Boarding pets

[Ennui.]

I'm possibly traveling, although nothing is set in stone. This is still good to know for the future though.

I might have to board my two guinea pigs. I found a place that said they accept more than dogs and cats, but what's it like to board an animal? I am afraid that they will come back sick or neglected.

When you board an animal, do you normally have to bring their cage with you? Do you have to bring their own food, supplies, and hay? In my case I'd also have to make sure that they have a few hides with them since guinea pigs need a hide. I'd need to make sure they have unlimited hay, and I'd have to make sure they get veggies even if I am the one supplying the veggies.

What have been your experiences with boarding pets?

My goal of course is to see if my dad can give them some water, food, hay, and veggies since all he has to do is put them in the cage and be on his way. But he doesn't like the piggies and won't do anything like spot clean the poop. If I clean the cage right before I leave, for a trip that lasts under a week they won't need a full-on cleaning, but I do clean out their poop, any leftover veggies from the day before, and any wet hay daily. I'd have to see if someone can come in at least once to do that if I pay them. Either that or I'll have to board.

[Dawn.]

Hi Dez,

I have never really boarded my pet due my family being able to look after our animals when we were able to go away so I'm not to sure what the protocols are. I guess the best thing to do is ask the boarders what you can do.

[Arabesque- golfing girl.]

Hi Dez

I have never boarded our pets and we have five of them. We always take them with us no matter what is going on. I understand when you have to do this. We have checked out many of them and some are really good and others are not so much. If we we're going to do this, try to visit the place if you can because when we did some of them did not take very good care of the animals and other ones they we're so nice to all of the pets. Also if you're pet eats a special kind of food, you may want to bring that so they don't get sick, you can bring the beds and toys that they use to help them to feel better and not be as scared. Make sure that they will put both in together, so they are ok. One of the places we went to board our dogs they would not be together and we didn't like that. Also read what other people have said about the place that you have picked and let them know that you will want to call them to check in on them, to make sure everything is going well if you want to do this. Hopefully you're dad will be able to help you out with this because they can spend time with him. Whatever happens, I wish you the best with this, have fun going away.

[Ennui.]

Oh, I'd definitely need them to be together. Their bond can break when they are apart, so I'd be a little scared to keep them separate. I already had to do that once when one was sick and I had to re-bond them, so I really want to avoid that from happening again!

[Celyn]

I've no experience boarding pets, but I have looked after my neighbours cat while they've gone away for a week or two each year. It's definitely worth asking your dad to see if he can feed, water and maybe clean out the cage for your guinea pigs. I'm just wondering whether your dad has handle your guinea pigs (or any guinea pigs for that matter)? I don't have any experience with animals and felt a little anxious the first time I was looking after my neighbour's cat so I imagine that if your dad hasn't had any/much experience with guinea pigs, he might feel similar. But it can help to know that a pet is being looked after by someone you automatically know and trust.

I'm in the process of studying a pet sitting course (nothing special, just out of interest) and though it's not the same, it does seem to be that the owner will provide everything and instructions as to when to feed, what to feed, how much to feed, any other requirements etc. I know this is different from boarding but I imagine that it would be a similar process. I just checked on a boarding centre in my area and they do state that owners need to bring their cage, food, bedding and instructions with them, so perhaps if the one you are looking at doesn't state this you can ask and find out?

You might also want to look for reviews or the comments on social media as well to see what other people say about them, or whether they mention any animal related qualifications, as a way to gauge trustworthiness.

Ideally, whether you board your pets or get your dad to look after them, they should be following your instructions so that your guinea pigs get the best care while you are away.

[Ennui.]

My dad doesn’t like the pigs and doesn’t handle them at all. He’s thrown food in a few times when I’ve been away.

Wow, though! Bringing my own cage would be hard. It’s over 90” long now that I’m getting a new one since my old one broke so I’d likely have to get a travel cage, which brings up more questions on sizing.

[Kintsukuroi.]

Is it possible to get a friend or hire a pet sitter?

When I had piggies or other rodents, we would usually have a pet sitter give them fresh veggies/fruit, replenish hay/food/water twice a day. We would have them dump out the bedding every 3 days rather than having them spot clean. It wasn't cheap but we had several other pets that were being cared for as well and they would stay overnight. We did board our dogs a few times but found that it worked better to have them at our house so they didn't learn any bad habits. I did look into boarding the small critters but never found one I was comfortable with. My parents always had me write out detailed instructions and left everything labeled and out to make things easier. This included basic instructions on how to use appliances and how to arm/disarm the security system and how to unlock the door. Our pet sitter was reference checked before hand and we had cameras and a security system outside and in the main living areas that were disclosed ahead of time. There was no cameras in the bathrooms/bedrooms and we showed them where the cameras were. We occasionally checked on the animals when we knew the petsitter was not there because we would get an alert when the door was locked/unlocked but would never watch the cameras when the petsitter was there!

Otherwise, an exotic vet or some boarding places may take guinea pigs? I would recommend reading the reviews and visiting the place before hand. Also, try to do a trial run before hand to see how it goes before your vacation.

[Celyn]

Originally Posted by Wheek!

My dad doesn’t like the pigs and doesn’t handle them at all. He’s thrown food in a few times when I’ve been away.

Wow, though! Bringing my own cage would be hard. It’s over 90” long now that I’m getting a new one since my old one broke so I’d likely have to get a travel cage, which brings up more questions on sizing.

My mistake! The place I was looking at boards guinea pigs in hutches, not cages, so they already have a hutch for them, and supply the hay, food and water, though you are free to bring any treats.