# Long Drive



## alma&dex (Jan 17, 2013)

Okay, so I know that this information is somewhere as I've seen it before, but I can't find it for the life of me so I apologize in advance for repetition, etc. or if this is easily found somewhere and I am just not seeing it. 

I am planning on taking Dexter to upstate NY with me this weekend (I have a long weekend at work yay!) to visit some close friends of the family. I decided it would be better to take him with than leave him here because his travel cage requires he have his wheel around and my mother does not want to clean his poop boots of his wheel, I'm sure. 

SO, it's an 8.5-9 hour drive max (probably a little less) and unfortunately on the way there, I will be traveling in the evening but we should get there around midnight or 1am so he should have some wheel time once we get there. 

I'm concerned about a couple of things: 
1. I live in NE Indiana and have to cross over PA for about 40-45 miles and there's no way around that because there's a big lake there, ya know? So, I'm wondering if anyone else has had to do this in the past and how they dealt with it... If I REALLY need to leave him with my mom it will mean 3 days of no interaction really and without a wheel so I'd really rather not. This might sound mean but I trust my mom to his basic care but not much beyond that hah! She overfed him last time I left him with her (it was ONLY OVERNIGHT) and he got carsick on the way home. 
2. We are staying with some folks who keep their house a little chillier than we do since they don't have hedgehogs and I was planning on taking his heat-emitting lamp and of course thermometer, etc. to regulate temperature - also a blanket to cover his cage during the day so heat doesn't escape etc etc. Does that seem like an okay plan to people I can ask these folks if they have a space heater or something, and they might... 
3. If I'm traveling with him at night, do people suggest I hook up his water bottle to the front of the pet carrier so that he has access to water or just leave it? It feels a little cruel to leave him without water for half of his day time. I know I feel grumpy if I don't have water when I want it! 

I think that's mostly it. I would really love folks input on all of these. Feel free to answer parts or all, every bit of help in making up my mind about these things is welcome!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

1. I would just be extra cautious driving in PA. I know there's been at least one person on here who drove through PA going to NY, but I don't know if they're still active or not. No one can do anything to him unless you end up being pulled over for anything, and they can't actively search your car unless they have a good reason (or maybe not at all? I forget). Also hard to know how likely it is that a random police officer pulling you over would even know hedgehogs are illegal in PA. So while it's not really recommended...if there's no other option, you should be fine.

2. You should be fine, I think. A blanket to help hold heat in is a good idea. Raising the cage, or putting it in a smaller/warmer room can help as well. Keeping it away from windows will also help, just make sure he's still getting enough light (12-14 hours).

3. I wouldn't bother with a water bottle - it seems more likely that it'd drip or leak & get his bedding wet. If you don't mind stopping every hour or two, you can offer him some water then. I wouldn't offer him food until after you're there either, since a full belly might make him carsick. He won't suffer terribly for waiting a few extra hours!


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## alma&dex (Jan 17, 2013)

Thanks Lilysmom for the quick response! 

In terms of 1. Perhaps someone will pop up who has done this before in the next day and a half or so. I will make sure we're not driving super fast etc especially in PA. I think laws permit police to search "with reason" but from what I know that could be a lot of things. I've never been asked for my vehicle to be searched by getting pulled over anyhow. I figure if he's in a carrying cage and his sterilite is in the trunk (if it'll fit there) perhaps we will have less of a chance of getting pulled over, etc. 

2. Good reminder about a smaller/warmer room. I kept him lower to the ground in summer and now he has two levels and I can tell he picks one over the other based on heat/cold so that makes perfect sense. I usually just fold up a blanket over the top strip that's for ventilation at night if it's chilly it tends to help hold in the heat a bit better but he still has all the side holes for ventilation during the night and then during the day if the lid is on, it stays a couple degrees warmer in a sterilite bin sometimes than outside. 

3. Good idea on the stops and offering water. I wasn't going to give him really anything to eat until we got there. While this might make him a little grumpy, he will be just fine haha. 

Thanks again for your suggestions! I also took a look at JulieAnne's packing list from her long trip which was helpful.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Here's a thread discussing moving through PA. It sounds like, technically, if you're transporting without stopping, and do NOT breed him in the state, you're not actually doing anything illegal... Trying to convince angry game commissioners would be a whole 'nother issue, so better idea to just not end up in the conversation.

I'd say call the PA Game Commissioner to anonymously ask questions about transporting without stopping, but with the shutdown in play, I suspect that it's a non-essential job & furloughed... So make the trip now, before they're back at work!


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## alma&dex (Jan 17, 2013)

Hahaha Annie&Tibbers that's a great point that I hadn't even considered really!


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