My adorable little guinea pig Cobweb died this afternoon, and I don’t know what to do. I live in an apartment, so I don’t have a yard to bury her in. What are my other options? Sorry for the gruesome question. I hate death.
I’m sorry he died. When my 3 pirhana died last month I buried them in the back yard next to some trees. (And cried like a little bitch. I had them for years)
Can you find a spot outside the building that you can bury him at night? How about at a park or open field. (Now be careful, as if it’s too shallow some animal may dig it up. Friend’s place available? Otherwise, you may just have to dump him with the trash. 
Call a local veterinarian tomorrow and ask that question. I am sure they know of some pet cemetary, or have other options for you.
I knew I was leaving an obvious option out. Damn. :smack:
If you have friends or family who live in a house, you can bury in him in one of their yards. You can go the pet cemetary or cremation route, but those can be relatively expensive options and many owners aren’t willing to go to that sort of expense for a guinea pig. A local vet can usually dispose of the body for you, either by having the city remove the body or by having it cremated in bulk. You can also put the little guy in the dumpster yourself, although I’m guessing you really don’t want to do that. (Check local ordinances, though; in some areas you’re not supposed to put dead animals in with the regular trash, but rather call and have a sanitation worker pick up the body.)
We had a cat that died yesterday. (20 year old cat, shot by a BB Gun. We did everything we could, but he just got weaker and weaker. :() He’s in an out-of-the way part of the house right now. Tomorrow (Monday) we’ll take him to the vet and have him cremated. (He was part of our family for 20 years, he gets cremated.)
It seems like they always die on the weekend, don’t they? I hate it too. I don’t even want to talk about this cat’s death, since it’s very sad and I was his primary “care giver.” (Feeding him by dropper, giving him his medicine, etc.) It sucks. I loved him very much.
Sorry for that tangent. Yes, the vet is the place to take the dear departed. And I’m sorry that you lost your guinea pig.
grasshopper, I hope you forgive my intrusion on this point.
yosemite, I read with disgust the post you wrote about the BB gun incident. I’m sorry it went that way. Hope you both feel better soon.
We keep Dwarf Campbell Russian hamsters, which live for about 2 years. When we returned from our holiday last week, the oldest of the eight we currently have (pairs, in 4 cages) had shuffled off its coil and lay peacefully under its wheel. (Don’t worry - we had someone in every day to look out for them.)
I wish I could have found a nice place to bury Fats, but in the end, like all the others, I had little choice but to wrap her nicely in kitchen paper and a plastic bag and wait for the contractors to come and take her away.
The memories, however, those they cannot take away. And her great grandchild is pregnant again…
If you have a city animal shelter, or even a largish private one, they can probably take care of the body for you. They might charge a small fee or might request a donation if it’s a privately run shelter.
I too had a Russian dwarf hamster die this year. It was not expected, though, as he was only 1 year old. I took good care of him, so maybe he was sick. hard to tell with a rodent, really. Anyways, I also hda to wrap him up in some plastic bags, then into a dumpster. Some friends and I had a moment of silence. He was a good little hamster, everybody loved him.
Anyhoo, I too also suggest contacting both a local vet and humane shelter. Both of these places have to dispose of animals, so they can give you prices, place, etc…
Sorry to hear about the loss…some people assume that just because a pet isn’t a standard pet (aka cat or dog) they assume there is no emotional attachment to them, but I know there is, so you do have my sympathies.
Thanks everybody for responding. I’m sorry for all of you have have also recently lost a pet, especially yosemite. As hard as it’s been losing my guinea pig, I can still remember how hard it was losing my dog that my family had for ten years. I empathize with you.
Anyway, as it turned out, I was able to find a spot to bury her. I live right next to a park, and I went for a walk this afternoon. I found a nice spot in the middle of a patch of trees, right next to the bike path that I’m always riding or skating or running on. I was going to wait until dark to bury her, but I wanted to get it over with, and I don’t think anyone saw me since I was behind all the trees. I probably made the grave too shallow because all I had to dig was a pair of scissors that I brought and some sticks lying on the ground, but that’s okay. I’m glad I was able to bury her. I find some comfort in thinking about her returning to the earth and being just another part of the life cycle. Sorry if I’m sounding maudlin. I’m crying as I write this. It’s just never easy losing a pet, is it?
There weren’t any rocks or anything to mark the spot, so I just found a pretty leaf and put it on top. In the backyard of my home near Cleveland, we have two big rocks near each other - one where my dog was buried in 1995 and one where my cat was buried in 97. I remember four years ago when I was moving away for college, right before I got into the car with my parents and all my stuff, I stopped by those rocks one more time to say goodbye. Every time I’m on the bike path from now on, I’m sure I’ll be thinking of Cobweb, and I’m glad I was able to bury her there.
Here’s a picture of her for all who are interested. She sure was a cute little thing (though also very bratty - WHEEK WHEEK WHEEK! whenever she wanted something :))
Of course, if I don’t see a red fern in the next week, I’m going to rebury her someplace more magical.
(trying to keep a sense of humor)
So sorry for your loss, grasshopper, but I’m glad you were able to find a burial option that felt right to you.
Just wanted to say that the picture was adorable, and “Cobweb” is just the cutest name ever. Maybe you could get it done up in calligraphy or something and frame it with her picture…
Oh, and think of how lucky she was to get to have *you * as her mom!
I’m sorry for your loss. I’ve buried 6 guinea pigs over the years, and I know it hurts to lose one of these precious little bundles of love.
If you have a chance to place something like a big rock or brick over the spot, it will help prevent roaming dogs from digging in the spot.
Have you considered giving a small donation to a guinea pig rescue organization in her name? It’s a nice way to memorialize your furry friend.
Again, sorry for your loss.