Hello!

We have some quite old guinea pigs that won’t live for much longer (around 4.5 years old). When they die, do your children bury such pets with a simple but symbolic ceremonies in the garden? What would you recommend?


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  • Yes we have buried rabbits, guinea pigs, mice and chickens in the garden. Often we have planted flowers or a plant on top so ie’s easy to find back


  • We had a chicken pass away last weekend- we didn’t bury it but that is more so because we have an ASD child and we move around a lot so didn’t want to have a connection at this house


  • A simple service over the burial site would be good for the kids and probably yourself. Just keep it short and simple and in time to come they will appreciate what you have done for their pets.


  • I guess it depends on how old your kids are. I remember my dad digging the hole in our backyard for our dog when he died and we said some nice words over the grave. My mum took me away though when he filled the hole in. It was sad but it was a nice goodbye for a family pet. There wasn’t a maker or anything but we always remembered where he was buried.


  • A friend of ours dog died. The vet said somebody must have thrown the poison over the fence as the product used the family had never heard of. It was rushed to the vet as soon as they realised it was sick but the vet was unable to save it. The Vet. put it in a body bag, then called them to say it had died. They brought it home and buried it. Their eldest girl would have been about 4 years old and asked to see it. They opened the end of the body bag and she was able to pat its head, with gloves on as a precaution. After it was buried they planted a small bush on its grave and watched it grow, knowing that their dog was “sleeping” under it. It definitely helped with the grieving process for her. They did the same with other pets which passed away. One the kids put a row of stones on the edge of it too.


  • yeah even if all you do is place a marker or stone, that is good.


  • Our family dog ( who was a maltese terrier ) died over 10 years ago from an illness and we were suggested by the vet to bury him in the backyard as they said it would cost a fortune for someone to take it away . It has to be a certain deepness though for hygiene reasons and we just put a small plant at the time to recognise the spot . The kids found it comforting that it was buried in the yard so I am sure it would be fine with your guniea pigs too .


  • I think a little ceremony would be a lovely way to say to goodbye.


  • A little ceremony does help the kids with their grief.


  • Our first little guinea pig died a couple of days ago – it was buried under a tree with a special ornament chosen by our daughter. Doing this was very special for her, so glad we did this. It was important to acknowledge the grief and the importance of the pet to her.


  • In the garden with a special plant/ bush/ornament.


  • if its something they are attached to a burial is a good idea, I would suggest getting a small shoe box or food box and alllow them to paint it or decorate it. and then have it buried in the back yard and plant a rose bush or fruit tree or plant that flowers each year at the time of passing.. (one thats easily replaced if it looks sickly without the kids finding out. )


  • In my opinion so long as you are including them in saying goodbye to their pets, that is what matters. I think your idea sounds lovely


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