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Separation Anxiety..

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Beans&Toast

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Sorry if this isnt the right place to put this but its the only place that seemed most relavent..

Okay so what I'm about to say may sound very silly to most people, but I love my pigs very much and we have a very close bond..

I'm planning on taking my mum away for a few days to a caravan park for her birthday, the only thing is I really don't want to leave my pigs. The longest I ever leave them is for 8 hours when I'm at work but even then they still have my mum to play and talk with them.

My friend is able to look after them for the few days, but it would mean putting them in and standard pet store cage as she doesn't have the room to use my 2x6 c and c cage. Would they be okay for just a few days in a smaller cage?
Also, I know being somewhere they don't know with someone they don't recognise will be stressful for them- they're quite nervous piggies around people other than myself and my mum. And the thought of being away from them does worry me slightly (I'm a crazy guinea pig lady :P) as I know how much I'd miss them and I think they'd be stressed being away from their own home comforts.

The other option would be to take them. But again, I know this would stress them as it's a 3 hours drive and they get stressed driving 20 minutes to the vet, so they'd have the stress of being in a pet carrier in the car for a few hours and then being in a smaller cage for a few days.. plus I'd be worried about having them in the car incase anything happened..

What's better, leaving them with a friend, in a smaller cage for a few days or taking them with me? ( will also be in a smaller cage as it's a small caravan)

Sorry for the long explination :roll:
 
:D Rather than moving your piggies into your friend's house, would it be possible for your friend to live at your house whilst you are away? Failing that, does your friend have a space where the pigs could exercise for an hour or so each day? I would look at these alternatives if your pigs really do get so stressed in a car. How small is the pet store cage? They will be okay in a cage of 100 -120 cm or more, just for a few days.
 
Yeah they'd be able to run about for an hour or so and they cage would be around 100 cm and its just the 2 pigs ive got. I have a 2x6 c and c cage so not as much room but just for 2-3 days do you think the smaller one would do? I'm just trying to weigh up what would be less stressful for the pigs :p
 
Sorry I meant to add that my friend wouldn't be able to live at mine as she cares for her mum
 
Sorry if this isnt the right place to put this but its the only place that seemed most relavent..

Okay so what I'm about to say may sound very silly to most people, but I love my pigs very much and we have a very close bond..

I'm planning on taking my mum away for a few days to a caravan park for her birthday, the only thing is I really don't want to leave my pigs. The longest I ever leave them is for 8 hours when I'm at work but even then they still have my mum to play and talk with them.

My friend is able to look after them for the few days, but it would mean putting them in and standard pet store cage as she doesn't have the room to use my 2x6 c and c cage. Would they be okay for just a few days in a smaller cage?
Also, I know being somewhere they don't know with someone they don't recognise will be stressful for them- they're quite nervous piggies around people other than myself and my mum. And the thought of being away from them does worry me slightly (I'm a crazy guinea pig lady :P) as I know how much I'd miss them and I think they'd be stressed being away from their own home comforts.

The other option would be to take them. But again, I know this would stress them as it's a 3 hours drive and they get stressed driving 20 minutes to the vet, so they'd have the stress of being in a pet carrier in the car for a few hours and then being in a smaller cage for a few days.. plus I'd be worried about having them in the car incase anything happened..

What's better, leaving them with a friend, in a smaller cage for a few days or taking them with me? ( will also be in a smaller cage as it's a small caravan)

Sorry for the long explination :roll:

I am tagging @karonus for you. he is regularly taking his piggies on caravanning holidays with him. he even has got a regular column in the Guinea Pig Magazine, which you can buy in pet@home stores.

I have taken guinea pigs on long term daily meds with me for a week in a holiday cottage at the far end of North Wales, even though it was a 6 hour hour drive each way; they didn't come to any harm. Nor did the 9 year old lady and her other mostly older companions on their several day's rescue journey from the Channel Islands which I was involved in a few years ago when I took over a stage and kept two of them with me for the rest of their lives. ;)

If you feed them up on some juicy food before you set off, they are most likely to go to sleep after a half an hour and won't get dehydrated. If you are very anxious, plan in a stop halfway to check on them.
The more often you do it, the more chilled out they will get.
Here are our detailed travelling tips: Travelling with guinea pigs
 
it's not silly at all. i suffer separation anxiety with my lot aswell so completely understand. i hope you can work something out so that you feel comfortable with :)
 
Not daft at all. In the past I have left mine with my parents when we went on holiday a few years ago, but it was in their regular cage at that time. It helped that my Dad gave me text updates too :) In your case it's only for a few days and as you say they'll get to have a run around at your friend's house. If it's any consolation to you I have boarded a friend's pair of piggies a few times, for up to a week in one go, and they too are skittish fellows around people they don't know well. They hid for a little while and then came out any investigated, and then noticed the run I had for them and started to relax and enjoy themselves. They're used to more space too as they generally have a small cage but it's open for them to run around their kitchen. We can't free-range them at our house though, so that had to make do with the little cage and the run, and they were just fine.
I have also kept four pigs in a 120cm cage for two days, and they too were used to much more space. It was while I was modernising their cage and expanding it with two extra levels. They did get a little grumpy with each other (four in 120cm cage is pretty cramped and not recommended for any extended length of time) but they coped for the two days it took to sort their proper home out.
Moving them into a smaller cage than they are used to is never going to be popular with any piggy, but as long as you are confident in your friend's caring abilities then they should be just fine, and I assume she'll be happy to text you a couple of times each day to let you know what they've been up to? x
 
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Thank! Glad to know I'm not the only one who misses their pigs when they're away :p yeah my friend will be great at looking after them and she's looked after pigs before. I'm not too happy about the cage being smaller but like you day it's just for a few days then back to their normal big cage. I'd love to take them with me but I think it would be too much for them in the car, plus I am worried about anything happening to them as it's mostly motorway driving. I'll just need to ask my friend to send picture updates :D
 
My boys are going into boarding on Wednesday for a week and a half as we are having our baby on Thursday. I am dreading it! Obviously not dreading the baby, dreading the boys not being in the lounge with us for that time. Luckily we have an excellent piggy boarding facility 30mins away that I have used a few times so I know they will be well looked after. Won't stop us missing them though :bye:
 
Not daft at all. I miss mine so much when we are away. And judging by the reaction I've just got this afternoon I think they miss me, too. We all have worries about leaving our fur babies, I think it's natural. You just have to find what works for you and your fur babies. For weekends I leave mine at home and arrange a couple of visits per day. Longer than that and I put them into a superb bunny and piggy hotel nearby.
 
My boys are going into boarding on Wednesday for a week and a half as we are having our baby on Thursday. I am dreading it! Obviously not dreading the baby, dreading the boys not being in the lounge with us for that time. Luckily we have an excellent piggy boarding facility 30mins away that I have used a few times so I know they will be well looked after. Won't stop us missing them though :bye:

Oooh what an exciting time! I hope it all goes very smoothly x
 
I don't blame you at all for worrying, it shows you care! I hope you figure out the right solution, at least it's not for very long :)

I'm going to have to leave my piggies for 17 days when I go to America, I'm dreading it :bye:
I don't really trust anyone to look after them but me so I'm gunna have to figure something out!

Awh good luck @AbiS ! Hope it all goes well :)
 
My boys are going into boarding on Wednesday for a week and a half as we are having our baby on Thursday. I am dreading it! Obviously not dreading the baby, dreading the boys not being in the lounge with us for that time. Luckily we have an excellent piggy boarding facility 30mins away that I have used a few times so I know they will be well looked after. Won't stop us missing them though :bye:
wow, didn't realise it wS that quick.Looking forward to baby pics.
 
Sorry if this isnt the right place to put this but its the only place that seemed most relavent..

Okay so what I'm about to say may sound very silly to most people, but I love my pigs very much and we have a very close bond..

I'm planning on taking my mum away for a few days to a caravan park for her birthday, the only thing is I really don't want to leave my pigs. The longest I ever leave them is for 8 hours when I'm at work but even then they still have my mum to play and talk with them.

My friend is able to look after them for the few days, but it would mean putting them in and standard pet store cage as she doesn't have the room to use my 2x6 c and c cage. Would they be okay for just a few days in a smaller cage?
Also, I know being somewhere they don't know with someone they don't recognise will be stressful for them- they're quite nervous piggies around people other than myself and my mum. And the thought of being away from them does worry me slightly (I'm a crazy guinea pig lady :P) as I know how much I'd miss them and I think they'd be stressed being away from their own home comforts.

The other option would be to take them. But again, I know this would stress them as it's a 3 hours drive and they get stressed driving 20 minutes to the vet, so they'd have the stress of being in a pet carrier in the car for a few hours and then being in a smaller cage for a few days.. plus I'd be worried about having them in the car incase anything happened..

What's better, leaving them with a friend, in a smaller cage for a few days or taking them with me? ( will also be in a smaller cage as it's a small caravan)

Sorry for the long explination :roll:

Sorry for the late reply been I'm London for a few days while the gang stayed at VI Piggies. We take ours away with us about 40 nights a year. Travelling isn't a problem as they know how long it takes to get to the local vets. Any longer it's holidays and they settle down to sleep. As for cage at home they have a 4 x 3 with a 1 x 3 loft C&C cage and in the van a 110 cm cage. The 4 have no problems and chill out. They seem to understand we are in a smaller space and so are they. The only problem we have found is if all three girls come into season at the same time. 2am in the morning in a van hearing rutting piggies is not the most relaxing.
 
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