RIP Little Man
@sprite1950 (30461)
Corsham, England
January 25, 2020 3:06am CST
This morning I found one of my little guinea pigs dead. I have three but he was always the weakest as he had trouble with his teeth which grew across his tongue and made it hard to eat. Guinea pigs have teeth that continue to grow so they need to gnaw on wood to keep them down. My other two are fine so I can only assume it was a weakness in him.
Now to bury him in the garden along with two dogs, a cat and two hamsters. My garden has become quite a cemetery over the years but I can honestly say they were all loved.
12 people like this
13 responses
@moffittjc (128840)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Jan 20
Sorry to hear about your little guinea pig! At least now he is in guinea pig heaven, enjoying himself without worrying about his teeth!
And another discussion of yours with coincidental timing! Just yesterday, I was educated on how squirrels are just the same with their teeth! One of my co-workers rescued a baby squirrel, and I asked her if she was going to release it back into the wild. She said she couldn't, because it wouldn't survive, as it is missing its top teeth. The result is that the bottom teeth keep growing, and the squirrel has no way to grip a pebble or chunk of wood or anything that can be used to grind down their bottom teeth. So she will keep it as a pet, and every so often she has to take it to a veterinarian to have its teeth trimmed or ground down or whatever!
2 people like this
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
25 Jan 20
Mine had an operation that cost me £300 to have his teeth filed down. He was quite ill after as they don't cope well with anaesthetic. To be honest I wish I had just had him put to sleep because a year later I suspect it was happening again. He was eating but had trouble gripping certain fresh food. The awful thing was he had squashed himself in the hay dispenser and because he was stiff this morning I couldn't get him out! I did eventually but found it quite cringeable touching his cold hard body.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
26 Jan 20
@moffittjc To be honest, although it was a little sad, it's not the same as losing a dog or a cat who grow close to you. They are cute but they don't live that long. I truly grieved for some of my dogs who became part of the family but guinea pigs don't love you back like dogs do so you don't grow so attached.
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@moffittjc (128840)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Jan 20
@sprite1950 I’m sure that wasn’t too fun having to deal with a cold lifeless body. Sorry you had to experience that!
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. All rodents have the teeth that continue to grow, this is why it is important to give them something to chew. I am so sorry.@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
25 Jan 20
I had plenty of wood in there that he could chew but for some reasons his teeth just carried on growing. Once he had an operatiom to file them down that cost me £300 but they still seemed to keep growing.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
25 Jan 20
@LadyDuck I don't know. I got them all from the same breeder so they had the same parents and the other two are fine.
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@LadyDuck (502729)
• Italy
25 Jan 20
@sprite1950 Oh my goodness, that was expensive, may be it was a genetic problem.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
25 Jan 20
Yes. At least I have another two so they have each other. Guinea pigs do not like to live alone.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
26 Jan 20
@rakski Yes, although mine used to fight a bit sometimes. Sometimes when they all die except for one the lone pig gets depressed and will also die.
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@rakski (156651)
• Philippines
26 Jan 20
@sprite1950 oh really? I did not know that
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@Alexandoy (65302)
• Cainta, Philippines
25 Jan 20
This is a sad discussion. We are also pet lovers and we know how you feel about the loss.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
25 Jan 20
I was a little sad but they are not like dogs or cats that love us so much so it is not quite as upsetting.
@Alexandoy (65302)
• Cainta, Philippines
25 Jan 20
@sprite1950 yes, dogs and cats have a different connection to man. But still, a loss is a loss.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
25 Jan 20
@Alexandoy Yes I'm off to bury him now along with all our other pets that have passed on 
@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
25 Jan 20
Guinea pigs are not quite like dogs or cats that love you unconditionally but he was a sweet thing.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
26 Jan 20
@porwest I thought my granddaughter would be more upset but she just said "Can we have a cat now?"
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@porwest (112915)
• United States
26 Jan 20
@sprite1950 Yeah. I definitely catch your meaning. I have had hamsters in the past and you love them, but not like a dog or a cat for sure.
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@StyleWithSense (1954)
•
10 Feb 20
I'm sorry for your loss. Guinea Pigs are gentle pets they also are good for competitions more likely for their good furry coats... i saw some competitions for their hair and it was really entertaining. Hope you feel okay, I'm sure those furry friends are now somewhere at peace. RIP.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
10 Feb 20
Yes I am fine thanks. I have two others that I have to take of and they are very healthy.
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@StyleWithSense (1954)
•
10 Feb 20
@sprite1950 That's good atleast there are two surviving little furry friends of yours. Thanks for your reply!
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@StyleWithSense (1954)
•
10 Feb 20
@sprite1950 awe they must have their own ways or not really have that sense of mourning unlike other animals but yes, please take care of the others that are alive. thanks for your reply! you have a great day!
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
28 Jan 20
Well it was a guinea pig and although I was sad it's not as bad as losing a dog or cat that has been a big part of the family.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
30 Jan 20
@Lushlala I suppose so but the other two guinea pigs don't seem to have noticed! They are running around as happy as ever.
@Lushlala (4028)
• Gaborone, Botswana
30 Jan 20
@sprite1950 But still, I imagine you did grow attached to it, right? I bet your granddaughter loved it as well. Those things are just so cute, I would've been heartbroken. Dogs ARE in a league of their own, I have to admit.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
28 Jan 20
Thanks. He was very cute and it was sad but not like if you lose a dog or a cat.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
25 Jan 20
It's not quite as bad as losing a dog or a cat but he was cute.
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@JudyEv (382412)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jan 20
@sprite1950 Of course he was. I appreciate that.
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
15 Feb 20
Thank you. It was a while back now and you don't have that attachment that you have with dogs or cats but it's still a little sad when they go.
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@amitkokiladitya (171988)
• Agra, India
25 Jan 20
I'm extremely sorry for your loss
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
25 Jan 20
Thank you. He was a sweet little thing.
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@oahuwriter (26773)
• United States
26 Jan 20
How sad! RIP Little Man! Pets are great, but when they pass it's so very sad!
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
28 Jan 20
@oahuwriter I have another two and they should live another few years because they are only around 3 years and the average life of a guinea pig is 5 years,
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
26 Jan 20
He was a cutie and there was no real indication he would die the night before although he did have problems with his teeth.
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@oahuwriter (26773)
• United States
28 Jan 20
@sprite1950
It's so sad, that life has to end for such a nice little pet. Take care and things sometimes are so sudden.
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@lazydaizee (6732)
• United Kingdom
3 Feb 20
It is sad when pets die because they become like part of the family. What was his name?
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
3 Feb 20
We called him Ginger. My other two are Oreo and Teddy. They don't seem to miss him!
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@sprite1950 (30461)
• Corsham, England
3 Feb 20
@kepweng You need more than one guinea pig as they do not like to live alone.
Why are you surprised? They are all buried in the place they were happy.
@lazydaizee (6732)
• United Kingdom
3 Feb 20
@sprite1950 They still have each other for company, nice names.
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