Holiday care for my boys - thinking ahead!

[Teejay]

Hi all, we go on holiday in just over 5 weeks (we're away for a week), and my parents will be taking care of Pudding & Squeak while we're away. However, they're both in their 70s, my mom (who will do most of the 'care') has pretty bad mobility, and they both know absolutely diddly-squat about guinea pigs!

So, as I'm sure you'll appreciate, I want to make it all as simple as possible for them!

With regard to their diet, I spoil them absolutely rotten.....I buy them a huge variety of veg and I confess that I micro-manage their diet a little bit too much (I try to follow the Ratewatchers Diet as closely as possible) and they get given their veg twice a day. But, I'm sure it won't harm the boys to have very basic veggies for a week (just some sliced pepper, some green beans, a carrot or two and maybe some baby corn).

My main worry is the cleaning out. The're currently bedded on fleece/vet bed, but I know this would be a little bit too labour intensive for my parents! At the moment, I spot clean the poos every morning and I do a semi-full clean out every evening (sweeping off the fleece/vet bed and replacing the newspaper underneath. I also have to completly replace the hay (they love to poo and wee in their hay) and wash out whatever the hay had been in.

I completely change the vetbed / fleece twice a week.

So, I've been reading up on Megazorb......it seems that the people who use it absolutely love it! Would it be ok to just change to Megazorb just for that week? Could the Megazorb be left for a week with minimal maintenance?

I just dread to think what kind of state they'd be in should I leave them with my parents for week and keep them on fleece/vetbed.

all opinions very welcome!

Tracey

 

[flips]

I use aubiose (used to use megazorb but aubiose is better value for me) in my foster cage. I put a thick layer of hay over it and then just replace the hay midweek which is easy to do and I can do it with the pigs in the cage if needs be. You should get a full week then easily.

HTH.

 

[Salt n Peppers mum]

Hi all, we go on holiday in just over 5 weeks (we're away for a week), and my parents will be taking care of Pudding & Squeak while we're away. However, they're both in their 70s, my mom (who will do most of the 'care') has pretty bad mobility, and they both know absolutely diddly-squat about guinea pigs!

So, as I'm sure you'll appreciate, I want to make it all as simple as possible for them!

With regard to their diet, I spoil them absolutely rotten.....I buy them a huge variety of veg and I confess that I micro-manage their diet a little bit too much (I try to follow the Ratewatchers Diet as closely as possible) and they get given their veg twice a day. But, I'm sure it won't harm the boys to have very basic veggies for a week (just some sliced pepper, some green beans, a carrot or two and maybe some baby corn).

My main worry is the cleaning out. The're currently bedded on fleece/vet bed, but I know this would be a little bit too labour intensive for my parents! At the moment, I spot clean the poos every morning and I do a semi-full clean out every evening (sweeping off the fleece/vet bed and replacing the newspaper underneath. I also have to completly replace the hay (they love to poo and wee in their hay) and wash out whatever the hay had been in.

I completely change the vetbed / fleece twice a week.

So, I've been reading up on Megazorb......it seems that the people who use it absolutely love it! Would it be ok to just change to Megazorb just for that week? Could the Megazorb be left for a week with minimal maintenance?

I just dread to think what kind of state they'd be in should I leave them with my parents for week and keep them on fleece/vetbed.

all opinions very welcome!

Tracey

Tracey You sound like me...my parents are in their 70's too and when I went away I left them with sheets and sheet of instructions.

I think I'm a bit stick in my ways and routine I wash bedding area fleece every day and full change every other day - this is including the foster piggies fleeces, my washing machine is always on, I wash for them more than my family

Why don't you test drive some Megazorb first, it might put your mind a rest.

I have used it but in my rabbits litter trays under their hay.

I went away for 2 weeks in February and when I got home the piggies were immaculate, all towels, fleeces, and inco pads folded and in the right place, fridge stocked full with veggies. Happy piggies, all that worrying and actually I think I trained my parents well, they said they needed more looking after than children, but I think they wanted to do a good job, they know how much I fuss over them

If you get stuck, drop them off with me, and they can stop in my boar village for a week -c I like to pamper piggies - offically a piggie slave p

 

[Teejay]

Hi Flips, thanks for that. I'll try aubiose or megazorb then, whichever one I can get most easily.....I'm sure I used Aubiose once with my horses.....so I know where i can get some of that.

Hi Salt n Peppers mum, LOL! Thanks for the lovely offer, but Doncaster's quite a way from the Midlands, and we're actually driving all the way to the French Alps for the holiday, so I reckon my hubby might have an attack of the vapours if I tell him we have to drive to Doncaster to drop the pigs off before making the mammoth (about 15/16 hour) journey to France! LOL!

Sounds like your parents are a bit more 'with it' than mine - I honestly can't see my mom being particularly on-the-ball with the piggie care (she's not very...erm.....fussy, when it comes to taking care of pets.....lord knows where I get my over-the-top-ness from, hehe!)

I'll definitely do a test-run of the Megazorb / Aubiose before the holiday, just to see how practical and how easy it is to keep clean.

Actually, I'd love to find a piggie sitter for while I'm away, that would really put my mind at rest.....maybe I should start another thread for a sitter in the West Midlands? Hmmmm.......

Tracey