holidays - what to do with outdoor pigs?

piggiemummy03x

piggiemummy03x

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hi all! so i need to start exploring my options in regards to what to do with my girls when we go away on hoilday! we have nothing booked yet but always go away at least once a year however i’m actually very reluctant now we’ve got the girls! there are a few options i can think of but each have their own worries so just wanted to air them out and hopefully get some advice on whats best to do!

so the first option is asking family members to come round and tend to the girls however it’ll probably only be once a day (due to work) and my main concern with this is the fact they are in the shed, the door will be shut up the whole time and i’m worried about the possibility of it getting too hot in there and me not being there to bring them in if needed. i know this would be the best option but as i have said, the temperature thing is a huge thing i need to take into consideration.

the second option i’ve considered is just bringing them in for the length of our hoilday, either in ours, or being taken to a family members, however i’m then worried about them getting used to inside temps (especially at night where it stays much warmer than outside) and then not being able to put them back outside to live in the hutch as normal. this is what we used to do with my rainbow girls, not knowing about the problem with temperature changes.

i have also considered a small animal borders but again we will either have the same problem with them being bought inside and also the worry of it being too stressful, being around different animals who are also there, the new smells etc and the worry of possible arguments it may cause being removed from their home and taken to a location with more guinea pigs / rabbits. i’m the most apprehensive about this option and would probably only choose boarding if it was my last and only option.

my last thought was maybe trying to find somewhere i could just bring the girls with us😅 in a temporary cage etc but again, that would be a case of bringing them inside and i don’t actually think this would be an option with the places we stay… unfortunately🤣

to all you piggy mummys and daddys who keep your babies outside, what do you do when it comes to holidays and breaks away? any advice, ideas or information is greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
This may be no help at all, but in my 9 years of having outdoor rabbits I think I eventually got things right for them! So my set up was a shed with a small opening (avoiding droughts, or full sun) through to a run with a marine ply base so it was off the ground. In the summer not so much hay on the floor and in the winter stuffed with hay! The shed was out of direct sun for most of the day and the run had a solid roof for shade and in the winter extra heat. In the real cold winter I was able to easily block off the door to the run at night to keep them in the shed with their hay bale, and in summer I just left it open and they came and went as they pleased.

Could something like this work or be adapted to your current setting?
 
I absolutely would not consider leaving them in the shed at all while you are on a holiday during summer. It would most definitely get too hot, too quickly. This in my opinion is not the best option, it would be the worst.
I think you’ve said previously that your shed gets the sun - bluntly, a closed door on a warm day and they could suffer within a very short space of time

Bringing them into the house is the best option - whether it’s your house or elsewhere/boarders. You dont need to worry about temperature changes from inside to outside at this time of year.
It’s winter where temperature is the consideration - you can’t bring outdoor piggies into a warm house during winter. Bringing outdoor piggies into the house in summer is absolutely fine as there is not a fluctuation

If you leave them at your home (indoors) but you cannot get anybody to come and check on them at least once a day, then I would suggest you take them to a boarder. Piggies can go downhill within hours, so only one check every 24 hours is really rather too long of a gap
 
I would personally look to bring them indoors for the week. If you are going in summer then it's likely that you can acclimatise them back outdoors without too much worry. On a personal level I would be considering family members and whether anyone has a spare room the pigs could move in to for the week. That would help family to keep an eye on them but also, if they had their own room, a window could be left open 24/7 to help maintain a more "outdoors" temperature for them
 
I agree that leaving them in a shed would be very risky - a few hours of sunshine without the door open could prove fatal.

A good option might be to look into boarders - I know that some actually have a shed set up themselves, but obviously they would be on hand to make sure it didn't overheat. This would keep your piggies outside in a shed, but with 24 hour supervision.

Another choice could be to bring them inside and have family check on them, or ideally look into a professional pet sitter. This has the addd advantage of someone coming around to the house daily, emptying the post box, moving the curtains etc so is an added level of security for your home.
I would never use faily/freinds for more than a coupelof nights as they may be reluctant to say anything but could feel inconvenienced. I had this issue with one of my friends, who I used to exchange piggy/cat sitting favours with.
It started as just the odd nights here and there, but she started to expect me to do it for longer periods which became a bit annoying. But because we were already friend's it was awkward to have to say no.
A professional will take it seriously and be happy to do an excellent job as it is their profession and they often rely on word of mouth.
 
:agr:
My sister has rabbits also but she goes away a lot more than I do. She is 5 minute drive from me and I really don’t mind helping her out and feeding them (I’ve done it for years for her) but now her times away are slightly more frequent and lasting longer than a few days, it does get to be a bit of pain planning in the extra journeys around my day - I don’t mind and I don’t ever want her to think I do but even she said to me this time that its a bit of pain for me now it’s lasting longer and more often. She has actually got a sitter taking care of them for the first time at the moment and even I feel a little anxious! I know they are fine though otherwise the sitter would have rung me!
 
I understand your reluctance with leaving them with a boarder. I used a boarder a few years ago. The boys were okay but I wasn’t entirely happy with the setup. The boarder I used last year was brilliant. So I’ll be using her in future. If you decide to go down the route of boarding, you can ask to check out their setup/have a look. And you could potentially leave your girls there for a day or two just to see how they get on.

The only time I’ve asked family to help was when we went away for a weekend. They checked on them once daily. At that time they lived indoors though. I wouldn’t ask them now they’re outside.

If someone (family or pet sitter) can come round twice daily or have them in their home then even better. I am sure you will find something that works for everyone 🙂
 
Ruth1 said:
This may be no help at all, but in my 9 years of having outdoor rabbits I think I eventually got things right for them! So my set up was a shed with a small opening (avoiding droughts, or full sun) through to a run with a marine ply base so it was off the ground. In the summer not so much hay on the floor and in the winter stuffed with hay! The shed was out of direct sun for most of the day and the run had a solid roof for shade and in the winter extra heat. In the real cold winter I was able to easily block off the door to the run at night to keep them in the shed with their hay bale, and in summer I just left it open and they came and went as they pleased.

Could something like this work or be adapted to your current setting?
Click to expand...

hiya, thanks for your reply! unfortunately we wouldn’t be able to do this with the current set up.. and unfortunately the shed is in a position where it gets sun quite a bit of the day! sounds like a good idea though so thanks for sharing!
 
Piggies&buns said:
I absolutely would not consider leaving them in the shed at all while you are on a holiday during summer. It would most definitely get too hot, too quickly. This in my opinion is not the best option, it would be the worst.
I think you’ve said previously that your shed gets the sun - bluntly, a closed door on a warm day and they could suffer within a very short space of time

Bringing them into the house is the best option - whether it’s your house or elsewhere/boarders. You dont need to worry about temperature changes from inside to outside at this time of year.
It’s winter where temperature is the consideration - you can’t bring outdoor piggies into a warm house during winter. Bringing outdoor piggies into the house in summer is absolutely fine as there is not a fluctuation

If you leave them at your home (indoors) but you cannot get anybody to come and check on them at least once a day, then I would suggest you take them to a boarder. Piggies can go downhill within hours, so only one check every 24 hours is really rather too long of a gap
Click to expand...


thought so! yeh i meant best choice in the way of its their normal set up so nothing would change etc, but i agree the temperature is too much of a risk.

that’s brilliant about not needing to worry about the temperature change, this is definitely the option ill be going with then, as this was the only thing i was hesitant about.

okay thankyou very much for the advice!
 
Lady Kelly said:
I would personally look to bring them indoors for the week. If you are going in summer then it's likely that you can acclimatise them back outdoors without too much worry. On a personal level I would be considering family members and whether anyone has a spare room the pigs could move in to for the week. That would help family to keep an eye on them but also, if they had their own room, a window could be left open 24/7 to help maintain a more "outdoors" temperature for them
Click to expand...

brilliant thanks!
 
Swissgreys said:
I agree that leaving them in a shed would be very risky - a few hours of sunshine without the door open could prove fatal.

A good option might be to look into boarders - I know that some actually have a shed set up themselves, but obviously they would be on hand to make sure it didn't overheat. This would keep your piggies outside in a shed, but with 24 hour supervision.

Another choice could be to bring them inside and have family check on them, or ideally look into a professional pet sitter. This has the addd advantage of someone coming around to the house daily, emptying the post box, moving the curtains etc so is an added level of security for your home.
I would never use faily/freinds for more than a coupelof nights as they may be reluctant to say anything but could feel inconvenienced. I had this issue with one of my friends, who I used to exchange piggy/cat sitting favours with.
It started as just the odd nights here and there, but she started to expect me to do it for longer periods which became a bit annoying. But because we were already friend's it was awkward to have to say no.
A professional will take it seriously and be happy to do an excellent job as it is their profession and they often rely on word of mouth.
Click to expand...

this was my worry too!
ill look into a boarders but would rather they went with a family member i think!
thanks!
 
Piggies&buns said:
:agr:
My sister has rabbits also but she goes away a lot more than I do. She is 5 minute drive from me and I really don’t mind helping her out and feeding them (I’ve done it for years for her) but now her times away are slightly more frequent and lasting longer than a few days, it does get to be a bit of pain planning in the extra journeys around my day - I don’t mind and I don’t ever want her to think I do but even she said to me this time that its a bit of pain for me now it’s lasting longer and more often. She has actually got a sitter taking care of them for the first time at the moment and even I feel a little anxious! I know they are fine though otherwise the sitter would have rung me!
Click to expand...

of corse!
 
Siikibam said:
I understand your reluctance with leaving them with a boarder. I used a boarder a few years ago. The boys were okay but I wasn’t entirely happy with the setup. The boarder I used last year was brilliant. So I’ll be using her in future. If you decide to go down the route of boarding, you can ask to check out their setup/have a look. And you could potentially leave your girls there for a day or two just to see how they get on.

The only time I’ve asked family to help was when we went away for a weekend. They checked on them once daily. At that time they lived indoors though. I wouldn’t ask them now they’re outside.

If someone (family or pet sitter) can come round twice daily or have them in their home then even better. I am sure you will find something that works for everyone 🙂
Click to expand...


ah thats great you’ve found a good boarder you trust your pigs with! so will it potentially cause problems moving them somewhere completely new, especially if it is at a boarders where there will be other guineapigs? thanks so much!
 
piggiemummy03x said:
ah thats great you’ve found a good boarder you trust your pigs with! so will it potentially cause problems moving them somewhere completely new, especially if it is at a boarders where there will be other guineapigs? thanks so much!
Click to expand...
It shouldn’t cause issues. What you can do is to take their dirty bedding to help them settle in. But mine have not had an issue. Even when they were around a year old when they first went for boarding. My worry was that the cage was smaller than they were used to. But no issues.
 
Siikibam said:
It shouldn’t cause issues. What you can do is to take their dirty bedding to help them settle in. But mine have not had an issue. Even when they were around a year old when they first went for boarding. My worry was that the cage was smaller than they were used to. But no issues.
Click to expand...

oh okay thats great! thanks!
 
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