Travel with Guinea Pig

Question
We got a carrier for our pig. Now how is the best way to get her comfortable in it. We will be traveling by personal car and total one-way trip is 7-8 hours then will remain in one place (a personal home) for 2 days then return home the same way we went. Any other hints will be appreciated.

Answer
Guinea pigs are excellent travelers. When going state to state for shows our pigs are often in travel carriers for two and sometimes three days at a time. The biggest concern is hydration.  I can tell you from experience that mine do not touch their water bottles the first day.

When in the car the bottles often leak, especially if they are the kind with the spout and ball.  We use travel bottles that have a font that protects the bottle from leakage. But for some reason they don't seem to want to touch the water bottles that first day.  Probably from the stress of the ride.  To avoid that we just use lettuce. I prefer iceberg for traveling.  

You will hear people say "never use iceberg, it's bad for them!" Hogwash. It is true that iceberg has no nutritional value, but it is FULL of water, and the pigs love it.  So for hydrating it's the bet thing to use for traveling.  Every couple of hours just give her a chunk of lettuce and she will stay fine and healthy.  

When in the car be sure the cage is not exposed to the direct sunlight. Put a towel over the top of the cage to protect the pig from the sunlight and she's a happy traveler. Most likely when you get to your destination everyone will be so busy playing with her that she will get plenty of exercise.

So enjoy your trip and don't worry about how she will travel.  Just use the same precautions you would about anyone in the car, don't leave them alone without air conditioning and make sure they have access to water in whatever form you can provide. Take pictures for the 'piggy book' to show "Miss Piggy's First Vacation."  Have fun with it and enjoy the vacation.