What to do with your guinea pigs when you go on vacation
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Planning on taking a vacation? Join me this week as I discuss what you should do with your guinea pigs when you go on vacation and how to make a care binder for your pet sitter.
My granddaughter brings them to me . They are the best house guests . And so cute !
Pay for specialist gp boarding by a rescue centre that also has borders they have a pamper also whilst they stay ..wash cut and nails done xx
boarding is an idea, but I'd only board as a last result in an emergency, it could be stressful for guinea pigs to be boarded since they are prey animals and unfamiliar environments can put them at a higher stress level unnecessarily they really prefer to stay in their own home. Also, unless medically necessary guinea pigs shouldn't be bathed.
You forgot a major important detail:
guinea pigs should NEVER go without hay! Hay is 80% of their diet while veggies is only 15% and pellets 5%
Yes! They should always have access to large mounds of hay that they can burrow under. Thanks for mentioning that.
Last vacation we took the piggie with us. Mostly she chilled in the hotel room, but we did take her to the beach for a couple of minutes.
Unfortunately that sounds extremely stressful for your piggy for a variety of reason and I don't recommend ever taking your guinea pig to the beach, they aren't designed to be around sand and the dust and wind could cause a URI, your piggy could also succumb to heat stroke or end up getting lost and they can't survive on their own in the wild. Its important to remember that guinea pigs do show stress in different ways than other animals do since they are prey animals. I recommend next time keeping your guinea pigs at home with a trusted sitter.
Love your video. I totally agree with about not leaving guinea pigs alone without food for more than 12h or else they can start a gastrointestinal stasis if their gut is empty of food. Leaving your guinea pigs to go on vacation should always be done to someone who knows how to take care of them, make sure they don't get sick and bring them to a vet in case of an emergency.
Almost no video I see talks about this! So thank you! I know I’m late but what about when you go to school/work will your Guinea Pigs be okay?
Your guinea pigs should be perfectly fine for a normal 8 hour work/school day, we have a piggy camera that we watch ours on as well to make sure nothing out of the ordinary happens
The only time my girls travel is a visit to the vet/nail parlour. My neighbour looks after my girls and he does a really good job and my piggies know him well and like him. He's 100% reliable. There maybe a time when he isn't able, so I'll make arrangements to board my girls. I have a 200 + mile journey visiting my mum and family, so that's a BIG no no. You really have to think ahead if you want these sweet little potatoes in your life, and provide the best care possible. They don't deserve anything less. 🐹😍
I wouldn’t leave them alone!
When we leave, we pay a friend to check on them and get them there snacks
What about an automatic food dispenser for 1 or 2 days tops
While that could work for the 1/8 of a cup of pellets it wouldn't solve the issue of each piggy needing a metric cup of fresh veggies each day as well as the huge risk that if one of your pigs gets sick while you're gone there's a good chance it'll be too late by the time you return.
Some pet stores may offer to care for your piggies, for a fee. Just ask. Ask a neighbor with kids. Give'em some cash(the adult), and your set. These days, just take'em with ya. Most hotels and campgrounds are pet friendly. Just say ya have a pet. No need to be specific. I have been to the local airport & PDX airport several times with the family's mascots, and Homeland security, just has to take selfies with them. Less hassle and noise than a dog or cat. And they really help the kids sleep in a hotel. They're the same as blanket security. And every kid has a favorite blanket.
These are interesting ideas! I would definitely take the well being of your guinea pigs into consideration before leaving them at a pet store or dragging them on family vacations though. I think I covered a lot of these points in my video but guinea pigs are highly sensitive prey animals and vacations aren't fun for them like it is for humans, it takes a long time for them to be comfortable in their own environment and taking them out of it puts them under a lot of unnecessary stress which can lead to other health problems, from my own experience I'd recommend leaving them at home with a trusted sitter or if they have to come along for something like a move I'd watch for any symptoms such as weight loss, changes in behavior such as aggression, or lack of interest in veggies/pellets/hay.
If I lived near you I would baby sit your piggies!
Aww, that's so sweet! Thankfully we have a great support network where we live of our family, so they're well taken care of if we need to be away.
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How many times have the piggies bitten someone out of RAGE.
Guinea Pigs don't really bite at all. Pumpkin will give me a little nip on the arm if we're holding her and she wants to go home because she has to pee, but if your guinea pigs ever bite you enough to draw blood its usually one of a couple reasons:
1- you're holding them or petting them in a way they don't like and since they can't communicate with words biting is there last resort to say hey stop I don't like this.
2- they are sick and in so much pain and are acting out because they are so miserable they likely aren't enjoying being handled.
Hope that helps.
Stay home