# Going to class



## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

Sooooo I know the answer is "don't do it" and stuff but I'm just curious... have any of y'all tried taking your hedgie to class? The likely hood of me actually taking her is rather low just b/c if I did and got caught... I would probably get in a bit of trouble (I'm in college btw) but I just want her to go everywhere with me! I guess what I'm hoping from this post is that someone will give me permission to do it even though I shouldn't LOL! Have you taken yours to class? Where else do you take them? I imagine the grocery store wouldn't be a good idea... people might freak out about the sanitation of that?

Thanks for entertaining my desire to have Prim attached to my hip 24/7 lol


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

I am trying to convince myself that it would be fine b/c she would sleep the whole time... and she probably would lol.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I took Lily to class one time - but that was because she was part of the presentation I was doing on hedgehog genetics. She mostly slept for the rest of the class, but she did scratch in her carrier which was a bit of a disturbance because the bottom was denim, so you could hear her scratching. I would make the decision based on your teacher - how mad would they likely be if they found her? Is it an easygoing teacher or a stricter one? I personally wouldn't risk it with a stricter one, but I just don't like getting in trouble with teachers. :lol: If you've already had her out and about and she did well with it (didn't stress out, happily slept, wasn't carsick, etc.) then I don't think it'd hurt her at all. But I wouldn't make a habit of it either.

For other places, I think a few people have gone ahead and taken hogs to the grocery store, but again I don't think I'd want to. Pet stores are always a good place where you wouldn't get in trouble (and you could take her out if she's willing and maybe educate a few other customers and maybe the employees!), pretty much any other store where they're not really selling food - clothing, fabric, video, etc. Just make sure you can keep her warm/cool enough, that the outing won't be overly long (or too often, maybe only once a week for outings?), and that it won't be overly loud wherever you go. I always joked that Lily's carrying bag looked like a diaper bag once I was ready to take her out - we had some kibble, mealworms, a small bowl (and bottle of her water), hand sanitizer (in case anyone else wanted to hold her, for before/after), extra blankies in case she pottied in the bag, and for holding if I took her out of it, and a baggy with some paper towels soaked in chlorhexidine solution for "wipes" in case she pooped while out of the carrier. :lol: Granted, those were for outings an hour or longer like the class presentation, not just a quick trip to the store.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

I don't think the professors would freak out or anything. The worst that could happen is that they ask me to leave. And I'll be there for an hour and a half so I really do think she'll sleep the whole time. I have a little cloth bag that I could put her fleece pouch in so she would be nice and cozy. 

I took her out yesterday for a little trip and had a whole extra bag just for her lol. I had a blanket so if she woke up should could run around on it, a bowl for water, some extra food, several towels... my mom was making fun of me lol.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

I've done it. My fiance's sister takes her boy Xeno to pretty much every class with her. He sleeps in a hedgie bag in the big tote bag of class books, etc, that she brings with her. None of the profs mind, and all the students love him.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

Haha I probably will take her next Friday. I was going to take her today but then one of my classes got cancelled and I'm too lazy to drive an hour for one class that doesn't even take attendance... but I digress... lol. I need to come up with a way to put her in my purse. It's pretty big but I might switch to my bigger purse to make sure she doesn't get squished or anything.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Don't forget about temperature. Grocery stores are often very cold.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

I doubt I would take her to a grocery store but if I do I'll remember to bundle her up


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

JulieAnne said:


> I doubt I would take her to a grocery store but if I do I'll remember to bundle her up


Yeah, I wouldn't really recommend a grocery store or anywhere that sells food. Places like that are very strict about animals because it would be very easy for the health department to shut them down if one is reported. You probably wouldn't want to be responsible for a business getting shut down because of a health department violation.


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## ktdid (Aug 7, 2012)

Funny, I was just having this conversation with a classmate of mine. She is really excited to see him but we work totally separate hours and only see each other in class. We are in grad school. I said I could probably bring him to class and she was shocked. I was just like... what? he'll just sleep the whole time. I'm thinking about doing it, but might not because my classes are 2-3 hours long depending on the lecture that day. I really do think he would just sleep the whole time though.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

ktdid said:


> Funny, I was just having this conversation with a classmate of mine. She is really excited to see him but we work totally separate hours and only see each other in class. We are in grad school. I said I could probably bring him to class and she was shocked. I was just like... what? he'll just sleep the whole time. I'm thinking about doing it, but might not because my classes are 2-3 hours long depending on the lecture that day. I really do think he would just sleep the whole time though.


As long as he's not a squirmy type, you'll be fine. Basically, something like a class shouldn't be the first outing for a hedgie. You should do a few short outings and at least one that's longer to get a feel for how your hedgie is going to behave. We have one or two that are squirmers and we take them on short outings, but either my finance or I has to always be holding the bag with one hand in it to avoid him squirming out. (I'm thinking about Oleander in particular, haha.) So a hedgie like that isn't going to be the best for a few hours in class. The rest of ours are content to sleep in a bag for hours, no matter if it's being carried around the whole time, or in someone's lap, or in a school bag.

Here's a photo (taken by my soon-to-be sister-in-law) of her hedgehog's bag inside her school bag: http://i.imgur.com/HKI4s.jpg


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

Ohh I love the bag! I have a REALLY big purse, probably about the size of her bag lol. Ill have to do that for Prim. 

She has already been on a few outings and slept the whole time lol.


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## kfitz (Aug 22, 2012)

I was going to suggest putting her sack inside a sturdy container, like a tubberware thing or an empty coffee can. That way she won't get squished in the purse. It looks like that's what moxieberry's photo showed.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

Right. Idk if y'all have Vera Bradley where you are but they have a "Weekender" bag that I want to get so Prim would have plenty of room. She does really well on outings so I'm happy lol.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

I love Vera Bradly! Do you mean just for travel to class? For car travel, the hedgie people here can give you advice on car carriers for Prim, as a car carrier has to be "hard."


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## kfitz (Aug 22, 2012)

I wish I could take Wilson out on short trips, but he has gotten carsick before, so I'm hesitant to bring him out again.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

This makes me think of the few times Kelsey (Lilysmommy) took her adorable Lily (RIP sweet angel) out for presentations. She said it was like taking a newborn out as she had Lily's "baby" bag packed with everything Lily could have possibly needed on the outing! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

shetland said:


> I love Vera Bradly! Do you mean just for travel to class? For car travel, the hedgie people here can give you advice on car carriers for Prim, as a car carrier has to be "hard."


I have a car carrier that I got from PetSmart. I'm just talking about something to put her in for class. I'll probably end up using my GIANT purse. I'll post a picture of it after I transfer all my stuff into and get her "spot" set up.


kfitz said:


> I wish I could take Wilson out on short trips, but he has gotten carsick before, so I'm hesitant to bring him out again.


I'm really lucky. Prim hasn't gotten carsick. She sleeps for the whole ride lol. Granted the longest she's been in the car at once is about 30 minutes so...


shetland said:


> This makes me think of the few times Kelsey (Lilysmommy) took her adorable Lily (RIP sweet angel) out for presentations. She said it was like taking a newborn out as she had Lily's "baby" bag packed with everything Lily could have possibly needed on the outing! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


I do the same thing. If i'm going over a friends house especially. I have a sheet to put on their couch, a blanket for her to "tunnel" through when she wakes up, her water and food dishes, her food, a bottle of water, several surgical towels just in case I need them for something and a package of Kleenex haha. Let me know if I'm missing something LOL


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

:lol: I think we're all more new-parent-like with hedgehogs than we would be with human babies!


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## ktdid (Aug 7, 2012)

JulieAnne said:


> . Let me know if I'm missing something LOL


Instead of kleenex I like wet wipes or baby wipes and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. I think it's nicer for hedgie potty accidents when other people are holding them.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

ktdid said:


> JulieAnne said:
> 
> 
> > . Let me know if I'm missing something LOL
> ...


good idea! Ill pick some up next time I'm at the store


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

So I finally got around to taking Prim to class with me! I hadn't been able to because I always had to do something after class and I didn't want to have her out too late. Anywho, I have a GIANT green purse that I put a bowl in for her to lay in. I put a blue surgical towel on the bottom of the bowl with her little fleece pouch in the bowl and her fleece blanket to cover her up and keep her warm. There's a picture of her container in my purse so you can see it and then a picture of what you would actually see if you looked in my purse lol. Anytime someone walks towards me I cover her head up so they just see a pink blanket. She's a great Purse Hedgie  and slept through both of my classes I've had today, which was about 2hrs and 15mins total, so not bad at all. I want to get a bigger container for her so she can stretch out if she wanted to. I'm thinking like a bread loaf pan kind of thing? She and I are enjoying getting edjumacated together


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