This page is a memorial to my guinea pig, Ferdy, who recently died (February 10). Her full name was Arch Duke Ferdinand. When i went to the pet store to pick out a guinea pig, i decided to have a name in mind, then pick a pig that fit the name (instead of picking out the pet first, then naming it based on its personality). There were three guinea pigs in the cage, one was a tan and white teddy bear (it's a type of guinea pig), one was a white, fluffy, nervous peruvian, and then there was a black, orange-brown, and white guinea pig. I couldn't tell what type the third one was, but she was the gentler of the three, and she fit the name Ferdy perfectly. I picked her up and held her for a moment, looking into her eyes (she had such intelligent eyes), making a memory of her face, and deciding on whether i should get her or not. After looking her over for a few minutes, i decided that she was the right "one." I took her home, my friend Luci was with me. We set up her cage, held her for a few minutes (so that she could get used to the smell of us), and let her run around her cage for a while. Even though Ferdy made noise in the middle of the night, calling for attention every two seconds, i loved her dearly. I grew accustomed to the noise, never dreaming of a time when i wouldn't hear her persistant wailing, never anticipating what was to come ahead. On February 9th, Ferdy was fine, i remember her squealing at BC for getting on top of her cage, and then i refilled her food a few minutes later. February 10, i noticed that Ferdy hadn't eaten her food (or thrown it across the cage, which she enjoyed doing). I thought that was really odd, because usually i needed to refill her food every day. I filled the food bowl back up to the top, trying not to think about anything being wrong, but when i put the food back in the cage, i knew that something was deffinately wrong. Ferdy was sitting in a corner of the cage, instead of under her tunnel, where she usually loved to stay. I picked her up, and unlike most times, she didn't seem to want to be held. I felt her tremble as my hand touched her forehead to pet her. I knew that something was wrong, i couldn't put my finger on what it was exactly, but something was unnatural about the way she was behaving. I held some food out for Ferdy to see if she would eat it, but she refused. She wouldn't drink any water, either. I stayed with her for over an hour... i barely remember anything about that evening, i remember my mother telling me to go to bed, and i remember telling her that i wanted to stay with Ferdy. That whole night, i was with Ferdy for a total of two or three hours. Every now and then, i would try to induce her into eating something, or having some water, but she wouldn't. Finally, my mom insisted that i go to bed, so i did. I woke up in the middle of the night several times, worrying about Ferdy, and when i woke up at 6 on the morning of the 11th, Ferdy had passed on. I could not understand how she could have died, she was fine just the day before. Overcome with grief, i went through the day like a zombie, hardly ever smiling (i believe that i only smiled at a few jokes that my friends Jen and Ceci made in an attempt to cheer me up). I hope that Ferdy is happy wherever she may be now (the Rainbow Bridge?), i loved my dear little furchild :*(
What I loved most about Ferdy:
How she would snuggle up against me after i gave her a bath
How she would nibble gently on my fingernails
How she would sniff my nose and brush my face with her whiskers
