I am happy about their health, its really hard for me to get away from making sure they are pristine perfect health.
I've never mentioned this, but I had a traumatic experience with a previous guineapig. I was like 13 then but my dad was taking care of her. She was called Sophie and she was all by herself, not knowing then that they needed companions and basically didn't know how to take care of a guineapig. I realised now that I was part of an animal abuse, not abusing the animal itself because I wasn't taking care of it but still feel a sense of responsibility.
Now, having the front line on everything as a piggy owner, which I'm really happy for taking them in, I don't want to experience that feeling again. Sophie died from a heatstroke and I was really sad at the time because I couldn't do anything.
WOW, sorry, this was off topic but I want to say this anyway to get it off my chest.
Thank you Weibke
I am very sorry about Sophie!
By all means, concentrate on giving your current lot a happy life but also try to find a balance for yourself so you can enjoy the experience.
Try to establish what is normal for your piggies, what their healthy poos and bodies look like and feel.
Then once a week give them a weigh-in and a body once-over so you can notice any slow and gradual changes. You can include the weigh-in, body check and general groom (any necessary nailcutting etc.) into a cuddling session.
We recommend to write down the weights and to take that list to your vet as that will help them with the diagnosis. We speak of weight loss only over 50g.
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?
If your piggies are begging for food, are lively, bright and active and are happily tucking in, then they are generally healthy.
Any piggy that is slow to come out, not eating enthusiastically or that is suddenly looking smaller/thinner or any that is suddenly looking really ill, goes straight on the scales and has a quick check-over before you book it in at the vets.
This guide here is a good guide as to how soon they need to be seen:
How Soon Should My Guinea Pig See A Vet? - A Quick Guide
Anything that is coming up very suddenly/quickly is usually an emergency, but you will notice that pretty immediately anyway and it is always a shock and a race. It has nothing to do with good or bad care. There are a few things that can kill out of the blue or that develop too fast for any medication to kick in; they are just cosmic bad luck if they happen to you, but they are never your fault.
As you become more familiar and attuned, you will be able to pick up on the more subtle changes better; it is also a matter of experience and not something you can teach.
Please don't fall in the trap of pet anxiety/overcontrolling and lose the joy in pet keeping. As long as you love your piggies, give them a happy and enriched life and enjoy your interaction with them, you are doing right. Learn to trust your normal instincts.
You can never choose when or what from your pets die; that is out of your control as long as you avoid the things that are down to outright neglect and bad care. I try to see my piggies as a special gift I have on loan: my task is to give them the happy todays that they measure their life by - and it doesn't matter whether they live a longer or a shorter life because I can usually not do anything about that beyond good normal care. Guinea pigs don't measure their lives like that anyway! They count their lifes in happy days.
But they can feel your anxiety, so try to not focus on that and rather allow yourself to be drawn into their world and to see the world from their eyes. Enrichment and love work both ways, you know!
Keep in mind that Sophie still was loved by you and that she knew she was loved. YOU have not failed her!
Concentrate on the love and on giving your own piggies the life you would have liked to give Sophie. It doesn't have to be perfect by any means (that way lies anxiety), but fill it with little adventures, play, discoveries for all senses, little challenges etc. so whenever their time comes, you know that you have done your best for them to make them happy and you can let them go in peace, whatever happens.
I have my own childhood piggies from back when nobody knew better and we kept them as best as we could in the tiny crates that were all that was to be had. What I have taken from that time is the fact that even if their housing and care (jncluding medical care) was sub-standard compared to today, they were loved, they were still very much cared for, they still had an active life and were very much part of our family; and they still had a healthy and often long life. My childhood piggies taught me what counts when the chips are down.
Don't be afraid of making mistakes as long as they are not from intentional neglect or disregard of other beings' basic needs; we all make them when we blunder into unanticipated things or make a wrong judgement. Pet keeping, like children, is a life long learning curve. Adulthood is not about being perfect - you don't learn, grow and develop if being perfect is the only appectable level.
What is crucial is that you learn from from your mistakes and turn the experience into something constructive. A lot of what I know and the deeper understanding I have gained comes primarily from doing things wrong. I have my own losses and regrets I will rue until the day I die.
But you have to learn to make your peace with that and turn that legacy not into one of fear, but of creating joy for future piggies. The piggies of my past are my little furry guardian angels watching out over my current ones through what they have taught me. Without them I would not be what I am today - and my current piggies wouldn't reap the benefits of what my past piggies have taught me.
You may want to read the second chapter about ways of coping and creating a legacy in this link here to help you with your relationship with Sophie and how that impacts on your current ownership. I hope that it can help you to find a more happy balance once you can work out what you want to take as Sophie's legacy - I sincerely hope that it is the love you have shared despite the less than ideal circumstances (over which you didn't have any control) and that is what you want to hand on to your new piggies:
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
