Exotic Pet Cremation in Colorado
Keepers of unusual pets in Colorado often hear 'we don't do those' first. Here's how to find a yes, what it should cost and what will realistically come home.
- Fridge or freezer advice for Colorado
- Written prices for small and large exotics
- Pickup from your home or exotics vet
Colorado, the United States
Exotic Pet Cremation in Colorado: what to know
Exotic pet cremation across Colorado depends less on the rules and more on who has done it before. In the larger cities, such as Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora, you'll usually find an exotics vet and at least one crematory used to small or unusual animals. In smaller towns, the local vet may never have arranged cremation for a hedgehog or axolotl, and your pet may travel to a regional provider.
Whether you're in Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora or a small town, the questions to ask about an exotic pet are the same: will my pet be cremated individually, how will a very small body be kept separate, what will honestly come back, and what's the total price in writing? The answers vary a lot across Colorado, which is why a second quote helps.
We cover 36 communities in Colorado, from Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora to smaller towns. Conditions vary a lot across Colorado: summer highs reach about 95°F in Grand Junction, while winter lows average 2°F in Vail. In 100% of the Colorado communities we cover, average lows drop below freezing for three months or more, which matters for home burial.
Every Colorado community we cover
Choose your city or town for local prices, weather and timing, and rules. 36 communities in Colorado, largest first below.
- Denver740,613 people
- Colorado Springs494,743 people
- Aurora410,053 people
- Fort Collins171,500 people
- Lakewood156,927 people
- Thornton147,766 people
- Arvada122,901 people
- Westminster116,182 people
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How Colorado thinks about cremation
With cremation at roughly 77.4%[1] for people in Colorado, pet providers here often sell bundles built around a cat or dog: a wooden urn, a paw print, a certificate. For an exotic pet, parts of that bundle may not fit. A glider's paw print is barely visible, and a standard urn dwarfs a hedgehog's remains. Ask whether you can drop the items you won't use and pay only for the cremation and a small container.
That Colorado rate is a human statistic published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024); there is no pet equivalent, so we use it as a signal of how families here already think.
What exotic pet cremation costs in Colorado
A tiny pet doesn't always mean a tiny bill. Minimum charges, collection fees and a certificate can make a hedgehog's cremation cost as much as a cat's, even though the cremation itself uses far less time. Remains usually weigh about 3-5% of body weight[2], so a hedgehog's fill a tablespoon. If very little ash will return, ask whether a simple pouch or small keepsake container lowers the Colorado price, and compare two quotes.
Across the markets we track, private cremation costs about twice as much as communal[3] by our estimate. For a dog, that difference buys a box of ashes. For a glider, which weighs only 85 to 170 grams as an adult[4], it buys the certainty that your pet was handled alone. Decide which matters to you before comparing Colorado quotes; the aftercare options comparison lays the choices side by side.
| Your pet | Communal | Private |
|---|---|---|
| Glider, hedgehog, frog, axolotl, spider or skunk (up to 30 lb band) | $45 to $75 | $100 to $175 |
| Smaller wallaby or large tortoise-size animal (31 to 50 lb) | $50 to $80 | $150 to $250 |
| Large wallaby, emu or big primate (71 lb and up) | $100 to $200 | $250 to $450 |
| Water cremation (aquamation), any size | n/a | $80 to $450 |
| Source | CareCredit cost guide | Aquamation: Embrace Pet Insurance. Excludes necropsy and collection. |
Free tool
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Before you bury or cremate: Colorado rules worth knowing
You don't need a permit to have a hedgehog or sugar glider cremated in most places. But if your pet was a regulated species, if you want to keep parts such as a skull or quills, or if you plan to move remains across a state or national border, check first with the agency that issued your permit or with the national CITES authority. Burial rules for Colorado are below.
- Burial at home: Confirm the rule for the actual parcel and proposed burial with the local authority and property owner.
- Scattering ashes: Ask the exact land manager about scattering before making arrangements; a general gathering permission is a separate matter.
- Who oversees it: the authority responsible for the specific activity and location; this guide does not identify a universal permit or licensing rule
- Worth knowing: Record the service method, release authority, identification and return instructions in writing.
A city's population does not establish which aftercare activities are allowed at an address. Check the actual site and activity before proceeding.
County and city offices set many of the local rules. To find yours, start with the official Colorado local government directory.
The first day, step by step
- Take a breath. A small exotic in a sealed bag in the freezer is safe for weeks. Nothing has to be decided tonight.
- Keep anything you'd like to hold on to now: a shed molt, a few quills, a tuft of fur, a feather or a photo of them in their enclosure.
- Think about preservation first. Taxidermy, resin and freeze-drying each need the body intact, and once cremation has happened that door is closed.
- Contact a provider through your vet or directly, or send us your pet's details and we'll check who takes your species.
- Choose individual or communal, knowing that very small animals may return little or no ash.
- Decide where the remains will go: a keepsake urn, a planter, a pendant or a small burial where it's allowed.
Keeping a small, special pet close
If several people loved this animal, you can divide even a small amount of ash. An adult hedgehog weighs roughly 300 to 600 grams[6], so its remains fill little more than a spoonful or two. The ashes sharing planner shows how far that goes: a pinch in a pendant or a tiny vial is often enough to feel connected, and the rest can stay together in one keepsake.
The services page compares what each option includes, the planning tools turn your animal's details into figures, and the poll results show what other families chose. All locations lists every region we cover.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
Would you want a necropsy (an animal post-mortem) before cremation?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If your pet is very small, what matters most about the ashes?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Free tools to help you plan
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Ashes weight estimator
See roughly how much ash to expect back, by species and body weight.
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Questions people ask
What will come back after cremating a very small pet?
Cremated remains are mostly bone and usually weigh roughly 3-5% of body weight[2]. A hedgehog leaves about a tablespoon, a sugar glider a few grams, an axolotl perhaps a gram, and a tarantula usually nothing. Ask the provider honestly before you book.
Are there exotics vets outside the big cities in Colorado?
Some, but they're thinly spread. Many general practices see the odd hedgehog or reptile, and a few have a vet with a special interest in exotics. For necropsy or specialist advice, keepers in smaller places often travel to Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora. It's worth finding your nearest exotics vet while your animals are well, and asking which crematory they use.
How do I protect my other exotic pets in a heatwave?
Keep enclosures out of direct sun, have a plan for power cuts and check thermostats daily. In hot parts of Colorado, such as Grand Junction where summer highs average about 95°F, a failed air conditioner can overheat gliders or an axolotl tank in hours. If you do lose an animal, chill the body quickly.
Will crematories in Colorado take unusual species?
Many will, but experience varies. Some have cremated hedgehogs and gliders often; others hesitate over invertebrates or very large exotics. Give the species and weight when you call, and ask whether they've handled something similar. Your exotics vet usually knows which local provider to trust.
How many communities do you cover in Colorado?
We currently have local exotic pet cremation guides for 36 communities in Colorado, including Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora. Each page covers local weather and timing, prices, rules and how to find a provider who handles unusual species.
Is cremation common in Colorado?
For people, about 77.4%[1] of deaths in Colorado end in cremation, which gives a sense of how established cremation is locally. It says less about exotic pets: experience with unusual species varies from provider to provider, so asking the right questions matters more than the local rate.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] The NFDA projected Colorado's cremation rate at 77.4% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [2] Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [3] The median price multiple of private (ashes returned) over communal cremation across 8 markets is about 2.0x, ranging from 1.25x (Tokyo) to 5.2x (Auckland). Our estimate: median(private_price / communal_price) same weight band: US CareCredit 51-70 lb midpoints (250/75) = 3.33x; Auckland 15-25 kg (445/85) = 5.24x; Norway 1-20 kg (3790/1190) = 3.18x; Singapore 10-20 kg (480/260) = 1.85x; Ontario 25-250 lb (549/279) = 1.97x; Tokyo 20-30 kg (38500/30800) = 1.25x; France 20 kg midpoints (200/95) = 2.11x; Germany range midpoints (270/145) = 1.86x. How we calculate.
- [4] Pet sugar gliders live about 9-12 years; adults weigh about 85-170 g. Merck Veterinary Manual - Table: Sugar Gliders at a Glance.
- [5] Private pet aquamation costs about 2.5 times communal aquamation at the same provider. Our estimate: mean of tier ratios 150/50, 200/75, 250/100, 350/150, 450/225. How we calculate.
- [6] African pygmy hedgehogs live an average of 4-6 years; adult males weigh 400-600 g and females 300-400 g. Merck Veterinary Manual - Overview of Hedgehogs.
Ask us to check providers near Colorado
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.