# Please share opinions on traveling



## HedgieLoverRVA (Nov 17, 2014)

Hello everyone! I was hoping to get some opinions of other hedgie parents to help me with some travel plans. I have had my hedgie for a month now. We have bonded very well. I take him out daily for play/snuggle time. It is to the point now when I walk in the room, his little nose pops out to look for me! This December, my husband and I will be taking a trip (driving by car) from Virginia to Mississippi to visit my grandmother for about 10 days. We have hired a pet sitter to stay with our other pets, but will be taking our dog. I was wondering what others thought about taking the hedgie too. I do not want to stress a him with travel but I don't want him feeling abandoned at home. Our pet sitter is willing to play with him, but she doesn't have the bond with him I do. I would love some input from others who have been in this situation. I just want to do what is best for my prickly Prince! Thank you!


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

I took my hedgehog. I felt a lot better taking her on a 12 hour car ride and keeping her with me than trusting someone else to watch my hedgehog. They just have so many needs and I had only had her for a little while that I was really nervous. 

This was summer so I didn't have to worry about heating the car but trying to avoid any drafts or running the ac too hard. I got a thermometer with a probe for travelling and it worked out really well. 

Penny isn't really phased by anything though. I can change her cage around, I can move her to a new cage, I can take her out at different times everyday, asl long as she has a place to sleep and food to eat, she is a truly laid back hedgehog. (Unless it's nail clipping time :roll

I knew this when I was bringing her and guessed that she would be okay. She did do wonderfully. She ate a little the first night but her appetite and wheeling returned to normally afterward. Once we got back she went right back to her normal routines.

I bought her a plastic tub for her temporary cage as it also served as storage for all her stuff. (She has a C&C at home) I brought everything with me including two gallons of water from my house.

Long story, sorry, but my point is, I did, and it worked out well for me and Penny. Penny isn't as stressed as other hedgehogs can get which helped a lot.


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

I find that my hedgie travels well. I have a hard-sided cat carrier that I put her into, bedding and all. You can put lots of extra bedding in, to cushion the ride. I also put a blanket underneath so the cage is more level. Hard sided carriers are recommended, if you are in an emergency, rescue people are trained to look for regular carriers. They might not find it if it looks like luggage. Also, if you have to stop fast hedgie won't be bumped around too much.

I monitor her temperature carefully, be prepared to bring hand warmers if she needs a little more warmth. You should bring extra bedding, sleep sacks or pouches in case of a poo or mess. 
You have to plan to either take her regular cage/bin and heating OR what we do is make her a C& C cage when we get to the hotel. We bring the panels, zip ties, coroplast and the bottom liner. Also we have a travel wheel and litter box that fits in her travel cage. (We go to Madison, Wisconsin every year for a hybrid car show, so we have this down). 
Take her food, then take extra in case you stupidly spill water on it. Take a bottle of YOUR home water, if that's what he drinks. Take litter, extra everything--liners, blankies, bedding, snuggle sacks, hand warmers, syringe, baby food (in case he stops eating). oh yeah, a roll of paper towels!
My hedgie sleeps the whole time, pretty much. I do offer her water in a syringe at every rest stop. Also I have a ziplock of her "treat kibble" and leave a few in her bedding--be sure to have a tote bag with "road supplies". I also take a collapsible hamper for soiled bedding. Sometimes it feels like I have to take more stuff for her than myself. 
Have you taken him on a test ride to see if he gets car sick? Since mine just sleeps, there's no problems there. Some do get car sick. If he does, then you'll have to decide what to do, maybe just bring extra bedding. 
Happy and safe travels!
ML


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

I think it's really a hedgie to hedgie thing. Some hedgies do well on trips and some don't. Traveling with a pet isn't something I do lightly and a hedgehog to me seems like more of a hassle than some pets. I've had to leave Nico home a couple of times since we've gotten her. I'm fortunate to have a good friend that had hedgehogs growing up to watch her for me. But not everyone does.

What I would do is take your baby out in the car for a ride and see what happens. If he seems overly stressed about it, then leaving him home might be better. If he seems ok and you're willing and able to provide everything he needs on the road, go for it. The other thing you might do is have the pet sitter come over and see how they do handling your hedgie. It can be tough for a beginner to work up the nerve to pick up a hedgehog. If they do ok with him, it might put your mind at ease about leaving him. If not, then better that you know ahead of time so you can plan to take him with you.

Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll make the best decision you can


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## Katten (May 10, 2014)

If you are going to leave your hedgehog, I suggest sleeping with a t-shirt for a couple nights and leaving it with him to snuggle with so that he can smell you.


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## HedgieLoverRVA (Nov 17, 2014)

Update! I took Balderick to my parents for Thanksgiving! It was a sort of "test run" before our big trip in December! He did great! I took his cage, snuggle sacks, food, wheel, igloo, litter box and what seemed like 100 yards of fleece! I felt like I packed for an army! My sister even joked she did not pack that much for her two human children! But he seemed to enjoy the trip! He loved the attention from my relatives and the feast of mealworms! I am so much more confident about taking him on our big trip now! I would like to thank everyone on here for their advice! I will let you know how it goes!


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