Cremation for unusual pets in Longmont, Colorado
Finding someone in Longmont who will cremate a hedgehog, a tarantula or a wallaby can take more than one call. Here's what it costs, what to ask and what to do with your pet in the meantime.
- Hedgehogs, gliders, amphibians, spiders
- Individual cremation, confirmed in writing
- Preservation options explained first
Longmont, Colorado
How exotic pet cremation works around Longmont
Longmont is a city of about 100,000 in northeastern Boulder County, around 30 miles north of Denver. It mixes older neighborhoods near Main Street with newer subdivisions spreading east toward Weld County, where acreage lots let some households keep chickens, rabbits and more. When you ask about aftercare, say which part of town you are in; distances to providers can differ depending on whether you head toward Boulder, Denver or Fort Collins.
The St. Vrain Greenway, Union Reservoir and McIntosh Lake give many Longmont families a place to be outdoors with their animals, and Longs Peak, which gives the city its name, fills the western skyline. Some people keep ashes at home in view of the mountains, while others tuck them into a backyard flower bed. Either way, there is no need to decide quickly.
Freeze-drying studios, resin artists and specialist taxidermists are rarely based in a city the size of Longmont, but many accept pets by courier, frozen and packed on ice. If preservation appeals to you more than ashes, freeze your pet promptly in a sealed bag and take your time choosing. Don't book a cremation until you're sure, because it can't be undone.
With roughly 100,109 residents, Longmont is the 13th-largest of the 36 Colorado communities we cover. Denver, roughly 30 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Longmont run from there.
Our pages for Frederick (8 miles), Firestone (8 miles) and Erie (9 miles) describe the same choices from those towns' point of view, and the providers overlap, so a quote from one often covers Longmont as well.
77.4%[1]
The NFDA projected Colorado's cremation rate at 77.4% for 2024.
9-12 years[2]
Pet sugar gliders live about 9-12 years; adults weigh about 85-170 g.
4-6 years[3]
African pygmy hedgehogs live an average of 4-6 years; adult males weigh 400-600 g and females 300-400 g.
3-5% of body weight[4]
Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight.
The numbers above come from Merck Veterinary Manual and Merck Veterinary Manual, if you'd like to read the original sources.
What local funeral customs tell you about finding a provider
In Colorado, about 77.4%[1] of people are cremated, one of the higher rates around. Where cremation is this familiar, families rarely feel they have to justify wanting ashes back, even for a hedgehog. Competition between providers also helps exotic keepers: a crematory that wants the business is more likely to try a small-animal tray or talk you through what will realistically remain.
That Colorado rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Longmont only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Heat, cold and your exotic pet in Longmont
Hedgehogs kept too cold can try to hibernate, which is dangerous for African pygmy hedgehogs and can look like death at first. If your hedgehog is cold and still in winter, warm them gently and call an exotics vet before assuming the worst. If they have died, bag and refrigerate them, and ask whether a necropsy would help.
Snow and ice can delay collection from Longmont, especially from rural roads. For a small exotic that doesn't matter much: the freezer keeps them safely. For a larger animal like a wallaby, ask the provider what they'd do in a storm before you need them, and keep the body somewhere cold, sheltered and away from wildlife.
What exotic pet cremation costs in Longmont
Few Longmont keepers have insurance that helps here. One pet insurer says standard policies usually cover euthanasia for a covered illness but not cremation[5], and many don't insure exotic species at all. If you do have an exotic policy, read the end-of-life section before you book; otherwise, plan to pay yourself, and use the memorial budget planner to keep the extras in proportion.
Prices for Longmont track the wider Colorado market, so use the Colorado price table as your baseline and the services page to see what is included.
Free tool
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Paperwork, disposal and burial rules in Colorado
Pet cremation is lightly regulated in most places, and few laws say what a provider must put in writing. That makes your own paperwork the safeguard. Ask for a signed form naming the species, the weight, individual or communal and what will be returned, and keep it with the certificate. After that, what's left to check in Colorado is where burial and scattering are allowed.
To find your county or city office in Colorado, start with the official Colorado local government directory.
The rules that apply across Colorado (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our Colorado page. Longmont may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
What to do next, in order
- Note what happened. The time, the enclosure temperatures and any symptoms help if you later want a necropsy or a vet's view.
- Chill your pet in a sealed, labelled bag inside the first hour or two, and faster than that if it's hot.
- Choose your path: cremation on its own, a necropsy followed by cremation, preservation, or a burial if it's both legal and safe there.
- Find a provider who says yes clearly. Not sure what to ask? Try these questions to ask an exotic pet cremation provider.
- Check the container size. Most standard pet urns are far too big for a glider or hedgehog; a keepsake urn usually fits.
- Collect or receive the remains, and check the label and certificate name the right species.
Remembering your exotic pet in Longmont
Longmont's climate is typical of the northern Front Range: hot, dry summers in the upper 80s, cold snaps in winter and sudden spring storms. Hail can hit hard from May to August. A summer death at home means moving your pet onto a basement floor or tile, out of the sun. In winter, icy roads can slow travel, so there is no need to rush if conditions are poor.
browse in-depth guides or recent articles, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, or see how other readers answered in our polls, Every option Longmont families choose between is on the services page. More local pages: Lakewood, Aurora, Denver and Thornton, the Colorado overview and every city in the United States.
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
Why does the Longmont page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) reports about 77.4%[1] of Colorado residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Will I have to travel to Denver to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Denver (roughly 30 miles from Longmont) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Longmont?
The closest communities we cover are Frederick (about 8 miles), Firestone (about 8 miles) and Erie (about 9 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Longmont too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
How does Longmont's weather affect exotic pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Longmont, with average highs around 88°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February, March, November and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
My exotic pet died while I was on vacation. What now?
Ask whoever is caring for your animals to bag your pet securely, note the date on it, and put it in the fridge if you'll be home within a day or two, or the freezer if longer. Have them check the enclosure and your other animals. Aftercare can almost always wait until you're back, so you can choose the provider yourself.
Should I put my exotic pet in the fridge or the freezer?
It depends on what you want next. For a necropsy (an animal post-mortem), refrigerate and get to the vet within a day or two, because freezing damages tissue. For freeze-drying or taxidermy, freeze promptly. For cremation only, either works; the freezer gives you more time to find the right provider in Longmont.
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] Pet sugar gliders live about 9-12 years; adults weigh about 85-170 g. Merck Veterinary Manual - Table: Sugar Gliders at a Glance.
- [3] 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.
- [4] 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.
- [5] Embrace says standard pet insurance typically does not cover cremation, while euthanasia can be covered if medically necessary for a covered condition; cremation is an eligible expense under its optional Wellness Rewards. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [6] 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.
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