# Carriers



## 4BlindMice

I was wondering what type of carriers you guys would recommend for slightly longer trips, as well as day trips.

I know I'll need a carrier for trips that are 2-3ish hrs in a car. The breeder I bought my hedgie from is 2.5 hrs away so I'll at least need it for the trip home! but I want it to be a good one because my family & I often take weekend trips, so investing in a decent carrier just makes sense. (I also realize I'll need to pack more things for the weekend trips, but right now my focus is mostly getting him home, I'll figure the weekend trip gear out later when it's relevant.)

I'd also like to socialize him well by taking him on errands with me, so what kind of bag do you guys use for that?


----------



## moxieberry

For longer car trips, or any where you can't have them right in your lap, a hard-sided cat carrier is perfect. For going out on errands, a carry bag with a strap is what I use. Some people prefer to use a hard-sided carrier for any sort of car trip, no matter how short, which is a matter of personal preference and how cautious you want to be. I use the hard-sided carriers only for longer trips, or something where we're taking multiple hedgehogs, or need somewhere secure and out of the way to put them at the destination - like taking them on a visit to a school. For running errands or just going out and about, they go in one of the carry bags I make with a flap over the top, and they're in my lap while in the car. We also make smaller carrier boxes that come in handy. People who buy babies from us need to have either a carrier box or carry bag when they leave.

Carrier box:









Carry bag:


----------



## 4BlindMice

Thanks Moxie! I'll shop around for some of the hard-sided cat carriers, have you found a brand you liked most? & I LOVE those bags you make! I might be ordering one off of you once I pick out my baby and know it's gender!


----------



## alexvdl

Keep in mind that keeping any sort of animal on your lap while driving a motor vehicle is frowned upon by law enforcement agencies, insurance companies, and people who compile statistics on avvidents.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nat ... 55384736/1

http://www.mnn.com/family/protection-sa ... n-the-car#

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/1 ... d-driving/


----------



## moxieberry

Should've specified, I'm not the one driving.


----------



## jerseymike1126

can get some great bags with straps here:
http://www.facebook.com/teenaya


----------



## Christemo

Please do not bring your hedgehogs on errands with you. They don't need that form of socialization. Bringing them to Petsmart and Petco are fine, but anywhere else is a no. I won't go into that rant again. 

You'll want a hard sided carrier that can be buckled into the car. A small cat carrier works wonders. I picked mine up for $15 at Walmart. This way, if you're in an accident, the hog will be better protected then just being in a snuggle bag.


----------



## Avarris

Wow! We get it, Christemo, you don't approve of people taking their hogs out, and your clearly stated arguments against it from other threads. There is no reason to even bring it up here. However since you opened the door.... Everyone is entitled to their opinion and what's right for them. When someone asks a question they want other people's opinions. Just because you don't agree is no reason to be snarky or try to rehash the issue. State your opinion and move on. Each of us here have to choose what is right for us and our hedgies. Your way IS NOT the only way. Deal with it.

The original question was about carriers, not whether or not taking you hog out is a good idea. I would get a small hardsided carrier. Petsmart has one for ferrets that I think would be great for our hedgies and still identifiable as a pet carrier in case of an accident.


----------



## Nancy

Avarris said:


> Wow! We get it, Christemo, you don't approve of people taking their hogs out, and your clearly stated arguments against it from other threads. There is no reason to even bring it up here. However since you opened the door.... Everyone is entitled to their opinion and what's right for them. When someone asks a question they want other people's opinions. Just because you don't agree is no reason to be snarky or try to rehash the issue. State your opinion and move on. Each of us here have to choose what is right for us and our hedgies. Your way IS NOT the only way. Deal with it.
> 
> The original question was about carriers, not whether or not taking you hog out is a good idea. I would get a small hardsided carrier. Petsmart has one for ferrets that I think would be great for our hedgies and still identifiable as a pet carrier in case of an accident.


This is a public forum where everyone is allowed to give their opinion and to give it in more than one thread if they so desire.


----------



## Christemo

Wowza. :roll:


----------



## moxieberry

Christemo, just because you personally prefer to not take your hedgehogs on errands, outings, etc., does not mean it's a "bad" thing and other owners should be discouraged from doing so. I have found it time and again to be an excellent form of socialization. Maybe not a "necessary" kind of socialization, but still a good one. So I will continue to recommend it, based on personal experience, and leave it to each individual owner to decide. If you have any personal experience of it somehow being detrimental to the hedgehog, and therefore something to be avoided for reasons concerning the animal's welfare, I would love to hear about it.


----------



## Christemo

This topic is not about my opinions. I follow the laws. Sorry. Let's get this back on topic. Okay?


----------



## JulieAnne

I have a hard sided carrier for longer trips and just use a hedgie bag for shorter trips. I should point out that Prim NEVER wakes up during the day. EVER. So her moving in the car isn't an issue.If I take her to class with me I put a hard plastic Tupperware in my purse for her top go in if need be. 

It's really up to you on of you want to use a hard sided carrier all the time or not.It certainly wouldn't be a bad thing.


----------



## moxieberry

Christemo said:


> This topic is not about my opinions. I follow the laws. Sorry. Let's get this back on topic. Okay?


"Errands" is not synonymous with "grocery stores". So, legality of certain stores aside - when you can give a good example of how bringing a hedgehog into a bank, post office, fabric/craft store, etc (basically, any location that doesn't sell food, or isn't a doctor's office/hospital) is detrimental to the hedgehog's welfare, I would really love to hear it, and I would be happy to reevaluate my suggestion of taking them on "errands" being a good thing. Until then, there's no reason to recommend against doing so. It is a fantastic form of socialization, and I can back it up with plenty of anecdotes and first hand experience.



JulieAnne said:


> It's really up to you on of you want to use a hard sided carrier all the time or not.It certainly wouldn't be a bad thing.


Agreed. I have no problem with people who choose to do so even for very short trips, but personally I don't see a need. Maybe if you have a squirmy hedgehog that's likely to try to get out of just a bag, but basically all of mine will completely zonk out once they're in a carry bag, haha.


----------



## alexvdl

I'm more worried about the hedgehog being a ballistic projectile than whether or not they're wiggly.


----------



## Christemo

Your exposing your animal to potential infections and different temperatures? Having the chance of them getting loose? There was one example a few months back of a hog who escaped a bag and was never seen again.

Example: A woman tries to bring in her sugar gliders into my Joann Fabrics all the time. They have a strict no pet policy. The manager there has to consistently tell this person to leave the store. They have been reprimanded by corporate since someone reported them who saw them. 

I do not have time to argue this into the ground. I follow rules of stores and the laws of the state of NJ and MD.


----------



## nikki

I think this has gotten a bit off topic. The original topic was carriers


----------



## Christemo

Thank you. I still think that hard sided carriers are the best in car rides. In case of accident, it will keep them contained and protected.


----------



## 4BlindMice

Christemo said:


> Your exposing your animal to potential infections and different temperatures? Having the chance of them getting loose? There was one example a few months back of a hog who escaped a bag and was never seen again.
> 
> Example: A woman tries to bring in her sugar gliders into my Joann Fabrics all the time. They have a strict no pet policy. The manager there has to consistently tell this person to leave the store. They have been reprimanded by corporate since someone reported them who saw them.
> 
> I do not have time to argue this into the ground. I follow rules of stores and the laws of the state of NJ and MD.


Laws are different everywhere though, so really your argument seems to be more "make sure to follow the laws & don't be a nuance to business that don't want your pet there." and I didn't necessarily mean I would be taking them everywhere with me or just carelessly taking them to places without first thinking if they'd be safe/warm/etc. I would plan to take my hedgehog to basically the same places that I frequent with my dogs. They are pet friendly stores and all kept fairly warm because of that- however exposing them to infections does raise a good point. I actually don't know a lot about hedgehog health or immune systems (YET) and that could definitely be raise a potentially dangerous situation I hadn't thought of before..

My breeder actually has a person they recommend for carry bags so I'll be buying one from her for when I do take the hedgie into the store- I am kind of overprotective of car rides tho so I'll be one of those people who keep the hedgie in the hard sided carrier during car rides & strapped in. I even have doggie seat belts for my dogs, I just don't want my pets to become projectiles should I get into a wreck.

What SIZE hard sided carrier do you recommend, btw?


----------



## Christemo

I use this one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Petmate-Pet-T ... t/16785059

and just fill the empty space with blankets.


----------



## Immortalia

Whatever hard sided cat carrier you use, make sure it can be strapped in with the seatbelt. And don't forget a thermometer for it(or can steal from your cage for trips. I just bought 2, one for cage and one for carrier). And don't forget to write your information on the carrier, and because hedgies are exotic and require certain temp, I would write that sort of general information somewhere, just in case cause you never know. 

As for walking around, I just use a fabric over the shoulder purse lol it works for me and my wallet fits in there too and my boy just sleeps. I also have a few different bags and sometimes when using my soft fabric one I'll just toss that in the carrier as well. If I'm going to a pet store type place, I use a purse that goes on my shoulder and cups right under my arm. This ensures my boy to be high enough if another dog smells him or wants to pounce. I have more control over the bag. 

As for possible contamination...keep in mind that they differ from dogs and cats, who are regularly vaccinated and easily treated with topical meds if needed. But hedgies aren't. They can still pick up mites and such from the public, including pet stores. You just have to be very careful, like bringing a puppy out in public before it has all its shots(which is highly not recommended during spring and summer seasons. In fact, we tell owners not to even let their puppies out to the front yard and only in an enclosed area that no other dogs can access because of parvo). 
I bring my boy out, we have been to petsmart, but I also don't advertise it so people don't ask to see him or touch him. We always say to quarantine newly acquired hedgies from already present hedgies for a month. Bringing them out into an unknown environment breaks all sorts of quarantine ideals lol Obviously this differs for dogs and cats mainly because we know more and are able to treat more. However, I still change out of my scrubs after being at the clinic before I get home, cause you just never know. There is always best practice(which is not always practical) and common practice. Just depends on what you are more comfortable with and what you are willing to risk. 

Mind you, I do bring my boy to the barn when I'm on my way home to moms(in the summer), but he just stays in his carrier and in the lounge. Maybe all of 2 people see and touch him, and it's a bit more of a controlled environment as opposed to many strangers and warehouse stacked products that came from who knows where.


----------



## 4BlindMice

Great info, Immortalia. & I was studied as a vet tech for a while so that really should have been among one of the first places my mind went! Lol, i feel slightly ashamed it didn't since I do it with my dogs all the time! 

I will definitly take all of whats been said to heart. I ordered my carrier today  Exciting stuff!!! thanks christ for the carrier reference, thats the one i bought.


----------



## Draenog

I use this one if I need to take him to the vet:










It's great, it's also small (originally for guinea pigs) so he fits in it perfectly.

As a side note to the discussion here: I assume you're smart enough not to take your hedgehog anywhere illegal (like some shops or places  )
Besides that, keep your hedgehog in mind, not your own fun. I really don't get why people would want to take their hedgehog out all the time because they're not dogs. They just sleep during the day. I can only imagine how annoying it must be to be woken up all the time during the day and there's no point at all in taking them out when they're only asleep (besides for your own fun), but there are downsides. Since your hedgehog could pick up diseases, get too cold, and it's illegal to bring pets in a lot of places (look them up before you take your hedgehog with you!). Since it's not necessary and there are more negative than positive points, just make sure your hedgehog actually enjoys it (or is at least not bothered by it), and it's not only you who just thinks it's a fun thing to take him with you.


----------



## Nancy

Draenog said:


> As a side note to the discussion here: I assume you're smart enough not to take your hedgehog anywhere illegal (like some shops or places  )
> Besides that, keep your hedgehog in mind, not your own fun. I really don't get why people would want to take their hedgehog out all the time because they're not dogs. They just sleep during the day. I can only imagine how annoying it must be to be woken up all the time during the day and there's no point at all in taking them out when they're only asleep (besides for your own fun), but there are downsides. Since your hedgehog could pick up diseases, get too cold, and it's illegal to bring pets in a lot of places (look them up before you take your hedgehog with you!). Since it's not necessary and there are more negative than positive points, just make sure your hedgehog actually enjoys it (or is at least not bothered by it), and it's not only you who just thinks it's a fun thing to take him with you.


I couldn't have expressed my feelings on the subject any better.

I also don't understand why when someone is hiding the hedgehog in a purse or whatever, or has commented that "nobody even knows it's there", then why even bother. Hedgie would be happier at home. I used to on occasion take someone to a pet store until I thought about it and realized the risk of them picking up something and taking it back home to the rest. Can't imagine 25-35 hedgehogs with ringworm, so I quit taking them.


----------



## jerseymike1126

Idk guys. I can't buy any clothes without pokeys help. He has a great sense of fashion


----------



## jerseymike1126

But Lucy isnt much help. I asked her to help me find new shoes once and she pooped on my feet...


----------



## chouck

jerseymike1126 said:


> But Lucy isnt much help. I asked her to help me find new shoes once and she pooped on my feet...


She was helping! Poop boots!


----------



## alexvdl

Obviously she thought the shoes you were trying on were poopy.


----------



## 4BlindMice

jerseymike1126 said:


> But Lucy isnt much help. I asked her to help me find new shoes once and she pooped on my feet...


Clearrrrly, she was helping you! Yo uwanted shoes so she made you some!


----------

