“Gus” Gustave Augustus – the First

Silver-tipped Chinchilla, Gustave Augustus the First is a very long-winded name for a beautiful ball of fluffy white nylon.   I just call him Gus.

Fluffy white nylon is exactly what he becomes when his coat is fully grown – complete with lots of knots.   With our sub-tropical climate this is totally impractical and he gets clipped at the start of every summer.   He’s actually very slender then and looks delightfully funny with a very narrow small body and a full tail, fluffy boots and a wide semi-mane around his face – it’s a clip called the Lion Clip.   The painting shows him with his coat half-grown back.

Gus was born for no other reason than to be beautiful, because he doesn’t do much else.   Eats and sleeps – that’s it!   He’s not fond of cuddles so picking him up for a hug is a waste of time – he just squirms frantically to break free.

However – I love beautiful things anyway and with his sweet nature he has a well deserved place in my heart.