If you can’t get a trusted friend or family member to look after your beloved pooch or cat, it’s worth considering professional service. But if you’re like me, your pet is as important to you as a child to his mother. I own a Siberian husky myself and I can’t seem to leave him with just anyone and go on a trip with peace of mind. I simply need to make sure the person who looks after him is capable, loving, and responsible. Calling for a pet sitter may be as simple as looking up a number and calling for one, but also it’s not as simple as that. There are some things to bear in mind when hiring a pet sitter.

Comfort and Ease

Some people will opt to just leave their pets in an animal boarding house (not quite as posh as animal hotels) or kennels. But that kind of set up brings so much stress to the animals themselves and there’s really no guarantee how much care your pet will get. If you call for a pet sitter, they can come to your home and look after your beloved critter in the comfort of your own home. Most animals, especially cats and dogs, work and depend heavily with their sense of smell. Each new place brings a bombardment of new and different smells. They will need time to scour about and get used to the smell of the place. This may sometimes bring stress on them.

Because your pet gets looked after in the environment he’s used to, he can also be fed on the usual time and schedule he’s used to. He also gets the right amount of attention on a daily basis.

With your pet sitter coming to make house calls, you can now enjoy your trip with peace of mind knowing that your pet is not stressed out or being neglected. You also save yourself the trouble of burdening your friends and family with having to look after your pet. Another advantage to having someone come in to look after your pet is that it will make your house look "lived in." They can pick up your daily paper, water your plants, turn on the lights at night, and make sure the windows and doors are locked when they leave. This can help serve as a deterrent to break-ins and burglary. They can also make sure that your pet stays well-groomed as they have the bathing and grooming necessities within reach in your home.

Make sure that you contact a legitimate pet sitting company with experience and good references.

They play an important role in both the folk culture of many Indigenous South American tribes and more importantly as a food source (how could they?). It was domesticated 5000 years ago for nourishment and have appeared in the history and culture and are frequently used in metaphors.

They came to Europe in the 16th century by European traders and has since enjoyed widespread status as a household pet.  In the early days they were seen as an mysterious pet and even Queen Elizabeth I had one. The metaphor “guinea pig” comes from their use in biological experimentation from the 17th century.

They are very docile easy to look after and are responsive to handling and feeding and are therefore popular with pet sitters. They hate exploring and will not try to escape, even if the cage door is left open (no promises!). Guinea pigs will often whistle when interested, like for when the owner comes – or they hear the food container opening.
There are many types of domesticated guinea pigs, which vary in hair and color differences. The most common breeds are the shorthair (or American shorthair), the Abyssinian with a ruffled coat. More unique long hair types include the Peruvian and the Sheltie (or Silkie) and the curly long hair Texel.

So should I choose a Guinea Pig?

Guinea Pigs are very sociable pets – so you need to be able to dedicate enough time for them, or else they will feel lonely and this might cause them to be stressed and go ill. This is especially important if you are buying one for the kids, on the understanding that the children will look after the guinea pig. Noting they typically live for four or five years, but may live as long as 8 years and the Guinness Book of Records has the record age for a guinea pig at 14 years.
Guinea pigs are relatively big for rodents, weighing between 700 and 1200g (1.5-2.5 pounds), and measuring between 20 and 25 cm (8–10 inches) in length. So they need quite a large cage. Though as a tough pet, this could be located in a shed or a sheltered corner outside. They will deal with cold better than excessive heat. Try to avoid wire mesh floored crates, as this can damage their feet and lead to infection.
As for many animals you should not put two males together as they will fight  together when they become mature at about 6 months for leadership. Females can however be grouped together. Guinea pigs breed easily, so do not add a male to the females.

Grass is their normal diet in the wild, so they have a very long colon to help the digestion. This is however not long enough, so if they are eating a lot of grass you will see them eat their faeces. Like us they cannot produce vitamin C and will need to acquire this through their diet, otherwise scurvy will kill them. Scurvy is often identified by sluggishness.  So give them often fresh, raw fruits and vegetables (such as cabbage, broccoli, apple, carrot, spinach and celery). Alternatively, but not a preferred option through dietary vitamins. They are fussy eaters when older, so with a young one feed a varied foods. They like to eat continuously, so ensure there is hay in their cage for them to eat.

They, as well as scurvy, can also suffer from respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea,  abscesses due to infection (often in the neck, due to hay embedded in the throat, or from external scratches), and infections by lice, mites or fungus.

They are energetic throughout the day and will sleep on and off, waking for some activity. Guinea pigs like to groom themselves and will groom others.