Thought we'd come to the end of having guinea pigs but now not sure...

[Katherine]

For the first time in 20 years we don't own any guinea pigs and the house feels so empty and sad. Honestly thought we'd come to a rational and sensible decision; we'd discussed it in great depth and decided ages ago that we really needed to call it a day. Our old girl died on Monday and her companion who we'd adopted for her last days has gone back to the rescue. It seemed hard but doable, but since then we both feel heart broken and I keep bursting into tears. We keep thinking oh, I'll just go and see the guinea pigs, but the room's empty and there's no-pig there.

I'm not sure we can really bear a guinea pig-less life after all. Even though every time one got sick and died I'd say that I didn't want to do this anymore. Maybe the pain of losing them is not as bad as never having them in the first place. Perhaps when the dust has settled we'll think we've made the right decision, I really don't know - but we certainly didn't expect to feel so devastated.

I'd love to hear what other people have felt and done if you made the same choice - and whether you stuck to your guns!

I try to think of the positives - for example, no hay tracked over the house, but now the bits of hay (that I haven't vacuumed up yet) seem unbearably poignant. If I find a stray poo anywhere I will probably want to get it gold plated and turned into a necklace!

 

[Roselina]

Ah I’m so sad you lost your piggy
They do make a space in our hearts don’t they !
My sister said when she lost her two girls a couple years ago ….no we won’t have any more and guess what ….she rescued two girls a few months later.
She encouraged me to take on my two boys
I wonder if there are two little piggies just waiting for you ……

 

[anyar.dris]

I feel for you. I'm dreading the day that we end up having no piggies at all. Our current 2 will be our last ones. We have guinea pigs from 2012 and hubby had them for much longer. But sometimes we have to be realistic on what we can afford in the future. Hubby's health is worse than a few years before. We had to rebook our flights to America last year from November to Feb this year because hubby wasn't fit to fly because he was sick. Plus with cost of living getting worse every year, we are finding it a bit difficult to remain how comfortable we live. Mind you we are not suffering yet, but going back to visit my family overseas is getting difficult. Last time we've been was 2019. We were supposed to go back to Philippines on April this year but because of our piggy Bryce being sick, we had to postpone and rebook to November. Fingers crossed he will be fine but if he still won't be able to cope 2 weeks without us, hubby said he might not go with me so he can take care of the piggies.

 

[Claire W]

I’m so sorry that you have lost your little girl and that her friend has gone back to the rescue

I found myself in the exact same position as you on Christmas Eve when my Elizabeth passed away leaving Esme by herself

I made the heart breaking decision back in 2022 when Edward died leaving behind his 3 wives, Elizabeth, Ella and Esme that they would be my last piggies. At that point I wasn’t sure what I’d do when I had just one left but I thought I had years left before having to think about it

After having talks with Wiebke who is a good friend of mine, she kindly offered to take my last remaining piggy but like I say, I thought I had years left.

In 2023, I decided that I’d like another neutered boar and Wiebke very kindly offered to bond my girls with a little boy of hers whom she was looking for a home for to be a little playmate for my last remaining piggy when the time came, most likely Esme. Sadly the bonding failed and my girls came home without the boy (just to add that Wiebke kept him and he’s living the life of reilly )

Sadly we lost Ella at age 4 in October 2023 followed by 5+ years old Elizabeth on Christmas Eve which left 3 year old Esme alone. I was torn between getting her a friend as keeping her alone wasn’t an option or letting her go to Wiebke which I wasn’t ready for but due to my constant anxiety and my other mental health issues, deep down I knew the time had come to end my piggy journey after nearly 16 years of piggy ownership even though it happened a lot sooner than expected

Esme went to live with Wiebke in January and she is now settled and happily living with one of Wiebke’s sows of roughly the same age

8 months later, I am still piggyless. It hurts like hell and I still get upset now especially when finding a stray poo or strand of hay but I know I have made the right decision for both Esme’s sake and for my own health

I hope to have piggies again in the future but now is not the right time and for now, I’m enjoying seeing and hearing about everyone else’s piggies on the forum

It’s a tough decision but you will make the right one for what is right for you and your family whether that’s to have some more piggies or to take a break

(((Hugs))) I wish you all the best with whatever you decide x

 

[Ramia]

When Stripe got sick I had moments where I thought I would never do it again when they're gone. Granted I haven't even had them that long, but it was a nightmare. When his grease gland looked a little inflamed I felt like a failure. But with the help of the forum, I applied coconut oil and it looks better already.

Stripe has turned a corner, and although I have not been perfect my nursing care has gotten him over the worst of his severe inner ear infection that even paralyzed (temporarily) his back legs.

I had even thought if Stripe died I'd re-home Chesney.

But Stripe is pulling through and I'm so happy.

They are prone to illness more than a cat or dog and the nursing care is intense. But I'm so glad I stuck with Stripe.

I understand that you may not want to go through them getting sick again or old and the vet bills are staggering. But they are so rewarding that I understand why you feel the empty nest.

 

[Merab]

When Micah died in January Ruth went to live with the @PigglePuggle herd.
For the first time in about 12 years we had no piggies.
The house felt incomplete but we made the decision not to have any more - at least for a while.
We were going to New Zealand for a trip, then in July I was retiring and we were moving to Yorkshire.
We wanted to travel a bit more as well.
However - sooner than expected we rescued Moses and Miriam.
When I broached the possibility with my husband he simply said he knew I wouldn’t last long without them.

In the end we all make the decision that’s right for us and life’s circumstances at any given time. Our piggy journeys do come to an end eventually and we grieve.
Sometimes though, the ‘end’ is temporary.

 

[Katherine]

I feel for you. I'm dreading the day that we end up having no piggies at all. Our current 2 will be our last ones. We have guinea pigs from 2012 and hubby had them for much longer. But sometimes we have to be realistic on what we can afford in the future. Hubby's health is worse than a few years before. We had to rebook our flights to America last year from November to Feb this year because hubby wasn't fit to fly because he was sick. Plus with cost of living getting worse every year, we are finding it a bit difficult to remain how comfortable we live. Mind you we are not suffering yet, but going back to visit my family overseas is getting difficult. Last time we've been was 2019. We were supposed to go back to Philippines on April this year but because of our piggy Bryce being sick, we had to postpone and rebook to November. Fingers crossed he will be fine but if he still won't be able to cope 2 weeks without us, hubby said he might not go with me so he can take care of the piggies.

I’m so sorry that you have lost your little girl and that her friend has gone back to the rescue

I found myself in the exact same position as you on Christmas Eve when my Elizabeth passed away leaving Esme by herself

I made the heart breaking decision back in 2022 when Edward died leaving behind his 3 wives, Elizabeth, Ella and Esme that they would be my last piggies. At that point I wasn’t sure what I’d do when I had just one left but I thought I had years left before having to think about it

After having talks with Wiebke who is a good friend of mine, she kindly offered to take my last remaining piggy but like I say, I thought I had years left.

In 2023, I decided that I’d like another neutered boar and Wiebke very kindly offered to bond my girls with a little boy of hers whom she was looking for a home for to be a little playmate for my last remaining piggy when the time came, most likely Esme. Sadly the bonding failed and my girls came home without the boy (just to add that Wiebke kept him and he’s living the life of reilly )

Sadly we lost Ella at age 4 in October 2023 followed by 5+ years old Elizabeth on Christmas Eve which left 3 year old Esme alone. I was torn between getting her a friend as keeping her alone wasn’t an option or letting her go to Wiebke which I wasn’t ready for but due to my constant anxiety and my other mental health issues, deep down I knew the time had come to end my piggy journey after nearly 16 years of piggy ownership even though it happened a lot sooner than expected

Esme went to live with Wiebke in January and she is now settled and happily living with one of Wiebke’s sows of roughly the same age

8 months later, I am still piggyless. It hurts like hell and I still get upset now especially when finding a stray poo or strand of hay but I know I have made the right decision for both Esme’s sake and for my own health

I hope to have piggies again in the future but now is not the right time and for now, I’m enjoying seeing and hearing about everyone else’s piggies on the forum

It’s a tough decision but you will make the right one for what is right for you and your family whether that’s to have some more piggies or to take a break

(((Hugs))) I wish you all the best with whatever you decide x

That is so sad. Guinea pigs are small creatures but they take up a huge place in our hearts, and, especially after such a long time of ownership, become part of our very identity. I hope you will be in a position to have some again one day.

 

[Katherine]

When Micah died in January Ruth went to live with the @PigglePuggle herd.
For the first time in about 12 years we had no piggies.
The house felt incomplete but we made the decision not to have any more - at least for a while.
We were going to New Zealand for a trip, then in July I was retiring and we were moving to Yorkshire.
We wanted to travel a bit more as well.
However - sooner than expected we rescued Moses and Miriam.
When I broached the possibility with my husband he simply said he knew I wouldn’t last long without them.

In the end we all make the decision that’s right for us and life’s circumstances at any given time. Our piggy journeys do come to an end eventually and we grieve.
Sometimes though, the ‘end’ is temporary.

Ah, I read about Moses and Miriam and thought there was a bit of a story there! That is very interesting to know.

We're going to be looking after someone's guinea pig for a bit next week, plus we have booked to go to a guinea pig day at our local animal rescue. I think it will give us a chance to see how we feel.

 

[Claire W]

That is so sad. Guinea pigs are small creatures but they take up a huge place in our hearts, and, especially after such a long time of ownership, become part of our very identity. I hope you will be in a position to have some again one day.

Thank you. I couldn’t cope with the stress of them being poorly and losing them anymore but I hope to have piggies again one day. This summer has been hard not putting them out in their run on warm days and I’m still not used to a routine that doesn’t include them. It’s hard and I miss them

 

[rhymer]

Thank you. I couldn’t cope with the stress of them being poorly and losing them anymore but I hope to have piggies again one day. This summer has been hard not putting them out in their run on warm days and I’m still not used to a routine that doesn’t include them. It’s hard and I miss them

I know just how you feel. I hope that one day I can have piggies again too. When my mental health allows.x

 

[Merab]

Hugs to all who are missing piggies

 

[Claire W]

I know just how you feel. I hope that one day I can have piggies again too. When my mental health allows.x

Fingers crossed for us both x

 

[Claire W]

Hugs to all who are missing piggies

Thank you x

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

I've had guinea pigs all my adult life and I really can't imagine life without them. But the one thing that could make me change my mind is that it's always hard to go away when you have to organize the piggies's vacation first.

A friend of mine stopped having piggies two or three years ago. She has had a lot of bad luck with her last piggies healthwise and just couldn't take it any more. She now petsits my piggies once or twice a year and also petsits the piggies of another friend.
And she is always happy to see them go home again.

Maybe you just need some grieving time to adjust to the new situation.
Or maybe your time without piggies hasn't come yet.

 

[Katherine]

I've had guinea pigs all my adult life and I really can't imagine life without them. But the one thing that could make me change my mind is that it's always hard to go away when you have to organize the piggies's vacation first.

A friend of mine stopped having piggies two or three years ago. She has had a lot of bad luck with her last piggies healthwise and just couldn't take it any more. She now petsits my piggies once or twice a year and also petsits the piggies of another friend.
And she is always happy to see them go home again.

Maybe you just need some grieving time to adjust to the new situation.
Or maybe your time without piggies hasn't come yet.

Yes, the difficulty of having a holiday was one of the factors that made us decide to stop having guinea pigs. We haven't been away for what you might call a proper holiday for years. We usually have a week of days out from home, however what it usually means is trying to fit in days out with a lot of the normal stuff (and somehow various other things always seem to crop up) so it's more tiring than not being on holiday!

However...we have already cracked. If all goes well, within a couple of weeks 3 darling piggies will be living here with us!!

 

[Bluebell]

Like Viennese Furbabies I have had guinea pigs all my life too, but am desperately trying to stick to not having any more after I had to bring them all indoors, I absolutely hate that they have to stay shut in the house all the time.

I've currently got the sole survivor of three brothers and I have refused to split anyone else up for him on the grounds that he is now ten and probably would have then passed on and left me with one I couldn't put back with his mates. However he has totally got his revenge by not only showing no signs of going anywhere, but developing impaction, now of all the things he could have come up with to suffer from, I really wish he hadn't picked that!

I'm going off all my animals this morning, my youngest dog decided that the idea of licking out a kong was far too long winded and meant sitting still too long, and she doesn't do sitting still, so on being given a brand new frozen kong, promptly just bit it in half, and for those who use kongs, it was one of the black ones too!