Traveling with Hedgie?

[emzy08]

we are going on vacation for a couple weeks, and we are driving. i'm bringing my little hedgie because i don't have anyone that can care for him at home. the trip should only take about 2 days, probably one night.

i was thinking of breaking down his cage, and keeping him in a big cardboard box during the day (since he sleeps and doesn't wake up) and then at night when we get to the hotel set up his play pens with his wheel, igloo, food and water so he can do his thing all night.

do you think this will work for him? i can't think of anything else, and the cage is wayy too big to keep set up in the car while driving.

 

[Kalandra]

Instead of a card board box, get a cat carrier instead. Many of these can be strapped into the car so that it won't move if you should have to stop suddenly. Plus if you should get in an accident it will be recognized as a pet carrier instead of just a cardboard box.

 

[smhufflepuff]

I agree with what Kalandra posted - hard-sided cat carrier is the best option for keeping hedgie safe. And they have other great uses like emergency cages (eg., I loaded mine into their this weekend and brought them to the basement when the tornado sirens went off).

Also, if hedgie becomes distressed or just needs to go and ends up wetting, you can just wipe out the carrier... not so much with cardboard.

 

[kjhedgie]

our hedgie has been on two car trips with us. once to and from the vet and once when we moved out of our apartment. we used a clear plastic storage container which was large enough to include her igloo since it is her safe spot. we wanted to make her feel as comfortable as possible for the move and folded a fleece blanket around the container to cover the bottom and also so that there were folds and creases for her to hide in inside of the igloo. she stayed inside the igloo the whole ride which lasted about an hour. for the vet ride, we left food and water available to her just in case, but it ended up very messy and she never once came out of the igloo. for the hour long ride home, we left out the water and food and again she did not exit the igloo.
the container seemed to work fine and fit snugly on the floor wedged between the seats. however, our poor hedgie and riding in the car did not get along well. both times it seemed like she had vomited along the way, possibly from motion sickness? when she arrived at the destination she acted normally, pooped, ate and drank, and went on her nightly wheel runs.
anyone else have a hedgie that gets "car sick"?

 

[Nancy]

As Kalandra and smhufflepuff have mentioned, a hard sided cat carrier for in the vehicle is a must to keep hedgie safe.

What type of cage is it? If the cage is open topped, it would not be an ideal cage to use while traveling and in a strange place. Although hedgie may not try to escape at home, you don't want hedgie lost in a hotel or strange house. The only safe travel cage is one that is totally escape proof.

 

[LexieHeg]

Be really wary of an open play pen - we have one that is seemingly impossible for a hedgehog to escape from...and sure enough we found ours under the kitchen table when we had walked away for about 15 minutes. It was the first and only time she has escape or even tried to.

So if your play pen is open topped...you can buy rabbit cages from any pet store chains for relatively inexpensive (some between 20-30 and up) and they fold up pretty small. It won't be huge but it will be sufficient for the night you are in the hotel and will give your hedge some safe play space.

And of course, as everyone has said, a hard topped cat carrier.

Also of the dozen people I know with hedgehogs, at least half of them get car sick (thankfully mine doesn't) so definitely keep an eye on him during the ride...

 

[smhufflepuff]

... and fit snugly on the floor wedged between the seats. however, our poor hedgie and riding in the car did not get along well.

The floor of a car can get pretty darn hot.

I know it doesn't seem like it. For years, I've thought things like, "oh, it's hot out and I want to keep these drinks cold... Heat rises, so I'll put them down here..." And it makes sense at first... like when you first get in your car, it IS cooler down by your feet. But once you're driving, it starts picking up heat from road and gets rather warm there. Hot even.

I'm also recalling a post on the chin side talking about where to put the chins and the dangers of the floor. Of course, hedgies do need it warm while chins need it cool, but I think it could still get too hot for hedgies. Am also thinking about a car I had a few years back where my feet would be burning (not on fire, but like extreme Ben-Gay feeling) after a few hours... seems reasonable to figure floor maybe not so good.

Perhaps, in addition to possible motion-sickness issues, hedgie was feeling too warm/hot? Try putting hedgie's carrier on the seats for your next trip.

 

[Kalandra]

Another thing to remember is that a lot of cars have the rear heat ducts under the front car seats. Which could cause temperature control issues.

 

[kjhedgie]

Good points made.. we are both unable to keep our hands off the little girl and she was checked very frequently during the ride, hence knowing that she never exited the igloo, temp shouldn't have been a problem with AC on and a blanket to snuggle but perhaps a pet carrier would be better? I would be hesitant to lay it on the seat for fear of stopping short in an emergency

 

[smhufflepuff]

I would be hesitant to lay it on the seat for fear of stopping short in an emergency

There are carriers that allow you to loop the seatbelt through them.

I have one (wish both of mine were that way). And it works really well. I can take a look at the brand name when I get home unless someone else can find a pic or link before I do. It was pretty inexpensive... found it on sale for maybe $12 or $15.

 

[Nancy]

This may be the one Smhufflepuff is talking about.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751237

It works great and has the seat belt slot.

 

[smhufflepuff]

Yep; that's it Nancy... though not in pink as it's not one of Tex's colors

 

[emzy08]

thanks everyone! i ended up getting what i think was supposed to be a cage to take ur bird to/from the vet. it had a solid bottom with wire top. i threw his fleece in there and he slept all day, and i set him up in his playpen at night. it was perfect!