All the best! That is what I call dedication! Rescues in the Midwest are sadly so scarce!
Here are our travelling tips:
Travelling with guinea pigs
We have travelled once that far by car in each direction with a couple of guinea pigs in daily need of medication for a week's holiday on the Llyn peninsula in Northwest Wales and I travelled back by train for 5 hours from door to door las t November, coming back with Cerian and Breila from a rescue at the very tip in the Southeast of the UK via interchange between two train stations in London (thankfully in walking distance of each other so I was able to avoid the underground/subway) although the actual train journey was just over 3 hours on two trains. But because of the connection and the over a mile long walk I had to make allowance for any delays.
Make sure that you double-check the gender upon arrival. I always do that myself, whatever the origin of my piggies. Better safe than sorry is my rule.
Sexing Guide
Feel free to ask any questions you may have once your piggies arrive. You'll learn the ropes quickly. Trust that your care is good, but that it doesn't have to be perfect; you often learn more from your mistakes than by not allowing for them. Allow your piggies to teach you what works for them while you build up a relationship with them. Like children they are all different, so what works for one will not necessarily vibe with the other; as long as you treat them with respect as people with their own minds and ideas, they will feel freer to tell you their likes and dislikes and will trust and respect you in turn.
What I would strongly recommend is to invite them into your group as the leading piggy and also reassure them that they were welcome and loved. Allow your daughter to do the same. Belonging is very important for a guinea pig, and so is a hierarchy. You will be able to build up trust much more quickly and by putting yourself at the top (the same goes for your daughter), you can head off issues arising from your piggies existing what for them is a social vacuum; and where things like dominance tweaking etc. come in. By doing this right at the start before you even put them in their cage, you also have a much better base to nip off in the bud any behaviours you will not tolerate and will have much less issues with grooming and nail cutting etc.
Give them a few days to get their bearings in their new home and establish your regular daily routine during that time.
And don't feel bad about changing the piggy names if they do not suit; they ARE nice ones, though!
I generally make a shortlist of Welsh names I think would suit my adoptees and often let the rescue choose from that shortlist. But if there is a clear misnomer or a nickname that is asserting itself, then I don't hesitate to change the name. At the end, the name has to feel right for both your piggy and you; and it is a very subjective area where we all feel differently.
Guinea Pig Names: considerations, solutions, inspiration and resources
Best of Luck! And enjoy your phone running out of space from all the piggie vids.
