Guinea pig camping??

[benjicanfreak]

Every summer, I go out camping for a month or 2 with my family. Now this isn't in a cabin, this is tent and trailer camping. I usually share the tent with my dog, and this is the first year I've had a guinea pig during the summer. I'm wondering if it's okay to bring him, and keep him in his outdoor pen under the trailer during the day -since it gets too hot inside the tent and the trailer, and I don't want him to be in the sun- and then bring him in the tent with me at night -so he doesn't get eaten by bears.. eek- I don't know if it would be too stressful for him. I will be coming back and forth from town to the campsite, but I'm afraid he'll get too lonely since he doesn't have a friend.. yet. Anyway.. feedback please!

[Jenni_Feathers]

I take my Guinea Pigs camping in my travel trailer. They do just fine but they have been coming since they were babies, what I do is during the day if it aint too hot they stay outside in a safe pen in the shade with all there hidys and food and water. Then at night or if we leave they come inside of the trailer to sleep in their petstore cage. This system works for me, and oh ya for the ride there we leave the petstore cage in the travel trailer and they ride in the car in cat carrier. But our travel trailer has air condition and it sounds that yours dosent so it depends on how hot it'd be if you are going to bring them, as guinea pigs are very suseptable to heat stroke. I would do some reading on how hot it will be and how to keep guinea pigs cool in the summer and so on.

[aqh88]

If you kept him inside a camper(actual vehicle type not a tent) with the dog elsewhere unless supervised then it would probably be fine. Although guinea pigs don't handle change well and will hide for weeks before they settle into a new place. However leaving him outside is not ok. It's a very very bad idea. You should never leave guinea pigs unattended so if your not there to watch him every minute all day he shouldn't be outside. There's a very high chance something will still eat him while your gone or he could escape. I've had coons walk right into the campsite in broad daylight before. There is no portable outside pen solid enough to keep wild critters or dogs out. 2nd problem is you shouldn't keep him in a tent with a dog overnight while your sleeping. No matter what the dog is and no matter how good it has previously been with guinea pigs you should never leave a dog and pig together when you aren't watching. Once again no pen is strong enough to keep out a dog that decides to eat a guinea pig. Plenty of people have had dogs that were previously just fine around the pigs and then one day in an emergency or just not thinking they stick them in a room together and come back to find their pigs dead. Even if the pigs are in a cage it has happened more times than I care to count. I'd not like to see another post on guinea pigs killed by dogs and how the owner never thought it would or could happen. Last guinea pigs are very prone to heat stroke. If temps are getting much over 80F(I've had some get heatstroke at only 80-82F) you run a high risk of him overheating. Pigs are from very temperate areas where it doesn't get all that warm and doesn't get down to freezing. They prefer it around 60 to low 70s F and do better with it a little cool than too warm. If it gets up toward 90F which it has been here lately you're quite likely to have a dead pig even if he is in the shade.

[Jenni_Feathers]

I'm not sure if I mentioned before but I always stay out with them and next to them, as everyone should. I agree strongly with aqh88 as well.

[JarBax]

I go camping too, but would never bring my guinea pigs. There are far too many variables outwith your control which pose a threat to your piggies' safety: temperature and weather conditions (a trailer will provide some cover from the heat of the sun - or rain - but will provide no shelter whatsoever from the wind/other animals (wild - or pets brought by other campers), other peoples children, insects, weedkiller or other sprays - or anything else on the grass to name just a few.

I remember reading a couple of posts about this last summer, and none of the replies were in favour. Try searching under camping if you are not yet convinced!

[Ramon]

When I go camping, I have a friend come over each day to make sure they have food, hay, and to refill their water and give them baby carrots. I also switch from fleece to the paper-stuff bedding while I'm gone since fleece requires more maintenance than traditional beddings.

[Jenni_Feathers]

You should only take them if they are in airconditioning. If there isnt you should leave them with someone, 2 mths. is a long time though. Maybe you could only go fo like a week or two instead of a month or two.