I got Twizzler's remains yesterday - I had her privately cremated.  My vet said that the place they work with "All Paws Go To Heaven" (love that name), is very respectful to the animals and they did a good job - I'm glad that my clinic really checked them out because it's as important that my pet get the same respect even in death.

They put her remains in a beautiful cedar box with an engraved name plate on top.  They also included a nice letter, a certificate, the Rainbow Bridge Poem and a nice candle - it was in a pretty white bag with paw prints on it.

Sad thing though is that I have about 6 of these boxes and I need to find an appropriate burial place one day.

That sounds really nice, Sarita.
Maybe you could find a lovely cabinet, like those smaller lacquered ones that are from China, and store all the boxes in it.

I kept all my boxes for a few years until I was ready to "let go" of their cremains- I planted planted our dogs cremains under a lilac tree (one each) and one my my cats- Shadow and my bunny Penny under a rose bush.

It took time for me to be ready to even be ready for that step- but eventually whatever feels right might just come to you!

Oh, that sounds like such a caring way to handle the loss - a poem, candle, certificate added. Wow. That is nice. My vet started the tradition for me of tying a little bow around the piece of fur, and so I keep those in a separate little keepsake box.   I too, haven't figured out what to do with the urns yet. I keep thinking once I feel I am at a definite permanent place of residence - I would do something similar to what Katnip has done. Just haven't found the right spot, the right place yet. I'm sure it will be like what Katnip said, eventually something will feel right.

I have heard of jewelry being made out of the ashes. I can't remember the site exactly, I'd have to go searching.

Yeah, the sympathy card and fur with the bow totally floored me and my girlfriend when her bun passed. And the fact that the Dr. actually got teary eyed as we said our goodbyes was fantastic.

As for myself, I never keep the ashes - I just turn the body over to be disposed of (which I'm told they still do respectfully). My bun is gone and I never believed in having a place where people would go to 'visit' the remains of someone.  IMO, they're not there, they're all around and there's no reason to put one place above the others.

When my first bunny died, we had her privately cremated as well, and the place that did it - they're actually a human crematorium and they started up a pet sector! - they also gave us a sympathy card and a copy of the rainbow bridge story and a tuft of her fur and a foot print (which, with bunnies' furry feet, looks more like an ink smudge on the paper than anything, but I liked it anyway!) They gave me her ashes in a cute little carved wooden box with a name plate. I just have her box sitting on a shelf in my bedroom with a framed picture of her and a candle that I burned for her while I was grieving. My boyfriend thinks it's creepy that I have her ashes still, but to me it's comforting. You know, this is one of those things that you really need to do what's best for you and what makes you comfortable. I like the idea of the cabinet