General moving across the countries with pigs

[rawrimadinno8]

not sure if this is the right place to post this so sorry if it's in the wrong thread. i'm planning on moving across the country (literally from florida to washington state) in the next three months. i have been reading as much as i can to make sure that the move is as easy as possible for my 5 pigs, but i wanted to come on here and see if anyone had any experience moving this far with pigs and what they did, or if anyone has moved at all with pigs and has any tips they think i should consider before moving. like i said i'm not moving for a few months but i want to get as much information as possible before this happens to ensure that my pigs are safe, happy, and as comfortable as possible on the long drive across the country. any advice would be appreciated!

 

[80s_piggies]

I did a move from the northeast to the southeast with only 1 piggie, so I'm not sure how much help I can be. I used a petstore style cage secured in the car for the trip, and he did very well. I think the biggest issue will be transporting that many. Are they all together now or in separate cages? But in terms of stress, he seemed ok and just went about his business of eating hay and dropping tics tacs

 

[rawrimadinno8]

good to know about the pet store cage! using rabbit cages was my original plan for transporting them all but i wasn't sure about putting them all in smaller areas and then into the car for so long, so it's good to know your pig was good with it! mine are separated into a pair of 2 boys, a pair of 2 girls, and one single female who hates all other pigs. so i would have to have them in three cages which would be problematic, but the only way to move them all. if anyone has any ideas on how to transport all the cages at once that would also be helpful.

 

[LifeAsItMayBe]

The farthest I've gone with my pigs is 200 miles (~3 hours). They fight if I have them all together in anything smaller than a 2x4 C&C cage, so I took them in separate carriers filled with Carefresh bedding and hay. They freaked out for about the first 10 minutes then napped the rest of the trip. I didn't have their water bottles set up in the car since the movement of the vehicle would have made them leak all over everything. Both times I took this trip, it took Peach about a week to forgive me for the move. The other two were fine the next day.

 

[Rummy]

I may be moving from Utah to Indiana soon with 6 pigs so i understand your pain. My fiance and i thought of not just using the larger C&C portable run for the hotel but also stopping along the way so they can have some time out of the car more than every 14 hours. The shower curtain is a great idea @spy9doc we were going to use a blanket but that would definitely be gross by the end. We are also going to pack a mini cooler with pre cut veggie meals plus snacks in case on the way they get nervous or mad.

 

[Agrimony]

I haven't moved more than 5 hours with my boys before, and that was rough on one of them. I had them in boxes but for a long journey a small store cage I agree would be better. I supplied lots of hay, and cucumber for water. My one boy did great and ate and napped the whole way the other was petrified and did not move or eat at all. When I got to my destination I picked up Bird, the distressed one, and when I set him down his legs all sprawled out from under him. I syringed him some water (this was also mid July) and put him in his cage and left him alone to recover. Since my other pig, Pickle, was fine as soon as Bird noticed Pickle walking around and eating he perked up and went over to the divider to be closer to Pickle. He then de-stressed and started eating. I thin the biggest problem I had was they couldnt see each other during the journey, and that is what scared Bird. I think if you keep them with their buddies it should be easier. They can get used to being in a car relatively easily.

 

[miniver]

I've only gone on 3 hour trips but here is my 2 cents:
- I wet the veggies before I leave so they will be fine without a water bottle.
- put the cuddle cups from their cage in the travel carrier, so they have something with a familiar scent.
- talk to them when they WHEEEK and it calms them down. I think they just want to hear my voice since they can't see me from the back seat.

I only had to pull over once, they were wheeking so loud. When I opened the carrier they were just lying in their cuddle cups and gave me look that said "we just wanted to see if we could make you stop". Little stinkers.

The fold-up grids with zip-ties is a great idea; a compact and flexible set-up. I use that as the vacation cage when I stay at my mom's house.

 

[CavieGuy]

This a good thread to follow. I've been doing research on how to transport my herd when we move out of state next year.

So far, what I've come to that they (6 sows) in a Midwest cage in either a Van or Mini RV with two dogs. During the hotel stays I will be setting a total of 3 connected midwest cage with shavings (disposable).

 

[rawrimadinno8]

thanks so much for all the information! everyone has been so helpful with sharing their stories and experiences. i was planning on stopping every two - four hours to make sure they have enough hay and to give them more veggies. i was wondering if anyone has attached their water bottles for their pigs to drink from while driving a distance and can share if the bottles leaked horribly? i was planning on just giving them cucumber and lots of wet veggies to stay hydrated but i was wondering if anyone knows if the water bottles are a good option as well so i know they have plenty of water the whole way there. i would assume that the bottles would jostle and leak the whole time but i just wanted to double check to cover all bases.

I was also wondering does anyone have any idea of what i could use as a cage lid/ cover to protect them from the sun on the drive? i'm planning on cranking the AC so they'll definitely be cool enough, i just don't want the sun to be beaming down on them all day potentially overheating them. it would need to be relatively light weight but thick enough to protect them from the sun. i would also be interested in any ideas for window coverings instead!

 

[bpatters]

Yes, the water bottles leak terribly. Your pigs will be riding in a wading pool if you attach the water bottles to the cage. I just take extra wet veggies and throw them in the cage as we're traveling, and then offer water from the bottle or a syringe when we stop.

I just throw a towel over the top of the cage and let it drape down whatever side the sun is shining in on. Or, if there's nobody but the pigs in the back seat, I just put them in the middle.

 

[rawrimadinno8]

This is all great advice! I was wondering if anyone had any ideas about how to make sure the air conditioning gets to them? I was thinking of buying small battery operated fans to attach to the cages to make sure that they don't overheat. Has anyone done anything similar to this or does anyone have any other ideas?

 

[bpatters]

If it's comfortable in your car, and there's air circulation around the cages, they'll be fine.