What to do about a long vacation

[Rocco's family]

Hi, I saw there are several conversations about what to do with your tortoise when you go on vacation, and I'm looking for some input. I will be gone about a month this summer, and I have a 40 lb. sulcata. We live in southern California, so it's pretty warm during the summer. He will have an outdoor night shelter he can go in and out of, but we do get critters in our backyard (raccoons, skunks, etc.) My concern in just leaving him on his own with his house open is that 1) an animal might bother him at night and 2) he might get into trouble, getting stuck or flipped over.

I could ask a neighbor to let him out every morning and put him away every night and refill his water, but that seems like a big ask for a whole month. I looked into boarding him, but I'm not sure I trust the places I've found. I'm also hesitant to use a house-sitting company, because I've read some pretty bad reviews.

Does anyone know of someone trustworthy in the Orange County/Los Angeles area, either for boarding or pet-sitting? I feel like I'm being paranoid, but that's a large chunk of time for something to go wrong if he's not taken care of properly.
Thanks!

 

[jsheffield]

I've been doing Trusted Housesitter for a couple of years now, and love it.

The website connects homeowners with people interested in taking care of animals and house in exchange for housing... I've done it from the housesitting side, and love the chance to visit cool places and get some writing done without having to pay for housing.

My sister had to go to CA for a couple of weeks recently and I talked her into trying it, so she'd have someone to take care of her cats while she was gone. She had 40 applicants within a day, and was able to choose a great housesitter to look after her place and her animals from a large pool of candidates.

I figure that you pay for the membership after a night or two of either housesitting or having someone housesit for you, when compared to hotels or animal boarding....

If you're interested, the link below gets you a 25% discount at signup (and gets me a 2-month extension on my account)... I'm a big fan of TH and am always looking for the next place to stay... I'm thinking about reaching out to Ireland or Dubai or London once Omicron cools down a bit.

https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF288872/?utm_medium=refer-a-friend&utm_campaign=refer-a-friend&utm_source=copy-link

Jamie

 

[wellington]

Whatever you do, you can not leave him alone for a month.
I always paid my friends son. If you offered a payment for the month to a close neighbor you know and can trust, I don't think thats asking too much. Just letting a tort in and out and filling water. I had 4 they had to deal with.
The neighbor would also be right there and maybe even check in on him just for the heck of it.

 

[Maro2Bear]

I've been doing Trusted Housesitter for a couple of years now, and love it.

The website connects homeowners with people interested in taking care of animals and house in exchange for housing... I've done it from the housesitting side, and love the chance to visit cool places and get some writing done without having to pay for housing.

My sister had to go to CA for a couple of weeks recently and I talked her into trying it, so she'd have someone to take care of her cats while she was gone. She had 40 applicants within a day, and was able to choose a great housesitter to look after her place and her animals from a large pool of candidates.

I figure that you pay for the membership after a night or two of either housesitting or having someone housesit for you, when compared to hotels or animal boarding....

If you're interested, the link below gets you a 25% discount at signup (and gets me a 2-month extension on my account)... I'm a big fan of TH and am always looking for the next place to stay... I'm thinking about reaching out to Ireland or Dubai or London once Omicron cools down a bit.

https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF288872/?utm_medium=refer-a-friend&utm_campaign=refer-a-friend&utm_source=copy-link

Jamie

Hey Jamie. Thanks for the great tip on the “Trusted” House sitters program. Seems like a good deal. ? A few years ago we had friends living in Rome who were traveling. We flew over to Rome & stayed at their very large “apartment” for two plus weeks - watered their garden, fed their cat & had free lodging in Rome for a fortnight.

This TH program sounds like a good deal really. Verified folks with checks on their credentials. ??

 

[jsheffield]

Hey Jamie. Thanks for the great tip on the “Trusted” House sitters program. Seems like a good deal. ? A few years ago we had friends living in Rome who were traveling. We flew over to Rome & stayed at their very large “apartment” for two plus weeks - watered their garden, fed their cat & had free lodging in Rome for a fortnight.

This TH program sounds like a good deal really. Verified folks with checks on their credentials. ??

It really is great!

Because I found it during COVID, I've been sticking close to home, doing housesits on the coast in Maine and in Boston mostly, but I'm planning to go international as soon as the pandemic and travel restrictions ease a bit.

It was tough getting my first TH gig because I didn't have reviews, only references, but now that I have reviews from a number of TH stays (including some dogs/cats with tricky medical requirements) I have an easier time getting the gigs I apply for, and it's a great deal for everyone.

Jamie

 

[Rocco's family]

I've been doing Trusted Housesitter for a couple of years now, and love it.

The website connects homeowners with people interested in taking care of animals and house in exchange for housing... I've done it from the housesitting side, and love the chance to visit cool places and get some writing done without having to pay for housing.

My sister had to go to CA for a couple of weeks recently and I talked her into trying it, so she'd have someone to take care of her cats while she was gone. She had 40 applicants within a day, and was able to choose a great housesitter to look after her place and her animals from a large pool of candidates.

I figure that you pay for the membership after a night or two of either housesitting or having someone housesit for you, when compared to hotels or animal boarding....

If you're interested, the link below gets you a 25% discount at signup (and gets me a 2-month extension on my account)... I'm a big fan of TH and am always looking for the next place to stay... I'm thinking about reaching out to Ireland or Dubai or London once Omicron cools down a bit.

https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF288872/?utm_medium=refer-a-friend&utm_campaign=refer-a-friend&utm_source=copy-link

Jamie

Thank you so much for the great info! I really appreciate it!