New hedgehog? New home? Help?

[Narwhalhedgie]

Okayy! After two months i finally got my new baby hedgie, Narwhal. He's a skittish little sweety, and he's a real pretty pinto. I got him from a breeder, who was a bit pricey but he's worth it. Now I have a few comments, concerns, braggings and just talking about his cage and stuff, to see if it is right. : )

Okay, so his cage is a SuperPet rabbit/guinea pig cage resting on a 3 1/2 shelf. : D He has aspen shavings, (the good kind. I forget what they're called!DX i knoww its the good type, that wont cause health issues.) They're wood shavings. : D
He has a bottle and water dish, with the breeders hedgehog food and gets 2-3 meal worms everyday. He has a thermometer in his room and the temp ranges from 70-76 degrees. The breeder said it was okay if the LOWEST was 70. But I'm looking in another heating option... I've been worrying and nervous and just so upset and uncomfortable with my room temp. I'm constantly checking it every other hour, but I don't wanna annoy my hedgie by coming in and out to check the temp. :c Anything to suggest about heating and to keep my from worrying so mmuch?
Also, this is his first day at my home. Should he still be a little skittish, not playing with his toys(hes 7 weeks old) and hasn't taken an inteerst to his wheel yet? Should I give him time? I'm a little confused and, yet again, worried. He's sleeping right now, but it's nighttime, he was up an hour ago..is this normal?
Again, with stable heat...what do you guys use? I'm looking for something to just heat Narwhal's cage..and not really the whole room..but I can put up with it, my mom just doesn't like the whole house being so warm..
He always LOVES mealworms, and I wanna bribe him into him letting he hold him a bit more with some fruits and vegatables. What are some same ones for him to nibble on? How many mealworms should he eat a day?
I might've forgotten a few things to add, but THANK you SO SO SOOO much for reading and please help me calm down a bit.

[ReginasMommy]

When I first brought Regina home, she barely ate or came out of her little hut for a week. I took her out every day for at least a half hour to an hour, just to get her used to my smell and my voice and being handled, and she still wouldn't unball, and she kept her quills completely out so that I had to use a blanket to pick her up. I would put her on the floor to play, and she would just lay there in a ball and if someone moved or touched her, she would hiss and pop. Then suddenly, a week later, she stopped doing all that, and became her normal self. Now she never balls up (except for at the vet), she lays on my lap and sleeps in a blanket, she lets new people handle her without being grumpy, and she is just generally adorable and friendly and sweet! So I wouldn't worry about your hedgie's temperament just yet. It will take him a little while to get used to the new smells and people, also since he's only seven weeks, he might be quilling, which can affect temperament.

Congrats on your new hedgie!!! I hope you two have a lot of fun together!

[susanaproenca]

If you want to heat the cage only, best option is a CHE (ceramic heat emitter.) if you go to the "Housing & Acessories" forum there's a sticky called "Heating your hedgehog's cage." Sorry I'm on my phone and it's hard to post links.

70 is too cold, one of my girls will attempt hybernation if the temperature in her cage drops below 75. And you don't want the temperature to fluctuate more than a couple of degrees.

[Narwhalhedgie]

He's oing better, he's running on his wheel, eating and drinking but most ofall he sleeps. XD I might just get a CHE, since my mom ikes the whle house cooler, and i do too..I just don't want Narwhal to hibernate. I've beenlooking up on the CHE's, but do you need justa normal desk lamp and the ceramic bulb to heat it? Or a special lamp?

[Annabelle]

No you need a special dome lamp rated for CHE's otherwise the heat will melt a normal lamp. Any pet/reptile store would sell it. People here recommend the 10" dome because it spreads the heat better

[cylaura]

First of all, congrats on getting a hedgie and welcome to HHC! This forum is a really great source of news and advice.

Originally Posted by Narwhalhedgie

Also, this is his first day at my home. Should he still be a little skittish, not playing with his toys(hes 7 weeks old) and hasn't taken an inteerst to his wheel yet? Should I give him time? I'm a little confused and, yet again, worried. He's sleeping right now, but it's nighttime, he was up an hour ago..is this normal?

Yes, all of this is totally normal! Babies sleep a lot more than adults do, even at night when they "should" be awake. I'm sure he will start playing with his toys and running on his wheel very soon, but right now, he just got moved to a whole new environment. Give him a couple of days and I'm sure he will be more active and less skittish. When I got my hedgie, the breeder told me it would be best to leave him alone for a few days after I brought him home so that he could get more calm and comfortable. If you haven't already, you can cut up an old t-shirt and put the pieces in where he sleeps so he can get used to your scent. Just make sure to cut out the seams and any loose threads, because hedgie feet can get caught on them.

Originally Posted by Narwhalhedgie

He always LOVES mealworms, and I wanna bribe him into him letting he hold him a bit more with some fruits and vegatables. What are some same ones for him to nibble on? How many mealworms should he eat a day?

I would say wait a little while before introducing any new fruits or veggies into his diet. Hedgies can be very sensitive to food changes, and can easily develop tummy issues because of it (green runny poops, etc.). He's still getting used to his new home, which is stressful, so you don't want to add more stress by giving him a bunch of new treats as well. I'd say stick with the breeder food and mealies for now, and try new foods in a week or so.

When you are ready to try some new things, here are some good and bad foods (I copied this from another post that I found, so hopefully this list is all correct):

SAFE FOODS: meats (cooked/unseasoned) like chicken, turkey, beef, fish, etc.; apple; banana; cantelope; cherry; honeydew; papaya; peaches; pear; pumpkin; squash; strawberry; watermelon; blueberries; kiwi; asparagus; broccoli; carrot; corn; cucumber; green beans; green pepper; peas; spinach; sweet potato; turnip; zucchini; eggs; baby food; wet cat food; cottage cheese; insects like mealworms and crickets.

NOT SAFE FOODS: chocolate; avocado, raisins; grapes; anything with tea tree oil; dried fruits; seeds; nuts; human junk food; dairy products other than small amounts of cottage cheese (I'm not sure about yogurt).

Good luck! You're doing all the right things!

[Narwhalhedgie]

Awesome! He actually let me hold him a little and I put him in his playpen while I picked up around my room and talked to him. He seems a lot more adventurous now then he was before. I have almost talked my mom into getting my a ceramic heat emmitter so that should be good about the heat! : )