Surrendering a Hedgehog
We are happy to take in any Hedgehog in need - regardless of their age, temperament, health, or where you got them. We do not charge any surrender fees, do not request any donations, and will never judge you for making this difficult decision. The one thing we ask of you is that you please do not just dump a Hedgehog on our porch without reaching out first as they are sensitive to temperature and can die from being left in the cold. Our surrender process is very simple and our only priority is to get your hedgie inside safely.
1. Reach out to us.
You can contact us through text, facebook, phone call, or email to let us know that you have a hedgehog (or hedgehogs) to surrender. We won't judge or badger you, and you don't have to explain why you need to make this choice if you don't want to. We will simply schedule a day and time for drop- off. We are very flexible with timing and can fit you in whenever works best for you. We are located in Cherry Hill. We do prefer having hedgies dropped off here as we have many kids and critters, which makes it difficult to take long drives out. But if you cannot drop off your hedgehog, reach out to us anyway and we will find a way to come get them.
2. Pass on whatever information you have.
It's very helpful if you could let us know the age, sex, origin of the hedgehog, any present illnesses or injuries, any known history of health issues, or a description of their temperament. It also aids the adjustment process if you can let us know what food and bedding they are used to, what temperature you have been keeping their cage, whether they are drinking from a dish or a bottle, and if they have any favorite treats. If you don't know some (or even all) of these things - which is common with craigslist purchases or rehomes - that is totally fine and we understand. But whatever you do know, we'd love for you to pass on. You are welcome to send us this info in a text/email/facebook message or just in a note at the time of drop off.
3. Drop off
Once here, you are welcome to simply knock at the door and hand the hedgie to us, or to come in and tell us about them and say your goodbyes. The drop-off process is different for everybody and we will happily take your lead with whatever you're comfortable with. If you'd like to surrender some or all of your hedgie's things with them, you are welcome to. We have some come in just a shoebox and others come in with their enclosures and boxes of supplies - and it doesn't matter to us either way. If you don't bring anything but the hedgie, we have more than enough extra enclosures and supplies here in storage and will have them spoiled in no time. And if you do bring their things or enclosure, we will keep those familiar things with them to help them adjust and will pass them on to the hedgie's future owner if they are adopted out. We are also happy to help you carry boxes, enclosures, or heavy things in if needed.
Any further involvement is entirely up to you. You don't have to ever talk to us again if you don't want to. But if you'd like an update, you are welcome to reach out anytime.
4. Intake
Once your hedgehog is dropped off here, he or she will go straight into our quarantine room. We will look them over for any signs of illness, injury, or parasites - and then trim their nails, apply Revolution Mite Preventative, and typically give them a bath and provide dry skin treatments if they need it. Any medical needs will be addressed by our excellent vets (we have a great exotic emergency hospital nearby for anything that requires immediate treatment, as well as a highly experienced veterinarian for routine visits who actually makes house-calls, which we find lessens the stress of our hedgie surrenders a lot).
Hedgehogs are typically kept in quarantine for a minimum of two weeks, during which time we observe them to confirm their health and get to know their personality. Some hedgehogs may be kept quarantined longer (i.e hedgies who require prolonged medical treatment, have contagious illness or parasites, or females who may have had contact with males in their prior homes).
5. Happy Endings
Surrenders can have a wide variety of outcomes. Most, after exiting quarantine and being worked with by us for a while, will be made available to known adopters in our network of experienced hedgie owners. But other outcomes can happen sometimes as well. Often when we get in a hedgehog who requires prolonged medical treatments or has special needs, they will receive medical placement as the personal pet of a qualified exotics vet or as an ambassador animal at a veterinary facility like House Paws. A terminally ill or super senior hedgie may be considered a hospice case, and to prevent any added stress in their final days, will stay with us and be kept spoiled and comfortable for the remainder of their lives. There have also been a handful of times when one of our kids fall in love with a surrender and keep him or her as a personal pet, which is always such a sweet experience.
If you are curious about the final outcome for your surrender, shoot us a message and we'll be happy to provide an update.
1. Reach out to us.
You can contact us through text, facebook, phone call, or email to let us know that you have a hedgehog (or hedgehogs) to surrender. We won't judge or badger you, and you don't have to explain why you need to make this choice if you don't want to. We will simply schedule a day and time for drop- off. We are very flexible with timing and can fit you in whenever works best for you. We are located in Cherry Hill. We do prefer having hedgies dropped off here as we have many kids and critters, which makes it difficult to take long drives out. But if you cannot drop off your hedgehog, reach out to us anyway and we will find a way to come get them.
2. Pass on whatever information you have.
It's very helpful if you could let us know the age, sex, origin of the hedgehog, any present illnesses or injuries, any known history of health issues, or a description of their temperament. It also aids the adjustment process if you can let us know what food and bedding they are used to, what temperature you have been keeping their cage, whether they are drinking from a dish or a bottle, and if they have any favorite treats. If you don't know some (or even all) of these things - which is common with craigslist purchases or rehomes - that is totally fine and we understand. But whatever you do know, we'd love for you to pass on. You are welcome to send us this info in a text/email/facebook message or just in a note at the time of drop off.
3. Drop off
Once here, you are welcome to simply knock at the door and hand the hedgie to us, or to come in and tell us about them and say your goodbyes. The drop-off process is different for everybody and we will happily take your lead with whatever you're comfortable with. If you'd like to surrender some or all of your hedgie's things with them, you are welcome to. We have some come in just a shoebox and others come in with their enclosures and boxes of supplies - and it doesn't matter to us either way. If you don't bring anything but the hedgie, we have more than enough extra enclosures and supplies here in storage and will have them spoiled in no time. And if you do bring their things or enclosure, we will keep those familiar things with them to help them adjust and will pass them on to the hedgie's future owner if they are adopted out. We are also happy to help you carry boxes, enclosures, or heavy things in if needed.
Any further involvement is entirely up to you. You don't have to ever talk to us again if you don't want to. But if you'd like an update, you are welcome to reach out anytime.
4. Intake
Once your hedgehog is dropped off here, he or she will go straight into our quarantine room. We will look them over for any signs of illness, injury, or parasites - and then trim their nails, apply Revolution Mite Preventative, and typically give them a bath and provide dry skin treatments if they need it. Any medical needs will be addressed by our excellent vets (we have a great exotic emergency hospital nearby for anything that requires immediate treatment, as well as a highly experienced veterinarian for routine visits who actually makes house-calls, which we find lessens the stress of our hedgie surrenders a lot).
Hedgehogs are typically kept in quarantine for a minimum of two weeks, during which time we observe them to confirm their health and get to know their personality. Some hedgehogs may be kept quarantined longer (i.e hedgies who require prolonged medical treatment, have contagious illness or parasites, or females who may have had contact with males in their prior homes).
5. Happy Endings
Surrenders can have a wide variety of outcomes. Most, after exiting quarantine and being worked with by us for a while, will be made available to known adopters in our network of experienced hedgie owners. But other outcomes can happen sometimes as well. Often when we get in a hedgehog who requires prolonged medical treatments or has special needs, they will receive medical placement as the personal pet of a qualified exotics vet or as an ambassador animal at a veterinary facility like House Paws. A terminally ill or super senior hedgie may be considered a hospice case, and to prevent any added stress in their final days, will stay with us and be kept spoiled and comfortable for the remainder of their lives. There have also been a handful of times when one of our kids fall in love with a surrender and keep him or her as a personal pet, which is always such a sweet experience.
If you are curious about the final outcome for your surrender, shoot us a message and we'll be happy to provide an update.
* We accept various other exotic surrenders as well, more information can be found here.