[Kalandra]

I bought one of these recently to try as a travel cage at the Milwaukee show. What do you mean the bottom is not solid? The one I purchased the top, bottom and back are all made of solid polyester. The sides are mostly mesh and the front door is a mesh. The one I purchased is a size Large and has just under 6 square feet of space. Its quite roomy for a hedgehog. I, however, cannot see using one of these for a dog. They are light weight and I can see a dog easily tipping them, carrying them around, or chewing them up.

As a travel cage I think they may actually be just fine for the right hedgehog. Not all hedgehogs have the same personalities though. But I will report more as my experiment proceeds. I intend to try it out on Rose this weekend as a play pen to see how she reacts in it. I suspect based on her personality she won't care as long as she has her sleeping blanket, wheel and food.

 

[Kalandra]

I would try these out well before the shows. Don't want any escapees at the show.

That's what my testing is for. I'm an overly protective momma who if there is any concern at all that it won't work out, then we go back to our old standard plan. If it does, well it will save packing 2 tubs into the car (or 4 when I have 2 hedgehogs). With a hedgehog that doesn't dig, I don't have any concerns yet. We tried a little time in it last night and Rose was pretty disinterested in the adventure. She looked around, found her mealies, her wheel and promptly climbed under her sleeping blanket to nap. With Rose's personality this was as I expected. I took her out after 15 minutes. We will continue our testing until I'm certain she is going to be safe. Else we pack tubs to Milwaukee.

LG, has your little one spent time over night in it yet? Wondering how he reacted.

One funny thing about mine... it has seat belt loops. I can't imagine putting a dog in this thing.

 

[Kalandra]

Don't forget to consider height. Some wheels may not fit in the small size kennel. A good friend of mine warned me of this this weekend. She said it just depends on the wheel and how thick your liners are. But with the wheel I have, it would be a very tight fit. Better off going with the larger size. If you want a good idea of the footprint of a large, mine fits on top of a bath towel with some towel sticking out to the sides.

 

[Kalandra]

Rose did great. The kennel worked just fine.

I found out one of my friends has used these kennels before. She said she paid less than $20 for hers, but it was several years ago. She gave me some tips on how to easily clean them. Basically involves putting soap in, sitting inside a shower and allow the bottom to fill with water, swish, drain and rinse several times. Sit the kennel with the floor side up on a towel and they dry really quick. She said any stuck poo comes off of them extremely easy this way.

She also said the old design had velcro so you could throw them in the washing machine...

 

[Kalandra]

I wouldn't consider them for a permanent home.

One concern is lighting. They have a solid top and a back mesh window in the sides & the front. I don't feel they allow enough lighting for a full time residence. For a short trip I think the lighting is fine.

 

[Kalandra]

I have two of these for traveling. As I stated, I don't feel they get enough light. You also have to watch what you buy. I bought a 3rd one (and returned it) that had only half windows on the side and the front is mesh (returned it because it wanted to collapse if you walked by it). The two I kept have mostly mesh on the sides and only the front (not the back) is mesh.

I don't feel heating is an issue if you keep the room warm. For those out there that do not keep their room temperature adequate, yes it will be an issue.

I really don't think these are ideal for a full time cage. They have been fine for temporary/travel housing so far.

If you are looking for a good cage for cheap, look into finding a nice big plastic clear sterilite or other brand container. Or get 2 tubs and connect them via tube. I personally love my 2 tub condos for my hedgehogs. The wheel, water and food are on one side, the sleeping play area on the other. I have found that they will pee, poo on the eat/wheel side and the other stays clean.

Plus if you have the room you can build 3 and 4 tub condos.

 

[Kalandra]

I don't remember what size mine are now. I honestly don't look at the size by gallons or quarts, but by the square footage in the floor. But they give just over 6 square feet of floor space each. I think I remember 116 sterilites (clear sides only). Look for something that is clear, with a large flat floor space.

I don't use lids with mine. And don't have a problem with climbing hedgehogs.

I do use a water dish. I had a hedgehog break a tooth on a water bottle in the early years. However even back then I did use a water bottle. I drilled a hole at the right spot for the spout to stick through and attached the bottle to the outside. Worked great, until we had a tooth broken by a hedgehog who used to bite at the nozzle.

I don't have any experience with a flying saucer. All my wheels have a nice pvc pipe base, so we really don't have an issue with them being knocked over.