General Questions about my guinea pigs

[C1407]

As I just said in another thread, some babies were born so depending on the gender, I might end up adopting them. So I'm going to ask the questions I've been saving now instead of waiting to find out if I'll actually be getting them.

1. Are the cable ties I have hazardous to the pigs? 4 inch was the smallest I could find, and I do have them attached at the very bottom and very top of each grid, and facing out. But they do turn so that they're going along the edge and could be accessed by the pigs. Is this an issue or are they not likely to try to bite/chew/swallow them? I considered cutting them, but I wasn't sure if the edges would be too sharp and if that would be a problem (or maybe they'd be too high up that they won't really mess with them once they're cut).

2. It's going to be about a 6 hour drive to get the pigs home. Any advice on how to make it work for them? Should I put them in separate boxes (I only have 1 pet store cage to use, I sold my other one) while taking them home in case they start fighting? Is there some way I should strap the boxes safely down so they don't move too much? Is there some sort of padding I should put on the sides so they don't get hurt if they get pushed against the side? Where's the safest location for them in the car in case I get in an accident?

3. Is there any scale recommended to weigh them with? I was going to get this one (broken link removed) since it was the cheapest one that seemed large enough to safely have a tray and fit them on there, plus it's low to the ground so that if they fell off, it wouldn't be that high up (although my first pig enjoyed playing kamikaze by jumping off my bed, I'm pretty sure that isn't good for them, so I'd rather avoid heights). So does the linked one seem fine to use? Some of the comments have say it broke early, so I'm not sure...

That's all I had to ask so far, but if I have more I'll just add onto the thread. Feel free to add any other information you think would be useful or good to know. Thanks in advance!

 

[bpatters]

The cable ties are fine -- they're about the only things on the planet that pigs teeth won't cut, I think.

I had to drive mine home about 5 1/2 hours. A large pet cage, a big plastic bin, or a cardboard box will work. You'll need to be able to cover the container to keep the sun out. My pet container (a fairly large dog cage) wedged nicely into the front seat, and I ran a seatbelt through the handle.

Don't separate them. If they're babies, they'll be fine.

The scale is perfect.

 

[C1407]

The cable ties are fine -- they're about the only things on the planet that pigs teeth won't cut, I think.

I had to drive mine home about 5 1/2 hours. A large pet cage, a big plastic bin, or a cardboard box will work. You'll need to be able to cover the container to keep the sun out. My pet container (a fairly large dog cage) wedged nicely into the front seat, and I ran a seatbelt through the handle.

Don't separate them. If they're babies, they'll be fine.

The scale is perfect.

So do I have to worry about the pet store cage being too small for them or will it likely not be an issue for just the car ride? And if I were to hook one or two of those elastic tie down cords through the cage and around the front seat, would that be good? Or should I put them in the back seat?

 

[bpatters]

The pet store cage will be fine for the car ride. They're babies, so not apt to fight. Also, they're generally pretty awed by the car ride and the strangeness, so will likely just huddle together for comfort.

I put my dog cage in the front seat and just ran the seatbelt through the handle on top of the cage. You just want to make sure that the cage doesn't get dumped off into the floor if you have to make a sudden stop.

 

[catzeye21138]

I can give some input from my own experiences.

1. Zip ties are fine. Cut the scrap end off and you'll have no worries.

2. What I did was got a medium sized rubbermaid tub and poked air holes into it. In the bottom I put a towel that was just a bit too big for the rubbermaid so that they'd have something to hang on to and snuggle in to.
As far as car rides go, I wouldn't be worried about the size of the cage. They aren't going to be doing a whole lot of running around inside the car, and will probably just try to hide. Others may have a different opinion, but I think as far as car rides go, a bigger cage is a bad idea. I think it makes them feel less safe.
If you can wedge it in between the passenger's seat and the floor so that it doesn't move a lot, that would work. For short rides I buckle my tubs in including the shoulder strap. They don't move around at all. What I love about the tubs, is the clip on lid. (remember to poke lots of air holes!)
Since it is such a long ride, it would probably be a good idea to stop every few hours to check on them thoroughly, give them water and such. Or really whenever your gut tells you to.

3. That scale sounds just fine. Most digital scales are pretty accurate. Just as long as the weighing surface is large enough for the pig to sit on, and not so big that it isn't accurate with small weights.

Again, these are just my opinions. A lot of people here will have some marvelous tips for you.

 

[C1407]

Thanks for all the help, everyone!

 

[Pretty Piggies]

Can you use the wii fit plus for weighing pigs? That's what I do.

 

[catzeye21138]

Pretty Piggies:
I'm not sure how well that would work. The thing you stand on for the wii, doesn't it have two sides to it? I don't know how you could ensure the guinea pig would stay equal on both sides...

 

[bpatters]

I don't think the Wii is sensitive enough to record the changes in guinea pig weights. You need something that will show fractions of ounces, or grams. Anything that weighs up to 350 pounds isn't going to be all that accurate at a very low weight.