[jvoyles]

I expect to be getting a hedgehog in about 6 weeks and want to be prepared. Would this cage work well? It would fit nearly perfectly where I'd like to have my cage.
http://www.petco.com/product/10638/Supe ... RRWidgetID

My biggest concern is that I don't have a lot of space where I am planning on having the cage. If I were to do a C&C cage, it could only be 1X3 or 14" X 42".

Are there any other cages you could recommend that can be purchased either online or at a chain store like Petco or Petsmart? Money isn't a big issue, but space is. I only plan on getting the one hedgehog.

Thanks.

 

[LarryT]

Lots of people use the cage you posted,it's ok.
Can be a pain getting the wheel in and out though unless it's a flying saucer wheel.

 

[Nancy]

Yes, that cage is fine and if you get it, email me and I will send you photos and directions how to make it more user friendly that the whole front flips up. It's an easy fix that will cost about $4 to do.

 

[Bostongirl]

I have almost the same cage for Dusty. As far as the wheel, in mine the top of the cage has a huge opening that lifts up. I have a large silent spinner wheel and I take it out daily to wash it. I can't tell by the photo, but maybe this one does too.

 

[LarryT]

I have almost the same cage for Dusty. As far as the wheel, the top of the cage has a huge opening that lifts up. I have a large silent spinner wheel and I take it out daily to wash it. You will absolutely have not problem getting the wheel in and out.

Silent spinners are not really safe for hedgies.
They have slits that can catch a nail/toe and cause serious injury,also they have been know to fall over on a few hedgies.

 

[LarryT]

Yes, that wheel is fine and if you get it, email me and I will send you photos and directions how to make it more user friendly that the whole front flips up. It's an easy fix that will cost about $4 to do.

Nancy did you mean to say cage instead of wheel?

Yep I sure did. I corrected it. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Bostongirl]

Larry

I have Dusty's silent spinner attached to the cage so it will not fall.

 

[LarryT]

Larry

I have Dusty's silent spinner attached to the cage so it will not fall.

Yes but it still has the slits in the running surface.

 

[Morel3etterness]

That was the first cage I had for egon...the top of mine also flipped up so it made it easy to access the wheel daily. I stopped using it because I move Egons cage every night so that I can sleep without having to smell his poopy wheel. Now I use a long storage bin. Its generally the same size as that cage minus the wire top part. The walls are high enough that he can't climb out and its easy enough to move every night. I found the cage you had to be a hassle to clean and transport when I had to. Space wise its great and safety is also great. My personal preference is a storage bin....easy to get to the hedge and easy to clean and transport... OH and much cheaper

 

[Morel3etterness]

Heres the new cage I set up today

 

[Nancy]

There are a few things that need changing. The sides of the cage are way to low and is an escape waiting to happen. You need to have either very high sides that go at least a few inches above the wheel, or better yet, a lid. Hedgehogs will climb wheels and other furniture to get out and the sides of that bin are low enough she could very easily climb right over. For example, last winter I had a fairly small 6 week old baby get out of a 13" high bin. All he had in the bin was a hedgie bag and his dishes as I was just starting to wean him. I have no clue how he did it but his bin got a ventilated lid immediately.

The red bulb needs to be a heat emitter with a thermostat to control the temperature. Although some hedgehogs are not bothered by red, many are and will either not come out in red light or will not be as active.

Be careful with the wire fixture. The are easy to get burned and with it being that low in the cage the hedgehog could try to climb it.

 

[Morel3etterness]

Haha thanks. My room is fairly warm to begin with. I just use the red light as an extra when I am home. I usually put it on when he is sleeping in his little hut to warm him up more. I do have a play fence i can use for the insides of the cage. Egon is not a climber luckily and I do have a lid but have not made any modifications yet so that it gives proper ventilation. When I go to work I just put his play ground cage up around it so if he decides to hop he will still be stuck in the other cage haha

 

[silvercat]

I do have a play fence i can use for the insides of the cage.

What do you mean by 'playfence'? Could this be even easier to climb?

Egon is not a climber luckily

Neither is Sylvie in that I've never witnessed her trying to climb her cage. She scales the sofa pretty well & fast, even able to shimmy directly upwards when hiding behind a pillow. Seriously, once I thought she was asleep then suddenly she was on the back on my sofa. Just cause he hasn't climbed for you to see doesn't mean he doesn't/won't. Just a heads up on that.

When I go to work I just put his play ground cage up around it so if he decides to hop he will still be stuck in the other cage haha

Do you put it up around the outside or inside of the cage? I ask cause it looks like the cage is up on a table (good to avoid drafts & such on the ground) but if the fence is on the ground that would be quite a fall. Also what do you do while you're sleeping? Or out eating, etc?

 

[Nancy]

Just because she doesn't climb now doesn't mean she won't decide to tomorrow or next week or next month. All they need is a bored night and then they find something to do. Don't assume because she doesn't climb now that she never will. Cages themselves need to be climb proof and escape proof and not dependent on an external barrier. Depending on what the play fence is, some of them can be easily climbed.

 

[LizardGirl]

I had that cage for Inky when I first got him, and about a year later he started climbing and actually got his head stuck between two bars at the top. Scared me to death. I was able to get him off because I was right there at the time, but after that I wasn't comfortable keeping him in the cage at all. I ended up getting him a Ferret Nation. If you do use that cage, you will definitely need to block the sides to prevent climbing.

 

[Morel3etterness]

Haha got to straighten this out first.... egon is a boy haha. Next, I keep the storage bin cage on top of that small tv table at the foot of my bed. I put the fence inside the cage. The fence is that multicolored one they sell in every pet store....he cannnnnnnnnnnnnot climb it for sure.The wires/bars run straight down.

http://www.nobby.de/typo3temp/GB/6685626eb4.jpg thats a picture of the fence. It fits perfectly in the cage. It cant be knocked over or climbed.

He is a pretty good boy. Alls he is concerned with is sleeping ALL day and wheeling/eating all night. I think he has a routine down hha

 

[Morel3etterness]

Oh I forgot to post... When I go to sleep at night the cage goes on the floor next to the heater (i have a heater that runs around my room. So I literally pick up the cage and move it to the other side of my room. I only do this so I don't smell him while I try to sleep. When I am working he stays in the cage on the tv stand with the fence. When I am in my room he is usually on my lap or in front of me wrapped up in a blanket. So he is pretty good.

 

[SilverQuill]

Careful one day he may learn to, like the one in this video did. Seems like they could easily break a leg if they fell the wrong way as well.

the video kinda drags out, he finally gets out at the end.

 

[nikki]

i have that exact same fence and quit using it because the hedgies would be out in a couple seconds. It won't stop them, also think about what can happen in just the fall from the top of the bin to the floor....even fall of 3-4 inches can cause broken limbs.

 

[silvercat]

Morel3etterness, I understand that you feel the cage is safe & climb proof but there's a number of experienced hedgie owners (having owned many hedgies for many years) on here that are speaking from their experience. I would hate for you to wake up one day or come home from work and discover the your hedgie has learned to climb and it's resulted in a serious accident. I'm sure there must be a simple way for you to construct a lid for the cage until you're able to get another bin with higher walls?