bye bye to Leah our guinea pig

[booboo]

This comes as a huge surprise. I think she was only a year and a half old. Don't guinea pigs live longer than that? We gave away one that was 3 yrs a while back..

My dd noticed this morning when she fed her. (the 6 yo one) She told me *2 hrs later* that she didn't "oink" when she fed her and her sister, Linny. But Linny did.
I thought she was just sleeping but when we were all standing near the cage, she didn't run around or stop to listen to us like she normally does. :cry So I looked in and touched her and she still didn't respond very well. Like she acknowledged me but didn't do much about it. Her sister licked her too, nicely on the face. :sad2 :cry2 I had the "sad talk" with Rabbit about it. She was surprised but obviously a little upset. She still went to school, since she said she wanted to. didn't really cry much but was just more like head down and looking in at the cage. My 4 yo didn't understand. They just thought I should call the vet but there wasn't anything could be done at this point.

I buried her this afternoon after dropping off Rabbit at the school bus stop and planted flowers over her. I even put a little wooden cross there with some writing on it.

Am I a bowl of mush or what?

[Sanveann]

Oh, I'm so sorry! :cry

[Epieikeia]

I love those little piggies...I am sorry for you loss! :hug :heart

[ranade3]

I'm sorry :cry

[righteous mama]

:hug

[booboo]

Thanks, guys. I should let you know how my 6 yo (Rabbit) handled it. I'm so proud of her. Not only did she go to school, she shared this with her teacher. When she got home, she drew a story and asked us to help her spell the words she wanted to say about what happened. She titled it, "A Sad Day" and she shared it for Show and Tell today. I'm proud of her because she is dealing with her feelings about it very well and told me she was happy because we still have Linny. But I did tell her it was okay to cry, to even feel angry over it.

I still wish this was all a nightmare. :cry

[Ali]

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that! Always sad to lose a pet, especially when kiddos are involved! If it's any consolation (to address your question about lifespan), our wonderful vet explained to me that guinea pigs (like rats) are notorious for strange illnesses. It's all those ancestors who were lab animals, or inbred. While the average lifespan is 5-7 years, it's not uncommon at all for them to have weird illnesses/medical issues. It's kind of luck of the draw for rodents - poor little guys!