cage temp vs. room temp

[Amy36]

Hi! I am new to this forum and new to hedgehogs in general. My son and I are planning on possibly adopting a hedgehog in April. I have been lurking on here for a week or so doing research, and I can't seem to find an answer to this temperature question. I know hedgehogs require a temp of 75+ degrees. I was planning on housing our hedgie in a large sterilite bin with the CHE bulb/clamp lamp/thermostat combo. However, what about playtime when we take him out of the bin? Will I need to temporarily heat the room up to 75 degrees or can hedgies tolerate lower temps for limited amounts of time?

We are quite cold-natured ourselves, and our house temp rarely drops below 70 degrees, but I'm just not sure if the hedgehog could tolerate that for a short time? Do I need to invest in a space heater as well, and heat up the room before we take him out?

[nationofamanda]

i think based on personal experience that if your room temp isn't going below the low 70's then playtime should be fine. if for some reason your room is ever cold (like my parent's home when i visit is always in the mid 60's...brrr) then yes, just adjust the temp of the room for playtime.

i keep my apartment warm too..usually around 74 all year, but when it would dip to 70 i never had any problems.

[hedgielover]

It will probably depend on the individual hedgehogs as some cannot tolerate low temperatures. Also it depends on the type of playtime. For instance room temperature is not as much of an issue if the hedgehog is climbing on you or snuggling with you during playtime but is an issue if he/she is running around on the floor for most of the time.

[Lilysmommy]

Another issue...CHE's aren't safe to use with plastic bins, as far as I know. It's too closed in, even if you have ventilation holes in the bin, and it can overheat the cage. I think the best heating options with sterilite bins is keeping the entire room to the right temperature, with a space heater.

[Stephanie76]

I was planning on housing our hedgie in a large sterilite bin with the CHE bulb/clamp lamp/thermostat combo.

Isn't this not suggested as the CHE can get too warm for the sterilite bins? Correct me if I am wrong.

[hedgielover]

Originally Posted by Stephanie76

Isn't this not suggested as the CHE can get too warm for the sterilite bins? Correct me if I am wrong.

I'm really confused about this myself as I've seen it contradicted a few times. Some threads everyone agrees that it is not safe but in other threads people are indifferent about it. Some members have posted their set up asking for feedback and no one has responded with CHEs are not safe with bins.

I think I would not use it with a bin just in case. but it's totally up to you Amy36 if you find a way to set it up that you think is safe and doesn't over heat the bin then it might work.

[krbshappy71]

I'm really confused about this myself as I've seen it contradicted a few times. Some threads everyone agrees that it is not safe but in other threads people are indifferent about it. Some members have posted their set up asking for feedback and no one has responded with CHEs are not safe with bins.

Some things are like that, I will read one place its ok to do something and another place that its frowned upon.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4579
The link above is a great resource regarding the heating options, but as you can see it also says

Recommended cage types: all if you are using a thermostat, but please note that they may be dangerous to use with plastic tubs (they may overheat).

I think that is a great way of putting it. If you can safely mount one and your thermostat shows you it is still getting the heat it needs, then you are ok. If you can't get it safely close enough to provide the heat output needed, then consider the space heater or other options provided in that posting.

[Amy36]

Ok, I guess its a good thing I asked this question before going out and buying my heating equipment. krbshappy71, I had already read the thread you posted, but I understood it to say that as long as you were using a thermostat, the CHE lamp would be okay. My mistake. I guess I'll go shopping for space heaters now.

Would the CHE be a good option if I was making one of those cages out of wire crates? Our hedgehog will be a baby when we get him/her, so I wasn't sure about the safety of those, since babies might climb through the holes.

Has anyone used these solid crates to make a cage?

http://www.target.com/Storage-Solutions ... ge%20cubes

I thought I read a thread where someone had used these for a play area, but would it work as a cage as well?

[Lilysmommy]

I think the solid ones would pose the same risk as a sterilite bin, as far as being a bit closed in. The wire would work well though, and a CHE would be great to use with those. I have a C&C cage (as they're called, for cubes & coroplast), and though I use a space heater right now, I'm planning to get a CHE when I have the money.
It's true that if the openings are too wide, the baby could escape, but 1" should be fine, I think, unless the baby was unusually small for his age when you got him. The other safety precaution to put in when you're building a C&C cage is to have the coroplast (plastic cardboard, or sign board. You can find it at sign shops, usually) that you put in the bottom go about 6-8 inches up the side of the cage. If you look at the cage examples thread in the housing section, there's quite a few C&C cages there that you can look at.

(Alternatively, you could use the solid ones for just the back or the back and the sides, to help hold in just a bit of heat. I have solid ones that make up the back of my cage, and I quite like them.)