New soon-to-be hedgehog owner looking for housing advice. :)

[SilPai]

Hello, my name is Krysta. I'm looking to get a hedgehog in the near future, and spent a couple months doing research on their care, but I'm also looking for the opinions on current hedgie owners. Any advice is appreciated. ^_^

Anywho, I've spent some time compiling a list of things I am thinking of getting for my hedgie, as far as housing is concerned.

First off, the cage.
http://www.petco.com/product/108254/Sup ... esHabitats
I found this cage in the guinea pig housing section on Petco's website. I thought that this should provide ample space, and it has an overall nice look to it as well.

I have a wheel already picked out from a hedgehog supplier (I'll have to have it shipped, but that's no big deal.) But if anyone has some recommendations for wheels I could find at a local Petco/Petsmart, please don't hesitate to share.

For hiding places, I've found a few things, though a couple are small and may be more for decoration in the cage to suit my personal tastes.
http://www.petco.com/product/105868/Sup ... ent-105868
http://www.petco.com/product/10219/Smal ... ways-10219
http://www.petco.com/product/113977/PET ... way-113977
(The strawberry and acorn hideaways are the ones that are relatively small, but I thought they were just too cute to pass up for having them as plain decorations. Otherwise, any hideaways/sleeping sacks I'd buy would be from the guinea pig or chinchilla sections.)

That's all I have for links I'd like opinions for. But before I leave, I'd also like some opinions for bedding options. Currently, I have a snake (ball python), and I have aspen snake bedding from the company Zoo Med (this bedding here, http://zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDeta ... ntryID=126). Would this be a suitable choice for cage liner? Or should I find something more solid? Any and all recommendations are much appreciated. I want to make sure I can give my future hedgie the best home possible.

Thanks for reading!

[RWatkins]

All of these questions can be answered by searching. Most here use fleece for bedding. The ramp and second level could be a hazard though. hedgies have bad depth perception and fall a lot.

For a wheel. ALWAYS get the CAROLINA STORM WHEEL from LarryT on this forum. I can not promote this product enough. Super fast shipping, and worth every penny. the 300+ positive reviews support my opinion.

[SilPai]

Thanks. I sort of like having the idea of more floor space though, so perhaps I could modify the second level/ramp to have a barrier to prevent accidents?

The Carolina Storm Wheel was actually one I'd been looking at. It seems very sturdy and well made.

The fleece lining idea sounds good, actually. Interchangeable, washable. Anything that saves money sounds good with me.

Once again, thanks for the advice.

[RWatkins]

Here are a couple topics because I am bored at work:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8574&p=72777&hilit=fleece+bedd ing#p72777
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=4844
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=71
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1860

Enjoy the reading Welcome to the Forums and Congrats on your future Hedgie!

[RWatkins]

You should consider a larger cage then. I have a tommy 120. the CSW is pretty large, but amazing. If you want a second level, you should have walls that run to the top of the cage on both the level and the ramp to prevent falling. You also need to consider heat getting under the second level. One of the links I put in was cage setup examples. There are a lot of "lofts" to look at on there.

[SilPai]

Thanks a lot. I'll definitely check these out.

[SilPai]

I like some of those loft ideas. =D I could definitely make a fun project out of making the cage perfect for a hedgie.

[Nancy]

There are better cages for around the same price. The Ferret Nation is an awesome cage and the loft can fairly easily be made hedgehog safe. Having full front opening doors make it very easy to clean and access hedgie. There are a few threads on here showing Ferret Nation cages that people have.

[LarryT]

Walmart has the cheapest FN's
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Midwest-Pets- ... d/14317988

[abrowndog]

The fleece inside the super fleece tent is not so great. I loved this set and bought them and promptly had to throw them away as my little Priss got the fleece wrapped around her feet, in her quills and I thinking ate quite a bit of it. NOT GOOD!

As mentioned, fleece is the way to go as far as liners. Buy it cheap on sale and cut it to fit. I shake out the fleece nightly, throw it in the wash and put in new, no allergins for the kid or the hog and nothing to vacuum up. LOVE IT!