# Vacation to Hawaii for 2 weeks, leaving hog at home



## natashak (Jan 29, 2014)

Hi,

I have a hedgehog and he sleeps in my room in the basement. I am going on a vacation to Hawaii for 2 weeks in December. I live with my parents so initially i'm planning on having my parents watch him. They wouldn't be taking him out to visit for the two weeks. They would at most make sure he has food and water and make sure he's alive (i'm hoping). They wouldn't clean his cage nor do i exactly trust them to do that (clean his cage/take him out to visit). The good thing about leaving him with them is that they won't pester him and make him angry as per i were to leave him with other family members. 

**I am going over Christmas so my parents would most likely also be out of town for 3 days with no one in the home on those three days.

What i'm really wondering is if he will be okay not being taken out and bothered for two weeks. 

I'm planning on cleaning his cage and giving him a bath before i leave, trimming his nails, etc. to get him as ready as he can be for the two weeks. Let me know what you think. Thanks.


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Personally I'd find someone else to take care of him. His wheel and feet would end up in pretty awful condition after 2 weeks of no attention, as would the rest of his cage. And while it's good they'd at least make sure he's alive (I did leave Lily in that kind of situation with my aunt, but no longer than a week, and I showed her how to handle her in the event Lily was showing any alarming symptoms or behaviors), it'd be better if it were someone who was comfortable taking him out at least long enough to verify that he doesn't have any injuries, hair wrapped around a leg, etc. 

Do you have any friends or other family members that are animal people? What about neighbors, family friends, etc.? Do you have a vet that could board him? Or another pet boarding place, perhaps? Even if it's someone who doesn't have experience with hedgehogs, you have plenty of time to prepare them and your hedgie. You can arrange for a few visits between now and then so they can get used to handling him, so he can learn their scent, and you can give them multiple talks on what to do and what to look for. You can also leave a folder with information on hedgehogs and on him specifically. What food he gets, how much he normally eats, his typical cage temperature, his usual behavior, things to look for out of the ordinary, signs of illness, etc. You can also leave your contact number for questions, or you could leave them the address for the forums here, in case they have questions. We've helped hedgie sitters out before.


----------

