Road trip vs boarding

4boipigs

4boipigs

Junior Guinea Pig
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My dad is in the hospital in a state that is 10 hours (Driving) away. He wants me and my sister to visit. I have 4 boars who are all living separately/in divided cages. I don't mind boarding them but depending on where they will be boarded, it will not be cheap as they all have to be boarded separately. I have never boarded them before. On the other hand, I could drive with them 10 hours and we would be staying at my parent's house. They generally travel well in a carrier when we go to the vet - they will eat, sleep, etc. Of course they will travel in something bigger than a pet carrier. Which is a better option? How can I easily travel with 4 separate guinea pigs if it comes down to that? Should I just break down their c&c cages and bring them along?

The problem is it's holidays and also in the USA it is Thanksgiving. I am not sure where to board them or who to trust. There is a local rescue but will cost probably $500 usd to board these guys all separately. On the plus side I could probably ask the rescue to see if they can bond them while they are there lol.
 
Honestly if you can fit all of their stuff in the car and have somewhere to keep them when you arrive I would consider taking them with you.
Guinea pigs tend to travel quite well, and that way there would be no pressure on you to find a place to leave them, and return by a certain date if the situation changes etc.

They would be fine in a carrier for that long, and I also think a smaller space is better when it comes to travelling.
You would just need to make sure it was well stuffed with hay and they had some wet veg for rehydration.

I would break down their C&C's, take along some old bedding (so it smells familiar), and take them with you if you think you can easily manage them once you arrive.
Plus you may find it comforting to have them there.
I hope your Dad is feeling better soon..
 
When we moved it was a 5 hour journey with 3 piggies in a carrier strapped onto the front seat and a newly neutered boar in another carrier in the passenger footwell.
I took a tub with cucumber chunks in a bit of water and stopped a couple of times to give them something.
They were fine.

Sorry that your dad is in hospital.
Hoping for his speedy recovery.
 
Sorry to hear about your Dad.
Hope he feels better soon.

We sometimes take our piggies on holiday with us or to my parents which is approx 5hr drive.
We are the same, we pack cucumber & lettuce snacks to keep our boys hydrated& pack the carrier with plenty of hay.
We take C&C grids to build our Guinea pigs home on arrival & smelly bedding.
If it’s a chilly day I have packed heated snuggle safes & wrapped in a blanket to keep the heat, in case of car breakdowns.

We do find piggy stuff takes over the car & we somehow squeeze in a few bits for us hoomans!

We find our 2piggies travel well & have never had any trouble.
 
If they are fine with travelling then take them with you. My two boys Bill and Ted seemed to enjoy travelling. They mainly slept and ate. As long as they feel secure and comfy then take your C&C with you and something waterproof for the floors (a cheap PVC shower curtain is good) then off you go 😊
 
Thanks for the thoughts. My main thing is giving them the right size carrier for the car ride. They mostly do well and just go to sleep. One of the boys gets scared to death and won't move or eat if he is away from his divided cage mate (even tho a fight will quickly break out if they were to be put together with no barrier). I am thinking of taking a dog crate and dividing it down the middle so they can still see each other. The other 3 I am not worried about.

I would have to take a 2x6, a 2x5, and a 2x3 c&c with me. It's going to be a lot for a trip that hopefully will just be over the weekend and come back.

I'm not sure when/if it will happen but they are my main roadblock in getting up there. It is hard to find someone I can trust.
 
Best of luck traveling with your piggies! Make sure you bring a few shower curtains to put on the ground or table that their c&c will be on. I did that when my piggies went on vacation at my parent's house. Made cleaning up much easier.
 
RedLoredAmazon said:
Best of luck traveling with your piggies! Make sure you bring a few shower curtains to put on the ground or table that their c&c will be on. I did that when my piggies went on vacation at my parent's house. Made cleaning up much easier.
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Thanks for the idea. I'm wondering if I could do something like this - leave the coroplast at home, and bring just the grids. I could put each pig in a 2x3 instead of bringing the whole set up. I would put down shower curtain or some other liner, and then do fleece as usual. No matter what I do, I will still have a bad hay mess to clean up. This would be much easier than bringing along large pieces of coroplast.
 
One more thing - would it be okay for them to ride 9 to 10 hours in a pet carrier? I am not sure if the big dog kennels I have will fit in my car. I would have to buy new, bigger carriers (like one you'd put a cat in to travel to the vet) but it may be easier. I know the space is tiny...I intend on checking them when I stop and can put new fleece in there if it is too messy.
 
I think if you have plenty of stops they should be ok. Mine always had a walk around when we stopped and a drink for the water fountain
Dog crates sounds a good idea if you can split down the middle. I would also cover most of the cages with a sheet or blanket, it makes them feel secure
 
We don’t travel with correx bases, and just use plastic sheeting to protect floors.
I agree with Bill &Ted, I would recommend covering whatever carry cases you use, especially when travelling at night. Piggies don‘t like headlights/ lights flashing as they go past. they are much more comfortable and feel more secure covered.
We also always have a big hay mess to clean at the end, no matter how hard we try.
 
I think that for safety a smaller carrier where they can't get thrown around too much if you have to brake hard is probably better. Stuff it full of hay and hopefully they will eat/snooze their way there. The pair that need to be together but separate are the tricky ones and I can't think of a clever quick fix for them 🤔
 
Tigermoth said:
I think that for safety a smaller carrier where they can't get thrown around too much if you have to brake hard is probably better. Stuff it full of hay and hopefully they will eat/snooze their way there. The pair that need to be together but separate are the tricky ones and I can't think of a clever quick fix for them 🤔
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I am thinking if I do have to travel, I will put the carriers face to face (like the front doors on the carriers) so they can still see each other. My nervous guy will completely freeze up and stop eating, and of course I can't have that happening on a 10 hr drive.

Luckily my dad had surgery today and seems fine, so I don't think we will need to make an emergency trip.
 
My dad is doing better so we won't need a sudden trip.

My pet insurance for the boys kicked in, and I learned I have coverage if I board them while a family member is in a hospital. This is nice if we do need to go soon and I manage to board them.
 
4boipigs said:
My dad is doing better so we won't need a sudden trip.

My pet insurance for the boys kicked in, and I learned I have coverage if I board them while a family member is in a hospital. This is nice if we do need to go soon and I manage to board them.
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I am really happy your dad is doing better and in total honesty, I only clicked the thread because I will be traveling with my pigs soon and needed some tips. Also wanted to ask, what insurance do you use for your boys?
 
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