# 10-12 hour car drive, how well do they hold up?



## giraffles (Mar 11, 2014)

Hello all! I'm a new mom to a wonderful older hedgie girl, and I've got a question about travel.

This summer I'm going from my home in upstate NY to the Outerbanks NC for a week of vacation in a beach house with all my geeky friends. The car ride is brutally long even for us humans, so I'm debating on if I should take Lia with me. I've looked through threads and seen the bits about they usually sleep the whole way and can be pretty good sports about it, even if they might get car sick.

I'm just a little worried about bringing her for such a long trip when she _hated_ the car ride home. :'D She was stressed from the pet store adventure (I adopted her from a breeder having an adoption event for older hogs, I didn't get her from the store) and there where lots of pot holes and stop in go traffic on the way that might have made her upset too. But man did she pop and hiss for those two hours. xD She was very displeased.

But I'm torn about leaving her home when I know she won't get socialized by anyone for a week, as my mother is coming with me, my brother is only home from college on weekends, and my dad can't even remember to make sure our herd cats have food and water. :? If I need to find someone to look after her I want to start sooner rather than later!

So I guess my real question is, how well do they hold up with the stress of being moved around? xD I'd hate to freak her out with long drives all over the east coast if she'd be much happier (read: slightly less grumpy) being boarded somewhere or in the care of a friend. Or do they not care where their cage is as long as they've got their toys and wheels and mealies? :'D

Thank you in advance! <3


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

When I bought breeding stock back when I was still breeding it was a 3 day drive to bring them back home and they all did fine with it.


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## Chevylady20 (Nov 8, 2013)

Holly did great on our 11 hour one way trip she slept and it didn't stress her at all. Of course that might be because she goes everywhere with me in the car if I'm off work so she's use to car rides.


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## giraffles (Mar 11, 2014)

Thank you for the input guys! 

Nikki, I'm glad to know that they can make even really long trips and fare just fine. That'll do wonders for putting both mine and my mother's fears to rest. She's not against Lia tagging along, but like me is concerned about her health!

Chevylady20, I'm glad your girl did well on a similarly long trip, and you've given me the idea to take her on car rides so she gets more used to it. There's no reason she can't come along with me on a trip to the post office! xD 

I'll have to talk to my brother too. He might not mind taking her for a week, but I don't want to assume he'll be comfortable handling her by then. I'm sure he'll adore her (they get to meet this weekend!) but I know from experiences with my other friends that a popping and hissing hog can be intimidating to someone who's not used to it.


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## DesertHedgehogs (Apr 2, 2013)

I've done 11 hours with no problems. What I tell people is to offer them water ever 4 hours in a dish or water bottle, whatever they're used to. Don't have one in the carrier or you will end up with a wet cold hedgehog. They may not drink anything, don't worry if they don't, but it's good to offer. Also if you're going to have the air conditioner on don't have her in direct flow of the vent, and maybe put a heater of some sort in her carrier, a hand warmer in a sock lasts a while, depending on the hand warmer you may have to switch it out if it gets cool.


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## giraffles (Mar 11, 2014)

Having hand warmers on hand is a great idea, thank you DesertHedgehogs! We have a huge stash at home for our outdoor kitty, so if I do take her I'll have a supply to have in the car. Water breaks are also an excellent point and something I was already planning to do, as she's normally a thirsty hog. She'll usually wake up in the middle of the day for a snack and a drink, so I'll have those on hand too if she tags along. 

Today I go home for spring break so she's going to have another car ride adventure, fingers crossed that she'll just sleep through it! It's only a two hour ride from college to home, so we'll see how it goes. :3


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## SaltCityHedgies (Jul 15, 2013)

Hand warmers are a great idea for traveling. I will need to pick some up.


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