"Piggy Pots" - Warning Upsetting Content

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Caviesgalore (EPGPR)

Caviesgalore (EPGPR)

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As some of you may have read in previous posts, like many other forum members we lay our piggies to rest in "piggy pots" when they go to Rainbow Bridge.

For those of you who don't know what a piggy pot is, it's a large ceramic pot with a special plant placed in it, on top of the piggy and acts as a final resting place. We have been using this method of laying piggies to rest for years because my two girls were worried about leaving the pigs behind should we ever move. Our Rainbow Bridge gang sit up in front of the pavilion and watch over all our visiting buns and piggies.

Up until today, we have never had a problem using this method of burial. I woke this morning to find that a fox had taken the plant out of Ruby's pot, before taking her remains out and to rub salt into the wound it then pooed everywhere. I have searched the garden and can only find little bits of Ruby's special blanket that she was buried in, the wretched fox has taken my gorgeous girl.8...8...

I know that Ruby's soul is at Rainbow Bridge with all her friends, but I am absoultely gutted by what has happened, it's like losing her all over again. I know no-one else i.e. non piggy/animal people will understand just how awful I feel at the moment.:( I have re-planted her azalea and made sure everything is neat and tidy, this is something I can't, and won't, share with my girls.:(

I'm not sure what the answer is, I guess cremation is the only safe option, however this is often too expensive for most people, and as I said before, we have never experienced problems in the past - I just wanted to warn people.:(
 
I'm so sorry to hear this. How awful for you, its my biggest fear to go out and see Elora's grave has been tampered with. :(
 
Aw hun, I am so sorry:( I have had this happen to me.... Scarlett and Krystal were buried in the ground, one morning we woke to find their blanket on the grass, fur scattered everywhere and just Scarlett's foot remaining:08...
My heart goes out to you hun, its heartbreaking:(
 
Oh Sandra I am so sorry to hear that has happened :( how awful for you. I am just thankful that your girls didn't see it 8...

I too have my Lennie in a pot, so thank you for the warning.

I can just imagine how upset you are, I am thinking of you :(
 
Very very sorry to hear this :( unfortunately if they smell something they stop at nothing to get at it.
 
aww no this is awful. I have always buried my animals in the garden (although i have never had anything as big as a piggy before and was wondering what would happen when they die-even though that should be a long way off) This is a nice idea to preserve their memory but unfortunately with wild animals their instincts just kick in and they go after the smell. Such an awful thing for you to have to go through xx
 
i'm so sorry,i'm here crying,just thinking about what you're going through. i'm so sorry,poor,poor little ruby xxxxxxxx:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0
 
This is awful, and must've been such a horrible shock for you. I'm just wondering if there's anything which might prevent this from happening again. Some product which could be placed on the blanket in which the little piggie is laid to rest, something which would have a strong smell to (a) disguise the fact of there being a piggie, and (b) deter the fox. Like citronella juice? I don't really know what else, but it's sad enough to lose your little piggie in the first place, without this then happening.
 
I'm so sorry this has happened Sandra. The body is usually all we have physically left of them (or some locks of hair), and when you have been so close to a piggie, keeping something physical about them can be so very important. When what little you have left of them is snatched away, it must be so heartbreaking. I agree cremation is usually expensive (I have paid out £300 for Charlie, Tuppy and Lottie's ashes in the past 10 months) but I have always admired the piggie pots and thought it would be a lovely alternative.

*Hugs* to you Sandra.
 
Thank you all for your comforting words, I knew you would all understand.

The amazing thing is that (and this is going to sound gruesome, sorry) Ruby passed away several months ago so there can't have been much left of her remains, we have had temperatures of -8 here recently and a very heavy frost again this morning, so smell, if there was any must have been minimal – the soil in the pot was frozen solid. All I can think is that the fox must have been particularly desperate for food.:(

I don’t think there is a safe way of burying our beloved pets safely – except for cremation as mentioned previously.

Thank you once again for your support, it helps enormously.
 
so sorry to hear of this, it must have been very traumatic. I too share the same opinion that it was just lucky that your little ones didnt see it.
I know my vet charges £16ish for a standard cremation, but not sure if this is when you also have to have the pet pts at the same time. It may well be worth asking around your local vets to find out if this is the case and to find out what your options are.
I have found that rats are easily repelled by Jeyes fluid, it doesnt do any harm to them, but the smell is offensive to them, so possibly the same for foxes etc too?
I know this also sounds fairly gross, but i think that foxes arent too keen on invading a space that cats and dogs frequent either, so possibly adding a little bit of poo to the soil, or wee if you can catch it, should put any intruders off, including cats
xx
 
I'm really sorry to hear this, i too would've been horrified. My piggies (& hams) are buried in the garden & have large slabs on top of them but i doubt it'd stop a determined fox. :(
 
Oh Sandra i'm so sorry this has happened! You must be devastated! Sending you love and hugs x

I used to bury mine in the garden, but have been having them cremated for the past couple of years. I pay just under £20 for a private cremation with ashes back for scattering.
 
pigginrescue said:
I know this also sounds fairly gross, but i think that foxes arent too keen on invading a space that cats and dogs frequent either, so possibly adding a little bit of poo to the soil, or wee if you can catch it, should put any intruders off, including cats
xx
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I'm not sure this would work - we have many cat visitors in our back garden, and I know they use the soil as a toilet .... but it doesn't deter the foxes from doing the same.

I know why you used the pots, so that they could go with you if you moved house, but I have a friend who buried her beloved pets in the garden, and then laid a small paving slab over the top of the burial patch, and put a special potplant on top of the slab. You can get fairly small ones, less than 12 inches square. This protects the little animal, and at the same time provides a sturdy, level place to put a plant in a pot. And she would write a special label to go in the pot, in memory of the pet. I don't know if this is a helpful suggestion?
 
sueg said:
Unfortunately I'm not sure this would work - we have many cat visitors in our back garden, and I know they use the soil as a toilet .... but it doesn't deter the foxes from doing the same.
Click to expand...

Must just be my dogs that terrify the neighbourhood cats then rolleyes
 
Oh Sandra, i am so sorry to hear this - its so upsetting.

I think in our area the Fox population is forever growing as highlighted in the papers, people are leaving food out for them, such as dog food on a daily basis and its drawing more foxes into residential areas increasing populations. - we had this problem once when I was young with our piggies. In the end my dad used to bury them very deep in the ground, but I guess this cant be done with piggy pots.

That is so sad. :( hugs to you all xxxxx
 
I feel so sorry for you after reading this thread. :(

It is not what you want to happen when you have taken so much care for a loved pet who has gone over Rainbow Bridge.

Hugs coming your way!
 
I'm so sorry this happened!
how upsetting. I had my little ratties cremated and am saving their ashes to have them buried with me when I go, I'm going to do the same with my dog, bunny and piggies after they've passed.
What a rotten thing to have happened with such fresh grief in your heart.
 
That's awful Sandra - I know what you mean when you say Ruby wasn't really there, but it feels like she's been desecrated, I would have been gutted too. We've buried all ours under the big trees in the garden and place heavy large filled ceramic pots over them, but still went down every morning for a few months afterwards dreading to see it all dug up, but thankfully this hasn't happened yet.

Big hug to you and the girls
xx
 
I am so sorry Sandra, this was always one of my fears and I dreaded seeing that one of mine had been dug up. I am amazed it found her after all those months, poor little Ruby. At least she is at Rainbow Bridge with all our othes and safely out of the way.

Big hugs to you,

x
 
Oh Sandra, I am so sorry to hear this awful news :0 I completely understand what you are going through. Just remember though that although her body has now gone, her soul will live on forever and she is up at Rainbow Bridge watching over you and playing with her piggy friends xx
 
David came up with an idea for protecting our little past loves in pots-it may be the answer.
He reckons if after laying our small pet to rest in the pot, put a little soil over then some chicken wire, cut in a circle but about twice the size of the circumference of the top of the pot. Place the chicken wire in the pot, then fill to the top with soil as usual. One filled, the rest of the chicken wire can be bent around the top (a bit like the the pastry on top of a pie). The pot would probably have to have a lip. Then thread something like a cable tie or strong wire through the folded over chicken wire and pull tightly to secure.
It would be very unlikely that the fox could get through the chicken wire.
What do you think?
 
That sounds an excellent idea, and you could still put a plant in it quite safely. Also, as well as whatever you use to thread through the folded over chicken wire to secure it, you could perhaps thread some coloured twine so it actually looks like decoration and not just utilitarian.
 
Awww that's so sad, I'm really sorry this has happenend :( My piggies are in pots for the same reasons, I can't bear to bury them outside and if I move I can take them with me :) I have my pots in the house - well just the one at the minute with George and Sleepy in together in their blankets, obviously this may become a problem at some point over the years as piggies go to the bridge and I may not have the space, I haven't even considered what to do then :(
 
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