I by no means have more than basic experience with hedgies (I've had 2), but we have used a red heat lamp bulb with both of them and neither seemed to mind it. They have both been active through out the night with them on, but that's not to say that another hedgie might not be bothered by even the low amount of light emitted by the bulb.
Cage setup/heating
2
Hi, all. I'm new to hedgies, so forgive me if my questions seem basic. 
This is the setup I built for my hedgie, Dexter... My question concerns heating. I'd like to use a heatlamp with a ceramic heater, or a red bulb so the light doesn't bug him - I guess my first question is, does it matter which one? Would you prefer a ceramic heater or a red bulb? I've seen both used in pictures on other threads here.
My second questions relates to my setup - it's a narrow cage, and I worry about a heatlamp shining on one part. I don't know where I should place the lamp - I worry that if it were near the wheel, he'd overheat. I worry if it's by his bedding, it might get too warm for him to sleep comfortably. And I worry if it's over his food/water, it might spoil faster, during the day while I'm at work.
Am I worrying too much? Or are they justified worries?
One option I could do is try to make the cage twice as wide, and have the lamp in the middle - then it's not right next to the wheel, food/water, or bed. I'd like to make it wider anyway, but I want to make sure it will fit where I want it to.
Any input would be appreciated!
Here's the cage; it's a little over 1 foot wide, and a little over 3 feet long:
![]()
And here's Dexter!
![]()
This is the setup I built for my hedgie, Dexter... My question concerns heating. I'd like to use a heatlamp with a ceramic heater, or a red bulb so the light doesn't bug him - I guess my first question is, does it matter which one? Would you prefer a ceramic heater or a red bulb? I've seen both used in pictures on other threads here.
My second questions relates to my setup - it's a narrow cage, and I worry about a heatlamp shining on one part. I don't know where I should place the lamp - I worry that if it were near the wheel, he'd overheat. I worry if it's by his bedding, it might get too warm for him to sleep comfortably. And I worry if it's over his food/water, it might spoil faster, during the day while I'm at work.
Am I worrying too much? Or are they justified worries?
One option I could do is try to make the cage twice as wide, and have the lamp in the middle - then it's not right next to the wheel, food/water, or bed. I'd like to make it wider anyway, but I want to make sure it will fit where I want it to.
Any input would be appreciated!
Here's the cage; it's a little over 1 foot wide, and a little over 3 feet long:
And here's Dexter!
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