New Owner Help

[Mizzle92]

I am getting ready to bring my first hedgie home and I have been preparing for months for it, but I want to make sure I have everything I need so I was hoping maybe you all would let me know if I am overlooking something? It would be a great help (and relief).

1. Cage- 3 sterilite clear totes, with PVC pipe connecting. Fleece fabric liners for inside the cage sections.
2. Playpen- 3 foot plastic swimming pool. 16" sides.
3. Wheel- Carolina Storm Wheel (gifted by a good friend).
4. Bowls- Food and Water (smaller ones) Not sure on the whole bowl vs. water bottle thing yet.
5. Igloo (with cover)
6. Ferret corner litter box (not sure what to use as litter yet..so many conflicting ideas)
7. Toys- toilet paper rolls (with ends sliced), some baby toys the grandson has outgrown, and PVC pipe.
8. Food- haven't bought yet (didn't want it to go bad) Suggestions? I was thinking Blue Buffalo
9. I have a supplier for silkworms
10. I have a space heater that runs on a thermometer. It can sit up and away from the playpen. Solar power backup.
11. Rice bags for emergency warming.
12. Travel carrier (hard sided, but liners for it). Can be buckled in.
13. First aid kit. Have a question about hydrogen peroxide though... allergic to it. Is Alcohol safe?

Okay that is it for now, unless you guys have suggestions. I want to be fully ready when I finally bring him home.

[moxieberry]

Looks like you're very well prepared! I would suggest a litter tray that can go underneath the wheel, which can be instead of or in addition to the corner one. They poop and pee as they run, so you'll want something under the wheel, even if it's just a smaller piece of fleece, to catch the run-off. It makes cleaning a lot easier.The most popular stuff for litter trays is either yesterday's news or just paper towel.

I'd also suggest a hedgie bag - they're invaluable for bonding with a new hedgehog, and my boy prefers to sleep in his instead of anything hard-sided like an igloo. I personally have multiple of those, and also multiple liners. For the liners, especially, it's helpful to have enough so that you can switch them out as necessary but not have to do a load of laundry just for the purpose of cleaning them. 3-4 sets of liners is perfect, in my opinion. And on that note, if you don't already use something unscented, you'll need unscented laundry detergent. Also, Aveeno baby oatmeal bath wash is a favorite here for bath time. Normal small nail clippers can work fine, but I always recommend cuticle clippers - they're a lot easier to work with and see what you're doing.

If you haven't yet, check out the sticky in the diet section about dry foods. Blue Buffalo is a good choice, but some of the varieties of Blue Buffalo are too high in protein.

[SquiggyTheHedgie]

Originally Posted by moxieberry

I would suggest a litter tray that can go underneath the wheel, which can be instead of or in addition to the corner one.

Actually, if you already have a Carolina Storm Wheel, it already comes with a litter tray, so theres no need for the corner litter box, your little one will mostly just use that as his general potty area when not running if you can successfully litter train them. Some hedgies will get it, others will just go wherever they want As for litter make sure its non-clumping and something that cant get caught in the hedgehogs genitals. Moxieberry made some excellent suggestions

[moxieberry]

Originally Posted by SquiggyTheHedgie

Actually, if you already have a Carolina Storm Wheel, it already comes with a litter tray)

Hadn't even thought of that! Haha. Hopefully the friend included the original tray with the wheel.

[Mizzle92]

Yeah I have several liners now. I bought one set on etsy months ago, but liked the idea so much that I have made 5 more sets for each section of the cage. I can imagine you go through them quickly and need to have a lot of extras. The shampoo works out well because that is what I use for myself. I need to get the nail clippers though. Do you have a source for good hedgie bags? I don't have those yet... and yeah the wheel came with the tray.

As to food... is there a kind that you guys like best? Some brands I have seen recommended are Innova reduced fat, Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck, and By Nature Organics Chicken, these with the Blue Buffalo are about the only ones I can get local (don't mind driving a couple of hours though if its better for him).

I want to thank you guys for your replies. I went to a pet store (private not a chain) and asked questions when I first was looking into getting a hedgie (almost a year ago), and they seriously lack education on the care of the little critters. Since then I have been collecting information from the net (this site being a major portion of it). I still feel very nervous though. I want to be a good hedgie keeper. Your responses are very much appreciated. Thank you.

[moxieberry]

The liners you'll probably go through quickly in the beginning, then you'll start needing to change them less often. Babies are messy, haha. Currently I change Archimedes' once a week (he's a little over 6 months) but when he was a baby it was more like every other day.

The food I always recommend is Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul - but, unfortunately, there's a major (voluntary, precautionary) recall going on with the Chicken Soup brand of pet foods right now, so it's going to be scarce in a lot of areas for the time being. So, that being said, Natural Balance GP&D has been high on my list for a while. I got a small sample a few months back, which Archimedes enjoyed, but I never actually added that to his mix. A lot of people recommend that one, though, as well as Innova reduced fat. For the Blue Buffalo, I don't know off the top of my head which versions of it are the best choice, but if I remember correctly, it's the Blue Buffalo Wilderness that's too high in fat. It's a good idea to have a mix of at least two - this recall being a prime example of why - though you'll want to introduce one gradually first and get him transitioned fully to that before adding a second one. Basically any of the ones you listed would be a good choice, beyond that it's personal preference - though if you're planning to use two, the Natural Balance might be a good choice for one of them just because it isn't chicken-based.

I make all my hedgie bags myself. If you have basic know-how with a sewing machine, they're really easy to make, and it's a lot cheaper compared to buying them from etsy. There's a how-to guide for those in the housing/accessories area of the forum (under DIY stuff). There are also some forum members who sell them.

And belatedly, welcome to the forum! We love it when new owners do so much research and preparation in advance.

[hanhan27]

Welcome to the forums! I bet you're so excited.

Just a few things to add...

Is there any particular reason you're going to feed silk worms over meal worms?

I also recommend cuticle/nail scissors. Cuticle scissors are smaller and work amazingly well for those tiny nails. I had so many more issues during nail clipping time with pet nails clippers AND human nail clippers than I do with the cuticle scissors.

Also, the wash that moxieberry suggested is not shampoo. The oatmeal wash comes in a box with individual little bags inside (at least mine did). It's in powder form. Shampoo is very drying, so sticking with the colloidal oatmeal bath wash will be your best bet.

As for good hedgie bags, I buy mine through Sweet Tea Scraps. If you go to etsy.com and search for that name under shops, you'll find it. The shop owner is very good at what she does and if you like her shop name on facebook, she posts links for sales quite often. Pricing is fantastic as well.

I personally really like feeding my hedgehog Blue Buffalo. She has two kinds of BB in her food mix and she loves them both. I use BB Basics Turkey & Potato (30% protein, 12% fat, first two ingredients are deboned turkey and turkey meal) and BB Indoor Health Chicken & Brown Rice (32% protein, 15% fat, first two ingredients are deboned chicken and chicken meal).

Using a plastic swimming pool for a playpen is fine, but make sure you are always there supervising. Hedgies can find ways to get over 16" sides! The only time it's okay to leave your hog unsupervised is if they are in a hedgie-proofed room, and even then it's not a great idea.

Keep us updated on your progress! I recommend posting pictures once you have your cage set-up ready to go. You can get some really great feedback and advice about things you would never think twice about.

[moxieberry]

Originally Posted by hanhan27

Also, the wash that moxieberry suggested is not shampoo. The oatmeal wash comes in a box with individual little bags inside (at least mine did). It's in powder form. Shampoo is very drying, so sticking with the colloidal oatmeal bath wash will be your best bet.

It actually comes in both. The one you're talking about is the "bath treatment", but there's a liquid one that comes in a bottle. I actually use the non-adult aveeno oatmeal wash because the store I went to at the time was out of stock, and it works great - but the baby one would be ideal.

Powder form: http://www.aveeno.com/baby-care/soothing-bath-treatment
Liquid form: http://www.aveeno.com/baby-care/soothin ... reamy-wash

[Edit] This is the one I use: http://www.aveeno.com/skincare/products ... -body-wash

[LarryT]

Either one is OK I prefer the powder but I usually get the walmart brand it's a little cheaper
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Oatmea ... t/10320783

[hanhan27]

Originally Posted by moxieberry

It actually comes in both. The one you're talking about is the "bath treatment", but there's a liquid one that comes in a bottle. I actually use the non-adult aveeno oatmeal wash because the store I went to at the time was out of stock, and it works great - but the baby one would be ideal.

Powder form: http://www.aveeno.com/baby-care/soothing-bath-treatment
Liquid form: http://www.aveeno.com/baby-care/soothin ... reamy-wash

[Edit] This is the one I use: http://www.aveeno.com/skincare/products ... -body-wash

I don't understand why you're correcting me? I said to not use shampoo and that the stuff I use is a powder.