Hey everyone... this is CavyLove.
I have not been online for a while. But today has been a horrible day and I needed to share it with someone.
Behind me is an empty guinea pig cage. It's a 2x4 C&C with two and a half levels, and brand new shavings in it that will never be pooped on.
Today kind of came as a surprise. I woke up, feeling particularly good, and went to work on a chore list, cleaning things here and there around teh house.
"Clean the guinea pig cage" was next on my list. I pulled Coobear and Weebo out of their cage and held them close as they tried to wiggle themselves from my hands. I knew it was hot outside, (about 97 degrees) so I decided to set up their pen in the carport in the shade. I placed them in their pen, scattered some fresh hay, and hooked up their water bottles to the side of the pen. Then I used their spray bottle to douse their coats with some water to keep them cool. I watched them as they frolicked around for a few minutes, shaking drops from their coats and enjoying the hay and being outside. Then I moved back in the house and began cleaning their cage.
15 minutes, and two bags of piggy poopy litter later, I went back outside to collect my piggies and put them in their fresh clean cage.
Both of them were laying down side by side. One dead. The other near death. I instantly began crying as I felt Coobear to see if he was really dead. He was. I pulled him close to me and hugged him while I cried hard and loud. After convincing myself there was nothing I could do for him, I set him down and picked up my Weebo. I ran into the house with him. Not understanding what I'd done wrong. He wasn't warm, so it couldn't have been heat stroke. His little squeaks were all that told me he was still alive. I set him in a box with some shavings and got straight into my jeep to go to the vet.
I pulled into the parking lot of my vet's office, opened the box to check on him, and he was gone. I just sat there and balled, hugging him for the last time. Someone came out of the vet's office and asked me if I needed help. I told them it was too late and that I'd be leaving. The lady saw the lifeless piggy in my arms and offered her sympathies as I bawled. But I just shook my head and buried my face in my piggy's fur.
Now I'm at home. Shocked as to what could have possibly gone wrong. There's a box out on the carport with two lifeless piggies in it and I can't seem to collect myself enough to bury them.. I don't understand. In all my years of raising pigs, I've never seen anything like this. I know an animal didn't get to them because our property is fenced in except for the driveway and they had no marks on them. I don't think heat stroke is possible in the course only fifteen minutes in the shade. They had water, they had hay, they had shade, and I even sprayed them with their spray bottles to keep them cool. I called the vet and she said the only thing she could think of was that they were stung by something poisonous and it would have had to be more than once. I went outside and checked their pen for scorpions or snakes and found nothing. So I just don't know.
They were outside yesterday for almost a half hour and they were fine.
I'm so heartbroken, I don't even feel up to finishing my chores...
Anyway... I just wanted to let you all know... I know a couple of you enjoyed reading about coobear and Weebo from time to time. But.. they're gone. And I miss them already...
