Flying with guinea pigs and dietary questions!!!!

[snaphappy23]

Thanks for reading this post.

At July's end, we are flying to India to live. I have some questions;

Can guinea pigs survive a long plane ride in the cargo compartment? Being herbivores, they need to eat constantly, but I am concerned about putting hay and veg. based chow in their cage. Will customs open the cage and remove the food? Guinea pigs must constantly eat or they can get very sick.

When we get to India, apparently finding piggy chow is very difficult. Can I make piggy chow? Have any of you done it? If not, is there a store in Taiwan that can ship me piggy chow in a big bag on a regular basis?

I don't want to give the piggies away. We love them soo much! I am debating what is better for them, to be rehomed or to stay with us. And if they come with us, will they be okay? I am a farm girl, so I find it hard to believe that the piggies really have such a specialized diet.

Thanks for your help and input. BTW, if you can refer me to any airlines that fly to India and will allow the clan piggus to ride in the cabin under our seat, you would be our angel!

Thanks again!

[Mother Theresa]

I think they'll be ok . . . as long as there are no snakes on the plane.

[finley]

In the wild, piggies graze, like ... um, pigs. We always used to let ours run about on the lawn. My sister still has some and they just pootle about outside with the chickens. I remember brassicas (cabbages and suchlike) are not good for their digestion, but generally they seem good at figuring out for themselves what's edible and what's not. I'm sure you'll be able to get hay and green vegetables of some sort. I imagine they'd be partial to fenugreek for instance (looks like a small, spindly pea plant and should be common in India) but don't quote me on that.

Small animals (up to cat size) are apparently permitted as "hand luggage" on all the major airlines, although I can't say I've ever tried it.

[Ducked]

Check with the airline (which pretty much precludes "smuggling" them) since the temperature in the cargo hold might be an issue.

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/tech_ops/read.main/241772/

I'm not sure of the microwave defrost settings for a Guinea Pig.

[Icon]

Well, I checked out a couple of pet stores in India and I remember they were well stocked. The cheapest flights are through Hong KOng -Cathay/jet or other local Indian airline- and ther eis a China Airlines flight that's a bit of a hassle but might be better for your pets regarding the canin policies. Do remember that summertime there is a blackout for pets to go on the hold, as it gets too hot during loading and they may die, so you have to check the dates with the airline.

Plenty of water is necessary, and hopefully you can have them in the cabin, not on cargo, to feed them properly. As long as the container can be stashed unde rthe seat, there shouldn't be an issue.