Leaving Pigs At Home?

snuffsandpumps

snuffsandpumps

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Hello!

tomorrow I am going away for 2 nights, but don't know what to do with my pigs. They had a rough time before they came to live with me, so they are a bit nervous. I got them in November and now they have finally settled down I didn't want to disturb them by uprooting them and leaving them at a boarding house. I know they will get stressed if I do this. I have no suitable next door neighbours to look after them either. I would probably go late afternoon and come back the evening of Wednesday. I could leave them with nuggets and hay, and obviously 2 bottles of water, but I wondered if it is ok for them to be on their own for that long minus veggies?
 
Could you enquire with a professional pet sitter to see if they can do a house visit? There are plenty of trustworthy businesses out there who could give you piece of mind
 
I could do but I think I 'd rather leave them on their own.....
 
When I went away I was nervous too, it's best to get someone to check on them especially with the hot weather we've been having if you're in the UK.

Have you got any rescues near you? I had a friend to stay over to feed them daily etc and a lady from a rescue come a few times a week to check them over and make sure everything was okay. I gave donations to the rescue for this so it was a win win for both of us :)
 
If you live in the Southampton area, I don't mind popping in to check on them for you!
 
the piggies would not die for this, but you would be nervous and worried about them; therefore it would be better to ask someone about a very easy thing to do for only ONE time on Tuesday: he/she should come for opening the fridge, take the bag and give them the fresh vegs, the grass and the pellets you have left. I advice you to prepare also half bag of fresh grass: it is very nutritious, rich of vitamins, good for their guts and very appreciated. For keeping it fresh you can spray it with water and put it into a plastic bag, into the compartment for vegs. There is no danger to serve grass taken directly from that compartment (I always to that) and its temperature is only the one of winter time.
You can put a lot of fresh hay into the cage; a bottle of water (but grass and vegs are rich of water... there is no risk at all). Give them only few pellets, so that they will not be thirsty.
Living 2-3 days into a dirty cage will not kill them. I agree to not move the piggies, it would be a great stress for them.
If you have really nobody next door suitable for leaving your keys, you can put hay and water, but also some WHOLE cucumbers and some bell peppers (and similar vegs). They keep their freshness for two days outside the fridge and are rich of water. I would avoid pellets which are dry and would be eaten all together (this is not good for the gut and the liver).
 
rome_italy said:
the piggies would not die for this, but you would be nervous and worried about them; therefore it would be better to ask someone about a very easy thing to do for only ONE time on Tuesday: he/she should come for opening the fridge, take the bag and give them the fresh vegs, the grass and the pellets you have left. I advice you to prepare also half bag of fresh grass: it is very nutritious, rich of vitamins, good for their guts and very appreciated. For keeping it fresh you can spray it with water and put it into a plastic bag, into the compartment for vegs. There is no danger to serve grass taken directly from that compartment (I always to that) and its temperature is only the one of winter time.
You can put a lot of fresh hay into the cage; a bottle of water (but grass and vegs are rich of water... there is no risk at all). Give them only few pellets, so that they will not be thirsty.
Living 2-3 days into a dirty cage will not kill them. I agree to not move the piggies, it would be a great stress for them.
If you have really nobody next door suitable for leaving your keys, you can put hay and water, but also some WHOLE cucumbers and some bell peppers (and similar vegs). They keep their freshness for two days outside the fridge and are rich of water. I would avoid pellets which are dry and would be eaten all together (this is not good for the gut and the liver).
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Thanks very much for your advice rome_italy, and everyone else that has replied too. I think I will leave them, but I may ring some boarding places tomorrow. Thanks everyone! :nod:
 
Isn't one of them ill snuffsandpumps
It's forecast hot weather whose going to change the ice blocks.
The first thing I would have done, is arrange care or take the pigs with you.
I think this is very bad organisation
Let's hope it isn't hot.
Poor little things.
Maybe they would be better in a rescue.
 
I have left our 4 overnight on one or two occasions (never for more than 24 hours in total).
I make sure they have 2 water bottles (in case one leaks) as well as plenty of hay in multiple locations around the cage and food.
But I don't think I would be comfortable leaving them longer than that to be honest.
We have a professional pet sitter come in if we will be gone for longer, and I have to say this offers the best solution for both me and the pigs.
With several other animals,it is cheaper than packing everyone up and taking them to a boarding facility, plus if I am honest it is much more convenient for me!

It isn't cheap, although I feel very strongly that this is just one of the costs that you need to include if you plan to have animals and travel.
A friend nearby also has guinea pigs and she asked about my pet sitter, but decided it was too expensive.
She put an advertisement at the local high school and now has a student come in to care for her piggies when she is away, which could also offer a possible solution for you.
 
is it really still so hot in your country? how many degrees are there into a room? here I have 25°C and 30% humidity (air conditioning on whole day until night) and I see that my piggies stay very far from the cold bottles. Is it possible that such hot weather is felt terrible only for you who are not used to such warm temperatures? I mean: I see tourists from the northern region walking with T-shirts at Christmas time when we go around with scarf and hat; here people consider "cold" a temperature of 5-10 degreees and don't let children play outside with "such-a-cold"! (crazy, I know). Their dogs wear a coat with "such-a-cold".Then in summer, when outside there are 30-35°C you see those children playing outside and such people walking with their dogs... Sometimes we don't realise if it is really hot or really cold and we consider only our perception.
I hope that there is not a "real" heat into your houses... I can only say that piggies live very well with 25-27°C considering that here I have never heard of a heat stroke in roditors (here rabbits are very popular) and although many houses have now air conditioning, actually only few people switch on it because most people still consider dangerous (??) the cool air and maybe feel very fine with this stupid hot weather! (I am different of course).
 
Please don't leave them, they need looking after just like children. If there's no one to look after them they'll be neglected and if something were to happen they would be scared and alone.

As pet owners we have a responsibility and a duty of care to our beloved furbabies, regardless of whether we're on holiday or not. If you're worried about cost of pet sitters join Trusted Pet Sitters or something.

You asked us if it would be okay to leave them but now that we've said it isn't you're leaving them anyway? Just please don't leave them on their own, they could run out of food and water or have heat stroke, there could be a fire literally anything could happen :(
 
this thread is making me thinking a lot... and I am actually not sure about what is right and what is not.
Piggies are like children, yes... they are extremely delicate. But a piggie sitter would only come for giving them food once a day, nothing else. He/she would stay at home only five minutes.They would be alone during the day just like the piggies of "mature" teenagers who go to school and adult owners who go to work. When the adult owner is at home he/she spends 8 hours sleeping and the piggies are alone again (to give birth or to fight or to die for a stroke or to do who knows what else)
The difference is little...
The only thing I would do if there were any possibility of leaving them for 2 days, I would represent the same situation before with me at home, trying to not touch the cage for two days, putting inside food and water and wait and see what happens.
Moreover, considering this crazy weather and the fact that summers are hotter and hotter, I only recommend, for the future,the all of you to spend 300£ and buy a cheap air conditioning unit, even for only one room. That will solve part of the troubles and the worries. I have it and my piggies don't drink, are not hot and the vegs into the cage keep their freshness; the fleece is dry and also newspapers underneath are quite dry.
It is not an ideal situation, I know... but also moving two shy piggies to the vet or to the relatives/friends/rescue would be dangerous. I read on a forum about a poor lady who lost her healthy and scared piggie just after a vet check up, for a heart stroke. In Italy last month there was a big action for saving a group of rabbits living in a park and some of them died for the fear and for the stress of the change...
These pets are similar to severely disabled children, that is the truth. They don't need a pet sitter, but a nurse... or a slave as we are...
 
Over here rome_italy to leave them alone is neglect, & the piggies could be taken away. Obviously the piggies need to go to a rescue, where they can be looked after, I have told this member 3 times NOT to leave these piggies home alone. I think this is neglect. One of these piggys was being syringe fed last week, perhaps she is going to leave the syringe & CC with him for him to do it himself. In that time what if he gets sick again. Again I will say she is not fit to be a piggle slave & they should be put in a rescue where they will have daily attention. Her week end is more important. What happens if one of them stops eating if they haven't had food she can say goodbye to it. The rescue is to be be rehomed, not for a short stay
 
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Hi all! I am ringing a boarding place near where we are staying, so should get them booked in today. Thanks for all your advice. No my piggies haven't been ill at all......
 
Hello

I think you can see by the responses above that leaving your pigs for two nights is not an option.

I do understand your predicament but when we take on pets we accept the responsibilities that come with them and you have a duty of care towards any pets you have. This includes putting ourselves out if we can't arrange suitable cover for our pets if we are planning to go on hols.

Our pets are reliant on us for their welfare, when we take animals on we must ensure we have contingency plans for going away etc... and if we don't then we don't go in my opinion, this has happened a few times to us over the years.

A boarding house would be the sensible choice available to you - if you can't get anyone to look after them. I know it will uproot them a little but it is far less stressful than leaving them for 48 hours. Otherwise have a look in vets for pet sitters. A google search will help show you ones in your area and I'd be happy to help you research and provide links.
 
snuffsandpumps said:
Hi all! I am ringing a boarding place near where we are staying, so should get them booked in today. Thanks for all your advice. No my piggies haven't been ill at all......
Click to expand...

Great news :) Hope you find one near to you or on the way.
 
This thread has me a little worried....

I tend to use the following "criteria" if away....
- up to 24 hours a friend pops in and feeds/ waters
- up to three days neighbor feeds, waters and cuddles
- 4+ days they go to boarding - largely because they will need exercise and clean out in that time

At the moment work have just stung me with a once a week over night stay miles from home till the end of the year. (They announced this to me 2 days after getting the piggies). stays away will be generally 18-24 hours. Do you think I need to rethink having them? I love my little dudes, but I don't want them to suffer. (I leave a radio on softly for them too, timed to go off for a few hours in the night for some peace and quiet.)
 
Sasra said:
This thread has me a little worried....

I tend to use the following "criteria" if away....
- up to 24 hours a friend pops in and feeds/ waters
- up to three days neighbor feeds, waters and cuddles
- 4+ days they go to boarding - largely because they will need exercise and clean out in that time

At the moment work have just stung me with a once a week over night stay miles from home till the end of the year. (They announced this to me 2 days after getting the piggies). stays away will be generally 18-24 hours. Do you think I need to rethink having them? I love my little dudes, but I don't want them to suffer. (I leave a radio on softly for them too, timed to go off for a few hours in the night for some peace and quiet.)
Click to expand...
Hard decision for you, I would for now get your neighbour to pop in as much as possible especially if the weather is warm and see how you feel when you are away as it's that that is very hard, the worrying about them, can you text neighbour for reassurance. Can you neighbour clean any wet areas for you etc? They do have each other though and so long as your neighbour checks a lot, some people work twelve hours and they are on their own. Our circumstances can change so quickly or change beyond our control compared to when we got them a few years ago. When I got my two guineas five years ago I had no idea my daughter would get a job three hours away and that I would visit sommuc One had to be pts due to stones but Ruby with the help of my neighbour fussing her was fifteen months with me going away, I did contemplate surrendering her but she was old and very happy with me, it was me who felt awful leaving her.
 
i arrange for my neighbour who has guinea pigs to come and look after my piggies,she does a fantastic job,considering i have 20 piggies.i have taken my piggies with me when i had a fewer number,and that has worked well,despite the car being full of there things !
 
Sasra said:
This thread has me a little worried....

I tend to use the following "criteria" if away....
- up to 24 hours a friend pops in and feeds/ waters
- up to three days neighbor feeds, waters and cuddles
- 4+ days they go to boarding - largely because they will need exercise and clean out in that time

At the moment work have just stung me with a once a week over night stay miles from home till the end of the year. (They announced this to me 2 days after getting the piggies). stays away will be generally 18-24 hours. Do you think I need to rethink having them? I love my little dudes, but I don't want them to suffer. (I leave a radio on softly for them too, timed to go off for a few hours in the night for some peace and quiet.)
Click to expand...
Honestly, I think they'll be okay for 18-24 hours. There have been times when I've had to leave. Up to 24 hours mine have been fine... I add a second water bottle so they can't possibly run out of water and give plenty of hay and an extra bowl of pellets. Any longer than that and I prefer to have them go to a sitter (usually my parents or one of my friends.) On one occasion I had a friend come in daily to top up the food, water, and give them a cuddle for a few days instead, since my two usual 'pig sitters' were not available and I didn't want them to go to her house, as she has a large dog and a two cats, one of whom has killed rabbits in their back yard, so I didn't really want them in the same house! It worked out fine.
 
Sasra said:
This thread has me a little worried....

I tend to use the following "criteria" if away....
- up to 24 hours a friend pops in and feeds/ waters
- up to three days neighbor feeds, waters and cuddles
- 4+ days they go to boarding - largely because they will need exercise and clean out in that time

At the moment work have just stung me with a once a week over night stay miles from home till the end of the year. (They announced this to me 2 days after getting the piggies). stays away will be generally 18-24 hours. Do you think I need to rethink having them? I love my little dudes, but I don't want them to suffer. (I leave a radio on softly for them too, timed to go off for a few hours in the night for some peace and quiet.)
Click to expand...
no. You only need to arrange new things and to plan the days when you are far. There is a solution for this and you have friends and neighbours who can help you. You might give them some money or some extra favour in exchange...
 
We're very lucky to have a lovely neighbour who comes round every day, twice a day when we're away to look after the menagerie!
Is certainly be inclined to have someone visit at least a day if they're staying at home; that way if they get ill or need something then you're covered!
 
Hi there! I've had this problem a lot, so I'd like to chime in and explain what I do and why.

So, I did NOT want to leave my piggies alone for more than one night. They're totally fine one night, but there were some worries for more than one. Such as:

1. The possibility of them running out of food, water, hay, or pellets.
2. Isolation from humans. They love being on a schedule and it must be scary when suddenly the big food giving hooman isn't gone. Who will give us food and water? THEY can't ration food/hay.
3. Most important: Guinea pigs do WEIRD things! I had a self made hay box in their cage for months and one day one pig scared the other and BOOM his head was stuck in it and he was frantically trying to escape. He probably would have died if I wasn't there to save him. Sometimes they get stuck or do something really dumb and do need supervision.
4. What if the electricity goes out? It happens a lot here. And extreme heat or cold is deadly to piggies.
5. What if someone breaks in? While I know it's definitely unlikely, I've heard stories of people doing horrible things to cage pets just for the fun of it when they break into to a house.

There were just too many bad things that could happen for me to rationalize leaving them alone for more than one night. However, I also hated the option of boarding them somewhere because I don't know who will be handling them and what other animals they would be exposed to.

Having a friend look after them is the best solution, but it should be someone you trust to follow detailed directions. It's better if they know what guinea pigs need.

Luckily, the boarding vet at our clinic actually does petsitting on the side as a cheaper alternative to bringing to the vet and she actually comes to our house twice a day to take care of them. The bonus of that is that she's a trained professional. It is a tad pricey, but also helps with my peace of mind when we have to leave.

ALSO, we do set up a nanny webcam to check in on them. :)
 
CheeseMommy said:
Hi there! I've had this problem a lot, so I'd like to chime in and explain what I do and why.

So, I did NOT want to leave my piggies alone for more than one night. They're totally fine one night, but there were some worries for more than one. Such as:

1. The possibility of them running out of food, water, hay, or pellets.
2. Isolation from humans. They love being on a schedule and it must be scary when suddenly the big food giving hooman isn't gone. Who will give us food and water? THEY can't ration food/hay.
3. Most important: Guinea pigs do WEIRD things! I had a self made hay box in their cage for months and one day one pig scared the other and BOOM his head was stuck in it and he was frantically trying to escape. He probably would have died if I wasn't there to save him. Sometimes they get stuck or do something really dumb and do need supervision.
4. What if the electricity goes out? It happens a lot here. And extreme heat or cold is deadly to piggies.
5. What if someone breaks in? While I know it's definitely unlikely, I've heard stories of people doing horrible things to cage pets just for the fun of it when they break into to a house.

There were just too many bad things that could happen for me to rationalize leaving them alone for more than one night. However, I also hated the option of boarding them somewhere because I don't know who will be handling them and what other animals they would be exposed to.

Having a friend look after them is the best solution, but it should be someone you trust to follow detailed directions. It's better if they know what guinea pigs need.

Luckily, the boarding vet at our clinic actually does petsitting on the side as a cheaper alternative to bringing to the vet and she actually comes to our house twice a day to take care of them. The bonus of that is that she's a trained professional. It is a tad pricey, but also helps with my peace of mind when we have to leave.

ALSO, we do set up a nanny webcam to check in on them. :)
Click to expand...

The break in thing really worried me loads even though my neighbour opposite could see everything going on
 
Sian said:
The break in thing really worried me loads even though my neighbour opposite could see everything going on
Click to expand...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who worries about this sort of thing. There was a story here in the states where two guys broke into a home and decided to stab the pet turtles to death just for fun and then robbed the family's house. It just horrified me, because my piggies couldn't escape. :,( The extra precautions are worth it for my pigbabies.
 
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