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Carriers:
Hard sided cat carriers that can be securely buckled into the back seat are the preferred method of hedgie transport. These are easily identified by emergency personnel in case of an accident. Soft sided cat carriers are cute, but you should really only use them to carry the hedgie around outside the vehicle. In a pinch, you can use a shoe-box sized Sterilite container with small holes drilled in the side for ventilation; add a liner to the bottom. Hard-sided cat carriers are the MUCH more recommended method of transportation, though, and should ALWAYS be used for longer trips.
Before travel:
Remove the food bowl 4-5 hours before you leave to allow time for food to digest, in an effort to avoid carsickness.
Try to give your hedgie some run-around time before you leave, so he/she has a chance to empty bladder/bowels before the trip.
Be sure to bottle some water from home, or slowly switch your hedgie to a specific brand of bottled water. This will help keep tummy trouble to a minimum.
If you know your hedgie gets carsick, possibly try some of the methods listed under "Carsickness".
During travel:
Never leave the hedgie alone in a parked car. The temperature fluctuations can be deadly. If you're traveling and need to go into a store for a short time, tuck your hedgie into your purse or a backpack before going in. Most people won't notice that there's a sleeping hedgie in there.
Make sure the carrier is not directly in the sun. Put the carrier on the side of the car that is facing away from the sun. Also make sure that it's not directly in the way of the AC. Placing a lightweight blanket over the cage can help with this.
To monitor the temperature in the cage efficiently, try purchasing a remote thermometer so you can put the sensor part in the cage and be able to monitor the temperature without the reading part without having to open the cage.
Take extra liners for the cage in case the hedgie gets carsick or goes potty. Try putting a few layers of fleece into the carrier. This will act as a cushion against jostling, as well as being a cozy place to snuggle.
Always take food and water from home in case you get delayed, even if you aren't planning to be gone for long. A bottle of water from home will help avoid tummy troubles from different water, as well.
Stop every hour or two to check on your hedgie in order to be sure the liner isn't wet, and that the hedgie is warm enough. On trips longer than a few hours, offer water when you stop to help prevent dehydration.
Also, put a tag on the carrier with your contact information on it in case something happens. I made a contact card as well as general care cards in case there happened to be an accident. These are the general care cards I made, feel free to take them and modify them to suit your needs (they're a .doc download for easy modification): Emergency Care Cards. I included a couple of blank cards that you can fill in, if you'd like. Just print them out, cut them out, glue them to an index card (or just use cardstock to print them on in the first place), and laminate (if you want). Punch holes in the top corner with a hole punch, then be sure to attach them to the carrier (I used one of those metal rings that people use to put through paper holes).
If traveling during the winter these tips might be helpful: Winter Travel Tips
FAQQ: Frequently Asked Quilly Questions -- Preventing Car Sickness in Hedgehogs
In this column each month, we hope to answer some typical (and not so typical) quilly questions by drawing on the collective wisdom of the hedgehog community. This month our featured question focuses on car sickness in hedgehogs. Traveling even short distances, for example to the vet's office, can be very stressful to some hedgehogs and their guardians. It's great fun to bring your hedgie along to a hedgehog show or to a show-and-tell, but constant barfing can definitely take the fun out of a road trip.
First, we should comment that most hedgehogs feel perfectly fine when they travel. Car sickness is the exception, not the rule.
We asked our online community members for suggestions to help those hedgehogs who are prone to motion sickness. As always, there is no one correct answer to this question. Unfortunately for some hedgehogs, such as Gioia's Safiyya Pearl, it seems like nothing eases the barf-o-rama. Below is a list of common suggestions to help lessen or prevent car sickness in hedgehogs. Keep in mind, we are not veterinarians. Your veterinarian should be consulted before giving your hedgehog any remedy, even a natural or over-the-counter remedy.
SUGGESTED REMEDIES/ METHODS TO PREVENT CAR SICKNESS IN HEDGEHOGS
1) Ginger
2) Bach's Rescue Remedy
3) Pepto-Bismol (just a drop or two is recommended)
4) Fasting for a few hours before the car trip
5) Smooth driving behaviors (don't speed up or make turns too quickly)
6) On long trips, let your hedgehog out to stretch his/her legs at rest stops.
7) Try different types of carriers.
8) Try different positions in the car: front seat, back seat, floor-whatever works best for your hedgehog.
9) MOST IMPORTANTLY, if your hedgehog does vomit during a trip, as soon as he/ she is feeling better, make sure to give plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
Thank you to this month's FAQQ contributors: Brenda, Deb, Gioia, Jennifer, Julie, Pat, Stephanie, and Tonya.
Withhold food 4-5 hours before you're leaving. This will allow food from earlier in the evening to be digested and there won't be much left in the stomach to cause it to be upset.
If the hedgie does get carsick, when you stop be sure to change the liners so he/she doesn't have to smell that or sit in the mess.
If it's a trip longer than 5 hours, you can try to offer water to combat dehydration, but water sloshing around in the belly can also make the hedgie more sick.
I've noticed that Quentin gets carsick if he's not sleeping. I live in a mountainous area, and to visit my aunt we have to drive through the worst areas of the Appalachian mountains. Those areas are an hour away coming from home; 6 hours away coming from my aunt's. He tends to get carsick on the way right off the bat; usually not on the way back. The difference is that by the time we reach the mountains on the way back, he's sound asleep; by the time we reach them on the way there, he's still awake and wondering what's going on. If possible, take turns more slowly and take your time if there's a rough driving area immediately after you leave home.
Some hedgies get too carsick to travel. If this is the case and the hedgie absolutely does not have to go with you, try to make arrangements for the hedgie to stay home. Ask a neighbor to stop in daily at your home and check/feed/water on the hedgie, or even if they can keep the hedgie at their home. Leave care instructions for them, with contact numbers for you and your vet. Preferably, have them come over and show them how to properly pick up and hold the hedgie a few weeks ahead of time so not only will hedgie know their smell, they'll be familiar with the hedgie.
If it's not possible to leave your hedgehog with someone and you know he/she gets really carsick, take Pedialyte with you so you can combat dehydration when you reach your destination.
If staying overnight:
Take the cage if possible. If not possible, find a container/cage that is big enough to hold the wheel, bed, and food dishes. Most hedgies will feel comfortable enough as long as they have their wheel.
Be sure you have a thermometer to monitor the temperature overnight. Take a human heating pad in case the AC where you're staying is too cold.
Make sure to take enough food/water to last until you get home. If you'll be gone more than a few days, consider switching your hedgie to bottled and begin the transition a few weeks ahead of time by adding a little water at a time to the normal water, gradually increasing.
There is often confusion about traveling through a state that has legislation against hedgehogs. People are often wondering if their hedgehogs could possibly be confiscated on the drive through. Official word has been received on this matter from the SPCAs in Georgia and Pennsylvania. The verdict: as long as the hedgies remain in the car/carrier and have health certificates, there should be no problem simply driving through the state(s).
