn't mean that his tiny town will remain the same.
'These guys need a church. I think they can do with a bit of religion,' he said.
'And then they'll have a pub — and the pub will serve, obviously, Guinness.'
We're not sure if Steve is serious about mini 'urban planning' or not but either way we'll be keeping an eye on GuineaVale in the coming months and years!
What did you think of this story, folks? Have you seen this adorable little town? Are you a guinea pig owner yourself? Let us know in the comments below.
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Reminds me of having Guinea pigs when I was growing up. I had (very creatively named
