We think a dog got our guinea pigs :'(

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aussiegirl said:
Poor little Patch. We've had her in a box inside for the last couple of days. She's really enjoyed having a hot water bottle. I set up a run for her in the loungeroom tonight and she made a few happy sounds, but a few unhappy sounds too. At least it's something. I wonder if she misses them? I wonder if she was looking for them when she was wandering around? When I think about it I get upset again - I broke down at school the other day. The guinea pigs' deaths combined with the stress of school along with everything else just got to me. Sorry, I'm not meaning to complain. I just want people to know how horrible this is so that no one makes the same stupid mistake that we did. R.I.P Ginger, Amber and Aspen 8...
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i`m so sorry its heartbreaking when something like this happens.8...
 
I am so sorry that they haven't returned to you :0 No guinea pig will ever replace the ones that you have lost but you need to think about Patch now. When my Connie died, her cage mate Eliza was lost without her. Connie will never be replaced but I had to think about Eliza's future so within 2 weeks of losing Connie, Eliza has a new friend. I know that it is difficult but believe me, in time you will feel happy again and Patch will be happy again too x
 
At least you've still got one lucky, but lonely little girl who obviously missed the thing, as she is not traumatised. Take care of her now.

And mourn the others without feeling ashamed - we all have our cries when one of ours dies! And we feel guilty a lot thinking that we have failed them somehow, because they're in our care. It's the other side of love...
 
Vickyt said:
At least you've still got one lucky, but lonely little girl who obviously missed the thing, as she is not traumatised. Take care of her now.

And mourn the others without feeling ashamed - we all have our cries when one of ours dies! And we feel guilty a lot thinking that we have failed them somehow, because they're in our care. It's the other side of love...
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She was a bit traumatised! She seems to be better now though. When I tried to pick her up after the others were gone she was terrified and ran away very quickly. My parents said that she was squeeking really loudly too :(

She seems to be on the mend now though and is in the run in the loungeroom. Plus, Mum is considering letting us have guinea pigs inside, as long as we can toilet train them. Patch already uses one corner of her box as a toilet, so I think if we got a baby one she would copy Patch and we could toilet train them :)
 
awww poor baby patch, i'm glad your mum is considering letting them come inside would be safer;), as sad as it is getting a new piggy will benefit Patch so much,and just remember Amber, Aspen & Ginger will never be forgotten and i'm sure they are thanking you for giving them a great life and loving them so muchxx>>>
 
Most guinea pigs are actually quite clean and use their toilet corners and the area around where they sleep. The young ones learn quickly. You will have to go and pick up the droppings, though!

Best put down some plastic sheeting (I use a nobbly cupboard liner) first for the napping and toilet areas and cover it with old bathroom mats and whatever else is suitable and washable. That way, even a big wee can't do any damage to the floor! And you can easily wipe it off the plastic.

On another note: How are feeling today? I am glad that Patch is as OK as possible under the circumstances.

I'm still thinking about you a lot!

Vicky
 
Thanks for the kind words and support :) I'm really hoping I can let them live inside - and thanks Vickyt for the tips on how to make a clean toilet area. Hopefully that would solve the mess problem and they could stay inside.

I'm OK today, just focusing on keeping Patch happy and trying not to get upset. She will be OK, the poor little thing. She had two babies and had so much responsibility, and now she just seems like a baby again. She's only 5 and a half/6 months old the poor baby.

Thanks everyone. Your support and understanding means so much to me :)
 
The first days are always the most difficult, as the loss is brought home to you so much whenever you're cuddling Patch. It will get better when you have a new piggy to settle in. Not that you'll miss them any less, but you can concentrate on something else. That always helped me a lot!

Perhaps, in time, you could make an album, calendar or board with pics and anecdotes of the other three? It helped me a lot when I lost my Strolch to neighbour's dog - I had a board with pics in my student's digs for the whole time - and again after Minx died. Although it took me over three months until I was ready to face all those memories!

Big hug
Vicky xxxxxx
 
Thanks so much Vickyt, I really appreciate the suggestions. It is good to get my mind off it - you're right. I can't wait to find a new friend for Patch :) And the board is a nice idea, a good way to remember them in a happy way :)
 
OK, so I have an update. We are fostering my aunty's guinea pigs at the moment (two adult females) so Patch has some friends for the moment. However, when/if they go back we will need to find another friend, and it's so hard around here! I don't want to buy from a petshop or backyard breeder, but the shelters around here don't seem to have guinea pigs! I'm going to put up some wanted posters and find a piggie that is no longer wanted, but hasn't been intentionally bred to be sold, and needs a loving home :)
 
Could you put something in your local newspaper as well?

I am glad that Patch has company, and you have some pigs to look after without HAVING to love them if you don't feel like it (but you probably will, anyway!). Sometimes, I found it hard to bond straight away with a replacement so shortly after I'd lost a special pig. It's not bad having a bit of an "easing back in" interlude after a shock loss or a hard struggle for a piggy's life.

Have a good time and thank you for the update!
 
Aussiegirl,

I've only just caught up with this thread and I am so very, very sorry for your loss. Free range piggies have fantastic lives when it all works out, as I know from when I had free range pigs as a child. Please try to stop beating yourself up about this too much (I know I'm a bit late with this), as you were only trying to do what you thought was best for them. Yes you were complacent, but that is only human nature.

I lost one of my free range pigs one evening - he just disappeared (apart from a large tuft of hair), but his companion was left behind and seemed fine. The not knowing what happened is hellish, and I really feel for you. I stopped free ranging my pigs after this, and I truly believe that their quality of life went down. Captivity is not the best way to live.

Sadly, the risk of free ranging is too high in most circumstances and I know that nowadays I would be far too worried for the safety of my pigs to let them roam outside their runs. They will have far more boredom in their lives as a result.

It's a balance and you've felt the harsh end of that balance. Your pigs may have had a tragic end but when alive they would have been far more stimulated and happy than if they had spent all their time caged.
 
Thanks vickyt and knocknamuck, I really appreciate you kind words :)

Knocknamuck, I guess you're right. At least my piggies had a great, albeit short life. They were pampered and always had so much fun running around. It's about finding a happy medium though, isn't it? I guess the best thing is to have a dynamic, safe run that they can enjoy every day.

Thanks for the support.
 
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