Rusty came to me when he was about 11 weeks old, July 31, 2003. He was very tiny, I could hold him in the palm of my hand. After being bought from the breeder he was given to some people as a companion animal for their rabbit. The rabbit did not like little Rusty one bit. It scratched him and chewed the poor little guy up. The owners were unsure what to do with him and kept him in a small shoe box until the breeders came and picked him up. Then he was given to me. I gave him lots of treats and fattened him up nicely, he was a whole new guinea pig.



Rusty was such a sweet boy. He loved to be cuddled. As September came around Rusty was looking very good. I was so happy to see he had recovered. But suddenly one day in mid September I went out one day to pick Rusty up and to my shock he was skin and bones. For some reason he had rapidly lost a LOT of weight. Immediately my Mom and I moved him into my room and fed him carrots, parsley, and oats. He wasn't drinking much or eating. I was quite concerned. This went on for about a week. The little spark of life in his eyes seemed to be gone. He was very weak and had very little energy. My Mom and I took him to the Vet, October 1, 2003. I had a bad feeling in my gut. The Vet said he was very dehydrated. She discussed some of the things he may have, she thought most likely he was having Kidney Failure. Then my Mom asked, was he suffering? She said...Yes. This was the hardest thing I've ever done. Getting my little guy put to sleep. I'll never forget holding him in my arms for the last time...The Vet told me he was lucky that he had come to me and my Mom and I had loved him unlike his previous home. It made me feel a bit better. Then she took him away from me. He was gone. We took him home and buried him next to my rabbit hutch outside where Dusty (one of my rabbits) lives. Dusty and Rusty were good friends and we wanted them to still be close. 



I am very blessed to have had Rusty in my life. I only wish he could have lived a longer life. He died just 6 days of turning 5 months old. I think of him everyday...