Temporary accommodations?

[Courtney]

Hi all. I'm getting married in September and as a result, the Terrible Trio is going to be foisted off onto some poor, unsuspecting person (seriously, they're sweethearts). I'd bring them along with me, but I don't think they'd appreciate a 3 hour drive there, a bunch of action and loud noises and then a 3 hour trip home, only to be carted to Grandma's house while Adam and I went on a 4-day honeymoon to Banff.

So... I'm on the hunt for good temporary cages. I have one very active boy who can scale anything and two girls who don't do as much, but are sensitive to temperature changes.

What are the best temporary cages? What would be the "ideal" size for a hedgehog who is only going to live in that cage for maybe 10 days? I know 2ft X 1.5ft is on the smaller end... would that be fine for the short term?

Does anyone have other suggestions for me? This is the first time I'll be leaving them for such a long period of time with someone who is not my mother. Normally she watches them, but she'll be at the wedding too.

 

[addictedtochins]

Hi all. I'm getting married in September, I'd bring them along with me, but I don't think they'd appreciate a 3 hour drive there, a bunch of action and loud noises and then a 3 hour trip home

OMG, thanks for the laugh, seriously I thought you were referring to your honeymoon at first. :hilarious:

 

[Courtney]

OMG, thanks for the laugh, seriously I thought you were referring to your honeymoon at first. :hilarious:

BAHAHAHA. Get your mind out of the gutter!

 

[smhufflepuff]

I use a smaller plastic bottom, wire top cage as my hedgie's "vacation cottage." It's just big enough to fit two dishes, a wheel, a corner litter box, and provide enough space for her to still crawl under her blanket (she prefers going under her liner over hedgie bags, igloos, and the like). If you can find any of those, that's delightful.

Otherwise, I'd suggest three of those Sterilite plastic bins. You can stack them inside one another while you're bringing them from your place to the hedgies' "vacation resort." I've seen modifications where people have been able to keep the top on (cutting out the center of the top and replacing with a grid) so as to keep those climbers in check.

 

[LucksAngel28]

OMG, thanks for the laugh, seriously I thought you were referring to your honeymoon at first. :hilarious:

Not gonna lie - that was totally my first thought too! When I realized what you actually meant, I laughed so hard I cried! :rofl:

On a more serious note, the Sterilite bins have worked well for me when I travel. I cut the center out of the lid and got the screen door wire from WalMart to put in its place to keep my escape artist in the cage. They are easier to take from place to place and can easily be reused.

You could also buy the C&C cubes, attach them with ties, and fold them up for easy travel. Then when you get to the person's house you just unfold them and add the final ties. For only a few days, you could just tear up a few large cardboard boxes for the bottom and sides. And, again, they are reusable when you are finished! )

 

[Zalea]

I bought a little dog tent that is collapsible for easy transport because I'm going on vacation in a few weeks and will be traveling 7 hours in a car so taking a Sterilite bin is not an option. The tent is made out of a strong fabric because it's for dogs, the fabric attaches to the bottom so there's no slipping out the sides, and it zips open on one side with the zippers being able to go all the way up to the top so that they can't be pried open by the animal (be it dog or hedgie). There's also a ziptop opening for easy access inside. It's 22x22 inches and comfortably fits a flying saucer wheel, two hidey areas, and food/water bowls. Nancy made a great liner for it. There's not a lot of run-around room in there but there will definitely be lots of out of cage playtime. I don't know if that's an option for you since the people watching them might not want to get them out for a lot of playtime, but I've found that Quentin doesn't seem to mind it (tested it a time or two) and that it's very portable/easily packed.

 

[Courtney]

I don't quite know how well one of those tents would work with my crew, but thanks for the option! I think I might go with modified sterilite bins just because they're easy to find and relatively inexpensive. If the hogs stay at the vet office, I'm not sure how much attention they'll get. I hope the techs would cuddle them or at the very least, pet them once in a while. I'm also looking into leaving the hogs with trusted members of this forum - I know they'd be well taken care of and loved on, which is preferable for me.

That said, if anyone in Edmonton is interested... have I got a job for you! LOL.