Danielle Smith
Teenage Guinea Pig
At some point, my partner and I are going to take the pigs with us on a long weekend, requiring a minimum 5 hour train journey. I know they can do it, as I travelled that far to get them -- last time they were in a carrier lined with fleece, some hideys, and hay and cucumber. It may have helped that they were somewhat terrified, as all they did was snuggle into one another for comfort.
However, this time it's a little different. The boys are 8 months old, and their bond is somewhat tenuous, there's been a bit of scrapping and a few shallow wounds. I tried separating them, but they were desperate to get to each other (to rumble at each other, not to fight). They're since back together with careful monitoring; everything seems to be okay but I'm prepared to separate if need be.
One thing they absolutely cannot do any more is go in a carrier together; last time I tried they almost knocked themselves off a table with the force of their fighting. Something about the enclosed space just makes them go nuclear! On this train journey, they'll need to be in separate carriers (I might try to put them in a single carrier initially but have the second as a back-up in case they are so terrified they are happy to snuggle the entire journey), but I plan to have the front grills facing each other/touching so they can chat to each other. At the other end, they'll be put into a makeshift 4x3 C&C.
Is 5 hours too long to separate them? Will this cause them to renew dominance/fight when in the makeshift cage (I know that might happen anyway because it's a new cage, but all their accessories will be the same ones from home)? I'll have extra grids to divide the cage in case they need their own space, but I was wondering if anyone had experience with splitting their guineas for 6-8 hours and then putting them back together.
However, this time it's a little different. The boys are 8 months old, and their bond is somewhat tenuous, there's been a bit of scrapping and a few shallow wounds. I tried separating them, but they were desperate to get to each other (to rumble at each other, not to fight). They're since back together with careful monitoring; everything seems to be okay but I'm prepared to separate if need be.
One thing they absolutely cannot do any more is go in a carrier together; last time I tried they almost knocked themselves off a table with the force of their fighting. Something about the enclosed space just makes them go nuclear! On this train journey, they'll need to be in separate carriers (I might try to put them in a single carrier initially but have the second as a back-up in case they are so terrified they are happy to snuggle the entire journey), but I plan to have the front grills facing each other/touching so they can chat to each other. At the other end, they'll be put into a makeshift 4x3 C&C.
Is 5 hours too long to separate them? Will this cause them to renew dominance/fight when in the makeshift cage (I know that might happen anyway because it's a new cage, but all their accessories will be the same ones from home)? I'll have extra grids to divide the cage in case they need their own space, but I was wondering if anyone had experience with splitting their guineas for 6-8 hours and then putting them back together.
