[pennygirl]

Hello everyone!

I have a question regarding hedgehog sleeping bags. Penny currently has a small hand towel in her igloo, which she loves to burrow in, but I'd really like to get her a fleece sleeping bag. I know most people make their own, but I am totally unskilled in the sewing department.

I have heard of some breeders who will make the sleeping bag for you if you send the fabric to be used. Has anyone else heard of this? Or does anyone have any other thoughts on where I can buy one?

Thanks!

 

[LarryT]

From what i've seen and heard Nancy http://freewebs.com/thehedgieden/ makes the best Hedgie products but she is closed her site due to health reasons i'm sure someone here will know of another good person/place to get what you need.

Edit a few friends of mine said they have bought from this site http://www.laurelszoo.com/hedgiebags/index.html
They recomend the large size bag.

 

[hedgielover]

Be careful with towels they have loops in the fabric which can catch toes and rip nails. I only use towels for drying after bath time and switch to fleece when I'm not watching him.

 

[pennygirl]

Thanks for the link, Larry!

hedgielover, that's a great point... Fortunately the towels that I am using aren't terry cloth material, they are more like a tee-shirt material so Penny's nails and toes will be okay

 

[xtine]

I cannot sew to save my life, so I've been looking online for sleeping bags as well. Though not as plush as the ones Nancy has on her hedgiden.com site, I found some nice ones on ebay. The seller's name is karen_idletime and she lists the products as "pet sleep sack bag bed." I just bought 2 and spent a total of $3.00 including shipping. They are lined, so they are soft and warm, in addition to being cute. I just bought one that has a hedgehog print trim going around it.

 

[Bengall77]

You can find pet sleeping bags on ebay and etsy. I believe that there are one or two members who have ads on this forum as well. Nancy is considered one of the best sewers but she is not currently taking commisions due to health concerns.

Be careful with towels, the hedgie can get their nails caught in the loops.

Until you can get some sleeping bags made up go to Wal-Mart or a craft store and buy some fleece. You can cut it into small blankets for your hedgie to snuggle in and use the scraps for a digging box. Plus, fleece doesn't have to be sewn and it won't unravel.

 

[Ariel]

I make hedgie bags 8" by 11" and they are cotton on the outside, anti-pill fleece on the inside. My hedgehog loves them and I may end up selling some someday as I have a lot of adorable fabric and the skill to make them, it's more a matter of time for me. I'm in high school and I've got some huge projects due so I don't have much free time to be starting or maintaining a business at this time. I may do it as a seasonal business once it gets closer to summer and I have more time on my hands.

 

[harasblas]

another thing you can do is buy a little extra fleece and cut strips around the sides then tie it.
no sewing required. And when you flip it inside out the bag becomes stuffed and great for digging without fleece strips everywhere.

 

[Hedgehog lover01]

I make sleep sacks if you want a sleep sack email me my sleep sacks are $5.00 or $3.00 pluse shiping

 

[MurE]

I just posted a free sewing tutorial on how to make a cute fleece pouch for your hedgehog. You can find it here: http://www.mytutorlist.blogspot.ca/2012/07/fleece-pouch-tutorial-for-hedgehog.html

I can also make them for you if you don't like to sew.

Cheers!

 

[Ela]

I noticed that this was an old topic, but since MurE dug it up, I thought I'd put in my 2 cents. =)

I find Etsy to have the best selection of stuff where you can easily message people to get things customized (i.e. larger, smaller, seamless etc.). I have also searched around for bags, and I like the ones that come from here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/clairepartlow
What I like about her bags is that the inside lining does NOT detach from the outside fabric (i.e. they are sewn together). That way when my hedgie digs, he doesn't pull the bag inside out. =D

On another note, I have also bought fun cubes from this person here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Friends4Fuzzies
I bought the medium ones and asked for seamless cubes with bigger holes. My guy loves to sleep in them when it's hot out. =D It's kinda like a soft igloo.

 

[emshedgehogs]

they sell tons of cute ones here
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tranquills

 

[MurE]

I like those cubes! Maybe I should make one for Poggles... it's a great idea!

I like the rounded bases of the hedgie bags from clairepartlow too. I wonder how she makes it so that the interior doesn't pull out? Is there an inside seam? Or does that top seam just hold it all in? I wonder...

I guess if you didn't want the interior to pull out, you could also just put a few stitches into the bottom to hold it into place.

Poggles likes digging in his bag too, but the outcome is that he is able to bunch up the interior around him to make a little nest, kind of like building a wall. I like that, and I think he does too. Whenever his "nest" gets too close to the doorway, I just push it back in so that he can do it again.

Thanks for all the links!

 

[Ela]

Hey MurE, I just realized that your blog is the one that I've been following since you got Poggles! When I was doing research on getting a hedgehog, I came across your blog and thought he was just adorable. I also loved the liners and the cute dome you made. =)

As for clairepartlow's bags, the seams are hidden, and since I have limited knowledge of sewing, I don't know how she does it. :lol: That's a good point about how they can create a nest if the walls aren't attached. I usually just toss in a small square of fleece and Tank uses it as a blanket.

 

[MurE]

Cool! Yeah, I've kept up how Poggles is doing on my blog since I got him. He's so much fun and I love him to pieces. I just gave him a bath and he is infinitely grumpy now. He's hissing at my typing sounds

I gave Poggles some fleece squares too, but he doesn't seem to distinguish them from the rest of his pouch. He just tramples on them, lol

Do you have a blog too? I'd love to see your hedgehog!

 

[Ela]

I do not have a blog, but I do have some pictures lying around, although sometimes it's hard to get him to hold still. =D

This is a few weeks ago:
[attachment=1:mj10fzht]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1341529119.086826.jpg[/attachment:mj10fzht]

And to stay on topic, here's him in his sack from claire, that's tucked into a large cube =D :
[attachment=0:mj10fzht]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1341529256.626671.jpg[/attachment:mj10fzht]

 

[MurE]

Ahahaha! I love the photos! He looks so cute! I love it when they are all snuggled in their pouches and their little tails are showing like that.

He looks really calm with all his quills down. Poggles likes to run on his wheel in secret so he usually gets off and goes back to his house if I catch him on it. Darn!

The bag from Claire looks really good. A good size too! The cube looks really cosy!

 

[Ela]

Haha! Don't be fooled. Tank has what I called "scaredy cat" complex that I'm working on fixing. He gets scared easily and when he's on his wheel, he freezes so it makes it easy to take pictures. lol He's afraid of many things (especially giants that just want to cuddle ), but he also relaxes and will completely splat anywhere when he feels safe. So far it's been a slow (but enjoyable) one step at a time process.

 

[MurE]

Lol, so that's the secret to good on-the-wheel photos!

I know what you mean by a slow one-step-at-a-time process. It has been the same for me. I love Poggles though. Him and all his quirks

I did a test run of a rounded base pouch today and posted the full tutorial on my blog: http://www.mytutorlist.blogspot.ca/2012 ... l-for.html

I called it the Summer Flannel Pita Pouch because it's shaped like a pita

Poggles used it right away, but when I put his regular pouch in front of him he just went back to his regular fleece pouch. I think the new pouch a.) doesn't smell familiar and b.) is too shallow compared to his regular pouches. The old ones provide more shade and coverage so he likes them better.

I added an alternative to the tutorial to add an extra lip onto the end so that it is slightly deeper.

 

[Ela]

Thanks for the tutorial! I might try that, although I'm not very good with the sewing machine.

When I bought my sacks from etsy, I also custom ordered ones that were larger, 9" x 9". Tank likes the larger ones better, but I think it's just cause he's a big boy that needs lots of room. =)