# July Vacation



## TrendyK9 (Oct 31, 2014)

What do you guys do with your Hedgies on vacations?

It's a ways off but i'm curious because we're going to NJ (Cape May) for a week at the end of July. I have plans for my dog to be boarded and i'm pretty sure i can get someone to look in on my rats. They just need food/water and attention and i know some people who won't mind doing it.

But what do i do with Hamish? I don't see myself boarding him anywhere, that just seems like it could be too stressful for him. And i don't know about having someone come in once a day to check on him like the rats - what if his lamps go out or it gets too hot or he doesn't get any socialization because the person is too scared to hold him or....

Yeah, worry wart. I just don't know if i feel right having a once-a-day check and doubt i can afford someone to come in twice a day. Plus, he's different from a rat or dog. Not many people know about these guys and my vacation will be spent worrying.

My mom said i could bring him with me. We'll be renting a pet friendly house and he'll stay in my room. But it's a several hour car ride. Would he be okay? Is bringing him with me an option? And if so, what would i need to do/bring?

Any suggestions?


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

I would recommend taking him with you if you can. I mean, why not? He would much rather be with you than having some stranger checking in on him.
You might also look into any hedgehog rescues near you - that is where I board mine when I go out of town. There are rescues listed on hedgehogwelfare.org and on the HHC homepage. I think taking him w/ you would be the better and of course cheaper option. As long as he has his cage and other things he should be fine in a different house.
Best wishes,
Susan H.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I think he'd be just fine going with you. Most hedgehogs do fine with car rides, and especially if they're during the day, just sleep right through them.

For the carrier & car ride, don't worry about food. You could take some water to offer him if you guys take a break after a couple hours or something, but otherwise he should be fine. Just make sure there's some fleece blankets in the carrier to burrow into, away from air conditioning drafts. I would also put a light colored blanket over the top of the carrier, in case his section of the car ends up in the sunlight. That will help keep it from getting too heated up. Personally I'd also take a thermometer so you can keep track of the temp in the car, but I tend to be paranoid and Lily was also pretty temperature-sensitive, so I was extra careful with it. It might also be a good idea to take an extra fleece blanket or two & a plastic garbage bag (and some paper towels) in case he potties or vomits in the carrier during the ride.

For the duration of the trip, take his normal cage, heating supplies (even though it'll be summer, air conditioning usually means heating is needed for hedgie cages), extra bedding (at least enough for each day of the trip, plus one extra), all of his regular cage furniture, food (again, enough for each day, plus one or two days extra), and treats. It'd probably be a good idea to either see how does with a brand of bottled water (try it for a few days or a week before you leave to make sure he drinks it normally), or fill an empty milk jug with water from home. Some hedgies don't like sudden water changes, especially if it's a drastically different taste.

If you think you'll need to do a bath, taking the regular bathing supplies might not be a bad idea, but may not be necessary for a week trip. 

I'd also suggest looking into vets in the area where you'll be staying & seeing if any will see hedgehogs or small animals, just in case you happen to have an emergency while you're up there & need to take him to someone before you get home. I kept the contact info of an exotic vet that was near my grandparents' cabin in Lily's notebook just in case I ever had to take her somewhere while we were up there.


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

Since you're going to be driving, taking your hedgie with you is definitely a reasonable thing to do. But if you're preferring to leave him home, as long as you have someone who feels they are up to the task of watching him, coming by once a day to check on him is perfectly fine too. I'm very fortunate to have a friend with prior hedgehog experience who is generally willing to hog sit for me when I travel. He stops by once a day in the evening to take care of food, water and wheel cleaning and takes her out of her cage for a bit then puts her away and goes home. So if you have a friend who feels comfortable, or is willing to learn to be comfortable handling your hedgie and you think it might be easier than traveling with your pet, go for it.

July is a long time off, so you have plenty of time to teach someone all they need to know if you want to go that route. But weigh your options. Taking him with you in this situation honestly sounds like it would work out just as well. I just personally don't like traveling with pets. I feel more worried about keeping them safe and happy in strange places than I would feel worried about them at home.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

I have the perfect solution and I am sure Lilysmommy will approve! Take me with you to Cape May (all my expenses covered by you of course). When I am not busy swimming, shopping, sightseeing, eating wonderful food, and sleeping, I will hedgiesit Hamish for you. It sounds fair to me!!!!!!!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Shetland would be an awesome hedgiesitter...sounds like a good deal to me! :lol:


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## Prickerz (Sep 17, 2014)

I just dropped my little girl off at my friend's house to stay there for the week, bringing her whole cage, of course! 
Pepper would not have had fun snowmobiling in Yellowstone!

See if your breeder would be willing to watch him?


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

When I just had Penny, I took her with me for a week. It was much easier for me than to have someone watch her and she did very well on the trip. I also felt better because I knew she was being taken of and I could monitor her health. The last time I left on vacation, I had to leave all the animals at home and even though he takes care of them too, he did not notice that Winter had stopped eating and we had to rush him the emergency vet and syringe feed him to get back on track. I'm not sure if me having him with me would have helped but I definitely was worried. 

If it's lets stressful for you, take him. Also, be aware of any states that you may cross that hedgehogs are illegal.


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## TrendyK9 (Oct 31, 2014)

I never even thought about them being illegal in some states. But i don't think we'll be crossing through any of them. I don't think NJ is one of them, right? I'll have my dad look at the directions and we'll figure it out....

I would feel better bringing him with me, i think. I would love to take all my pets of course but that won't happen (lol) and of all of them he has the most unique care needs and may be the hardest to have someone look after for me, especially if he gets sick or something. So i guess he'll be coming with us.

I'll definitely bring a travel kit with us, and scope out the vets in the area just in case. But i can't bring "his" cage along, too big, so would a smaller temp cage be okay? I can either make a 2x2 or thereabouts sized C&C or does anyone recommend any store bought ones for temp housing? 

It would have to fold up, or if it's a bin then it would have to be smallish to fit in the car (we can use it to put stuff in it so i think i could swing that!)

Shetland - haha! If you come along, you'll get roped into babysitting (forget hedgiesitting!) We've got two kids, 5 and 8, coming with us. My cousins. It's a madhouse.


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

I used a sterilite bin, 106 qts, I think it was. It's small but for the week it was bad.

http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/15-travel/68146-penny-s-travel-cage.html

Pics are on this thread here. I bought the mesh from home depot and use a dremel tool to drill the holes. I have recently discovered that drill bits work too if you go slow.

What I really liked about the bin was that I could put stuff in it while travelling which meant it didn't actually take up to much room.

I don't think this was mentioned yet but make sure to bring a gallon of whatever water you use since water tastes different everywhere and hedgehogs are notoriously picky.


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

We took Nara to Wisc. every summer, she travelled well. 

We would make a 2 x 3 C&C cage when we got to the hotel. My dh cut the coroplast before and just brought the zip ties along. We have a cs bucket wheel that fit in her cage. Broght a small litter pan, litter, LOTS of extra fleece, liners, baby wipes, paper towels, extra food, her regular food and water bowls, her igloo and blankies---which we just put in the cat carrier for travel.

We brought along the thermometer and hand warmers. Since it was summer, we had to deal with the car being too hot and the hotel being cold. We stayed in a all suites hotel and had a kitchen, microwave and refrigerator too. It had a "vanity" area where we put the cage. 

I had one of those huge ziplock storage bags--like the kind for blankets to bring all the bedding and stuff.

Just think of everything you use for your hedgie during the day and make a list.

We would even run to the local Petsmart for crickets and mealies.

I had a tote bag that was supposed to be for wet swimsuits, it had netting on one side --when we got to a rest stop, I would put her in the tote bag wrapped in her fleece. If yours sleeps in a snuggle sack, you could just plop her in there and go. No one ever suspected a thing.


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