There are many pros of keeping an exotic pet, and there are equally many cons. One of the most prevalent disadvantages is that you can’t get a pet sitter easily. If you own a hedgehog and you fly quite often, you may want to know if you can fly with a hedgehog.
You can fly with a hedgehog if your flight is booked with one of the airlines that allow passengers to carry hedgehogs. While there are only a few airlines that offer this, they’re not nonexistent, and some airlines even allow you to fly with a hedgehog in the cabin.
In this article, you’ll learn all there is to know about carrying a hedgehog on an airplane. In addition to that, I’ll outline some airlines that allow you to carry your hedgehogs and how much it costs to travel with your hedgie.
Can I Fly With a Hedgehog?
Unlike some other animals, hedgehogs are rarely ever allowed in the cabin. The best most airlines do is to let your hedgie travel with the cargo, which isn’t the best condition for your pet since they are very sensitive to heat and cold.
If you’d rather keep your hedgie close to you, it helps to choose an airline that will either let you carry it in the cabin or as part of the cargo in the same plane.
If you want to fly with your hedgehog in the cabin, your options are pretty limited. In the next section, I’ll outline some of the most popular airlines that will let you carry your hedgehog, either in the cabin or as part of the baggage.
What Airlines Allow Hedgehogs?
1. Aeroflot
If you want to travel with your hedgehog, there are no airlines better than Aeroflot. Their excellence stems from the fact that they’re one of the few airlines that lets you carry your hedgehog in the cabin with you, with a few restrictions.
You can carry as many hedgies on the flight as you want, as long as they all fit in the same carrier and their combined weight doesn’t exceed 8kg.
If you want more flexibility, you can ship your hedgie in the cargo. Unlike the carriers that go in the cabin, hedgehogs ship in crates in the cargo, and each crate can carry a single hedgehog at most.
The cost of flying with a hedgehog on Aeroflot is $75 for international flights, while domestic flights vary by state and destination. The price for flying a hedgehog in the cabin is the same as that of flying it in the cargo.
2. Air Canada
Air Canada is also a compelling option when transporting your hedgie over long distances. While they don’t allow hedgehogs to fly in the same cabin as humans, your pet can go on the cargo section in the same plane, which isn’t too far away.
Most of the details of transporting hedgehogs via Air Canada depend on your specific flight and destination. If you’re flying to a place with temperatures exceeding 29.5 degrees Celsius, you won’t be allowed to fly with your pet hedgehog.
Since the hedgie will be traveling with the cargo, there are no hard restrictions to the weight of the hedgehog or the crate. However, the fee for transporting your pet is directly proportional to the size of the crate, so you may want to keep an eye on that.
Tips for Flying with a Hedgehog
You shouldn’t fly with a hedgehog unless it’s necessary. Hedgehogs will prefer to stay in their cage at home, as it houses all their food and water at decent temperatures.
However, there are times when flying with your hedgehog is necessary. In these situations, you may want to follow some best practices to avoid stressing out your pet throughout the journey.
Here are some tips for flying with a hedgehog to ensure that you and your hedgie have the most comfortable experience.
1. Get a health certificate
Before flying with your hedgehog, you must ensure that it’s healthy enough to travel by hair. Since hedgehogs can’t talk, you need an experienced veterinarian to check your pet and issue the certificate.
Most airlines won’t agree to fly your hedgehog without a health certificate as it’s one of the safety standards required of airlines willing to transport hedgies.
2. Get a travel carrier
A travel carrier is necessary when flying with a hedgehog, either in the cabin or in cargo. All airlines that let you carry a hedgie aboard will also require them to be in a container to keep them at bay.
When choosing a travel carrier for a flight, you want to choose one that is neither too small nor too large. It should also be well ventilated, but with no large openings to prevent your travel carrier from getting stuck.
3. Prepare a suitable destination for the hedgehog
Travels are just as tiring to hedgehogs as it is to humans; maybe more, since most trips happen during the day, when hedgies should be asleep. To avoid stressing out your hedgehog, your destination should include a place that simulates the hedgehog’s natural environment as much as possible.
Is Flying Stressful for Your Hedgehog?
You should generally avoid things that stress out your hedgehog. Since flying involves a lot of processes that may not be friendly to a hedgie, you may want to know if they can endure flying in a plane or if it stresses them out.
Hedgehogs don’t care about flying in an airplane, as long as the temperature doesn’t get too low or too high. Excessive hunger or thirst can also stress out your hedgehog, so you may want to be aware of that.
Summarily, flying isn’t stressful for your hedgehog per se. What may be stressful, however, is flying the hedgie in unfavorable conditions.
How Much Does It Cost to Bring a Hedgehog on a Plane?
Bringing a hedgehog on a plane isn’t any costlier than flying with a dog or a cat. The only caveat is the rarity of airlines willing to let you bring your hedgie along on a flight.
If you can find one that lets you do that, however, you should expect to pay between $50 and $150 to transport your hedgehog on a plane.
The exact cost depends on the size of the hedgie, the specific airline you booked with, and if you’re flying within or outside of the United States.
