Death of pet

Hi again, this morning I have found my 13 y.o daughter's gerbil dead in her cage. We did previously have 2 but the other passed a few months ago. The children were obviously upset but they were staying positive because they still had one left. But now, this one sadly died in it's sleep. I told my children the news and my son doesn't really seem too bothered and upset. My 13 y.o is devastated because she was the one who bought it and cared for it but has calmed down now. My 15 y.o, who has autism, is still struggling because they are now both gone. I'm trying to be there for all of them and they know this but the oldest feels like she can't cry and be too upset because it wasn't her gerbil. I've explained to her that everyone is sad and that's ok and that we all show sadness and grieve differently. She is also not happy because she feels like she is losing everything and everything. Many deaths the past years. What do I do to move forward/ the next step. She's really upset that there aren't any left. 

I know from previously, that she won't let go and it will be on her mind. She has explained to me that she is worried about going to school because teachers will ask her how her weekend was and she won't know how to reply. I will let them know we have had a tricky weekend to give them the heads up. She also has a poster on her desk wall all about her and her pets. She says it will make her upset because the pets name is on there but the other one isn't and now they are both dead. She's up in her bedroom at the moment but I'm sure what to do next. She's getting fed-up of all the deaths and when one happens, the others all come rushing to her head. 

Parents
  • ask her if u should get some new Gerbils ? 

    this is a question that then should lead to a discssion on the life span of a gerbil (3-4 years)  then other animals eg dog 13 years 

    Small animals also need to eat all the time because they are small and if they stop they die pretty quickly. Mice and small birds are the same ----- small birds never stop looking for food.  So small animals are more prone to death and usually use fat reproduction to keep their species going. So smallness in mammals and birds leads to problems.

    The Gerbil aim  is to keep the species going and not themselves --- its a team effort for the larger Gerbil team that is their strategy. In essence your Gerbil lives in the next generation of Gerbils.

  • Thank you, but me and my husband don't really want any more. She did ask me but I said not at the moment, because I just don't have the money to buy them again. She can buy them but I'm broke. We are having an extension and we just want to get that done before getting more pets. They weren't too good at looking after the one and got bored of them after a while after the excitement left. 

  • yes our local primary school had a system whereby u could take the school pets home for a week / more as a way to teach about "pets". One day my kids let the school guinea pigs out in my garden when we had them for a week but then forgot about them !   i found them all eventually Slight smile

Reply Children