Moving house with Guinea Pigs

[cavy-cool-crazy]

I've managed to take pictures of each stage this time, right from the start. So if you are wondering how I move house so often with multiple pigs, read on.

This is the picture journal of the practicalities of moving house with seven pigs. The last two moves I have done it all myself; in the past my mum did most of it, but since the twins came along everything has pretty much been down to me. I can ask for help if necessary, but if I can manage on my own then I do it on my own. And I've really enjoyed it, from trimming Tuppy and cutting nails myself to taking the cages apart and tying them up ready for removals.

I will start the pictures with my room as it normally is, and follow on explaining each stage.

This shows the cages as they normally are:


First of all, Saffron and Breanna's run needed to be emptied and tied up, and the girls put into their pet store cage. They will not travel in this cage, but it is travelling with us (taken apart). They will travel in a small carrier on my knee then go back into the cage when we arrive at the new house.


After clipping all the ties which connect the top level of the 2x3 to the bottom, I attached the necessary grids and created the travel cages. A 2x2 for Dexter, Lottie and Gwenivere; a 2x1 for Tuppence and Jasmine. This is what we are left with when the travel cages (usually called "the top level of the 2x3")are disconnected:


When it is all cleaned and tied, it becomes secure and stable enough for the removals to transport it:

[cavy-cool-crazy]

The 2x4 cage is the last one to deal with. This one stays complete; it fits through the doors with difficulty but it just about goes. In this picture I am tying all the lift-up doors to the base, to secure the unit. Just doing this makes it surprisingly strong and sturdy. The second pic shows me lifting it up onto its 2x2 end. It's pretty heavy (it's around the same weight as my wooden bed) but I'm used to it by now.




So, the cages are all clean and tied, ready for removals to take them to our new house:


And these are the darling little souls I do it all for, all settled for the rest of today and tomorrow before travelling to the house tomorrow night. The blue bag contains their fleeces and cleaning things; their hay and pellets are in another bag; the carrier Saff & Bree are to travel in is behind the blue bag; and the folding C&C run is next to the 2x2:


To be continued...

[Cosmictadpole]

Wow, what a lot of work. Lucky pigs to have such a diligent mommy! Hope the rest of the move goes smoothly!

[Jenni_Feathers]

Yikes. Good luck! We are probably going to be moving soon. I don't know what I'm gonna do with my pigs cage, I'm gonna have to take it apart, which will break my heart I'd move it whole but it can't fit through the door -its a 2x8, attached to a 2x4, and a 2x2 loft (takes up the space of a 4x6). I really really don't wanna move though...

[ArtisticRainey]

I await with baited breath for the continuation. I have to move several times a year, and currently it's a pain in the you-know-what. I shall take notes on your success.

[cavy-cool-crazy]

The story continued..

To give the big pigs (i.e. those who can live with the grids safely - yes the wee girlies can still get their heads through) more space for the night, I set up the folding run and divided it into two. Not ideal but it is just a temporary situation:



Next morning, removals turn up. They are under strict orders to load the cages and setup box on last - so that they are the first things to come off the truck. On go the cages:







My little sister Olivia checks the pigs one last time before we load them up into the car for the 45 minute journey to our new house. The C&C cages fit in the boot perfectly. Saff and Bree had to spend all day in the travel carrier as my dad needed the pet store cage for the first trip to the new place - luckily I worked out that the space they are in is pretty much equivalent to what Tuppy and Jasmine are in, in terms of the ratio of size of pigs to size of cage.

[cavy-cool-crazy]

(I didn't get the chance to take pictures of everybody travelling. I was in charge of the twins while my parents loaded the cars up; the only time I got to see everyone was when we got there, and by then I just wanted them in the house and settled.)

We spent the night at the new house, and removals did just as they were asked and promptly unloaded the cages and setup box first. I set to work getting the pigs back into their homes:





And this is how they looked that evening. I am a fast unpacker and organiser - this is the fifth time I have moved with pigs, my 18th move overall, so I have learned to be efficient. Once the pigs are sorted, my room looks like it's been forever occupied however long we've been there!

[StrawberryField]

I'm actually getting ready to move as well. I'm been trying to figure out how exactly I'm going to take apart the C&C cage and move it. So this has been rather helpful. Basil was not too pleased the first move, but hopefully this time around it will be a lot easier.

[Toadies]

How very cool! Great organization.

[GuineaAddict]

I'm going to be eventually (hopefully) moving too. I was originally going to build a bigger wooden cage, but then I realized if I needed to move it much or at all, that it would be a big pain in the rear to try and move around a huge wooden cage. So I put the leg work in (more like computer and phone work), found myself some cheap but good grids, and now have everything for the new cage. I think the grid cages are so much easier, though.

[Ziggy&Herald]

Thanks so much for the pics. I think at some point, just about everyone is going to have to move with the pigs and cage, so this will be lots of help for many.

[RyanR]

Nicely done. I wish I could unpack that fast, I'm just a faster painters and remodeler.