A couple who went on a nature hike never expected that the wildlife they'd find would be an abandoned pet guinea pig.

Carolyn McCabe and her partner, Conor Keeling, from Chicago, headed off to the woods in August 2023, and a short way in spotted what she described to Newsweek as a "white puffball." They realized quickly the puffball was in fact a guinea pig: a domesticated rodent popular as a pet, and only found in the wild in their native South America, according to Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

After walking back to the street, knocking on doors and asking if anyone had lost a pet guinea pig to no avail, "we came to the conclusion that he was likely dumped out there," said McCabe, 26.

Unwilling to leave the abandoned pet to fend for itself in the wild, the couple managed to catch the guinea pig and bring him home, where they named him Quinn.

A video of the rescue and Quinn's time at their apartment has now gone viral on TikTok, racking up over 100,000 likes since being shared to McCabe's account, @idonotcarol, on July 22.

It shows the moment they spotted Quinn hiding in the grass, and the journey home with him in their frisbee bag, being fed apples to keep hunger at bay.

Back home, with no crate to keep him in, the new guinea pig owners kept Quinn in their bathtub with a soft towel to keep him warm, and with plenty to eat — and gradually, he began to trust them.

"We loved him," McCabe said. "We made him many large salads with veggies we grow in our backyard, played with him, bought him specific guinea pig food and toys, and cuddled him multiple times a day, while also taking care of our cat, Blue. Quinn came out of his shell rather quickly and it was so fun to witness."

But it wasn't to be: McCabe quickly realized she was allergic to their new pet, and would "break out in hives" when she cuddled him.

They made the decision to reach out to a shelter, One Tail at a Time — and before long, Quinn had a loving new home.

Quinn was "adopted by a family that recently lost one of their pigs, so Quinn served as a new companion," she explained. "Saying goodbye was sad, but we knew he'd be better off in the situation he ended up in."

TikTok users loved Quinn's story, with hundreds commenting on McCabe's video, where one joked: "Cat distributing glitch but they made it work."

Another questioned: "How could somebody dump off that sweet little marshmallow?" as one gushed: "He's so rotund."

McCabe and Keeling's situation isn't unique, either, as one commenter revealed: "I also acquired my guinea pig in a local park where she was dumped."

Photographer and videographer McCabe said the response to Quinn's story has been "so amazing."

"I realized one day that I never shared this story on my social media and just thought it would be fun, but I didn't anticipate it to blow up as much as it did," she said.

"It's been great to connect with people from all around the world and hopefully put a smile on their faces. There's so much going on in the world, so much sadness and grief, so I am happy to do anything that can uplift people."

She said she was "proud" of Quinn's story and how they had helped the "sweet innocent creature survive," but revealed it wasn't the first time they had done so.

"We have rescued domesticated ducks that were left in a park, and a lost dog," she said.

"Maybe it's a coincidence, or maybe it's our calling!"

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.