General Travelling Guinea Pig (international)

[Tookish]

Hey this is my first post on this forum and I'm hoping someone on here will have gone through a similar experience and be able to give me some advice and insight.

I currently have two male piggies and live in Ontario, Canada. However I'm moving to Dublin, Ireland in August for school and will be there for at least the next 4 years of my life. First year I'm living on residence where animals are not allowed but I'm hoping to find a pet friendly place after that and am wanting to bring my piggies over and hopefully find someone to watch them for me for the first year I'm gone.

I've been looking into bringing them over to Ireland but it's not seeming too feasible right now with trying to find an airline as well as the rules for bringing them into the county. Some sites are saying they have to go through a 2 month quarantine where you have to arrange for care and housing for them as well as a vet visit and someone to pick them up from the airport as I would not be allowed to have contact with them until after there quarantine period is up. That whole situation seems a bit excessive to me since dogs and cats don't need to go through all that and they're more likely to be coming into contact with lots of different animals and people.

I really don't want to have to give them up, but if I can't bring them over to Ireland with me I'm going to have to as my parents don't like them and just barely tolerate them when I moved back home after finishing my undergrad. I just really need some advice to see if anyone has brought piggies over to Ireland and what the process was like and a rough estimate of cost too if at all possible! Thank you so much for reading all this and I really hope someone can help me and the boys.

 

[bpatters]

If they have to be quarantined (and the online information is definitely not clear about that -- specifies for rodents but says guinea pigs are not rodents), I wouldn't take them at all. I'd find a good home for them here, and then either get some when I got to Ireland, or wait until I got home again.

Other than that, it's expensive to fly pets anywhere. You don't want guinea pigs to go as cargo, but most airlines won't fly them in the cabin.

 

[Tookish]

I'm afraid I can't help you with any information, but I was wondering if you have posted over at Guinea Lynx? There seems to be a few people there who have traveled internationally with their guinea pigs. Perhaps they might be able to offer you some insight into the pros and cons of attempting to get your pigs to Ireland.

Good luck with your journey to Dublin. I envy you. I hear Ireland is a beautiful country.

I haven't posted on Guinea Lynx I'll definitely give it a shot though thanks for the tip! And yes Ireland is absolutely gorgeous I spent a month there a couple years ago and I can't wait to go back (it'll be my first time in Dublin) I can't recommend travelling there enough if you ever get the chance!

If they have to be quarantined (and the online information is definitely not clear about that -- specifies for rodents but says guinea pigs are not rodents), I wouldn't take them at all. I'd find a good home for them here, and then either get some when I got to Ireland, or wait until I got home again.

Other than that, it's expensive to fly pets anywhere. You don't want guinea pigs to go as cargo, but most airlines won't fly them in the cabin.

Yeah the way they worded it online was super confusing, I don't understand why if they don't classify them as rodents they're still in the rodent section of the report. It's looking more likely that I'll have to re-home them which really sucks but if its what's best for them I'll have to do it. I definitely won't be getting any while I'm over there I don't want to run into this situation again where I'm flying back home to Canada and can't bring them with me so I'll just have to be piggieless for a while :sad:

 

[Mikko]

I'm currently in Alberta, Canada and looking to move to Massachusetts, USA. It's not much but I understand the struggle.
I know just to get information on whether or not guinea pigs were allowed and what I had to do to bring them I had to do a bunch of long distance phone tag, being transferred and a lot of people asking whether or not they were human guinea pigs (LOL!).
So my advice is to make sure you have enough money for the long distance calling and then brace yourself for the phone bill.

I know Air Canada allows one pet in a cage in the cabin if it meets the requirements and can fit under the seat. But then your second piggy will have to go elsewhere and that could be difficult.

 

[bpatters]

The way I read Air Canada's website, only cats and dogs are allowed in the cabin.