What is the temperature in her cage? And in the area she is trying to sleep in? Have you checked for any drafts? If you use forced air heating, is her cage in the draft of it? I had one once where the cage was plenty warm, and I thought out of drafts. But I had moved a chair in the area and it caused the forced air heating system to push hot air over her cage. The extra heating/cooling action caused repeated hibernation attempts.

If none of those are an issue, can you insulate under the cage? If it continues you may want to look at heating a section of the cage with a heating pad. A hedgehog that has a warm cage bottom can lay with their tummy on the warmth and soak up the heat better than their quills do. I've always been a little concerned with CHEs because they heat from above. Heat rises, and it could leave the cage floor cooler than what heating the entire room, or if you use a heating pad.

 

Hi Kalandra. Thanks for the help.
The thermostat above her sleeping corner says 75F, even after I cranked up the CHE. If forced air heating means the house heating system, it's not on right now cause it blows out hot air, and that might cause drafts in the house. When I stand there I don't feel any drafts but is there a way to check for any sudden drafts at night?
Right now I've shoved a heat pack outside the coroplast hoping it warms the area. I wish she would go on top of the fleece to at least warm her stomach but she insists on being over coroplast. Her old cage used to be upstairs on carpet. I know people have said floors are the coldest part of the room, but does that apply to carpet. I thought maybe it helped insulate.

 

The floor area in general is generally colder because heat naturally rises. Raising the cage even a couple of feet can result in quite a change in temperature. During winter, I have always added a couple layers of blanket or old towels under my cages to help insulate the flooring because no matter what a hedgehog will at some point decide to sleep under their liners on the cold cage bottom. I use ferret nation cages now, but I still throw a couple of layers of cloth under the pan bottoms as insulation.

If your heating system is off, that kinda rules out the warm air draft idea.

 

I am a semi-new pog momma - but I got my two pogs in the middle of winter and learned REALLY quick the "tricks" to keeping them warm. I just want to share what I have done and maybe there might be a hint here and there that you can use.

I live in Central NY - and winters are horrible here.

Both my pogs are in their own large sterlite tubs - and both tubs are setting on top of my big sewing table far off the upstairs floor. I have hardware cloth over one half of each cage
that is totally wrapped in heavy foil and a circle cut out where my CHE lamp rests on the hardware cloth. The CSW 's are at the other end of the tub. I have drill holes on all four sides of tub for air circulation. My CHE lamps are 60 watts so I have no fear of them melting the plastic etc.

In the summer I take the foil off the hardware cloth in the warmer months of the year. I find that putting the foil on the hardware cloth in the colder months increased the heat level inside (I have my thermostat set on 78) stopping the warm air inside the tub from rising and floating away without ever heating their tub.

I have a blanket under the tubs during the winter months. We keep the upstairs at about 66 degrees during the winter months. On the really horrible sub zero days when it is windy i will put a twin electric blanket under their tubs set it on 1 or 2 at night when we are all home to help them stay warm during the coldest part of the "day" (night) . It is never left on when there is no one home.

My pogs are NOT liner divers........... I bought them both a ferrett fleece igloo - filled it with with fleece blankies and that is where they pretend to liner dive!!! They are as warm as toast in there!

Everyone's home and heating system is different - just wanted to share some of the things I do to keep my pogs warm in winter . Good luck! I think keeping them at the right temp in winter is the hardest job of being a pog momma.

Kathy

 

Thank you both very much. I'm going to try some of the tips and come up with some of my own ideas as well. I'll post any successful tips as well. It's off the Canadian tire for some insulation material.

 

One thing that works really well to insulate underneath a cage is styrofoam. I don't mean the white stuff that crumbles apart like snow, but the blue or pink stuff used in house construction. That stuff always feels warm no matter how cold it is.

 

One thing that works really well to insulate underneath a cage is styrofoam. I don't mean the white stuff that crumbles apart like snow, but the blue or pink stuff used in house construction. That stuff always feels warm no matter how cold it is.

I like that idea Nancy - I know just what you are talking about. Think I will get a sheet of that and put that on the entire top of my sewing table to help keep it insulated and feeling warmer.

Thanks! Kathy

 

That's a great idea Nancy. I'm going to try find some.