i’m not really sure where to start. this is the first time that i have lost a pet in my adult years. i’ve had hamsters and a previous guinea pig years ago, but i was too young to truly provide the care they needed, so my parents took the most care of them.
on may 25th, 2019, i brought home the cutest little thing i had seen. my then boyfriend at the time also got a guinea pig so we wanted them to have corresponding names. after a few hours of trying to decide, we landed on Thunder and Lightning. we hadn’t known it yet, but their names were pretty reflective of their personalities.
Thunder took a lot of work. he was not the most excited about being with me (in the beginning). he made me work very hard to get him to open up and trust me. i’d go to try and pet him and he’d wrap his four pointy little teeth around my finger or my arm, whatever he could grab ahold of. i was pretty discouraged for about 2 months, trying to find a way to bond with him. so, i went to work. watching as many youtube videos about bonding, proper cage setup, diet information, anything i could.
i would sit beside Thunders cage and talk to him, tell him about my day, what i ate, how handsome he is, he was a very good listener. when i could manage to get him out of his cage (even with bites), id prop him on my lap and feed him his favorite lettuce (romaine & green leaf).
i still had a lot to learn, and continued to learn every day. one time, Thunder was hanging out on my bed with me and decided to jump off. he managed to break one of his front teeth and scared me so bad. at that point i learned how their teeth constantly grow so i began trying different chew toys and anything i could. did he like any of the things i purchased? no. his favorite thing to then chew on was toilet paper or paper towel rolls
Thunder had such a big character.. see why his name is thunder? he was so in tune with my emotions. he knew when i needed his comfort, when i needed his playfulness, when i needed to watch him zoom around, and when i needed to hear his lovely wheeks and purrs. he was such a silly boy too. anytime i would come home from somewhere or even just passing the front of his cage, he’d run up to greet me and anticipate his well deserved pets. boy, was he stubborn. if anything was not up to his standards, i would know about it. a song i was playing that he didn’t like? he’d make it known. me moving something in his cage? he’d make it known.
Thundy had a little blue plastic house that i purchased for him when i first got him. he had others throughout the years, but the blue one was his favorite. he would move that house all around his cage to accommodate whatever need he’s trying to fulfill. the hay is on the other end? he would push his house all the way over with his little snoot to eat in privacy. it was hilarious to watch, and showed how smart he was. it’s been really quiet not hearing him move around all night.
Thundy loved being outside. he looked so natural just mowing the grass in his selected spot. he was such a good boy that i didn’t even have to worry about him running away.
i could go on forever about him. he was truly my best friend, my soul mate, my partner. he understood me on a level that even most humans couldn’t grasp. we were one in the same. you had to work for his trust, his love, his undying devotion and gratitude. and i worked every day to deserve as much love as i received from him.
i am trying my hardest to survive the guilt and shock of this occurrence. it came out of the blue, however i keep thinking that there was so much more i could have done.
on April 14th, 2024, i was not home. my father informed me that he had stopped eating, stopped drinking, and was suffering through labored breathing. my wonderful boyfriend and i rushed Thundy to the emergency vet. i attempted to feed him some critical care, which he accepted a minimum amount. he sat on my lap during the car ride and rested his snoot and chin on my forearm. i figured that he would survive this. i was embracing for the worst, but i had hope.
unfortunately, his body temperature was dropping rapidly, he had lost 0.07kg in just a little over a week from when i had last weighed him. the vet techs began trying to warm him up. within a matter of minutes, one of the techs turned around telling me that his heart had stopped and asked if i wanted cpr performed. in a state of panic i said yes, but i called it. they ceased cpr, and i spent the next 20 minutes in a room in a panicked and dissociative state saying goodbye to my best friend.
if you’ve read this far, thank you. he was such a special part of my life and i’m trying my best to cope with it.
on may 25th, 2019, i brought home the cutest little thing i had seen. my then boyfriend at the time also got a guinea pig so we wanted them to have corresponding names. after a few hours of trying to decide, we landed on Thunder and Lightning. we hadn’t known it yet, but their names were pretty reflective of their personalities.
Thunder took a lot of work. he was not the most excited about being with me (in the beginning). he made me work very hard to get him to open up and trust me. i’d go to try and pet him and he’d wrap his four pointy little teeth around my finger or my arm, whatever he could grab ahold of. i was pretty discouraged for about 2 months, trying to find a way to bond with him. so, i went to work. watching as many youtube videos about bonding, proper cage setup, diet information, anything i could.
i would sit beside Thunders cage and talk to him, tell him about my day, what i ate, how handsome he is, he was a very good listener. when i could manage to get him out of his cage (even with bites), id prop him on my lap and feed him his favorite lettuce (romaine & green leaf).
i still had a lot to learn, and continued to learn every day. one time, Thunder was hanging out on my bed with me and decided to jump off. he managed to break one of his front teeth and scared me so bad. at that point i learned how their teeth constantly grow so i began trying different chew toys and anything i could. did he like any of the things i purchased? no. his favorite thing to then chew on was toilet paper or paper towel rolls
Thunder had such a big character.. see why his name is thunder? he was so in tune with my emotions. he knew when i needed his comfort, when i needed his playfulness, when i needed to watch him zoom around, and when i needed to hear his lovely wheeks and purrs. he was such a silly boy too. anytime i would come home from somewhere or even just passing the front of his cage, he’d run up to greet me and anticipate his well deserved pets. boy, was he stubborn. if anything was not up to his standards, i would know about it. a song i was playing that he didn’t like? he’d make it known. me moving something in his cage? he’d make it known.
Thundy had a little blue plastic house that i purchased for him when i first got him. he had others throughout the years, but the blue one was his favorite. he would move that house all around his cage to accommodate whatever need he’s trying to fulfill. the hay is on the other end? he would push his house all the way over with his little snoot to eat in privacy. it was hilarious to watch, and showed how smart he was. it’s been really quiet not hearing him move around all night.
Thundy loved being outside. he looked so natural just mowing the grass in his selected spot. he was such a good boy that i didn’t even have to worry about him running away.
i could go on forever about him. he was truly my best friend, my soul mate, my partner. he understood me on a level that even most humans couldn’t grasp. we were one in the same. you had to work for his trust, his love, his undying devotion and gratitude. and i worked every day to deserve as much love as i received from him.
i am trying my hardest to survive the guilt and shock of this occurrence. it came out of the blue, however i keep thinking that there was so much more i could have done.
on April 14th, 2024, i was not home. my father informed me that he had stopped eating, stopped drinking, and was suffering through labored breathing. my wonderful boyfriend and i rushed Thundy to the emergency vet. i attempted to feed him some critical care, which he accepted a minimum amount. he sat on my lap during the car ride and rested his snoot and chin on my forearm. i figured that he would survive this. i was embracing for the worst, but i had hope.
unfortunately, his body temperature was dropping rapidly, he had lost 0.07kg in just a little over a week from when i had last weighed him. the vet techs began trying to warm him up. within a matter of minutes, one of the techs turned around telling me that his heart had stopped and asked if i wanted cpr performed. in a state of panic i said yes, but i called it. they ceased cpr, and i spent the next 20 minutes in a room in a panicked and dissociative state saying goodbye to my best friend.
if you’ve read this far, thank you. he was such a special part of my life and i’m trying my best to cope with it.
