# Going Away



## edgeofnight (Nov 30, 2010)

Hi there,

I'm new to the site, and I just wanted to ask a question. I'm going away on vacation for 5 days and I cannot bring my hedgie with me. I have a neighbour coming in once a day to check up on him. Is this enough? If I give her a list of instructions to follow, should that be enough? She would probably come for half an hour each day.

edgeofnight.


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## CoxMD (Apr 30, 2010)

As long as your hedgie stays warm and has food and water he/she will be fine. My Basil needs a fair amount of coaxing when he doesn't get his nightly run around while I'm away, so have some mealies at the ready when you come home.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

He should be alright. Just have a list of instructions ready, along with the number to your vet, in case there's an issue. We went on vacation a few weeks after getting Cholla. Had a girlfriend come in every day to clean the wheel, give him fresh food & water & "poke the hedgie bag". She wasn't confident enough to get him out every night, but I told her that if she looked in on him & he was upset, then he was OK. And to check on the temp.
We set up our lights to go on & off automatically. I would also suggest you start sleeping in t-shirts to leave for him. We had her put a different shirt in the cage every couple nights. That way, he stil has your smell. Other than that, he should be good to go. Glad you were able to find someone to take care of him & have fun on your trip!


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Personally, because it is winter(I don't know how cold or warm it is where you are), I would ask her to go over at a minimum, twice a day. 
This is because in case your heating fails, and you end up with a hibernating hedgie. If she were to only check on him once a day, he could easily be deep into hibernation before she visits against the next day. 

Is it not possible for her to take him?


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## edgeofnight (Nov 30, 2010)

Immortalia said:


> Personally, because it is winter(I don't know how cold or warm it is where you are), I would ask her to go over at a minimum, twice a day.
> This is because in case your heating fails, and you end up with a hibernating hedgie. If she were to only check on him once a day, he could easily be deep into hibernation before she visits against the next day.
> 
> Is it not possible for her to take him?


I wouldnt want her to take him over due to the fact that she has a little brother who likes getting into trouble. I would rather have no accidents happen that way. But thank you for the advice!


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

How long do you have before you go away?

Something to think about, is getting a SnuggleSafe Disc. Petsmart carries them in minimal amounts, and most employees have NO IDEA what they are. So you MAY have to order them online.

I suggest the discs, because they retain heat for about 8 hours, and it will be a good, fireproof failsafe, in case anything were to go wrong. If your friend can make it there twice a day, she just has to stick it in the microwave for 5 min, then put that in the cage with your hedgie. That way, there will always be something warm in the cage. It just may be a good precaution to take since there will be no one home.

Oh! And don't forget to set some sort of desk lamp on a timer, and a note to never turn it off, and just leave it, to ensure the 12 hours minimum of light. 

As long as heat and light are covered, I think he should be fine.


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