My first caravan trip of 2016 was a weekend away to introduce Cheeky the budgie to the caravan. It was very successful - Cheeky chirped all the way up to Killin in the car and settled into the caravan well. His cage alternated between the front table and the top of the cooker when the latter was not in use. At night, he settled down and slept until morning allowing me to do the same. The resident ducks on the site made more noise than Cheeky early in the morning. It went so well that, on my return home, I found myself thinking that having another guinea pig as well as the budgie would not be any more trouble. I still had the cage and all the equipment for a guinea pig so I had a look in the pets for adoption section of my local Pets at Home and found a young male looking for a home on his own because he had been fighting with the other pigs. His name is Chocolate Brownie or Choccy for short.
Unfortunately my next trip after acquiring Choccy was for a week in April. All went well until the middle of the first night when the little pig decided to start gnawing his way out of his travel box which I had placed in the toilet. I put him back into his cage and went back to bed, wondering if I had done the right thing in getting him. I decided to stay longer at my first site just in case I ended up having to leave the caravan there and take Choccy back home to friends so that I could get some sleep on my holiday! I even considered the possibility of returning him to the pet shop. Fortunately neither option was necessary - after much anxious consideration I had the divine inspiration of using the coolbox for Choccy overnight. Lined with sawdust and hay, he was quite cosy but unable to climb or chew his way out. After a couple of nights with him in the 'cooler' I felt confident enough to move further away from home for the rest of the holiday. Cheeky, meanwhile, behaved impeccably.
Having two pets instead of one IS more trouble, especially when it comes to hoovering the caravan, however they are both good company in their separate ways. I am looking forward to more trips with them both. I am also looking for a second coolbox, for the food!
