Pigsitting Long term pig sitting ideas/opinions/options?

Don't know 1 or 2.

3. I would ask for three recommendations, and then call those recommendations. I would ask if they have any experience with guinea pigs. I would ask why they chose to become a pet sitter, and how many other pets they had watched. I would ask if they have watched animals for a longer length of time. I would ask if they are comfortable taking your animals to the vet if needed, and if they are capable of giving medications if needed.

4. I would ask whoever ends up watching them what their preference is.

5. Multiple pet sitters should be fine, constant moving could be stressful. If they moved once to a pet sitters house it should be fine.

6. I would call around and ask what boarding rates are at local boarding facilities. Then I would pay something close, but less than that. I usually pay my cousin around $100 for a week of pet sitting.

I would also recommend contacting your vet to see if any of the vet techs offer pet sitting services. There are quite a few vet techs that offer pet sitting.

Also, since you will be gone for a while, I would recommend giving emergency medical authorization to whomever is pet sitting. That way they can get care for your animal in the event they are unable to get a hold of you. Just be very clear about your expectations, and include an amount of $$ you are willing to spend up to. I always give my cousin authorization to get medical treatment, but I also include a clear list of expectations (i.e. no animal can be euthanized without consultation of me), and a paper for the vet that says I'm willing to spend up to _______ (mine says unlimited, but you can put any amount) on medical expenses. That way if there is an emergency they can get started asap, and know what budget they need to work within.

1) Some rescues (like ours) board piggies. It's been a great fundraiser for my rescue. You might check with the rescues in your area, although the LA rescues seem like they're typically pretty full just trying to keep up with shelter piggies needing rescue. We've boarded many piggies for 4 - 6 weeks. We even have a pair this summer staying 10 weeks.
2) I don't know
3) What size cages will they be in? Where will the cage be (I'd get them in a cage where all can stay together)? What they feed? How much experience they have with piggies? Which vet would they take the piggy to if needed?
4) I'd go with whatever bedding the pet sitter is most comfortable with (unless it's cedar or something). Basically, whichever one they can keep up on the best.
5) A move shouldn't be too stressful, so long as the care is good at both places.
6) For 4 piggies in one big cage, we charge $16/day, which includes everything. But I think I've heard that boarding rates in the LA area are much higher.

And ditto Clemmy's recommendations.

I got in touch with one of my friends that has two piggies of her own, and I think unless something crazy happens she'll be taking them. Which is a huge relief. I was starting to get nervous based on some quotes I'd received. I'm still going to be making sure she has a good vet on standby in case of emergency and give her everything she'd need in case something does happen. I'm so nervous about leaving them behind for so long, but I know she'll give them good care and lots of love.

I really wish I could take them but I just can't. But I might be able to help being that we live fairly close to each other.
there are some petsitting services n the L.A. area such as Wild things, but they charge through the roof.
I seriously think the only person who could actually afford them would be kim kardashian.

But if your friend happens to fall through, keep an eye out on care.com and stuff for reliable sitters. I'm sure you'll find someone great.

Even if a friend watches them, I'd make sure to compensate them fairly. A week or so isn't a lot to ask, but a month's time can become a real chore and could strain a friendship.

Oh no, I'm definitely still going to pay my friend! I mostly reached out to her because I trust her, and it saves me that extra concern with hiring someone that I don't know. The quotes I was getting from boarding services were over $100/day though, and that seems really steep. I'm probably looking at $100/week with her, plus the cost of food. Which is much more manageable!

Wow - I've been boarding in the wrong area. $100/day? That's insane. Glad you found a friend to watch them.

Who's charging $100 a day? That's more than most mortgages.

Red5Iam said:

Oh no, I'm definitely still going to pay my friend! I mostly reached out to her because I trust her, and it saves me that extra concern with hiring someone that I don't know. The quotes I was getting from boarding services were over $100/day though, and that seems really steep. I'm probably looking at $100/week with her, plus the cost of food. Which is much more manageable!

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WHOA! I'm going to come to LA and open up a boarding service! Here it's like $12-$15 a day for my guinea pigs.

It was a last resort option. An all animal boarding facility that is, supposedly, very nice. But they want $47/night for one pig, plus $30 for each additional pig. So... no. I love them, and I don't generally feel that I have a spending limit, but that is pretty outrageous in my opinion. At least as it stands I can pay my friend maybe $100/week, plus an additional $30/week for food and can bring the cage that they know and everything already.

Even in the DC metro area it's $20 for one 30 min visit per day and boarding at the vet is $30 per piggie per day. $100 is ridiculous!

I can see $20 for a visit because you have to consider gas costs, etc., but $100 a day is crazy. If you broke that down to someone spending 5 hours feeding, cleaning, that would be $20 an hour. I don't think that's realistic and I seriously doubt anyone you hire will spend that kind of time with them.

When I took my piggy to the vet, they charged us $80. And that was just to walk in, have them look at him, and have them not be able to figure out what was wrong with his ear. It was kind of a waste of money since they just told us to keep doing what we had already been doing. Boarding there is very expensive, I think it's about $60 or more per day. Unfortunately, the best exotic vet in my area is also the most expensive!