Home cage and vacation cage?

Freela

Freela

Senior Guinea Pig
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Just a question... my parents have a cottage and we take the pigs up for vacation with us every summer. They love it, no pesticides and lots of grazing! As of now, we fit their cage in the back of our van (it's a tight, tight squeeze to get the whole family, the pets, and the luggage into the van, believe me!) I've been having car trouble lately and we may need to replace our old van. Whatever we get next is unlikely to be as big as the van. I was considering getting a second cage for the cottage, transporting the pigs in a our carrier on the car trip, and moving from cage to cage. This is what we do with the hamsters, who are in bin cages that are too big to take with us. I just have an extra set of bins and I put all the stuff from home in and they don't seem to realize that it's not the same container as it is at home because all the stuff that smells like them is still there. So I was thinking this might be the easiest solution, having a separate cage set up at the cottage and moving from one to the other, but then I was thinking that moving them to somewhere else could kickstart dominance behaviors or otherwise cause social issues if they're aware that it's a different cage. Or would putting the unwashed hideys and bowls and water bottles be enough to convince them it's still 'theirs?' In the same way that they're not upset when the cage gets cleaned out at home? Just wondering if anyone else has explored this... it seems nuts to choose a car based on whether I can fit a guinea pig cage across the back seat or not, but I'm stuck as to a solution!
 
I am sure having a second cage set up will be fine. especially if you take used hidies and used bedding to start off with.
Our guinea pigs have been on holiday with us a few times &regularly to my parents house. We take the C&C grids that are used as a play pen at home, which often ends up in a different shape. We take smelly bedding with us and used fleece beds, and their own water bottle. We stick to the same routine as at home. I also pack a small radio, as we often leave it on when we are out at home, and it seems to help our guinea pigs settle quicker with a familiar background noise, masking some of the strange noises.
So far we haven’t had any issues, it does take the boys a couple of days to feel comfortable. We have’t had any dominance behaviours (yet!).
Our guinea pigs also go boarding occasionally, and then they only take a smelly fleece pee pad with them(one each)and whatever hay I have used in the carrier to add to the first hay pile, so they feel at home. We also do the same on arriving home. So far all has been well, at the boarders, same kind of hiding behaviour on returning home…. and a good telling off from the boys, but they settle back into home quicker, than holiday accomodation.
 
When I had outdoor piggies, we used to take them to my parents house who lived in another town quite regular. The hutch was too big to transport in the car so they had a hutch at home and a hutch in my parents garden and I would transport them between the two. I would use the same hides in the hutch at my parents house as I did in the hutch at home. I didn’t bother using the same bowls and water bottles and they were absolutely fine :)

I now have indoor piggies and they go on their holiday to auntie @Wiebke almost every summer and I don’t take their cage. Wiebke uses one of her cages and again, they’re absolutely fine :)
 
I'm sure they will be fine 😊
We also have taken our three piggies with us on holidays. I usually set up a 2x5 with C&C grids (which is half their normal 4x5 at home). We use the same fleece and hides, and their routine is the same. The pigs haven't had a problem with the smaller space and don't seem stressed out - they still wheek for their veggies as loud as they would at home :D

This is usually just for 2-4 days. If we're gone longer, we tend to take them to a boarder.
 
My boys live in my shed (with a hutch) but in the summer they need to come indoors due to the heat. I have a set of c&c grids cabled tied together (which concertina up for storage) for their indoor cage. When they come indoors, I bring all their normal hideys indoors but have to switch to fleece bedding for indoors (I don’t use fleece outdoors). They are mostly absolutely fine with it. There‘s only been once or twice when it made the dominant a little more feisty, and of course being boars the change in location was something which I had on my mind, but it was onoy when they were young.
 
Piggies are fine with a second cage away as a different part of their territory. Just take some of their cosies with them and rub down the new cage with their scent (or use some scent marked bedding they have played with before you set off to introduce it as their territory); it makes it easier for them to settle in - especially the first few times. After that, they'll get used to it.

You will see some dominance as they re-establish their hierarchy in new territory; but the more regularly you do it, the less strongly it will be.

Temporary Housing Solutions?
 
I have a second cage in our house in Yorkshire for the piggies.
They are fine with it and have no problems settling into it whenever we go over.
 
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