by Theresa Thoyton.........................................
i fell in love with that little shy guinea pig as soon as i saw him. I named him Hirem.
the only thing that i didn't like so much bout him was that he would bite me occassionally.
Then one day, three years after i got him, he was ill.
I was 13, and my parents were away. I tried feeding him warm milk, all kinds of veggies, everything. But nothing worked.
I came home from skiing that night, looked in Hirem's cage, and began to sob. he was dead.
I don't know if he was ever in any pain, but his position looked like he had passed away in his sleep.
I miss him very much.
I just couldn't seem to get over it.
First, I could hardly beleive it. then I felt guilty because I hadn't done enough. I still feel guilty.
i buried him in a garden. I planted a Hosta on top. Every time I look at that little hollow in the ground, it brings tears to my eyes.
When my parents came back from their trip, my mom told me not to feel guilty, and I was the best guinea pig momma ever.
i remeber when i first got him, for christmas, he would run back inside his nest box if I ever so much as looked at him.
He eventually outgrew his shyness.
when i would say, "want some hay?" he would try to climb up the bars of his cage and began to squeal as loud as he could.
Another time, when a friend was over, i offered to let her hold him.
she agreed. But as soon as she held him, Hirem promptly bit her.
So my friend dropped him. I picked him up and apologized.
Then the next time that friend came, she said mean things about poor Hirem. It made me so angry.
I'm not sure why Hirem bit her, maybe it was because he didn't like being held. Or maybe it was because he didn't like her. ilve Hiem very much. <3