It's also highly possible that your hedgie is not an explorer type.
My boy is NOT an explorer, it doesn't matter how far away I put him, he will , run back to me, hide under my leg, or climb in my lap to sleep. It doesn't matter what time I take my boy out, he is happy to just chill in my lap and sleep, or lay on my bed with me while I watch tv and he sleeps. That's just how he is and I've accepted that. I know he runs on his wheel plenty at night, because I hear the pitter patter of his little feet on the wheel, and wake up to a lovely personalized "finger painted" wheel, just for me :lol:
I don't believe it would be healthy to force him to stay awake, as it would just stress him out more, make him unhappy. Hedgies are nocturnal and are happiest to come out when it's completely dark. When I take my boy outside to play(in the afternoons), we stay out there for about an hour(all just of him trying to snuggle up next to me to sleep) and once I put him back into his cage, he gets left alone for the rest of the evening and night, as he tends to sleep in later. On a normal night, I usually just let my boy cuddle up to me and sleep, so I'll actually have him out for anywhere from 2-5 hours, and I'll usually take him out at around 9pm, earlier if I'm giving him a foot bath(like 7pm)
On a normal night, my boy wakes up at around 10pm on his own. And it has to be dark. And if it's not dark enough for his liking, then he'll come out to eat, then run back to wait for me to go to bed, so he can come out and wheel.
I wouldn't recommend putting him in a playpen overnight, as it's not a stable structure like a cage, which makes for a possible escape. As long as he has a wheel that he likes to use, and decent floor space, then that's more than enough for overnight.
My boy is NOT an explorer, it doesn't matter how far away I put him, he will , run back to me, hide under my leg, or climb in my lap to sleep. It doesn't matter what time I take my boy out, he is happy to just chill in my lap and sleep, or lay on my bed with me while I watch tv and he sleeps. That's just how he is and I've accepted that. I know he runs on his wheel plenty at night, because I hear the pitter patter of his little feet on the wheel, and wake up to a lovely personalized "finger painted" wheel, just for me :lol:
I don't believe it would be healthy to force him to stay awake, as it would just stress him out more, make him unhappy. Hedgies are nocturnal and are happiest to come out when it's completely dark. When I take my boy outside to play(in the afternoons), we stay out there for about an hour(all just of him trying to snuggle up next to me to sleep) and once I put him back into his cage, he gets left alone for the rest of the evening and night, as he tends to sleep in later. On a normal night, I usually just let my boy cuddle up to me and sleep, so I'll actually have him out for anywhere from 2-5 hours, and I'll usually take him out at around 9pm, earlier if I'm giving him a foot bath(like 7pm)
On a normal night, my boy wakes up at around 10pm on his own. And it has to be dark. And if it's not dark enough for his liking, then he'll come out to eat, then run back to wait for me to go to bed, so he can come out and wheel.
I wouldn't recommend putting him in a playpen overnight, as it's not a stable structure like a cage, which makes for a possible escape. As long as he has a wheel that he likes to use, and decent floor space, then that's more than enough for overnight.
