# Odd Situation



## brilliantzenith (Jun 15, 2015)

I am hoping to be a proud hedgie owner in a few weeks. If everything works according to plan, I will be picking her up on the 2nd of July. However we (my husband and I) would be picking her up over the holiday weekend when we are also are a part of his sister's wedding on the 3rd. We would be making it a priority to socialize with her every day once we pick her up.

We should be picking her up before the 4th and would be keeping her with us in a RV which will be kept at 75 degrees F then traveling home with us on the 5th which is a 6 hour drive. 

So these are my questions:

We are in the process of making a cage out of a 120 qt tub, would this be fine to bring her home in?

Since we are traveling in the day and in the summer, would it be ok to put a blanket over part of the tub to block out light?

Would keeping her in the RV be a problem or should we find a family to take her in for a bit? All local family members either have small children, cats/dogs or both.

Thank you!


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

Life never makes these sorts of things simple, does it?

Keeping her in the RV should be fine so long as you're properly able to heat the cage. I know you'll be keeping the RV set to 75, but that won't mean the cage temperature will be 75. Be sure you have a thermometer with a probe so you know the actual temperature in the cage at all times. Have you chosen how you'll be heating her cage while at home? I'd bring that with you and use it. At least while the RV is parked. When driving you'll want your baby in a hard sided carrier (like a cat carrier) with you in the vehicle towing the RV. You can use hand warmers (wrapped in in a layer or two of fleece) to warm the carrier. Remember, hedgehogs don't just need temperatures that are warm enough, they need consistent temperatures too. If there's too much fluctuation that can cause a hibernation attempt as easily as temperatures being too low.

The tub will be a fine home for her while the RV is parked. Like I said before, when driving, she'll need to travel in an appropriate hard sided pet carrier.

There's no need to block out light during the day. Hedgehogs need to have a solid day/night cycle and actually need to have 12-14 hours of light during the day.

I wouldn't worry about finding a family member to take her in. This will be a very stressful time for her and adding in additional people and pets won't help. She'll be asleep during the day and really won't need any attention from you until the evening when it's time to take her out for bonding. So really, leaving her in the RV sounds pretty ideal. It will be quiet enough for her to sleep undisturbed.


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## brilliantzenith (Jun 15, 2015)

Thanks for the help. We won't be hauling the RV ourselves, it's my sister in laws RV and we are staying in her RV so rather than the house. So this is good to know.


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