# Tennessee to Florida



## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

I will be going to Orlando Florida May 29th -June 6th and going to Disney World. We're staying in a private vacation house. My mom is pushing me to take Shiloh with me but Im worried about traveling with her. 

Would it be okay to take her with me? Could or would the changes make her sick? 

Any and all advice and tips would be greatly appreciated.


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

I forgot to add the house is pet friendly, there will be an extra room I can set her uo in for privacy and etc.. Ive also checked to see if they're legal in florida which they are but illegal in Georgia and will be in Georgia for 4+ hours out of the 8 hour trip.


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

And which carrier would be best? Also would a "Hedgehog On Board" window cling be wise to use?

Sorry for all the post and questions.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

First off, I would definitely use the second carrier, the hard-sided one (the one with the little yorkie sticking out of it). It's wise to use a hard-sided carrier for all traveling. 

There are several things to consider when traveling with a hedgehog. Does Shiloh get stressed out easily? How is she with loud noises or commotion? If she stresses out easily, it's probably best to leave her home. However, if you do leave her home, do you have someone to feed her and clean her cage? If you do, that's probably the least stressful option for her. Fortunately, hedgehogs don't crave human contact, but then again, leaving her for a week may cause her to lose some of that bond with you (but that's easily fixed).

If she's a pretty laid-back hedgehog, it's probably okay to travel with her. There are several ways to reduce stress during traveling, just in case. 8 hours is a long time, but if you're planning on traveling during the day, chances are she will be sleeping the whole time. Plus, you could always place familiar-smelling blankets inside the carrier. Hand-warmers work really well for travel as well, to help warm up the inside of the carrier. I usually drape a blanket over my girl's carrier when I travel with her - to help keep in the heat, but also to reduce her stress while in the car.

Also, it helps a lot to bring a gallon of the same water you use at home for her (tap, bottled, etc). That way, any changes in the water won't give her an upset stomach. You'll most probably see some changes in her eating and pooping habits for the first couple of days. Whenever I travel, I also bring some probiotics (like Acidophilus) to add to her food in case of an upset tummy. Keep in mind, usually you have to bring a lot of stuff when traveling with a hedgehog (travel cage, blankets, liners, food/water bowls, wheels, cleaning materials, food, water, etc). 

If you do decide to bring her, don't forget her wheel. When hedgies are stressed or anxious, they will wheel a lot. Also, definitely bring anything else she's familiar with, like blankets, toys, some of your old shirts, etc. One more thing to consider, just in case there's an emergency, is there an emergency exotic vet in Disney World you would be able to take her to? Also, try to keep the same routine as you would at home (that may be hard, considering you're in Disney World haha); that also reduces stress.

That's all I can think of for now. Hopefully that helped!


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

She is pretty laid back. She is use to loud noises and etc.so I think she'd be fine in a car especially since we're traveling during the day. Ive already checked out vets and called one to find out there location theyre 5 miles from our house and specializes in exotic small pets.

My main concern is her getting enough light, because in her room I leave the over head light on 12-12 1/2 hours a day.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

Awesome! It sounds as though she'd be okay to bring with you. As for the light situation, when I'm traveling, I bring a small clamp lamp with me - like a small clamp desk lamp that I found at Walmart. It's attached to the light timer so I just clamp that on her cage or somewhere near her cage and point it down.

Edit: Oh, did you mean light for her travel? Because I usually just put the carrier near the window, somewhere it can light, and leave like half of the carrier uncovered by the blanket so enough light can get in. Hopefully that makes sense.


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

Yes I mean while traveling lol. The house has lamps I can hook her timer up to, i use a lamp when I am going to be out for the night.

My mom knows how to take care of her, she is affraid of holding her without her being in a snuggle sack so i may talk my mom into keeping her home. Im a worry wart with my pets and id feel more comfortable with her at home.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

If you're more comfortable with her at home, I think that's the right choice


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## scruffylove11-27-14 (Feb 26, 2015)

I brought my hedgie, scruffy with me to florida from Huntsville Alabama, about a 7 hour drive, and he did just fine. Try to keep the same cage set up when you get there, take the same food and water, and its favorite toys. I had a pet, but in the car on the way I held scruffy, just so he could walk around and for bonding time. He acted like normal and like nothing was even happening.


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