Hug my guinea pigs every day

Not my guinea pig pictured above..

Today, Chuckles passed away. I have been holding vigil over him for at least day or so. There was nothing that could be done except make him comfortable. He held on for so long… I was amazed with his strength. I held him and held him, feeling that the end was at hand, but it wasn’t for well over a day. I held him all day today… and brought his brother Charlie onto my chest for a bit to visit with him and comfort him, and so they could say goodbye.

I know he was just a guinea pig, but we have been through so much together. (Sounds silly, but it’s true.) When I first got him, Chuckles was very shy. The first week he bit me! (very unusual for a guinea pig) I ended up in the emergency room on IV antibiotics! Needless to say, I recovered, and my finger doesn’t look like a bloated sausage. He only bit me because he hadn’t been handled or held and was scared. After a while, he loved to be held. He just needed practice! :o)

Chuckles had chronic problems with his feet because of the shelter life. He and I worked on his health issues for years. He was such a champ at getting his treatments. He had some ailments over the years that most pigs probably wouldn’t recover from, but he always bounced back! He was amazing. For such a cute, cuddly, round little creature, he had nerves of steel and the strength of superman.

I still have his brother Charlie. Luckily, he has another friend (which I adopted when I got my new dog). After loosing Chuckles, I am more determined than ever to Hug MY Guinea Pigs as much as possible.

I’m going to build them a fabulous habitat. They have a good situation now, but I want to make it sensational. I’m also going to take them out a lot for outdoor activities (as I always do when the weather is good). They enjoy munching on grass, sipping water, napping, grooming, and then a little job about the yard. (This is all done under close supervision of course!)

Here’s to renewed vigor in loving all the wonderful beings in my life.