Tips To Make Piggy Care As Easy As Possible For Grandparents

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Sian25

Sian25

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I'm not going away until September but want to be prepared in advance. I'm going for 13 days.

Usually I leave the piggies at home and my mum/sister work between them to visit the pigs twice a day but I feel this is a big burden for them around work commitments. They can't have the pigs at home as they have a cat and the spare room is pretty small- although they would have them out for lap time, they probably have nowhere for floor time and I wouldn't like them to live in the small bedroom with the door shut for almost 2 weeks as understandably there wouldn't be much air circulation. Putting a lid on the c&c cage and leaving the door open isn't an option either as I still wouldn't trust the cat not to put her paws through the cage.

My nan and grandad have said they will happily look after them. They have no other pets and space to have the cage pretty much as big as we want, but there's a few worries.. My nan and grandad are 72 and 74, although they're pretty fit and they have said they don't mind the cage being on the floor and bending down to them, I worry it wouldn't be as much of an easy task as they think. I have a table that I could have brought, but after measuring it, I think it would only be able to hold a 2x3 c&c so that's going to be too small. I haven't got enough grids to make a base and stand and also money is a bit tight to be splashing out on new grids to make a stand so I'm trying to think of the best way to keep them on the floor with ease to spot clean and fully clean out if anyone has any ideas?

I think that they would really struggle to catch the guinea pigs, especially Effie so I'm unsure whether they would get much handling. They would also not be able to give any floor time. Do you think this would be okay for the 2 weeks?

I have ziggys piggies liners in their cage so it would be easy to change their liners with the pigs still in the cage. However, the liners are leopard print and poos don't show up clearly so I'll probably have to throw some plain fleeces over it as their eyesight isn't the best. Their hay is in litter trays so they will be easy to clean and change. I usually hoover the pigs out but maybe a hand brush and shovel would be better?
 
Subbing for ideas as we have similar. My in laws are coming to stay and piggy sit. Theyre a similar age to your grandparents so similar issues. I plan to put the run up on the dining table to reduce bending. Dust pan and brush for spot clean. I'm considering getting a pet sitting service to come in and do a cage change for them. There'll be no run time but they have a reasonable pen so should be ok.
 
Tigermoth said:
Subbing for ideas as we have similar. My in laws are coming to stay and piggy sit. Theyre a similar age to your grandparents so similar issues. I plan to put the run up on the dining table to reduce bending. Dust pan and brush for spot clean. I'm considering getting a pet sitting service to come in and do a cage change for them. There'll be no run time but they have a reasonable pen so should be ok.
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Would a long handled dustpan and brush sweep up the poos? I've never used one for the job
 
It wouldn't work in mine because of the way I clip the fleece to the correx. I need to hold it down or it just bunches up. It might have worked with just a liner though but my pair would get underneath that and hide. I just realised we both have leopard print camouflage poo issues!
 
Tigermoth said:
It wouldn't work in mine because of the way I clip the fleece to the correx. I need to hold it down or it just bunches up. It might have worked with just a liner though but my pair would get underneath that and hide. I just realised we both have leopard print camouflage poo issues!
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I know, I struggle to to able to find the poo on the fleece so know my grandparents will too. I'll have to sort something out to ensure piles of poo don't go unnoticed haha
 
I have a dear family friend coming who is just under this age to watch min for three days. Her children had pigs while growing up and her daughter still keeps a trio in c&c with all the works. She knows whats up but I am still so nervous! I am sure that there wont be much handling but that is fine for a couple of days.

I think that no floor time is fine as long as your cage set up is big enough. I would say that the bending or hunching over would be hardest part. I am young but had a back injury a couple years ago and have issues sometimes. If you can get the cage up to their level and you are honest with the work and they are willing it sounds like a good idea. Def sounds like they will be loved and cared for!
 
My tips for family pet sitters would be
Write it all down in steps - my parents like a check list so they know they have it right!
Include vet contacts and which vet to ask for
Label things eg tub with nuggets in
Be clear on volumes, my family always give too many nuggets and not enough hay, maybe OTT but you could leave photo of what set up should look like with PILE of hay in it!
Agree that better if cage cud be off floor for them re cleaning/ bending
You have enough time to sack train you piggies, mine all jump into a cosie when put in front of them so anyone can pick them up ( in theory) and they are safer to go to vet etc if needed.
Ps they will be fine!
 
Could you not make a wooden base that the grids sit on? That could be quite a bit larger than your table and still be very sturdy. My piggies live in c and c type runs on table tops with a wooden base. It's simple plywood with a small upstand all round. The grids sit inside the base. That way you needn't worry about your grandparents bending down to tend to the piggies.
 
VickiA said:
Could you not make a wooden base that the grids sit on? That could be quite a bit larger than your table and still be very sturdy. My piggies live in c and c type runs on table tops with a wooden base. It's simple plywood with a small upstand all round. The grids sit inside the base. That way you needn't worry about your grandparents bending down to tend to the piggies.
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That's a good idea. Thanks Vicki, I'll see what I can do
 
Re-guarding floor/run time, you may be too late for your current trip, but for another time I'd recommend 'box training' your pigs.

I've trained all my pigs to run into a box (or currently their cat carrier) so that they can be transported in and out of their hutch or run by people who aren't used to handling pigs.

This was primarily to help my now husband who'd never had any contact with small pets when I first met him (and who has confessed to nearly losing one of my pigs in the garden many years ago when it wriggled out of his hands when he caught them without my supervision) and my Dad who is getting older.

I started with bribery and in their hutch. I encouraged the pigs into the night side of their hutch, then put the cat carrier across the door from the night part into the day part and encouraged them into the carrier with bribery etc.

I used this method every day to take them out to their run at their usual morning 'going out time'. It very quickly became routine for them.

I then started putting the carrier (with some parsley in it) into the run to get the pigs back in for the night. As they hopped into the carrier I'd clap my hands - so they associated getting into the carrier with the noise.

(I find with the pigs I've had - I've manage to train them that a couple of different noises I make mean different things. It's worked so far with all of them.)

I can now put the carrier into my large 6ft run. Stand to one side and clap my hands a bit and my pigs will run to the carrier and hop in. Occasionally there's a rebellion if they feel they want to stay out for longer - but not often as they want their evening treat. Hubby has commented that is sounds like a flamenco routine starting up outside most nights - but it works!

The above routine means I know when I'm away that they'll get their exercise/grazing as they're easy to get in and out. This proved invaluable when my Mum got the flu one year when they pigs were staying at my parents whilst we were away. It meant that my Dad (now 71) could get the pigs in and out easily and care for them whilst Mum, who usually does all the pig care was laid out in bed.

It would also mean that anyone who was looking after them could get them to a vet if needed without having to stress about catching them....

A thought for the future perhaps?
 
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