What to do with your guinea pigs when you go on holiday!

Copyright © 2019 HayPigs Limited. All Rights Reserved.

HINTS AND TIPS FOR CARE OF YOUR GUINEA PIGS WHEN YOU ARE ON HOLIDAY

No matter how dedicated you are to your precious piggies, there will be times when you can’t be there to look after them, perhaps you are having a weekend away or a longer holiday break of a week or two. So, what do you do to ensure your guinea pigs get the care and attention they need while you are away? Here are a few of our ideas to make sure you are prepared and therefore have the peace of mind you need to enjoy your holiday, without spending all of it worrying about your little ones!

 It can be difficult to find the right solution for care of your small furries when you go away. Due to the nature of guinea pigs being prey animals and being very good at concealing illness, it is important that they are well looked after. There are options when it comes to pet sitters, either of someone visiting your home, or for your piggies to go on their very own ‘holiday’. The benefit of having someone come to you, is that your guinea pigs get to stay in their own environment, which is much more relaxing for them! If you do have to move your animals from their regular enclosures to stay at a boarder’s home, it can be a good idea to take some of their cage accessories with them, so they have some familiar smells and surroundings. The benefit of having them board with someone is that they will most likely get seen a bit more often throughout the day/evening, thus getting more human interaction and, hopefully, a closer eye kept on their health and well-being too.

Whether you have family, friends, good neighbours or a pet sitter looking after your guinea pigs, it can be useful to have clear instructions and a checklist prepared for whoever is looking after them (To download our FREE Holiday Checklist, simply click here). For example, detailing when and what you usually feed, what medication (if any) needs giving and when/how and the details of your vet in case of an emergency. Ensure you have stock of plenty of their usual food and hay and that it is clear ‘what is what’ (for example, feeding hay vs. bedding hay; pellets vs. treats). Don’t assume that just because you know what everything is, that your piggy care giver will know too, so label things if you need to. If we were going away for a longer period, perhaps a week or more, we would ensure to give our piggies a little health check before they go, trimming nails, checking teeth, weighing them etc. It may then be sensible during those longer holidays to have your pet sitter repeat this check regularly, to keep an eye on things like their weight for example, as any significant weight losses can be a sign of underlying illness.

Lots of good boarders and pet sitters will also provide you with updates or pictures of your furry family members, again providing you with peace of mind that they are being well cared for. So, go ahead and book that holiday……just make sure you book in your guinea pigs’ boarding or pet sitting first!

To download our FREE Holiday Checklist, simply click here.