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What's a safe heated viv / vivarium to use for cold basement room?

911 views 0 replies 1 participant last post by  9thousandlives 
#1 ·
I live in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.. Summers get pretty hot (AC running most days) and winters get pretty cold. First-time hedgehog owner, here. I have had my new hedge for the past few days. I'm so anxious, I constantly feel sick and can't sleep because of the heating situation.

Right now my 1.5 y/o male hedgehog is in an upstairs guest room in a 16"x32" plastic Sterilite tub. It's cozy and retains heat well, but it's small. I have been able to keep temp between 73-77 F (I think he prefers lower range, from what I've observed?). He's very active and likes exploring so I would like a bigger space. There was an incident of him tipping his tub over and nearly escaping.

However, my family wants him out of the guest room. The only other room I could use is my basement bedroom. It gets chilly being downstairs, esp with vents and window in the room. Obviously would put cage up on table, in innermost corner away from any drafts.

I have a space heater with an adjustable thermostat, and two CHE bulbs (150w and 100w) in 8.5" domes, both attached to a thermostat. Have not tested the heat set up downstairs yet because it's been very rainy since I got him, and I don't want to take away his heat source.

I'm looking to buy, modify, or D.I.Y a safe and sturdy cage with actual walls to better retain heat. A vivarium with plenty of space (yet not too big to heat) and front sliding doors is ideal. A note: would I need to put the heat lamps INSIDE the vivarium, keeping the top panel intact? Or would a partial mesh top for the heat lamps be better? How do I ensure ventilation? Should I worry about this set up ever overheating?
 
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