Going On Holiday Without Guinea Pigs

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zuzanna

zuzanna

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I'm going on holiday for a week and will be leaving my guinea pigs behind. I of course want the best care for them so I was wondering what I should do.

There are two people I could leave them with. One being someone who will come in once a day to feed them the food I prepare etc. The other option is leaving the guinea pigs in someone else's home, which they haven't been in, to be looked after.

I'm not sure which is better because if I have someone come in once a day I don't want them to feel alone or risk them not having hay once they finish it. But on the other hand, I feel that leaving them in an unfamiliar environment with an unfamiliar person will cause more stress.

Please let me know which is better!
 
:D I would think it would be better to have someone come in once a day. Will this person be preparing and feeding them their veg daily? Or are you going to prepare enough for the week? As you have more than one piggie, loneliness should not be a problem when no-one is there.
 
I'm not quite sure if I would rather prepare all the food and leave it in little bags or if I should just leave the vegetables and write down how much to give them? Haven't thought about that yet.
 
:D I would invite your pig-sitter over for a cuppa, and just show him/her how to cut up the veg and how much to give each piggie. Perhaps leave some written instructions too, just in case he/she forgets something.
 
What a great idea! Thank you for helping, I'll do just that :)
 
I left my piggies for a month when we went overseas in Feb. I had a friend come and visit them once or twice a day (whenever she could make it). I wrote out a giant "Guinea Pig 101" letter for her (paranoid mother!) on what to feed, what to do with the fleece, outside time, hay etc etc and they were fine. :)
 
I've done both over the years. My pigs are somewhat 'mobile' though (we go back and forth between cottage and home all summer, so they are fairly accustomed to the whole cage relocating somewhere else.) Personally I prefer to send the whole cage and pigs off, but that's in part because my favored pig sitters are not close enough to just pop in and feed them once a day or so. I did have a friend come in and feed them once when I didn't have anyone else available and didn't want her to take them to her house, as she has a large dog that is not well-trained and a cat that has killed larger animals than my pigs! However, I did feel a bit bad for them sitting there alone, and I still had to relocate them from their usual spot in the house, as our family room is in the basement and I didn't want them sitting in darkness most of the time with nobody there to turn on the lights!
 
I always leave mine with someone. I wouldn't like them alone 23 hours a day and if they become sick someone needs to spot it and react quickly. I am very fortunate that my parents have them and in the winter they have a very large indoor cage which they go in. In summer the shed is converted to a piggy palace and they go in there.

They do also travel though and are used to being in different places so it's less stressful but I really don't think they mind much as long as they have company, are warm and have plenty of food. I know mine would be desperately unhappy with a once in a day check but I also know it's not always that easy to find someone you trust!

I also leave a detailed guinea care bible (it's scary!) and bag all their food if it's a few days. Also leave vet number as well.
 
If I were to leave the piggies at my friend's house, I would know that they're safe at all times. She has enough space and lives in a quiet house as she has no children or pets. She also has had guinea pigs in the past so I know she can care for them quite well. Would this be a better option instead of leaving them at home all day with someone who can only come in once daily?
 
I think it depends on how long you will be away.
If it is only a week, then technically that is only 5 full days (you will obviously still be around for at least some of the day that you depart and arrive home on).
For 5 - 6 days I am sure they will be fine having someone come in to care for them.
It will be different to having people around all the time, but isn't such a long stretch that it should be a problem.
You also need to think about how much you are around on a daily basis anyway.
If you are out a lot, then it won't be much of a change at all.

Maybe for a longer period of time it would be good if they moved elsewhere, but for 5 days I think the stress of relocation to an unfamiliar environment is possibly more work than necessary for both the pigs and you.
 
zuzanna said:
I'm going on holiday for a week and will be leaving my guinea pigs behind. I of course want the best care for them so I was wondering what I should do.

There are two people I could leave them with. One being someone who will come in once a day to feed them the food I prepare etc. The other option is leaving the guinea pigs in someone else's home, which they haven't been in, to be looked after.

I'm not sure which is better because if I have someone come in once a day I don't want them to feel alone or risk them not having hay once they finish it. But on the other hand, I feel that leaving them in an unfamiliar environment with an unfamiliar person will cause more stress.

Please let me know which is better!
Click to expand...

Feeding once daily is OK. Since my old reliable neighbours have sadly all moved away, I have employed a pet service for mine to come once a day and so far, it has worked out well, considering that I have two dozen piggies...

If I am away for longer, I leave any frail or piggies on meds in boarding with Little Badgers pet care (which is TEAS sanctuary) as I know that they are in very experienced hands and have prompt vet access. It has saved my Ceri's life as she needed an emergency operation once.

Both ways can work out; I would go with the one you feel you can trust more and stay in contact for updates while you are away.
 
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