[hedgeowl]

As I’ve franticly posted, I just set up a new heating system (Ceramic Heat Emitter 150 Watt) for Owl because I have recently moved into a new place and it is cold in Boston. My problem is I have not been able to get her cage warm enough without using my space heater and with a snuggle safe disc for her bed. This new place and my room especially gets unbelievably cold when no one is home. My roommates turn the heat off when no one is home. I’m not sure if my heating system is working or just inadequate to keep the cage warm in a room that gets very cold. My first impression and hope is that my thermostat simply isn’t working as it has yet to reach the temperature on its own that it is set too. I have cranked it to 80 degrees and with the help of my space heater still has not gone close to that high. I put some plastic placemats on the sides and back of the cage (standard plastic bottom wire top cage) and still nothing. So my questions are:

How much higher than the temperature of the room can the CHE get a cage?

Should I crank the Temp to compensate for the coldness of the room?

I originally ordered everything online but it took way too long to arrive and so I bought it in store as well. I have the online thermostat coming in a day or two that I plan to try out to see if that is the problem. Fortunately I have been on vacation and have been able to have the heat on and use a space heater, but when I go back to work I will have neither, just the CHE and a snuggle safe disc. Any idea would be helpful I’ve been racking my brain trying to get her cage warm enough. Luckily as of now I have kept her warm enough and there have been no hibernation attempts but I am very worried : (

 

[krbshappy71]

I believe some people fashion covers for their cages that help hold in the warmer air, keeping both the light and lamp underneath. I really think you have an uphill battle trying to warm one square cage in a very cold room. Heat just dissipates so easily. Any way you can talk to the roommates and offer to pay more towards the heating bill if they will allow you to keep the place a bit warmer? It might be cheaper for you in the long run and safer for your little one to just bump up the temp all around a bit.

 

[Hedgieonboard]

I agree with that too to see if its possible to have the heat left on. A few other things I can think of from when I lived in the cold is if its an actual house apartment and not a dorm you could put the heat shrink plastic over the windows to lock out heat being leaked that way. You can move the room around so the hedgehog cage isn't on an outside wall, and also make a heavy sand sock that can go in front of the door. Alot of times just adding the plastic to the window and the sock will make your room warmer and make the spaceheater not have to work as hard. You might also have to get a second one, I don't have the box for it anymore but there was an awesome spaceheater I got that plugs in and stands up almost like a radiator, this one put out some serious heat and was safe to leave on because it shuts off if tipped over and doesn't get hot to the touch. This one didn't oscillate but when used in combination with a normal small one with a fan it kept a large area pretty toasty

 

[Nancy]

I use the heavy clear plastic to hold heat in. It comes on a roll and is sold by the yard at Walmart, Fabricland, Joannes etc. It comes in different thicknesses and I get one thick enough to hold it's shape. Attach with clothespins or those black binder clips.

One nice thing about the plastic is it allows light in and hedgie to see out. Start by covering the back of the cage and one end. If more is needed, try putting some at the ends of the top but make sure it isn't too close to the emitter.

Turning heat off or very low does not save on heating as it take so much for the furnace to get the room back up to temperature. Lowering a couple of degrees when nobody is home will save because the temperature is a bit lower but not enough that the furnace has to go into overdrive to warm it back up.