Best Size Case / Box For Travelling?

[Katherine]

We're moving house very shortly, and I'm not quite sure what size case the piggies should travel in. We've got 2 hard-shell pet carry cases which we use for trips to the vets, but I wonder whether they'd be too cramped for a long journey. The internal measurements of each case are approx. 15 x 7.5 inches. We've got 4 pigs, who live as 2 pairs, so each case would have to big enough for 2 guineas. I don't want to have to go to the expense of buying any special travel cages, which I suspect would never get used again, so if the cases we've got definitely are too small, I'm thinking that sturdy cardboard boxes would be okay.

They might have to be in them for up to 5 hours, taking into account possible delays, and the time it will take to dismantle and reassemble the cages.

Thanks!

 

[7squeakers.]

Your travel cases will definitely be too small for two piggies.
They should be all right in cardboard boxes, with a good bed of hay and a water bottle fixed up inside somehow. You can stop now and then to offer them veg or greens.

 

[Maisy and Poppy]

I agree with @7squeakers. Hope everything goes well with your house move we moved house on Friday so I know how stressful it is!

 

[Katherine]

I agree with @7squeakers. Hope everything goes well with your house move we moved house on Friday so I know how stressful it is!

Thankyou! I seem to have been packing up forever, and really am tired! Oh well, it'll be worth it when we get there.

My parents (who live in the area we are moving to) are coming up on Wednesday to collect the guineas and take them down early, to have a little holiday away from the chaos of moving! The house will feel so empty without any squeakers in it...

 

[Maisy and Poppy]

Thankyou! I seem to have been packing up forever, and really am tired! Oh well, it'll be worth it when we get there.

My parents (who live in the area we are moving to) are coming up on Wednesday to collect the guineas and take them down early, to have a little holiday away from the chaos of moving! The house will feel so empty without any squeakers in it...

I collected my piggies yesterday from a friend and I really missed them. The car was laden with all thier stuff !

 

[Katherine]

I collected my piggies yesterday from a friend and I really missed them. The car was laden with all thier stuff !

I'm sure you missed them a lot. I hope they're settling alright into the new home.

I remember when we moved out of our last house, once my mum collected the guineas, it didn't feel a bit like home anymore, and I just wanted to get out asap.

Guinea pigs certainly do have a lot of stuff - for such small animals, they are very bulky to travel with!

 

[Maisy and Poppy]

I'm sure you missed them a lot. I hope they're settling alright into the new home.

I remember when we moved out of our last house, once my mum collected the guineas, it didn't feel a bit like home anymore, and I just wanted to get out asap.

Guinea pigs certainly do have a lot of stuff - for such small animals, they are very bulky to travel with!

Yeah
They are settling in thanks!

 

[7squeakers.]

When I had my house re-wired a few years ago, I had to move the piggies outside into hutches in the garden. I didn't half miss them, even though they were only in the garden! Not hearing their wheeking, or the noises they make as they move about or Clyde doing zoomies. It was awful! Plus I was worried about whether they were warm enough, or safe from cats.

 

[Wiebke]

We're moving house very shortly, and I'm not quite sure what size case the piggies should travel in. We've got 2 hard-shell pet carry cases which we use for trips to the vets, but I wonder whether they'd be too cramped for a long journey. The internal measurements of each case are approx. 15 x 7.5 inches. We've got 4 pigs, who live as 2 pairs, so each case would have to big enough for 2 guineas. I don't want to have to go to the expense of buying any special travel cages, which I suspect would never get used again, so if the cases we've got definitely are too small, I'm thinking that sturdy cardboard boxes would be okay.

They might have to be in them for up to 5 hours, taking into account possible delays, and the time it will take to dismantle and reassemble the cages.

Thanks!

Your travel cases are fine for a single piggie each, but not for all four of them. They will also not appreciate being on their own for that length of time.

If you have to make sharp manoeuvres or break suddenly, the less the piggies can fly around, the less risk of injury. In a larger or more open carrier or cage, piggies and any hideys are very prone to sliding around uncontrollably, which can really spook the piggies.

I have taken piggies of mine on a longer car journey (over six hours each way), and with a couple of breaks in between, they were perfectly fine.

Here are tips for travelling, including appropriate containers for two piggies each. https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/travelling-with-guinea-pigs.109071/

You could see whether you can find some cat carriers on your local free-ads.

all the best with the move!