piggy holidays

[bubblenginger]

Hi all,
Have just returned from picking my piggies up from their holiday boarding. They stayed a week, and last month they were in for ten days, as I was in hospital unexpectedly.

Anyway, although the lady is really nice and i can see she tries her best, I really don't think she has the knowledge to specialise in small animals, as it seems dogs and horses are more her forte. So, I've been thinking for a while about opening my own piggy paradise holiday boarding, also for rabbits and hamsters etc. But I haven't a clue how to go about it!

Does anyone know what sort of insurance i would need? Do I need planning permission or tell the council that i would be running a business from home etc? Does anyone need to inspect my premises before i could start up etc?

 

[Holidayhutch]

We run a small animal boarding business and you need pet business insurance (approx £150 a year), good terms and conditions, 24 hour cover with your vet, booking forms, register with the VAT man. Arrangments in place for if an animal was to die in your care. You dont have to have a licence from the council for small animals like rabbits and guinea pigs. It is not like looking after your own animals though and takes up a lot of time. Lots of people think they can set up without realising what is truly involved, but if you get it right it is very rewarding.

 

[bubblenginger]

That's interesting Holidayhutch, knowing nothing about running my own business, I went onto moneysupermarket.com to get a quote for business insurance, and by choosing the cheapest of covers, it was still around £800 a year, which i don't think would be feasible for me! I didn't know about pet business insurance, so i will look that up. I would compare terms and conditions with other similar businesses etc, and look into the VAT side of it. Basically, I would be doing it because a) I love the animals and b) why not earn some money doing something you enjoy?! I think I have the time for it, as I work just 2 days a week and the rest of the time I'm home with my little girl, who is now off to nursery, so I have some spare time back. Plus she enjoys the feeding and easy caring jobs.
Can you give me any hints about what takes up the majority of your time in doing it? Is it the cleaning etc? I would be treating the animals as if they were my own pets in terms of giving them lots of outdoor run time, petting, and fresh vegetables and treats etc; however, I would also adhere to what the owners told me, as in, they may not like to be handled much, or they may want a certain kind of food, the list could go on! Thanks so much for your help.

 

[Kringeldec]

You will also need help options in place in case you were unwell or if an emergency occurred with either yourself or your daughter, who would look after the animals?

 

[Holidayhutch]

I suppose the main thing that is time consuming on a day to day basis is the cleaning out, disposal of the waste too as it cant go in the usual bin collections, collecting and buying hay, food, chopping up all the veg, disinfecting hutches and runs inbetween occupants. Changing litter trays, topping up hay and checking bums etc at least twice a day. Grooming, bathing any that need it, nail clipping, giving medicines.
In the summer and during school holidays we can have anything up to 50-60 animals here, that is a lot of responsibility and a lot of work.

You need to also think about what you would do if one of the animals was taken sick in the night - with a little one at home, how would you get to a vet etc

E.g I have just finished syringe feeding a poorly rabbit with an abcess, before that I had to bathe a buns bottom, as it is too old to reach to do it for itself. We also have 4 long haired piggies staying who all needed grooming before bed and I have been out and topped up all the hay and water bottles.

Before I can go to bed, I now have to do all the booking forms for queries that have come in today and file away ones that have been sent back and get the banking ready for tommorow (you will need a business bank account - there are banks that offer this free now). I started at 7am this morning, so it can be a long day. Oh and dont forget owners who forget the time difference when they are on holiday and can wake you at ridiculous o clock to see how their babies are.

Good Luck

 

[bubblenginger]

Wow! You are busy Holidayhutch! That's a lot of animals! I wouldn't be doing it on such a large scale, I've been thinking up to ten animals maximum. I know that the less animals, the less income, but that's fine, because I'm mainly doing it because I'm interested in pet care anyway.
With my husband here and family only a 5 min drive away, its no problem if I had to go out at night. I have to think about everything that could go wrong and if the business is viable with regards to the job i do now, and the tax credits etc that could be affected. I know i'd perhaps pay a higher rate of tax as they may class it as a second job etc, so I need to check out the hmrc website too... It's a lot to think about but i really hope i can make it work.

My only worry is when i ask people at work what do they do with their pets when they go on holiday, they say "oh i just get my mother to pop round and chuck some food in!" They think i'm mad when i say my piggies go to a boarding kennels! So many people think nothing of paying over a hundred pounds for their dog to go the kennels, but they think its ok for someone to just pop over and check the hamster, bunny etc! We'll see what happens anyway, thanks for all your help! I may come back to you with more questions in the future!