Our rainbow tree is used as a burial place for those guinea pigs who were most dear to us. We love all of our guinea pigs but there’re always some whose personality stands out of the crowd and who have a special place in our heart. We don’t add all guinea pig ashes to the tree. It’s not possible as it’s too expensive and we think, personally, you’re always more attached to some than others. Letting go of them is the hardest and to be able to have them always with us, we decided to get a cherry tree for them to be buried under. One day, when we have our own land and home where we can set up a registered charity and rescue, we’ll plant the tree properly. Then we can bury our beloved lost piggies under them on our own soil and enjoy the bloom they bring to the rainbow tree. It may only be a young tree now, but it will bloom and blossom into something spectacular.
Below you will find the pictures of those we buried in our tree so far and a small description for each of them.
She was the first guinea pig to be mixed with the rainbow tree. She was one of my (Sophie) favourite guinea pigs. I always found her so beautiful to look at and she was definitely one of the friendliest guinea pigs we ever had. She had the habit of eating my crocs!!
She was Mark’s favourite girl. She made us laugh every day! She was so bossy and would teeth-chatter at us all the time, but when we approached her, all she would want was chin rubs! We lost her very suddenly due to complications with her eye being removed.
Losing him was very hard on us and our fans in general. Loki had come down with kidney stones and despite our best efforts to tell a vet (as our exotic vet was unavailable) that we were sure that was the problem, they didn’t listen. Two days later we took him back and demanded an X-ray, where they found the stone and scheduled him to be operated on the following morning. He died that night. We received a letter of apology from the vets for neglect but that didn’t bring back Loki. He was by far the sexiest and prettiest guinea pig we’ve ever come across. He had a beautiful placid personality to go with it too. He was simply the best.
Truffles was one of the original members of the herd. This is why she was added. Not only because she was a beautifully natured guinea pig; she was one of the first we had. I remember asking Mr Mason to go back and fetch her when he returned from the pet shop without her. She died of old age and the herd still doesn’t seem the same without her.
Squeak was another very tough guinea pig to lose. After Luna passed, my favourites were always a toss-up between Squeak and Ruby. Squeak was also an original member of the herd. She died a few weeks after Truffles. Squeak and Truffles were very close so i knew when Truffles passed, Squeak wouldn’t be far behind. It was only a matter of weeks between the two deaths. We love Squeak and still look for her to this day.
She was a rescue girl that really did defy the odds. A few months after the rescue, she came down with an ear infection that wouldn’t clear up. It left her with a head tilt and permanent neurological damage which was quite severe. She needed assistance in feeding for the remainder of her life. Some time later she went into kidney failure. She was incredible because she carried on living her life like nothing was wrong. She never lost her love for life and this is why she was added to the tree.
Pearl was the daughter of Loki and a guinea pig we took back from our friend who was moving abroad. Pearl was cremated and added to the tree so she could be with her father. This was at the request of our friend. Pearl was a lovely pig, even if she looked grumpy all the time lol. To this day, we still have no idea why she died.
She was another guinea pig that defied the odds of life. After hearing her kidneys were failing, we were told she was living on “borrowed time”. She went on to live for another 2 months! It astounded us and the vets. She was a very lovely piggie who adored her pea flakes and never lost her voice when it came to veggies. She was added to the rainbow tree because she lived longer than we expected her to live.
Aurora was also called “the cloud” due to her fluffy fur. She was a very popular pig among Masons’ Cavies fans. She was absolutely beautiful but always remained shy and quiet. Unfortunately, she too came down with kidney failure and died shortly after Ariel.
Like Luna, Ruby was my favourite. I really wanted her to live forever. She was the perfect guinea pig all in one. Chunky, fluffy, friendly and enjoyed her food. She needed to be spayed due to an infection – she didn’t survive. It broke my heart. Ruby is a loss I, personally, will never recover from. I watched her come into the world and I should have been with her when she left it x
– Sweep –
When we took on Sweep she was already five years old and she had been with us for over a year. So she was an old girl. She will be remembered for being the piggie who took a while to get her wheek going. She would then let out an almighty one and that would be it. It made Mark and me laugh every time. She often sounded like she had a smoker‘s cough but she hadn‘t.
– Oreo –
She was a very special and wonderful guinea pig. She was one of the guinea pigs that I‘d say to people that black and white or pure black guinea pigs tend to be left at bit because people think they‘re boring. She was always one I would point people towards and say, “Yes, she is black and white but she‘s such a character and amazing.“ We lost Oreo due to old age and she was close to Sweep‘s age. It was hard to watch her deteriorate. She was a cheeky guinea pig and she was our dog Isla‘s favourite. I will always remember her stealing my apple when I was sitting on the garden. She came up wheeking at me when I was eating one and she wanted it. I still look for her to this day trying to steal my fruit.
– Norbert –
Norbert (or as I loved to call him Norrrbert) was a popular, lovely Skinny pig. He was the guinea pig who converted Mr Mason onto Skinny pigs. His passing was odd as he went downhill very quick and we didn‘t expect him to get so sick. Our vet Adele saw him a couple of times but we all couldn‘t figure out what was wrong with him to this day. The vets monitored him to find out what was wrong with him but he passed away while he was there. His loss came as a shock to us.
A beautiful memorial. Hugs.
Beautiful piggies
I love this post, was a really loving and sweet sentiment for each of these lovely piggies that we lost. This is a great and wonderful memorial for all that have been with the Masons and the supporters throughout the years.
I thought this was such a wonderful idea from the start. It has such a symbolism of love, loss and compassion. I truly can’t wait to see it when it’s planted.
I love them all to bits and pieces and I watch you everyday and before I sleep. Thank you, Mr and Mrs Mason, you both are angels on earth.
Love, Alyssa
It brings tears to my eyes to read through this.
I miss Aurora so much…
Love reading their little stories
I love this. A Beautiful way to remember all the pigs that have been loved and lost.
RIP to all the piggies. It’s so sad and heartbreaking when they pass away. The rainbow 🌈 tree is a lovely way to keep their memories alive and a symbol of your love for them. xxxxxxxxxx
Big kiss to all the piggies who now rest under the rainbow tree
Love this post 💕