Has anyone taken guinea pigs on a self catering holiday?

[peachesandpickles]

Good news - DH booked us a week at the seaside self-catering from tomorrow.

Bad News - He forgot about the piggies.

He booked through a text he got from place we stayed before (pre-piggies) and was lucky to catch the agent before she left for the day.

We are due to go tomorrow and have no one to take the piggies. We can't contact the agent until Monday - aargh.

Because we booked over the phone we didn't see any terms and conditions but I suspect it is no pets.

We have no one to take them at short notice. Would you risk taking them?

Planning on taking their indoor travel cot run - very self contained - no mess and I clean them out every day so no smell either.

WWYD?

[sanfairyanne]

i would consider taking mine but is it a long journey? too hot in car?
can a neighbour help out?

[FernieB]

If desperate I would take them and just keep quiet. If they're in their travel cot they'll not make a mess.

[ozymandiusking]

Are you having them for lunch or dinner?

[fortifiedwithtea]

It is possible KRITIQ posted lovely pictures of her boars on holiday with her.

Personally I would only consider it if the journey was short, say a couple of hours. Any longer, I think the piggies will need rest stops for food. Have you got a big carrier. Mine is the old cat carrier. Big enough for 2 piggies to move freely and a water bottle can be attached to the wire door at the front.

I've seen guinea pigs and rabbits outside in runs at caravan sites where most of the vans are privately owned so the pets are there for most of the summer. I never feel very easy seeing them. I worry some kid will be a bugger and release them. I know that sounds cynical but some things the DC friends have done to my guinea pigs over the years have made me

Would your vet board them? Ours did one year as a special favour and they had known us for years. We had a cat before piggies. They charged us £90 i.e. £10 per day for 2 piggies that shared a large walk-in pen.

[peachesandpickles]

Thanks for the replies all.

A family member has agreed to take them so situation solved. The dcs are a bit sad leaving them but I wouldn't relax sneaking them in and then we would be a bit restricted about staying out for long days.

[FernieB]

Glad to hear that. Hope you all (pigs as well) have lovely holidays.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Oh glad to hear you have it sorted and your guinea pigs will have their holidays too

I wouldn't travel with my pigs because the amount of paraphernalia they need.....mind boggles

Many years ago when I was about 10yo we took my boar on holiday (the sows stayed at home with a friend looking after them)
He was meant to stay in the car. He didn't
He was meant to stay in a box. He didn't. He whinged all night. I put him in my sleeping bag, he slept at the bottom (this is the sort of thing my DD would do now)

One night I had a nightmare, and when he wandered up to see me, I sort of shoved him (he was in the sleeping bag so he didn't fall, it wasn't a hard shove)

My DD asks me to "Tell me about the time you punched the guinea-pig"
I didn't PUNCH him. He was pushed

Enjoy your holiday. The pigs will welcome you when you come home (and even though they'll be spoiled, they'll be judgey)

[Millie2013]

This reminds me of a camping hol in Newquay, a few years back when the people next door had GP and rabbits, in their own (well ventilated) tent, next to their owners' caravan!

[nuschmu]

I live in France, there's a website called Animal Futé //www.animal-fute.com that let's you find people you can swap pets with for the holidays for free. I pay 5€/year to join then I can search for people with GP's who live close-ish to me & we swap. It's a lifesaver, at this time of year there is no-one about and we can't take him with us (though we'd love to!). I don't know if this sort of thing exists in the UK, but if it doesn't, someone should invent it!