[Leanne]

So the temp here is 105 F, and I am guessing at least 100 degrees in the house. I check in on Zeppel every hour or so and he seems fine, but is 100 too hot for a hedgie? Any ideas just to help him cool off? I know with other animals a room temp bath can help, but if this temp is not too much then I will just let him be......

 

[Shelbys Mom]

From what I understand most hedgies should be kept below 80F and above 73F.

A few months ago our A/C went out and my cages got hot so I got some ice packs and put them on top of the cages that way the cool air will go down to where the hedgies are. I had to keep changing the ice pack's through out the day and monitoring the temp and it helped mine stay at a steady 76F.

Someone else may have better suggestions but this worked for mine.

Oh and if you use ice packs make sure you put something under them so that when they start thawing the condensation doesn't drip on the hedgie or get their cage wet.

 

[Zalea]

You should have a thermometer in your hedgehog's cage at all times so you can monitor the temperature. It should always be between 72*F and 82*F. 100 degrees is much too high. Hedgehogs will start going through estivation, which is much like hibernation but is instead caused by being too hot. Some will do this as low as 82* so you have to be careful.

Signs of being too hot include "splatting" on the belly and panting. Estivation will bring sluggishness and lethargy.

You need to buy a good digital thermometer to ensure that your hedgehog is at the right temperature at all times. This is essential to good health.

This post has information about emergency cooling at the bottom: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=94&p=351. It's much the same as what Shelby's mom described.

The floor is also a cooler place, so if you have a two story house on the floor on the first floor will be the coolest spot.

Those are really only temporary solutions though so you should try to find a more permanent way to keep the hedgie's room cool during the summer.