Holidays - Boarding or not?

Fink

Fink

New Born Pup
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Hi all,

I’m trying to plan for a holiday in summer 2022, it will be the first time (apart from a weekend) that we’ve all been away together so need some piggy care.

Because of the living situation, professional pet sitters aren’t an option, so it’s either ask a friend to come round or send them to board.

We did get a family member to come round twice daily when we were away for the weekend recently, and it worked out ok but I was a bit worried about them not having enough space. They normally spend several hours each day in an outdoor run, but it’s only suitable with supervision so we never put them in it if we’re out of the house. I’d also be a bit worried about an inexperienced or unfamiliar person transporting them from the hutch to the run and vice versa. So the relative who looked after them for the weekend just kept them in the hutch 24/7 and topped up with food and bedding. The hutch is 120cm x 50cm twice (i.e. two floors of 120 x 50, connected by stairs), for two pigs.

So that’s one option. Does anyone have experience about whether that sounds like a suitable environment for a week, if they didn’t have an additional outdoor run just the two floors of 120cm x 50cm hutch?

I think it would stress them out less than boarding, but I don’t want them to be cooped up.

If we did go for boarding, does anyone have any recommendations in east – north-east London (UK)?

Thanks
 
Hello, you are very organised I must say!
I would personally go for boarding if you are going away for a week, I think weekends are fine for just daily checks but when it’s a bit longer it would be beneficial for them to be at a boarder under more supervision just incase one of the gets ill. We boarded our pigs last year and they were absolutely fine, we visited the place before I booked them in so I could see where they would stay. I’m in Croydon so I don’t have any recommendations in north London i’m afraid.

One thing I would also say is that your hutch isn’t meeting the very minimum requirements for two pigs, as we go into winter it may be worth considering getting them something a bit bigger, ideally you want a 5ftx2ft or even better a 6ftx2ft for two piggies. The very minimum is 120x60cm and levels don’t count as they are ground roaming animals.
 
Thanks rp, I hadn't realised their hutch was too small as they do go up and down both levels quite frequently. A lot of the hutches on the hutch photo thread are dual level, is this really not ok? And they do spend a lot of the daytime in the run, which is bigger (150 x 150). I could look into a bigger hutch if we really had to, but I won't be able to afford it until my Christmas bonus comes through.
 
Thanks. Yes, I've looked at that thread. Thank you for keeping it pinned! I guess I was wondering whether other people's pigs had been ok at boarding or whether it stressed them out? Some of the boarding places I've looked at online look very nice (although not very near us, but if we have to go across London then it wouldn't be the end of the world), I just wonder how the pigs have coped in an unfamiliar environment. rp1993 made a good point about the supervision levels, which was one of the things bothering me if we kept them at home (I stressed so much even when we went away for the weekend), but on the other hand, I remember how long it took them to settle in here when we first got them and I didn't know if they would be any more comfortable in a strange place now.
 
Fink said:
Thanks rp, I hadn't realised their hutch was too small as they do go up and down both levels quite frequently. A lot of the hutches on the hutch photo thread are dual level, is this really not ok? And they do spend a lot of the daytime in the run, which is bigger (150 x 150). I could look into a bigger hutch if we really had to, but I won't be able to afford it until my Christmas bonus comes through.
Click to expand...
Duel levels are fine as long as the one level reaches the minimum requirements, I know a few people on here just close up one level and use it for storage! As the piggies get old some will struggle with ramps, and in the winter it’s too cold for them to go out in a run so the more space they have the better!

As far as your concerns about settling in at a boarding place, I can only say from what happened with my boys in that they were fine, Pringle is our shy pig and he was a little quiet but Pepper was the most friendly pig the border had ever looked after! We look after a friends pigs and they always seem fine after a day or two of settling in!
 
ok, I'll look into another hutch long term, but it's not something I can afford right now.
 
Following this, as I have the same thoughts. Haven't been away for more than a few days in years and have had friends, family or pet sitter for the piggies, but would like a longer holiday. I see a lovely looking boarding place with webcam on the way to the Peak District from here, so thought about holidaying there and dropping them off there. But for out of the UK, I'm not sure. Plenty people saying their piggies were fine at the boarders and some saying they were unsettled and dropped a bit of weight. Maybe it depends on the temperament of your piggies?
 
Fink said:
Thanks rp, I hadn't realised their hutch was too small as they do go up and down both levels quite frequently. A lot of the hutches on the hutch photo thread are dual level, is this really not ok? And they do spend a lot of the daytime in the run, which is bigger (150 x 150). I could look into a bigger hutch if we really had to, but I won't be able to afford it until my Christmas bonus comes through.
Click to expand...

If you have two sows their cage requirements are a minimum of 120x60cm on a single level but 150x60cm is recommended.
For two boars it needs to be 150x60cm on a single level but 180x60cm is recommended.

Double storey hutches are fine but it is only ever the bottom level which counts towards the cage size so the hutch needs to meet requirements on one level . Piggies are ground roaming and although some are fine with ramps, they don’t count but do break the space up and actually make a hutch smaller.
As long as they have enough space on that single level, not having run/play/exercise time for a few days will not hurt them.
I have a double storey hutch in my shed but the ramp is permanently closed off effectively making two single storey hutches. They live downstairs between spring and autumn and the bottom doors of the hutch are left open so they can come and go between the hutch and the shed floor itself to play. The upper part of the hutch is where they are put during winter nights as it’s easier to keep that one level warm enough.

An outside run will soon become unusable given the temperatures are getting too cold and the ground is losing its warmth. Mine are no longer able to go out in their lawn run.
 
Hi!
Our Piggies have been boarding twice now, since they have been with us(almost a year)for 2 long weekends. They are booked in for a week next year already, as we know that the boarding place we found gets booked up, its only small.

I asked lots of questions from the places I liked, and that were close enough to us, unfortunately we couldn't look around due to Covid.
The place we eventually chose, did me a little video of the space they would be in. They also answered all my questions, I had a lot!
We are kept informed with a daily email, and usually a little photo(or 4).
I pack them with some small smelly fleece bits so when they arrive it smells familiar. We also provide their own pellets.
We don’t believe that our guinea pigs have been affected by going boarding while we are away. (Their weights remain stable). They do like to act huffy with us for the first 24hrs after they get home.
They come home and settle straight back in. Infact the last time they had a weekend away without us they apparently went straight to the same houses they had used the first time they visited, and got comfy!
Good luck, hope this helps.
 
Our two generally go to a boarders a few times a year and, while they're usually pretty pleased to get home into their familiar surroundings, they don't seem at all bothered by the experience, don't loose weight etc.

I agree with what was said above that if it's just a few days then I feel fine about having someone pop by to check on them, but of it's a longer period I feel better to have them in the care of a professional.
 
Because I’ve experienced both sides of boarding, I completely understand.
Now running a furry hotel, I do everything within my power to keep both humans and furries looked after. If that means photos or videos every day, proof of real floor and cuddle time - then so be it. Sometimes when full it’s not always possible but they are well looked after. I ask the type of bedding they want, hay, water, food type (of course) vet details and last mite treatment etc etc. Why? Because I don’t want their routine to change. Some have gone out healthier and happier with hooms too. My doors are open to viewings, even take a peak inside the fridge to see what goodies are there. At the very least any furry hotel would be happy to show the accommodation.
I’m very small but it means I don’t over stretch my resources, time and energy. It’s about being realistic.
Hope that helps.
 
My piggies are at the Boarders now as I go away tomorrow. They love it there as they get very spoilt. I take their normal pellets and some fleecy bits that smell of them. If they have a carrot cottage or a haycube I take that as well. It all helps them to settle in. My boarder is very lovely and clearly loves piggies.
 
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