Hedgehog boarding in Warlingham

Specialist holiday care for African pygmy hedgehogs — £10 a day, less for hedgehogs bought from us

Going away and not sure what to do with your hedgehog? Most catteries and kennels will not take one, and leaving a pygmy hedgehog with a well-meaning friend usually means a fortnight in a cold room with the wrong food.

We keep more than twenty African pygmy hedgehogs of our own and breed them ethically here, so the heating, the lighting, the diet and the experience are already in place. Your hedgehog stays in our animal room alongside ours — in their own enclosure, not shared — and gets checked and weighed like everyone else.

What boarding includes

£10 per day

✓ Their own enclosure in our heated, temperature-controlled animal room — never housed with another hedgehog
✓ Correct temperature around the clock, which is the thing most home arrangements get wrong. Pygmy hedgehogs attempt hibernation if they get cold, and that is dangerous
✓ Their usual food — bring what they are used to and we will keep them on it, or we can feed ours
✓ Daily checks and weighing, so any change is spotted early rather than on your return
✓ Handling if they like it, and left alone if they do not — we will follow what you tell us about them
✓ Photo updates while you are away, if you would like them

Prices

£10 per day — standard boarding.
£7 per day — for hedgehogs bought from us, on stays of under 7 days.
£5 per day — for hedgehogs bought from us, on stays of 7 days or more.

If you got your hedgehog from us, the reduced rate applies automatically — just let us know when you book. We keep looking after the hoglets we breed for as long as you have them.

Hedgehogs bought from us also get priority. When holiday weeks fill up — and they do — our own hoglets are offered a space first.

What the price covers

The daily rate covers everything: heating, food, hides, bedding, cleaning and daily checks. Nothing extra to pay.

If your hedgehog is on a special diet for health reasons, please bring their food with you. The price stays the same — we’d rather keep them on exactly what they’re used to than risk an upset stomach while you’re away.

What to bring

Their food, any medication with clear instructions, and something that smells of home if they have a favourite snuggle sack or hide. You are welcome to bring their own wheel. Please do not bring bedding from a rodent mix or anything dusty.

Tell us about them beforehand — whether they huff at strangers, whether they are a biter, what time they usually wake, anything they are on. The more we know the less unsettling it is for them.

The check on arrival

We check every hedgehog before it comes into the animal room. When you arrive we will lift them out of their carrier and look them over for signs of ill health or mites. If all is well, straight through they come.

It takes a couple of minutes, and it is not a judgement on how you keep them. It is there because whatever comes into that room goes near seventy other animals, including our own hedgehogs.

If we spot something

If we find mites or signs of ill health, we won’t be able to take your hedgehog. We know that’s difficult when you’re about to travel, but with seventy other animals in that room — including our own hedgehogs — we can’t risk it. We’ll explain what we’ve found and what to do about it, and you’re welcome to rebook once it’s cleared up.

Please bring them in good health, and tell us about anything they are being treated for. If something develops while they are with us we will contact you straight away, and get them to a vet if they need one.

We are honest about the limits: we are experienced keepers and an ethical breeder, not a veterinary practice.

Message us about boarding

Boarding dates are arranged by message rather than online — tell us your dates and a bit about your hedgehog, and we’ll take it from there.

New to pygmy hedgehogs, or thinking about getting one? Our African pygmy hedgehog care guide covers behaviour, handling, husbandry and health, and you can join our hoglet waiting list.