Will this be ok?

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Piggie Life

Piggie Life

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I have to go away from Friday night to Monday morning for a family event. Will it be ok to leave the piggies for this time, I'll just give them plenty of food so they don't run out and I'll clean out their cage just before I go so it stays relatively clean. Is this ok? I feel guilty having to leave them, they've got each other will this be ok?
 
Oh my goodness, NO!

Sorry but that is ridiculous. You will have to find someone to look after them for you, i wouldnt even leave mine overnight let alone for a whole weekend. What if there is a fire or a burglary, or if they fall ill, or one dies and it is left in the cage all that time, or if there is a gas or water leak?

Maybe someone on here could look after them for you?
 
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Yeah, I wouldn't leave mine overnight either!

I was going to go away for my 21st for a week - But because of boarding and things I've decided to go for lots of day trips instead so I can be home every morning and night. I'll put my dog in kennels as he loves it (i should hope so too for £20 a night) but my piggies can all be home so I can feed them at their normal feeding times etc.

Will think about going away next year :)

But back to your question - You really cannot leave them for that long. As Toffeewoffee said, numerous things could go wrong when nobody is there. Water for one will run out.. food.. You'll have to look in to boarding or seeing if a family member can house sit for you like check on them twice a day or something?
 
The longest I've ever left mine is about 36 hours - Away in the morning and back the following evening, but that's having someone on hand who has a key and can go in if anything goes wrong - i.e. my car breaks down or I fall ill or whatever and cannot get home. I certainly wouldn't leave them for 2 nights. I once left my hamster in my flat for a weekend a few summers ago, just filled his bowl/bottle up with food and water. When I came back, he had managed to knock his water bottle off and it was still full, so he'd had no water for a good 48 hours :... (luckily he had no ill effects and went on to live several more years!)

Have a look for local pet sitting places - reputable companies will have people who are CRB checked and can come in and at least feed them for you, or maybe ask a friend or neighbour?

When I leave mine for my landlady to feed now (I have a live-in landlady, or rather I live in her house!), I just prepare their "meals" in tupperware tubs, and label them with the day. She literally just has to put a scoop of pellets in and give them that days veg (although she does get them out and chat to them and give them cuddles too rolleyes :)))
 
Toffeewoffee said:
Oh my goodness, NO!

Sorry but that is ridiculous. You will have to find someone to look after them for you, i wouldnt even leave mine overnight let alone for a whole weekend. What if there is a fire or a burglary, or if they fall ill, or one dies and it is left in the cage all that time, or if there is a gas or water leak?

Maybe someone on here could look after them for you?
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Sorry I completely wrongly wrote the post! I'm going away from Sunday until Monday morning, I don't know where I got Friday till Monday from, don't worry I would have had someone with them if that were the case. Yeah so it's Sunday lunchtime, till Monday late morning, should I still get someone to check on them, it's hard for me as the neighbours aren't very animal friendly but I could find someone.
 
If you really, really have to leave them, make sure someone go's in and checks on them several times, between sunday when you leave to monday when you get back.
 
I never leave my piggies - if i have to go away overnight my mum travels from sheffield to stay with my guinea's and my dogs.

If we go away for the day during summer my neighbour looks after my pigs making sure they're not too hot and the same during winter - although we rarely leave for the whole day then.

I don't know what i'd do if i left them over night and something happened to them. It just isn't worth the risk!
 
The longest I have ever left my piggies on their own was just over 24 hours. Usually, one of my neighbours will come in and feed them in the mornings and evenings.

I chop up the veg and keep it in labelled ice cream boxes in my fridge, but also ask my neighbour to change the water bottles and give new hay daily. It doesn't take all that long and they cannot do much wrong that way!

More than 72 hours is definitely too long to leave guinea pigs on their own without fresh hay, food and water! For longer absences, you can either look for licensed local pet boarding for small animals or a licensed pet sitter to come in at least once daily to feed (and clean) your piggies.

You can leave them from just Sunday to Monday.
 
Agreed, that's a little too long, the longest I have left mine unattended (altho family have spare keys anyway) was friday morning until saturday night, i made up extra water bottles and hay racks, food etc.

My friend has just gone on holiday to france for a week and she didn't want to put her dog in a kennel so she used 'petpals' where they match up local people in your area for a small fee to look after your pet, might be worth a look?
 
My kids have told me, 'if ever my back improves and i can get out again' then i still can't because they won't allow me to leave the piggies. Nice to know where the kids priorities lie :) Now if only i could get them to actually clean the aforementioned piggies mallethead
 
welshwonderful said:
My kids have told me, 'if ever my back improves and i can get out again' then i still can't because they won't allow me to leave the piggies. Nice to know where the kids priorities lie :) Now if only i could get them to actually clean the aforementioned piggies mallethead
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You've taught them well :))
 
Just a quick question, if you can't leave them overnight, how do they manage when you're in work? I work days and nights it's not much different to them as long as they have food and water and hay and veggies. A gas leak or burglar can occur at any time.
 
mine were left overnight too , we were away camping & my piggies were up my mums , my mum went down her caravan in the evening & we were home the next day, they were fine,plenty of water & plenty of hay left & nuggets , they were happy as we had chooken legs everywhere! my mum gave them veg before she left :)
i think its ok to leave them overnight i would do it again too! :p
as long as they have plenty of hay & nuggets & a securely attached water bottle then its fine & are given fresh veg before you go
 
becciwales said:
Just a quick question, if you can't leave them overnight, how do they manage when you're in work? I work days and nights it's not much different to them as long as they have food and water and hay and veggies. A gas leak or burglar can occur at any time.
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gingersusie said:
mine were left overnight too , we were away camping & my piggies were up my mums , my mum went down her caravan in the evening & we were home the next day, they were fine,plenty of water & plenty of hay left & nuggets , they were happy as we had chooken legs everywhere! my mum gave them veg before she left :)
i think its ok to leave them overnight i would do it again too! :p
as long as they have plenty of hay & nuggets & a securely attached water bottle then its fine & are given fresh veg before you go
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obviously i wouldnt do it regularly!
maybe once a year for holidays :)
 
I understand people do shifts like working nights. I'm out of the house from 8am until 6pm. So I think it's more of a case that some
people wouldn't like to leave them more than 24hrs without having someone coming in to check on them.

As Weibke has said - It's fine for the OP to leave her piggies from sunday-monday.
 
Yeah it's just a different time! As long as someone is there during the 24hr period :)
 
An occasional overnight is fine, I have done that once or twice (Once this year) in the past. We left them late on a Saturday morning, OH frustrated not to get going whilst I fussed over them all lol :) Then we returned Sunday afternoon.

Make sure you check them over so they are ok, put loads of hay in & a bowl full of pellets. I feed them veg before I go, then leave a carrot cut up in there, or hide some veg in their hay. Put fresh water in their bottle & also maybe one of those Burgess cube things if you have one, or a hay cake, it gives them something extra to nibble on should their normal hay get low.

Never leave them if they are sniffly or poorly etc. Have a nice stayover :)
 
Wow, leaving them on their own overnight is not good either?

That seems a bit extreme to me... surely they can be left for one night on their own. OK it is not ideal but sometimes it just is not possible.

What if both my wife and I are working overnight? And this is a possibility as I will be shortly starting a shift job.
 
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