Memorial ideas?

[oatmeal]

Hello, all!

So, unfortunately my recent rescue, Lazarus, passed away yesterday. I'm really heartbroken about it, as he appeared to be slowly improving over the past few months. It was very sudden, and I'm honestly still reeling about it.

I'm going to bury him tomorrow at a property my family owns. I want to do something 'nice' for him.. maybe plant something above his grave, but I'm not sure. I've buried animals there before (family pets mostly), but for some reason I feel like I need to do something special for Lazarus. His circumstances were so sad, and he had such a horrible life; he was dumped with no name, and no history.. I know nothing about him. I don't know if he was every happy and healthy and loved; all I saw was his last few months struggling to live. His life was a terrible injustice, and I want to (in some small way) let it be known that he was loved very much, if only for a short time.

Any ideas?

Little bit about Lazarus:
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=220260&hilit=lazarus

He'd gained some weight, had an appetite, and it seemed like he had stopped retaining fluids, and his bowel motility was improving. His death was a huge shock. I always knew that there was a good chance he wouldn't make it, but I didn't anticipate it would be so fast

Thanks in advance! I'm open to any suggestions anyone has If you've done something special for your critters and feel like sharing, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Terry15]

So sorry to hear about Lazurus. If he had a nice basking rock, maybe you could put his name on it and use it at the burial site. You did the most you could for him. He was lucky to have been rescued & well taken care of these last few months. So sorry for your loss.

 

[CooperDragon]

I'm sorry to hear he didn't make it =(. I know how you feel. He was in rough shape when you got him so there was probably some irreversible system damage he wasn't able to overcome in the end. You did your best with him and I'm sure he appreciated the care you gave him. When my guys died I wrapped them in their blankets and filled their caskets with their favorite things and a bottle of beer (Cooper's for Cooper and Dundee Honey Brown for Dundee). I marked their graves with their favorite basking logs. I figure they're sealed up all nice and cozy with everything they need now.

 

[oatmeal]

Thanks, Terry and CooperDragon.

Unfortunately because of his poor mobility he didn't really have a rock or other fixtures that he used. He was on towels/cloths in the tank, and outside the tank I'd give him some things to sit on, but nothing really felt like 'his'. I did wrap him in a towel, so at least he looked cozy.

CooperDragon, that's really cute about the beers And what a great idea using basking logs as markers! I'll remember that for when my old lady eventually goes. Thank you for all your support and advice while I was coping with all the issues that came up around Lazarus

I think I'm going to plant some bulbs there in the spring; daffodils or tulips They always come back, so it's kind of fitting. I know you're supposed to plant bulbs in the fall before the ground freezes, but it's so mild here I may even be able to do it now...

 

[CooperDragon]

The flowers will be a very nice tribute =)