From the Rainbow Bridge

Charlie

Birthdate: Estimated May-June 2017
Died: 8th September 2017
Breed: Himalayan shorthair
Charlie was a beautiful and friendly boy that could light up the room with his gentle nature and calm curiosity. He helped his more nervous cagemates learn that it was okay to come out and explore.
Backstory
​​Charlie was rescued from a backyard breeder in Glen Innes on the 2nd of September 2017 along with eleven other guinea pigs. He was being kept in the main herd with many boys and girls for indiscriminate breeding and fighting.

Charlie's personality
Charlie was a quiet and very friendly boy. He was the most confident of the Glen Innes pigs, and despite his ordeals he would come up to the cage bars with a great curiosity. He got along very well with Peanut and Rajah, often cuddling up with them or coaxing them from their houses to have a bite to eat. He has a beautiful disposition.

Charlie's death
Charlie was admitted as an emergency patient on the morning of 7th September 2017. He was suffering symptoms of a stroke and in a very bad way. He was given supportive care with painkillers, fluids, glucose, and warmth. He began to recover slowly and was brought home that afternoon with round-the-clock care. He lost his battle on the afternoon of 8th September 2017. His death was attributed to a toxic reaction from the moxidectin ingredient in Advocate for Cats, caused by his severely malnourished and emaciated body being unable to handle the normally safe compound. A warning has since been issued about this reaction risk in emaciated guinea pigs.

Pancake

Birthdate: Estimated March 2017
Died: 21st September 2017
Breed: Tortoiseshell shorthair
Pancake was a very friendly little lady that loved human attention and cuddles. She loved to sit on your shoulder like a parrot, and she loved running around the house so much she broke out of even Pancake-proof cages.
Backstory
Pancake was rescued from a backyard breeder in Glen Innes on the 2nd of September 2017 along with eleven other guinea pigs. She was being kept in a section for 'unbred sows'

Pancake's personality
Pancake started off very skittish along with the other girls, but after her dental surgery she became remarkably tolerant of humans. She would come up to you for attention and happily eat from your hand or enjoy a head scratch. She had a particular fondness for sitting on your shoulder, and would often climb up your chest and perch on your shoulder like a parrot. She was an extremely curious and adventurous pig and became quite the escape artist, escaping no less than five times in one night, even from a special Pancake-proof cage. She enjoyed getting out and running about the house, and woke up the human in the morning for breakfast by wheeking outside their door.

Pancake's death
Pancake's weight continued to drop after her dental surgery, and no amount of extra feeding could get it back up. She showed very little interest in food, though she did enjoy eating Critical Care when hand fed. She had developed scurvy before she was rescued, and it had damaged her endocrine system. She wasn't able to absorb the nutrients she needed. Early on the morning of 21st September 2017 she began to twitch and then soon after began to seize. She was rushed to the vet, where she was put on life support. She went into a coma and was declared brain dead, at which point we made the decision to put her to sleep.

Amber

Birthdate: Estimated May 2017
Died: 1st March 2018
Breed: White, brown, and red tricolour shorthair
Amber was quite a shy pig. She preferred to do her own thing but was friendly toward other animals. She particularly loved tunnels and could usually be found in one. She spent all her remaining energy keeping her babies safe before her body shut down.
Backstory
Amber was sold online when her owners lost interest. She and Lola had been thrown into a cage with a male (Blizzard), whom they were impregnated by and who they bit repeatedly.

Amber's personality
Amber was quite shy and doesn't make much noise. She tended to keep to herself, usually relaxing on her own or munching on some hay in the hay lofts. She was very skittish and did not handle easily.

Amber's death
Amber suffered anorexia, likely due to a tooth root infection. Her weight loss was hidden, however, because she was pregnant. After she gave birth and revealed how skinny she was, she was given treatment and assist fed, but by this point she had gotten severe gut stasis. She was in a lot of pain and with such a poor prognosis we decided to have her euthanised to stop her suffering any further.

Miscarried and stillborn babies
​

Baby Higgins
Male
30 September 2017
Breed: Unknown, mother was tortoiseshell shorthair
Delilah miscarried her single baby at approximately 45 days gestation. He was named after the songwriter of Hey There Delilah and buried under a Prunus tree along with Liquorice's three babies. He had just begun to develop skin, eyelids, claws, pigment, hair follicles, and genitals.
Isinia
Female
8 September 2017
Breed: Tortoiseshell Abyssinian
Isinia was Lavender's only baby, delivered stillborn at around 3:00 pm. Lavender had cleaned her up and tried to rouse her and snuggle with her. She was a beautiful big baby weighing 90 grams and was named after an old scientific term for the genus of lavender flowers.
Jelly, Bean, and JoJo
The sexes of the babies are not known
2 September 2017
Breed: Unknown, mother was tortoiseshell shorthair
Soon after arriving, Liquorice miscarried three babies. They were very undeveloped and therefore their sexes and breeds could not be determined, though they were estimated to be about 30 days gestation. Unfortunately they never had the chance to come to term and experience life.