[nikki]

Heating pads are bad for hedgehogs. They make a part of the cage warmer than the rest of the cage and can cause hibernation attempts. Hedgehogs are not good at regulating their own temperatures by moving to cooler or warmer parts of their cage. They will usually stay in the warmer spot even if its to hot for them. In the wild the whole area is the same temperature so they don't have to move from one area to another. You need to heat the entire cage to the same temperature without using a heating pad.

 

[nikki]

I don't see any benefit to leaving it in the cage turned off, I would just take it right out. The other problem with heating pads is because they are a low temp they're very comfortable to lay on. The long term exposure to the heat can actually cause low temperature burns. It has happened to some hedgehog in the past and the burn can be very serious. Think of how they live in the wild. The heat comes from the sun and they live in burrows so the burrow isn't a warmer area.

I think that his activity level may improve without the heating pad, he wont be as tempted to stay in bed.