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Bye Bye Birdy

SSLee

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I thought I wouldn’t have to send this message for years as my two girls are only about 3 years old. On Tuesday night, I came home at 9 pm to find my alpha pig, Birdy, dead. She is the pig on the left side of my avatar. I’ve had Birdy and her sister, Lily, for almost 2 years and they were 11 months old when I got them as a rehoming through Craig's List. Neither has had any illness since their arrival with the last vet visit 4 months ago. Tuesday morning, I had given Birdy and Lily their first pieces of cantaloupe and they were happily chomping away when I left for work.

I was shocked after finding Birdy and did some bizarre stuff. After petting, poking, and shaking Birdy for several minutes with no response, I wrapped her in a towel, newspaper, and three layers of plastic bags before putting her in the freezer. My first inclination was to remove Birdy’s body from the cage to avoid traumatizing Lily further. Judging from the lack of poops in the cage, I’m guessing Birdy had passed away in the morning and Lily did not eat much for the rest of the day. Lily was hiding in the corner litter pan and she has been hanging out there since Tuesday. I’m bringing Birdy to the vet tomorrow to have her cremated as I do not have anywhere to bury her. Birdy was the alpha and not always nice to Lily. But she was certainly much nicer to humans and enjoyed being petted and having head scratches.

I am now worried about Lily. She rarely came out of the litter pan since Birdy’s passing but finally has started eating hay more. I’m in the midst of downsizing my father from a 3 bedroom apartment to a 1 bedroom apartment and moving a lot of my items to my own place, which is already cramped. The actual move will be mid-July. So timing-wise, this is terrible as I have no time to look for a new friend for Lily and I don't drive. Last Saturday, a friend told me about her co-worker having to rehome a dog and two guinea pigs. I’ve been thinking about those two piggies and am interested in the 1 year old. The other pig is 5 years old and I’m not sure I’m up to taking care of 3 pigs with one being a senior. But if I take only the young pig, the senior might have a really hard time finding a new home and the coworker already said they would have to go to the humane society soon. They are currently living in a small pet cage outside and have never been to the vet. I will have to make a decision soon. A friend suggested I turn on the computer to a guinea pig live cam so Lily could still hear and see other piggies during this transition time. Has anyone tried that before?

It is with heavy heart that I say bye bye to Birdy, who left us much too soon. Lily and I miss her tremendously.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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I am so sorry for your loss. I'm sure Birdy knew how much she was loved.

Some people tend to do seemingly bizarre things when faced with a sudden traumatic event. I wouldn't worry about it. I don't even remember what I had done after Pooper and Sly passed away.

If you're going to get Lily friends and you're going to take the ones from your friend, take them both. There's no way of knowing for sure if they'll get along until you try it, much the same as with trying to pair Lily with another pig. But separating the other two if they already get along could be just as traumatic for both of them, and they don't deserve that. Hopefully, if you do introductions well everything would work out. It sounds like they certainly need a better situation than the one they are in now, and soon.

As far as the timing goes, well, things rarely happen at a time of our choosing. What matters is how we deal with it.

Rest in peace, little Birdy. Go and find all of your new friends at the Rainbow Bridge. Enjoy play time in the sun, and all the greens you can find. One day, Mom and Lily will find you there again.
 

spy9doc

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So many of us are losing our beloved furry friends! Fly free over the Rainbow Bridge, Birdy! :love:
 

bpatters

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I'm so very sorry you lost her.

Ditto [MENTION=35161]Guinea Pig Papa[/MENTION]'s response.
 

HunterRose13

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I am so sorry for you loss. These little furry family members certainly make a deep impression on our hearts.

When my girl Bell lost her buddy MuMu, who was the alpha, she was in a funk. I did a deep cleaning of the cage and gave Bella extra attention, treats, talking to her a lot. She perked up quickly and became much more sociable. Guinea pigs are as individual as humans and some will react better to change than others.

Guniea Pig Papa summed everything up nicely.
 

SSLee

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Thank you all for your condolences and support. I definitely have some thinking to do this weekend to decide if I want to adopt my friend's co-worker's pair of pigs. I've been spending my lunchtime on petfinder.com and there aren't many single pigs available. I did see a single cutie about 50 miles away. While I can get there via train, bus, and Uber, I would rather find a suitable piggy closer.
 
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