I dread writing this post for good reasons – nobody likes to talk about death because it reminds them of the loved ones they lost.

It is no doubt a taboo topic but one that must be addressed eventually. Just like any living being and living thing, there will be a time when we say goodbye. Hedgehogs are no different, and they live about 3 to 5 years on average. With many hedgehogs that I’ve come to know and love passing away due to debilitating illness. I’ll be covering other health topics my hedgehogs have experienced another time, but in this post, I’d like to address what to do and how you can prepare yourself when the difficult reality happens. These are things I wished I knew when Theo, my first hedgehog, passed.

If Your Pet Hedgehog Dies At Home

Goodbyes are hard, but it is inevitable. You will know your hedgehog has passed when there is no response for their breathing , heartbeat, losing warmth, reflexes etc. These are just the basics. It will be very different from hibernation attempts or sleeping. Although our dear pet hedgehogs have left their physical body, they will always continue to live in our hearts and memories.

As a pet parent who’s anticipating for the inevitable to happen, your pet hedgehog may passed away peacefully in their sleep or if you are lucky, your pet hedgehog may hang in there until they can send their goodbyes in your arms.

If you noticed that they are feeling weak, please bring them to the ER immediately to get all the required medical attention from a vet.

What to do with your pet hedgehog’s body?

Understandably you’d want to hold on to your dear one as long as you can. I have been there and done that. I held Theo physical body and cried so much that my heart physically hurts. It is extremely hard to tell you to move on (physically, not emotionally) but for your hedgehog’s best interest, it is a best to handle their physical body with respect as they cross the rainbow bridge. 🌈

Once a pet has passed, organs will starts to decompose and blood capillaries will break and leak. Wear a pair of disposable gloves and gently place your pet hedgehog onto a clean cloth, towel, or a disposable pee pad. This will help absorb the bodily fluid that is leaking out of your pet’s physical body. Lay the towel into a sealable container and place your pet with the body on the side, similar to a side-sleeping position. I’ve also heard of laying the body flat from another pet parent. So the best way to go about it is to call your local vet and enquire how they would prefer you to place your pet.

If you plan to further investigate the cause of your pet hedgehog’s death, please seek your veterinarian’s advice as freezing may affect and alter the autopsy results. Again, your vet will know best and you should follow their suggestions, if this is something you want to follow through.

After closing or completely sealing the storage container, place your hedgehog in the freezer until you can drop them off at the vet for cremation, pet cremation center or funeral home, or when you are ready to burry them. You may need to make some room in your freezer for the storage container, if you don’t have enough space. You may also notice that rigor motis will set in, this usually happens about 2 hours post-death. The most visible sign is the stiffening of body muscles.

Making Arrangements for Burial or Cremation

Most vet clinics or hospitals arrange for cremation as well, so you can call to enquire this and arrange for your pet to be dropped off or picked up. Similarly, if you would prefer to go directly to a pet cremation center, they will be able to offer drop off or pick-up services as well along with cremation packages (i.e. communal or private cremation + customizable urn + paw print + quills etc.)

If pricing is a concern, you can look into enquiring about the prices ahead of time with your vet, local cremation center or funeral home etc. There are also price discrepancies between the various services and products they offer. But most importantly, enquire the times they are open, so you will know what to do in the unfortunate event when your pet passed away at home and these places are closed. You can be more prepared and try to preserve the physical body until you are able to say goodbye to them respectfully.

Save the vet’s number and cremation center’s number in your contact so you won’t have to Google search while crying. I’m sharing this because that’s what I did. It was very miserable and depressing and I wished I didn’t have to type that into Google right after my pet passed away. I wished I have some sort of guidance and direction. I was very lost as a piece of my world fell apart.

Burial vs. Cremation

There is no right and wrong with either option, but they are the two most popular options to respectfully say goodbye to your pet’s physical body. Here are just some of the pros and cons I can think of, which may be a little on the biased side (disclaimer).

Backyard Burial or Flower Pot Burial

Types of burial: backyard burial, flower pot burial (potted plant burial)

PROS: cheapest way to say goodbye to your pet’s physical body, can add your own personal touch to it since this is a DIY process.

When choosing a backyard burial, consider the following:

• Make sure that it is LEGAL to burry in your backyard even if you own the property. There are regulations surrounding backyard burial and some may require the burial site to be of a certain depth (usually at least 3 to 4 feet deep) and away from water sources.
• You may need to remove wrappings as certain local regulations may require you to allow natural decomposition
• Only consider this if your pet did not die from viral illnesses, which may continue to leach into the soil and harm other wildlife, plants, and animals.
• Do not do this if you choose to euthanize your pet as the chemicals used can be toxic to the natural ecosystem.

CONS: permanent installation, which will make it hard to say goodbye if you decide to relocate or move out.

Communal or Private Cremation

Types: communal or private cremation

PROS:

• Funeral homes or cremation centers provide extensive and a variety of services to provide the best care for your beloved pets.
• A stress-free arrangement but the cost may vary.
• A safe way to say goodbye to the physical body, especially for pets who passed with the help of euthanasia.
• Easy for transportation (i.e. moving the ashes/urn within the room, space, and geographic location)
• Can easily scatter the ashes at a desired location (Note: please check your local regulations as this may be prohibited!)
• Can make use of the ashes into meaningful memorial gifts like memorial diamonds, memorial necklaces, lockets, bracelets, other jewelries.
• You can get to keep the quill remains of your beloved hedgehog.
• Personal touch options available

When choosing a cremation, consider the following:

• Is it more convenient to do it through your vet or directly with the cremation center? (i.e. price discrepancy, location, timeliness etc.)
• Do they offer pick-up from homes?
• What are their office hours?
• Are they open when your pet passed away?
• How soon will they be open or available for drop-off?
• The add-on options available (optional)
• Customizable urn and urn types (optional)
• Do they offer memorial paw prints?
• Some places may allow for you to come in for the cremation process, if this is something that is important to you.
• Some places may also prepare an elaborate and beautiful decoration to send your beloved pet off before the cremation, if this is important to you.
• Communal cremation often means that your pet’s remains will be cremated with other pet(s) remains, which means that you won’t be able to get their ashes back but it will be safely stored or discarded at the cremation center.
• Private cremation often means that your pet remains will be cremated individually and you will have the option to get their ashes back with a basic urn (at the very minimal). Options for customizable urns may be available.
• Similarly, you can also look into customizable urns elsewhere and transfer the ashes into the new urn, if this is important to you.

CONS:

• On the expensive side especially with all the add-ons available
• May take a few weeks before your receive the urn, ashes, or paw prints etc.
• Not very environmentally friendly
• Not as readily available if you don’t have these services offered in your local area
• Not a permanent installation or location

My Pet Hedgehog’s Cremation Experience

Just to summarize, there is no right and wrong way to memorialize your beloved pet. There should also be no shame as to how each of us process our grief and make arrangements for their afterlife.

Theo, my first and eldest hedgehog, passed away peacefully in my arms after some cuddling when I woke up in the morning of Christmas Eve in 2020. I had a difficult time sleeping thinking he would passed away when I was asleep. I can still recalled that dreadful and painful feeling when I know he was no longer there. His body gave out an involuntary contraction and his body became lifeless. I take comfort knowing he lived a very full life as a blind hedgehog of 3+ years old. He hanged in till the morning to say goodbye, I wished we had more time together but life is cruel.

Since it was Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing Day the next day, I had to keep his body in the freezer for a while until the office was open. I dreaded walking past the freezer. I don’t wish for this to happen to anyone. I am still reminded of this sometimes.

Once we were able to get to the vet’s, I packed Theo’s favorite toy along with him. He was privately cremated together with his little teddy. I received the urn in early January 2021. It took me some time to decorate his indoor memorial shrine. One thing grief taught me was that it is a process and a journey. There is no rush to keep and put away their toys, food, wheel, enclosure, bed etc. You do it at your own pace, even if it takes days, weeks, months, or years.

Don’t let other people tell you that you should ‘move on’ just because they are pet hedgehogs.

Don’t let other insensitive remarks get to you, some people just don’t know how to phrase their emotions respectfully, but they mean well.

If you are reading this, please know that you did your best to provide your dearest pet the best life and care. Not every hedgehog or pet was as lucky as them to have such a loving and caring human and pet parent. Please take comfort knowing they passed away peacefully at home surrounded by their loved ones.

Consider seeking help or grief counselling, if you feel like you need the extra support. Sending my condolences, love, and strength to everyone who is going through a difficult and challenging time. ♥