# Taking a hedgehog out in public?



## cosmicsans (Oct 7, 2015)

Hi everyone!

I was wondering if I could get some opinions on this.

During my recent decision to become a hedgehog mommy, I feel like I've done a massive amount a research, (Side note: thank goodness for all of the knowledgable and experienced hedgie owners on this site!!) and have found that a proper environment is very important to a hedgehog's health. 

A couple of years ago when I was in college, I had a classmate who would bring her hedgehog to class, where he would sleep most of the day bundled up in her scarf or in her sweatshirt. This was during winter in Denver, CO! She would sometimes take him out to show people or to feed him cat food kibbles. Knowing what I know now about keeping a hedgie in a controlled environment, I can't help but think that this was not the best situation for a baby hedgie.

When I told my coworkers that I was adopting one, they immediately asked if I would bring her into the office. I would be scared about stressing her out if I ever did this.

How do you all feel about taking your hedgie along to work or school or public spaces in general?


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

One major question comes to mind if I take my hedgehog someplace. Can I controll the temperature? If the answer is no, no questions asked, hedgehog stays at home. 
Taking a hedgehog out can be fun, fighting to warm a hedgehog who is trying to hibernate is the opposite of fun.


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## cosmicsans (Oct 7, 2015)

Okay, that was my initial thought for sure. Luckily my friend's hog had a nice warm scarf to sleep in. Although it probably got pretty hot in there with the added body heat, too.


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## octopushedge (Apr 26, 2015)

I'm not even a fan of taking my hedgehog to the vet sometimes. People really struggle to understand that hedgehogs are not social creatures and get very stressed by light and attention. A lot of people only have experience with animals like dogs, cats, or rabbits, so they apply what they know of those animals to hedgehogs. You get a lot of people trying to pet them, hold them, etc. and it's super stressful for the hedgehog


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## cosmicsans (Oct 7, 2015)

It makes me sad to think back to this experience now, because I was totally one of those people who was like "Ooo can I touch him?" I was super taken aback when he started huffing at me and now I know he was just super freaked out out. Poor little guy.


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## octopushedge (Apr 26, 2015)

Hey, don't feel bad. Hedgehogs are weird animals and it's only natural to want to pet them. It's the owner's responsibility to set rules in the first place.


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## liam1 (Feb 15, 2015)

I have taken Liam out in public places, such as the mall, vets office, supermarkets, etc. I'll usually wear a sweatshirt that has a big pocket and he'll sleep the whole time in there. As I live in South Florida, temperature isn't a problem for me, because trust me even when it's cold, it's hot.

I would however advise not to bring your future baby out if you live in a colder region where you know you won't be able to keep them warm. Other than that I'd say go for it because as far as people go I never actually flaunt him. So 98% of the time no one notices I have him with me lol.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Another factor is can you control the temperature in your transportation? Yes, your car has heat. 
What if something happens, accidents, traffic issues, heater malfunctions? These are all things to take into consideration. Your body heat may not be enough. 
We talk a lot about travel cages around here. Yes, emergency personnel MIGHT look for an animal cage. There is no guarantee. But what will they do when they find it? Will they know it needs heat? Will they know who to contact to reach someone for YOUR information? Will that person know what needs to be done for your animals care? 
These are not things specific to hedgehogs, cold weather isn't really good for you either. Being stuck in cold weather can suck.


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## cosmicsans (Oct 7, 2015)

Aww! That's adorable. 

I would think another downside to taking him out and flaunting him would be messing up the sleep routine. But it's nice to know I can still move around and do things while having bonding time as long as she feels secure enough to stay asleep in my scarf or sweatshirt. 

That being said, the winters in Colorado are definitely not mild. I wouldn't even attempt taking her out during the winter. 

So again, I'm having a hard time believing my friends hedgie was okay even after being transported OUTSIDE from class to class in the winter!!


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## cosmicsans (Oct 7, 2015)

twobytwopets said:


> Another factor is can you control the temperature in your transportation? Yes, your car has heat.
> What if something happens, accidents, traffic issues, heater malfunctions? These are all things to take into consideration. Your body heat may not be enough.
> We talk a lot about travel cages around here. Yes, emergency personnel MIGHT look for an animal cage. There is no guarantee. But what will they do when they find it? Will they know it needs heat? Will they know who to contact to reach someone for YOUR information? Will that person know what needs to be done for your animals care?
> These are not things specific to hedgehogs, cold weather isn't really good for you either. Being stuck in cold weather can suck.


Another really important consideration for sure.

I bought a travel cage and I'm picking her up from the breeder tomorrow. It's going to be in the upper 80s tomorrow, which I suppose is less of an issue but something I'm still a little worried about.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

The only thing I'd suggest is attach a quick care sheet with your emergency contact info attached to the back of the carrier. If it's on top, it could block the view, same for the sides. Also the hot hands hand warmers that you snap and they heat up work as emergency heat.
With a dog or cat, you can check the collar. And their care is pretty straight forward, so there is minimal guessing for police/fire and ems personnel.


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## cosmicsans (Oct 7, 2015)

twobytwopets said:


> The only thing I'd suggest is attach a quick care sheet with your emergency contact info attached to the back of the carrier. If it's on top, it could block the view, same for the sides. Also the hot hands hand warmers that you snap and they heat up work as emergency heat.
> With a dog or cat, you can check the collar. And their care is pretty straight forward, so there is minimal guessing for police/fire and ems personnel.


Oh my gosh, thank you!!!! That's a great idea and will make me a lot less nervous about it


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Agreed with the comments about things to consider so far. But one thing that I consider very important and frequently see people ignore:

Do NOT take your hedgehog to a place where animals are not allowed due to food considerations. Restaurant, fast food place, grocery store, etc. I don't care where it is. If there is food, your hedgehog doesn't need to be there. I see way too many people brush this off because their hedgehog never leaves their purse or bag or whatever. I don't care. I think it's ridiculous, irresponsible, and selfish for people to risk this. If your hedgehog is found, it could cause issues for the people who work at the store, and there could be greater repercussions. Hedgehogs are illegal in a few states already, and there's been at least one silly salmonella news story that came out about hedgehogs. We don't need to cause bigger issues because we think our pets need to come everywhere with us. Service dogs are the only animals that should go into food-related areas, and that's only because their people need them.

(Also I know my message is rather strongly worded for me, this isn't meant to be at you. This is just a point of frustration for me, and something I feel strongly about!  Hedgie outings are fine if the hedgie is fine with them, but they don't need to be frequent or to food places.)


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## octopushedge (Apr 26, 2015)

This is starting to become a real problem as "emotional support animals" gain traction. People think an ESA = a service animal, when in reality they are two completely different things. Basically all an ESA means is that you _may_ be able to get around animal restrictions in residences in certain municipalities, but some people have been taking advantage of ignorance and claiming they can bring their pet anywhere. It's making everything more difficult for people who actually need service animals.

Complete off-topic, just something that's been a bother to me this year!


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

octopushedge said:


> This is starting to become a real problem as "emotional support animals" gain traction. People think an ESA = a service animal, when in reality they are two completely different things. Basically all an ESA means is that you _may_ be able to get around animal restrictions in residences in certain municipalities, but some people have been taking advantage of ignorance and claiming they can bring their pet anywhere. It's making everything more difficult for people who actually need service animals.
> 
> Complete off-topic, just something that's been a bother to me this year!


Add therapy animal to the list as well. Also other animals technically could be service animals. 
Sorry I see this often with other groups, not related to animals. Service animals can be trained for emotional/mental problems. They are not therapy or emotional support animals. They possibly are service animals, and have the same rights as any other service animal. 
That being said. If you bring your animal into a store and try and pass it off as a service animal, you are consciously making things that much harder for those who actually need their animal to function in life.

End of rant...


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## octopushedge (Apr 26, 2015)

I believe the exact definition is, as you said, they are trained to provide a *service*. That could be something as relatively "simple" as cuddling up to a person who is having a panic attack to help them calm down, or something more complex like retrieving medication or guiding someone who is blind. I didn't mean to imply that service animals cannot provide therapeutic benefit, just that "emotional support animals" are not animals who are trained to provide a service and thus don't have the same rights as service animals to enter restaurants and other restricted areas.

But yes, there are a wide range of service animals. We typically imagine them to be dogs in coats, but they can be cats, monkeys, horses, ferrets...pretty much anything you can imagine that can be trained to serve a specific function.


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## Beasty (Mar 15, 2015)

I love this rant and that people are talking about it I run the market portion of a large retail outlet and it makes me furious when people bring their non service animals into the grocery store TAKE YOU PETS INTO PET FRENDLY STORES like pet stores NOT grocery stores there are children and seniors with severe allergies and do you want to have pet dander on you produce and meat? Also for the jerks who put their dogs into the grocery cart; do you want your child's bare skin touching the same surface as a dogs 
butthole? This is a major problem in PDX It's so inconsiderate... and ridiculous.Thanks for letting me rant.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Generally speaking, those who have a legit service animal don't want the animal noticed. Am extension of this is they will go out of their way to make it appear the animal wasn't there. Ie. In a strange situation with a service animal is in the cart, not sure why, they would most likely wipe the cart down when they are done. 
We are taught from a young age not to stare at a person on a wheel chair. The person wants to be noticed, not because of the chair. The same generally goes for an individual with a service animal. They wouldn't want you to remember them poorly for their animal.


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## Beasty (Mar 15, 2015)

I agree the genuine service animals are well behaved and very inconspicuous. I was referring to the entitled A$$&@*L's that think it is their universal right to take their dog into any public place. Not people w/disabilities.


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