Severe Weather and Pigs

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PEW Lover

Post   » Fri Jun 22, 2007 7:07 pm


It's been a wild ride these last two days with two tornado warnings in 24 hours. So much for Ginger's quarantine...... I didn't worry so much about "bugs" and proper introductions when the sirens were wailing and the wind was stripping the screen door off the sliding door of my apartment. It was quick gather the kids, shove the pigs into a cramped carrier and head for the building's lower floor with the cell phone and weather radio.

I'm going out and getting a bigger carrier tomorrow, and a bag to keep things in for the pigs that I can take with me. If we end up in a shelter or something because a tornado destroys our building, I don't think the Red Cross is going to be thinking about guinea pig needs. And with a fiance currently more in the tornado belt than I am right now, I need to be prepared when I move there so I can provide for the pigs in an emergency. The question is what should I keep in the pigs' emergency bag and how much? Has anyone made an emergency kit for their pets?

EllieMom

Post   » Fri Jun 22, 2007 7:53 pm


I'm most concerned about getting them all down to the basement in time, especially now that I've got three and can't just scoop them up in my arms when the sirens go off. We actually did a "tornado warning drill" yesterday, so that everyone knows what animal they're responsible for. I've got the two big girls upstairs, Ellie has the Ginger the baby, and Ted has the dog. We store extra food for everybody in the basement, so if push comes to shove, we have what we need to get by for a day or two.

My mom and dad's house was destroyed by a tornado in '90. We still haven't gotten over it. The only reason the dogs survived was that they were smart enough to hide in the closet next to the master bathroom. There was one wall left standing after the tornado went through—the one holding up the closet where the poor dogs were cowering.

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Kermie831

Post   » Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:00 pm


We keep laundry baskets handy in case of emergency.

This came in very handy when my apt was on fire and I had to evacuate everyone quickly!

I have extra cages (broken down) and food/supplies at a friends on the other side of town, and in another town, just so there is a safe place for us to run, just in case!

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rshevin

Post   » Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:00 pm


If you can store things in the basement like that, you could put some cubes linked together with zip ties into folding pens and a shower curtain liner for a bottom down there along with some hay and jugs of water. You could also buy 1 carrier per pig and stock it with a bag of food and small water bottle. They could stay in those carriers for a long time if they each had their own. Not ideal of course, but survivable. I have a rule in my house that I must own one carrier per animal.

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Brimstone
For Rocky

Post   » Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:07 pm


I've thought of preparing emergency kits, but I don't really have one all pulled together. I think you would need the basics: water bottle, pellets, hay, towels/fleece for bedding, extra grids to build a temp cage, bottles of water. Fresh veggies you can either find somewhere or the pigs will survive without for a few days.

I have a tote bag that stores the "makeshift cage" supplies: extra grids zip-tied together so that they can be easily be unfolded and connected together, extra connectors, velcro zip tie things just because they're so useful, plastic tablecloth to put under the cage. Maybe I should store an extra towel or two in there, too. I also have the pigs' "med kit" which is an old toiletries carrier that unfolds to store stuff. That houses the nail clippers, stiptic powder, extra towel for wrapping a pig, syringes, simethicone, etc.

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Barbara Osborn
Supporter from '05 - '12

Post   » Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:29 pm


Our Red Cross shelters here in Florida do not allow pets.

(sorry about the double post- sloooow server?)
Last edited by Barbara Osborn on Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Barbara Osborn
Supporter from '05 - '12

Post   » Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:29 pm


Our Red Cross shelters here in Florida do not allow pets.

I also have the pet store cages broken down to use for hurricane evacuations. But we have a lot more time to prepare to evacuate that you do in tornado areas.

Please stay safe.

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PEW Lover

Post   » Mon Jun 25, 2007 6:05 pm


The PETS Act requires that provisions are made for household pets and service animals. Wherever they shelter, I want to make sure they have the supplies they need until I can take them home or find an alternate place for them to live while we repair. With any luck it won't come to that!

I'm in an apartment for the time being, but I have a friend on the basement floor who's agreed to let me store a small bag of hay and 10 lbs. of pellets in her closet just in case. Better to have to live on pellets for a while than starve. I'll have better provisions when I move. Thanks for all the ideas! I'm going to have a couple of zip-tied and folded cages ready for when I have my own basement.

Pachacutec

Post   » Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:46 am


That's a great idea PEW Lover, to have a friend keep a "stash" of piggy supplies for you in case of emergency. I would suggest putting in fresh supplies every once and a while, though; that way, if you ever DO need to use them, you can be sure they'll be fresh.

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rshevin

Post   » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:53 am


I just picked up small water bottles yesterday for each of my carriers (even the cat's). I'm going to stock everything with towels and bags of appropriate food today.

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Elly

Post   » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:59 am


Here is a Post on GPC that you may find handy
http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/abo ... imals.html

I wrote it after having lived through a major, last minute and extended evacuation. Luckily I was mostly prepared knowing that the day would come when I needed to move fast. I learned a lot from my own evac and even more from the aftermath, both my own and others (what I saw on T.V. and from others' experiences)

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