[sic_infested]

hello... i just wanted to make sure i have a good enough set up for my hedgehog... the pet shop i bought her from had her in a tank with a wooden house... food and drink bowl (i can't get her to drink from a bottle no matter what i do) and newspaper bedding... they told me to do the same... so i did... its just a cage and not a tank... i was told wood shavings weren't good for her cuz she has a wet nose and it'll stick to her nose... so i went with the newspaper... i've noticed tho that alot of u r using fleece and some r using wood shavings... what would u recommend to be best for her bedding? oh and also she has a littler box where she does her business... any advice on how to make it better or more comfy for her would be a gr8 help... thanx

 

[nikki]

I would suggest that you switch her to a different bedding, newspaper is very cold when it gets wet from urine ect and isn't that absorbant. Fleece is great as a bedding, when you change it you just run it through the washing machine and its ready to use again. Shavings are ok as well, but it needs to be kiln dried and not cedar. The problem with shavings is they get all over the place and are messy, they can also be dusty but i've never heard of a problem with them sticking to any hedgies nose. I have had up to 12 hedgies at a time on shavings and none have had any problems with it sticking to their nose. Its good that she's drinking from a bowl, they are much better for hedgies than bottles. A cage is much better for them than a tank as well as tanks are hard to clean and have poor ventilation. What type of cage do you have? most use plastic bottomed, wire top cages, and they should only be one level high.

Just a couple questions for you, what kind of food are you feeding her? I only ask because pet stores always want to feed them Hedgehog food and most brands are horrible for them and some are even dangerous. Do you have a wheel for her? A wheel is a necessity for a hedgie as they love, and need, to run.

Good luck with your new girl and please feel free to ask any questions you might have.

 

[sic_infested]

ok... well her cage is plastic bottom and cage top... and its only one level.... on average she does do her business in her litter area so her bedding doesn't get that wet really when she pees.... but i'm gonna change over to fleece anyway just to keep her warmer... i will stick to the bowl then... i was just tryin to give her more room... and as for food i do buy it at the pet store... the link attached is the kind i feed her... http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=17055

and a wheel i don't have in her cage only cuz there is no room left for one... the wooden house takes up alot of room... i do let her out alot to play in the hallway but she does sleep alot when she's out... so the only way to fit a wheel in there is if i get rid of her litter box...

 

[hedgielover]

a wheel is better in the cage because hedgehogs are nocturnal and are most active at night. This means that even if you have your hedgie out in the evening he stil may not be awake enough to run on the wheel but may apreciate it at night when you are sleeping. Try rearanging the other furniture in the cage to get it to fit. If it still does not fit replace his sleeping hut with a smaller one. If the cage is not big enough to fit everything then the cage is not big enough.

There are lots of threads with pictures of cages under housing and accessories try looking at them to get some ideas.

 

[sic_infested]

on person has the exact same cage as me in the cage thread... and was told its fine... i know the wood is very large... but i figured out what to do to make it fit... i'll be changing things around tomorrow and pickin up the wheel tomorrow too... i'll post up some pics after its done also...

 

[nikki]

That's great that you figured out a way to fit the wheel in, I'm sure she'll appreciate it, and switching to fleece liners is wonderful!

I just have one suggestion about the food. There is a thread here, viewtopic.php?f=6&t=45, that discusses hedgehog specific foods, and while 8-in-1 is one of the "better" ones it still should be mixed with one or two of the recommended cat foods in this list, viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15, that way they get a good balanced diet. I would recommend reading both threads if you haven't yet. Reaper is pretty much an expert on hedgehog healthy foods.

 

[sic_infested]

i'll read those 2 threads and mix the foods... anything that makes things better for her i'll do... i just wanna know whats better... 1 of those wheels http://www.bitsforpets.com/images/supre ... -wheel.jpg or the bowl looking kind http://www.sure-pets.co.uk/products/ima ... k%2048.jpg ... i don't know whats better... any suggestions any1 can throw out there please do...

 

[LizardGirl]

Both of the wheels pictured are far too small even for a baby hedgehog. You could get a larger one of the second (the 12" one) or find a different brand of the traditional wheel in the first picture. You need the large size of any wheel.

You can buy bucket or cake walk wheels as well, they are made specially for hedgehogs.

 

[nikki]

the flying saucer wheel (the flat one) is a good wheel for a hedgie as long as you buy the largest one they make, i believe its 12 inches. I have a couple of those and I actually like them better than the bucket wheels I have and my hedgies really like them too. But any solid surface, 12 inch wheel would work but stay away from the Silent Spinner wheels as they can be dangerous.

 

[sic_infested]

yea i wasn't gonna get one of those... i just used the pics so ppl knew what i ment... i just got back from to pet shops and thy both only had metal wheels... first shop had bars.... second had a mesh... i can't believe neither one had a wheel i could use

 

[Nancy]

What was the metal wheel like? There is a big blue solid surface metal wheel that I use for some of my gang. It is a nice wheel, very quiet and the only thing against it is the bars but the hedgehogs I've used it with, have not had a problem.

 

[sic_infested]

it was mesh on the wheel... very easy for the nails to get stuck... but i ended up finding what i wanted... i just finished everything... and i took a couple pics...

 

[Nancy]

You need the lid on the cage or she will climb and be out.

 

[sic_infested]

yea i thought about it... i'm gonna have to make a lid since the cage isn't tall enough for her wheel now that i made a play area... i'll prolly just put chicken wire or something... other then that tho... everything is alright?

 

[Gnarly]

Be careful with chicken wire, it has sharp little ends all over, and your hedgehog could get caught on it if she climbs up.

It look like the wire for the cage can easily be cut with a pair of wire cutters. You can cut a space for the wheel and cover the edges with something smooth, if you still have the top that came with the cage.

 

[sic_infested]

i was thinkin of that too but didn't really wanna damage the cage... i've never seen her climb it b4 tho... so we'll see what happens... i just really would like to hear her on her wheel tonight... i'd be thrilled to hear that...

and i also wanna ask about heating that cage... whats the best way? i was gonna go grab one of those heat emitter bulbs and a thermostat... my room isn't really that cold but just in case i'd like to have it there... any recommendations? the whole cage is metal with green paint and plastic bottom as u can see in the pic... what do u guys think?

 

[sic_infested]

few days and still she hasn't been on her wheel... i hope she gets on it soon...