Hedgehog Central banner

Question About Heating In Regards to Cage Size

1K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  Avarris 
#1 ·
First, I would like to apologize if this exact question has already been put forth. I attempted to locate the answer in the forum and came up empty handed.

In 2 weeks I'll be bringing my little girl home. I know that normally you want to have the cage all set up before baby comes home, but I'm also purchasing the cage from the breeder. Why don't I pick up the cage ahead of time? Simple: it is located 3 hours away. :lol:

Take a look at the pic below, it will show you the type of cage I am getting (they use shelving pieces and coroplast). The dimensions of the cage are 2'x3'. So far I have 1 Zoo med 10" Brooder dome, and a 150W CHE. I'm starting to think that might not be enough.

My question is this: Should I get another 10" Brooder Dome and 150W CHE, so that I then have not 1 but 2 heat sources?

next question: would it be okay to set the dome with che directly on the top of the cage? or should I clamp it on and angle it down as far as possible
?


Thank you so much, in advance, for taking the time to look at my questions! :)
 

Attachments

See less See more
1
#2 ·
Im no hedgie expert, but from my reptile experience I'll leave you with this: The wire cages have a plastic coating on them, so I woud get the clamps and suspend them over the cage. You'll want approximately 18 inches between the CHE and the floor of the enclosure for the best distribution results. Or thats been my experience. The gas produced from the melting plastic is toxic. You don't want your hedgie breathing those fumes. With the size of that cage I'd recommend getting a second CHE for even heat distribution.

I hope that helps. :)

Edited to add: 150W might be a little high of a wattage, I'd go about 100W, but that is totally up to you. I use a temp gun rather than a thermometer to check temps. You can pick them up at lowes or home depot. That way you can check the floor, midground, and high points in her enclosure to make sure you don't have any hot spots or cool spots. Just a thought.
 
#3 ·
It partly depends on the temperature of the room you plan to have her in. If it's cooler, you'll have a harder time heating the cage. Either way, it's a big enough cage that I'd say you'll probably end up needing another lamp to keep the whole cage at an even temperature. I've never heard of anyone having issues with keeping the lamps on the top of the cage - I've seen a lot of people do it and that's how I had mine. It helped make sure most of the heat went into the cage and I don't think mine would've kept Lily's cage warm enough otherwise - as it is, I had to heat my room, and put fleece around the back and sides of her cage.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the advice Avarris and Lilysmommy! :) The clamp looks pretty sturdy, so it should hold the dome up and away from the bars enough to not affect the plastic.

My room is a bit on the cold side. I do have a space heater. And tomorrow I will be recovering my window with plastic for 'insulation' against drafts.

I do also plan to hang fleece on the back side and on one of the short sides as well. :) That's the trouble with bringing the cage home with the hedgie, I'll have to experiment kinda quickly. But no worries, I'll have the space heater going and those 'hot hands' warmers on hand.

13 Days! (but who's counting? :lol: )
 
#5 ·
Lilysmommy said:
It partly depends on the temperature of the room you plan to have her in. If it's cooler, you'll have a harder time heating the cage. Either way, it's a big enough cage that I'd say you'll probably end up needing another lamp to keep the whole cage at an even temperature. I've never heard of anyone having issues with keeping the lamps on the top of the cage - I've seen a lot of people do it and that's how I had mine. It helped make sure most of the heat went into the cage and I don't think mine would've kept Lily's cage warm enough otherwise - as it is, I had to heat my room, and put fleece around the back and sides of her cage.
It doesn't happen often, but I have seen the tops melted off of some of the wire cages. An inch between the CHE and the top of the cage won't hurt anything. If it was me, thats how I would do it, but thats my preference and experience with my reptiles. LOL Still waiting for my hedgie experience to get started. The 18 inches I recommended is from the bottom of the CHE to the floor of the enclosure. A lot of that is to make sure you are evenly distributing the heat, because CHE's are also used to help warm up basking spots for some reptiles that require higher temps. Sometimes the UVA/UVB bulbs don't have the heat output needed for reptiles, so we add CHE"s for a heat boost with out sacrificing UVA/UVB. :)
 
#6 ·
Hey, Avarris. I found this laser thermometer on amazon.com for what appears to be an amazing price. Whatcha think?

http://www.amazon.com/HDE-Temperature-Infrared-Thermometer-Laser/dp/B002YE3FS4/ref=pd_sbs_k_2/

Also, quick question about the wattage of the CHE. If I have a thermostat hooked up to both CHEs, and even if they are both 150W, should the cage not stay at the desired temp? Or would it overheat? I've never used them before, and am on a steep learning curve. ;) I kind of went with the idea of 'better to have more than what you need' with the 150W.
 
#7 ·
Katis228 said:
Hey, Avarris. I found this laser thermometer on amazon.com for what appears to be an amazing price. Whatcha think?

http://www.amazon.com/HDE-Temperature-Infrared-Thermometer-Laser/dp/B002YE3FS4/ref=pd_sbs_k_2/

Also, quick question about the wattage of the CHE. If I have a thermostat hooked up to both CHEs, and even if they are both 150W, should the cage not stay at the desired temp? Or would it overheat? I've never used them before, and am on a steep learning curve. ;) I kind of went with the idea of 'better to have more than what you need' with the 150W.
Thats an amazing price for that temp gun. I'd go for it. With a thermostat hooked up to both, you will be absolutely fine :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top