Bay Area Boarding/Pet sitter recommendations?

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rjespicer

Post   » Tue Nov 13, 2018 1:44 pm


Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations for Boarding or Pet sitters in the Bay Area?

We need someone to look after our 3 girls for a few weeks over the Christmas and New Year holidays while we are away. We have a house sitter lined up but I am not sure they are up to looking after Guinea Pigs.

I have tried a few places already based on recommendation I already received but one did not respond and the other one needed us to provide a cage and bedding and unfortunately our main cage is not portable and the only portable cage we have is a Midwest Habitat which is too small for the 3 of them for an extended stay and we use fleeces rather than wood or paper bedding.

The place I was hoping might be able to board them, which is the only one I really trust as they are very cavy savvy, is unfortunately already fully booked.

Out regular vet has said they can board them but at $50-$75 per piggy per day it is way outside our budget.

Despite the issues we had been having up until the start of October they all seem to be happy and healthy at the moment but would feel happier if they were being looked after by someone who knew what to look out for in terms of any signs of problems.

We are trying to see if we can find someone we already know who we can trust to look after them but haven't had much luck so far so any suggestions and recommendations would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Nov 13, 2018 4:31 pm


Good luck! They look to be in much better health. Perhaps the house sitter might work out after all? I would talk to them extensively. See if they have also done any pet sitting.

SSLee

Post   » Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:13 pm


Just saw this topic posted. The Lake Merritt pet sitter's name is Marina and her site is www.lakemerrittpetsitting.com. Since you are in San Francisco and Marina is in Oakland, I don't think she will do the in-home visits and you will have to board them instead. Marina sends daily pictures of your pets. OK, I looked at the site further and Marina has a partner, Michelle, in San Francisco. Maybe Michelle can do in-home visits. Apparently Marina is now a full-time pet sitter.

I go to servingpets.com in San Leandro to have my piggies' nails clipped and the owners (Robert and Jessica) also have two guinea pigs. They remember me as I used to bring the piggies over in a basket using a dish shelf as a lid. In fact, I need to bring them over in a couple of weeks for more nail trims. You might want to give them a call at 510.565.8001. Robert honed his animal skills at SPCAs throughout the Bay Area.

These are the two local resources I trust.
Last edited by SSLee on Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

SSLee

Post   » Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:16 pm


I have an extra 2x3.5 cage you can borrow if you need another portable cage to accommodate your piggies.

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:24 pm


SSLee thanks for the info and the offer of the cage and the Pm with info as well.

I tried servingpets but they were the ones who said we would need to provide the cage and bedding.

Thanks for the info on the pet sitters but it looks like the wife has already decided to get a friend to do it. I am not convinced as it is the same friend who left the back door open last time which was the start of the various health issues we went through when the wife was away in June/July. Unfortunately she doesn't share my concerns and does not seem to be prepared to consider alternatives. We are supposed to be giving this friend some training on what to do so hopefully that may help allay my concerns but I am still nervous as there is a lot to remember and English isn't their first language so written instructions probably wont help.

I am seriously considering cancelling my trip, and she can go without me again, but I am not sure we would be able to get a refund on the flights which were pretty pricey.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Nov 28, 2018 10:40 pm


What is their first language? Do you have a neighbor you could contact if there was an issue? Can you do a guinea pig web-cam?

rjespicer

Post   » Thu Nov 29, 2018 2:22 pm


Cambodian.
No neighbors, at least none we can ask or trust, we are in an apartment building and the neighbors seem to change almost every year. Those who had been there a long time like us were forced out by the Landlord.
I might give the camera idea a try, there is one for dogs that also ejects treats that might be interesting.

SSLee

Post   » Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:35 pm


A web-cam is an excellent idea. My sister has one in her condo to keep an eye on her dog. With piggies, it will be even easier as they will be inside their cage and not wandering around.

The other recommendation I had for you at www.lakemerrittpetsitting also requires you to bring your own cage. I have never had to board my piggies as my brother has pet sit (we are neighbors in a duplex) so I don't know if bringing your own cage is common. For those that have boarded your pigs, I would be interested in hearing if that is the typical.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Nov 29, 2018 11:00 pm


How long will you be gone?

I'd buy extra water bottles and perhaps get a pellet dispenser so if something goes sideways, they still have food.

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Nov 30, 2018 2:46 pm


3-4 weeks

They already have 3 water bottles and a bowl of water but I rarely see them drinking from them (although the daughter says she has seen then drinking during the day). They seem to get the liquid they need from the veggies and wheat grass.

My concern isn't the feeding so much as the cleaning and also having someone who knows what to look out for in case they have health issues but thankfully (touch wood) they seem to be doing pretty well these days.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Nov 30, 2018 5:40 pm


Are they internet savvy? Could they send you pics of the guinea pigs so you can see how they are doing? Do they have any pets of their own?

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