Carriers: What should I carry my guinea pigs home in?

[Jojojo]

I am due to pick up two 9 week old boys sometime this week, but I don't have a carrier. I have looked at some but they are quite expensive and I can't really afford to pay for one for each piggie. Should I just put the big cage in the back of the car? It's an estate (station wagon I think you call them in America) so light and air wouldn't be a problem.
The only trouble would them be carrying them into my house and upstairs.

Any tips?

[Skeetersmom]

A large cardboard box would work also to just bring them home. I use a small plastic cat carrier to carry mine to the vet or to move them. It works great and around here they can be bought quite cheap at discount stores.

[trump_cinnamon]

If you made a C&C cage and have any leftover grids, you could always zip tie a 1x1x1 cube together for the car ride, just make sure that it's stable.

[Jojojo]

Thanks for the tips, I don't have any grids yet (am about to buy some off the internet), just a large cage. If a cardboard box is fine I'll use one of those.
Thanks again!

[Amethyst]

I put bedding and hay in the bottom of a large cardboard box when I brought my piggies home, but later when a piggy had to go to the vet a smaller box seemed to work out better...in the big box they freaked out and ran around in circles.

[PiggieMom]

I use a 1x2 fabric drawer with a fleece blanket on the bottom and one covering half the top (so they have a dark area to hide under). They sell them at Target. I've also put together a 1x2 mini-cage with cubes to use. It's easy enough to carry, but you have to put something thick down on the bottom so the cubes don't hurt they're feet.

If it's a long car ride you should bring some hay and some water covered veggies. They may be too scared to eat, but it doesn't hurt to give them the chance.

[Jojojo]

I'm picking up my first guinea pigs this week (two baby boars), and some people have suggested using a cardboard box to transport them.
How big a box do I need and what should I put in it? The journey will take about an hour, I want them to be as comfortable as possible. Is it better to take a large box or a small box that I can hold to make it more secure?

[pigsforlife]

I would suggest a dog or cat carrier with hard plastic sides. Cardboard boxes are not very safe, especially if you were in an accident plus it has the opportunity to make a huge sodden mess if they pee on it etc. I have a dog carrier for a medium sized dog that provides ample room for the short trip to and from the vet (20 minutes either way). Having access points from the top and front is helpful but not essential. My carrier has a wire front that I use to attach a water bottle (be careful though, depending on your water bottle it can make a huge mess). I always chuck in mound of hay or wet veggies to keep them happy on the way as well. As you probably know, guinea pigs need to eat all of the time so I use hay/veggies to get around car journeys. Of course, if you were going for a longer trip you would have to bring their normal food (eg pellets, hay 24/7, veggies twice a day) as well but for the sake of a vet trip just hay is fine.

So I would recommend;
- A hard sided cat or dog carrier
- Line the bottom with something, I usually use towels
- A mound of hay/veggies
- Keep the temperature comfortable
- Keep noises to a minimum (eg no loud music)

[Deb's4Pigs]

A dog or cat carrier would be best. Then you can use it later for vet visits or whatever. Ditto on the wet veggies. Not too many since they're babies. Good luck with them and have fun.

[Aura'sPiggies]

I just got my two boys from a lady off craigslist and I used my leftover grids to make a 1x1x1 cube to bring them home in. I put some coroplast on the bottom and put some hay in there. Also I put a empty trash bag cardboard box in there so they could hide in it on the way home. This worked great.

[QuackXP]

I built a quick setup of two 2x1 side by side cages for transport, cleaning, etc. I left the zip ties loose so that I could easily get grid connectors on. I put some plastic and then towels or bed sheets underneath.

I divided the cage up because if I put my two boys together in a much smaller space of the total 2x2 that this cage takes up they will start to fight more. Probably not enough to worry but I don't want to take any chances trying to stop a bad fight in the car. Plus the divider also adds stability to the cage. If I ever have to do a long trip with them I might make a coroplast base that goes around the whole outside.

I have a Honda Fit (Also called Jazz) a compact wagon type car. But it has a very large cargo area in the back with the seats folded down. So I can easily fit something that is 2x2 in grids. If I ever had to take pigs and a bunch of cargo I would make a similar setup of 1x2 split down the middle.

I like the split cage setup because it keeps them from fighting when they are cooped up but still lets them see each other.

[SnowFlower]

I, like others, use a cat carrier - the plastic kind. I understand they can be expensive but if you have craigslist or some other classifieds in your area you might be able to get a cheap one sometime soon down the road for future vet visits/etc. I just line mine with newspaper, a towel, put some fresh hay in there and I clip a "small animal kabob" thing on the door with veggies to keep them fresh and off the floor. It is quite suprising how much nervous little piggies pee and poo on a car ride! I also have a smaller water bottle (the kind usually used for hamsters/rats) that I attach to the side of the door as well. I pack extra water, towels, newspaper and hay and veggies if the ride might be longer than 15 minutes. Sorry the pet carrier idea doesn't help you immediately, but maybe for future reference? If you have any animal shelters in your area they might have the small animal cardboard temp. carriers that you might be able to buy for a small amount of money. Good luck, you must be so excited to bring your babies home!

[CavyMama]

I'll echo what others have said. I would definitely suggest getting a cat carrier. It might be a bit expensive at first but it's something you will use any time you bring the pigs somewhere - whether to the vet or on a trip. So it's a good investment.

[CavyLuver516]

I use a $2.50 laundry basket I got from Target. It works great and was very inexpensive! Make sure you put a towel or some bedding on the bottom and have some hay/pellets/veggies for them to munch on. A toy or two would keep them occupied for a little bit, so that might be a good idea. The shelter will probably have a cardboard box for you just in case if you can't come up with something.

[FrasierandNiles]

I've got cats, so I cleaned their carrier and used it to bring my girls home. My cats are large, so the carrier is too. The pigs didn't seem to mind it much, except Daphne kept chewing on the towel I put inside.

[Cavysavy]

I use a plastic picnic hamper (basket plenty of ventilation) it cost around $12 from a discount store and i just put newspaper and a piece of fleece in. I have found you don't want them running around to much as they can injure themselves, they just need enough room not to get to hot and to be comfortable and being babies they will probably just huddle together.