guinea pig holiday care - better boarding or home visit?

[CityDweller]

We're going away for a week and need to sort out care for our guinea pigs. What's better - taking them to a boarding place or having someone come in to our house each day to clean out/ feed/ cuddle?

I'm thinking both have downsides. Boarding: they'd be in a smaller cage than at home and would presumably find the change of scenery frightening (plus it's ruddy expensive and I'm struggling to find anywhere with availability). At home: they'll mostly be alone other than the 15 mins or so the person is popping in each morning, so I'm worried they'd get lonely.

What do you do with your piggies when you're away?

We have someone popping in each day to give fresh veg and hay / top up food etc. We have 4 piggies in a huge indoor cage so they have each other for company. Personally I think boarding them somewhere else would be extremely stressful for them.

Thanks @Bagelsandbrie - I think you’re right!

Mine go to a boarding place close to where I live. It's fantastic- I think they are treated better there than at home 😂.
They go in big enclosures and out on the grass when the weather is dry.
The lady who looks after them loves them, and they also get their claws clipped if needed and other 'spa' treatments.
I get photo updates whilst I'm away.
And all I have to provide is their nuggets.
I think I pay £6 a day for both of them.

Worth having a little look around- the 2 near me only do rabbits and guinea pigs and the owners are really knowledgeable. I'm 100% happy and confident that they are brilliantly looked after there.

Thanks @winesolveseverything I have looked but can’t find anywhere that has space while we’re away. They’re also all quite ££ - eg £12

I would say someone popping in daily to feed/clean out too. I'm sure they do miss the handling and attention they get in the evenings when we're home but I think the stress of being taken from their familiar home environment to a boarding place would be worse, and while boarding places do an excellent job and are also a good option, I'm not sure they would get that much more attention than they do from our sitter, she always puts them out in their run for a quick run around hide under a log while she sorts their cage and food and they get cuddles from her too. They always seem perfectly happy when we get back anyway!

Just reading your thread and wondering is once a day enough? I had thought hay morning and night as that's what we do but obviously better for someone popping in only once a day.

@winesolveseverything you don't mean the wonderful Ingrid do you?

OP I assume yours are indoor guinea pigs, if so someone visiting once a day would work. Ours live outside and I'd be worried about leaving them unattended for so long, so it's animal boarding for us.

Ours (RIP Super Furry Animals) used to board when we were away for a longer period of time (say upwards of four days). They loved the place and the woman who owned it was a total expert in small animals and spoiled them rotten with runs inside and out, all their favourite vegetables and, most importantly, flat-leaved parsley. It was fantastic (and they were always super snooty at the come down for a few days after we collected them ). That said, the girl next door also cared for them for us a few times and that was fine too. We just felt a bit awkward at imposing (despite paying her) because you really do need someone to check on them a couple of times a day, and at having someone come in and out of the house.

Yes they’re inside. And we only top up their hay once a day. They seem to have survived ok so far . We’ve arranged for someone to come in once a day as all the boarding places were booked up. Fingers crossed they’ll be ok!

As long as you don't have a single pig I think it would be ok to get someone to pop in to clean/feed. They will be les stressed in their.own environment but.it would obviously need to be someone very reliable