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Sleeping outside hide?

21K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  lcoopman  
#1 · (Edited)
Sleeping outside hide? Help, Please!!

Goooood morning!

For the last two mornings, I have woken up to my lovely hedgehog, Bee, sleeping outside her hide. She has been sleeping next to it lately. At first, I was really concerned that she had tried to hibernate, but she was warm to the touch, and the thermometer said that my room was 76 degrees and that it was 75 degrees in her home. Once I turn the lights on and get moving around, she wakes up and runs inside her hide (where she should have been in the first place).

Any ideas as to why she's not sleeping in her hide? Do I need to be worried?

She's my first hedgie, and I want to take good care of her.
 
#2 ·
I do not have a lot of experience, but if she wants to sleep somewhere other than her designated bed, why the **** not?!
Think of a two year old that wants to sleep sideways on the bed instead of the "proper way"- certainly not a reason to take the child to the doctor, they are just being themselves!
She feels secure enough in her cage to sleep outside of it... I would think that is a very good thing!
 
#3 ·
Hedgies switch up their sleeping area a lot. Especially since she's still getting used to her new environment. Do you have any sort of cozy sack, blanket, or t-shirt in her hide? Making her hide extra burrow-y could entice her to sleep there. Also, is her whole cage heated at the same temperature, or are areas warmer than others? Sometimes a hedgie will sleep in warmer areas of the cage, or cooler areas if they find it too hot (some hedgies prefer cooler temperatures, like 73-75 degrees).

As long as her whole cage is heated, I wouldn't worry about her sleeping in random areas. When I first got my girl, she slept in her tunnels and dig box instead of her igloo. But she grew out of it and sleeps in her igloo now. Just give little Bee some time :)
 
#6 ·
My hedgehogs will suddenly decide that they want to sleep under their wheel or in a random corner of their cage. I think they do it just to mess with me.
So, to answer your question- it's normal.
 
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#8 ·
Loki has been sleeping in the open lately. Despite house, hedgie bag, and chunk of fleece he is usually found in a ball at the end of the cage. Granted he is a big hedgehog plus a bit overweight so he doesn't really fit in a normal hedgie bag. With so many hedgehogs we just heat the whole room to 78f so he shouldn't be hibernating. He just seems to have decided to sleep abnormally. Every now and then one of the younger ones also sleeps half in a PVC tube and half hanging out.