# Instructions for pet-sitter OR traveling with?



## doomlordfinley (Sep 14, 2015)

IF the pet-sitter I usually contact to care for the dog while I'm away is available and willing to take care of my hedgie, what should the instructions be that I leave for her?

IF NOT, I'm prepared to bring my hedgie with me to my parent's house ~15 hours away for a week. I think I'll be staying in a camper with access to heating and all the stuff I'd normally have at home, just an unfamiliar situation and not his normal cage (I have a large plastic container with liners/bedding). Is there anything I need to do differently that I haven't read already? i.e keep warm, keep socialized, keep cage/him clean, regular care, etc. 
Parent's house is very very loud, so I already planned on keeping him in the camper with me.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Really, either option would be fine. I think in this situation, it comes down to your preference & that of your pet-sitter.

When I left Lily with petsitters, I made things as easy as I could for them - I made up baggies of her daily portions of food, so all they had to do was dump the old & dump in new. Instructions were to change food & water each night. Depending on the petsitter & length of the trip, I had them clean the wheel - since you'll be gone a week, it'd be a good idea to have your petsitter clean the wheel at least a few times, if not every night. Check on hedgie nightly. Preferably with handling, but at the very least, she should have him out of his sleeping area so she can inspect him visually & see if anything looks off or if he seems to be lethargic or anything else.

IMO, if you have her take care of him, I would have her come over before you leave so you can show her how to handle him. Whether or not she's going to actually do so every night, she needs to know how to do so properly in case there's an emergency situation. Show her your nightly routine with him & explain any behavior quirks he might have.

I also had a binder that I left for the pet-sitters that had Lily's information (birth date, weight, food types, water type as she got bottled, behavior quirks, favorite treats, and vet info), as well as general hedgehog info. Symptoms of hibernation, what to do if there's a hibernation attempt, other emergency health symptoms, how to give a bath, etc. I didn't ever have any pet sitters give a bath though, that was just in case.

If you do decide to take him, that would be fine. If I was taking Lily to an unfamiliar place (whether for pet sitting or going with me), I always made sure her bedding was a couple days old & kept the same bedding in the new place for a couple days so at least her cage still smelled like her. The other thing I would do if you take him is check to see if there are any exotic vets or vets that will see hedgehogs in the area, and make sure you have their number & address. Most likely it won't be necessary, but better to have it on hand just in case. I would also make sure you have a couple extra days' worth of food with you, again, just in case. If he has a sensitive tummy, not a bad idea to bring water from home for the trip. Some hedgies can get an upset GI system from different water.

For the drive, make sure he stays warm in the car. Don't leave him alone in the car with windows up during break times since cars can heat up very quickly. I would have a carry bag or something so you can take him with you if you need to go in for the bathroom, if you're traveling alone. Don't worry about food for the trip. You can offer a little water during breaks if you want, but if you're traveling in the day, he'll most likely sleep the whole time anyway. Take extra bedding though - some hedgies get car sick, or will poop in their carrier. A trash bag or plastic bag that you can stick dirty bedding in would be a good idea too! And make sure the carrier is a hard-sided cat or dog carrier that can be strapped in with a seatbelt.


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