The Big Dilemma...what should I do?

Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum

Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
X

xwhateverx92

Guest
So the other day I had a little scare with Annie (as some of you have already read on the other board) with her temperature dropping too low.

The SnuggleSafe is really not doing it for Annie and the house temperature does not stay where it should for a little hedgie. My mom was upset about the idea of a heater running almost all of the time in my room or having a heater underneath Annie's plastic sterilite bin. She's concerned that either of those will start a fire.

So I'm not sure what else I can do to get her enough heat.
What else could I possibly do to keep her sterilite bin at the correct temperature?

Besides all that though, I have been wanting to get Annie a new cage of some sort because the one she has now is not very big. I also would like to try to use liners in her cage instead of aspen bedding, and I need more room to fit a litter pan in there for her.

So...my dilemma is...should I stick with the sterilite containers and get another larger one (or connect two together) or should I make her a C&C cage?
With the C&C cage I was thinking about getting a ceramic reptile heater...BUT would that be warmer than her sterilite bin?

Your help/suggestions are really appreciated. Thanks.
 
If your mom has problems with a heater or heating pad going 24/7, will she also have problems with a ceramic heat emitter?

A heat emitter will warm up a C&C cage but only up to a certain size. 2 grids by 3 grids would be fine but any larger and it would probably not work. You can also help hold the heat in by making the whole back of the cage solid coroplast and you may even need the sides to be solid.

To use an emitter on a C&C, you need a lid for it.
 
Definately go with Nancy's advice as she she ALWAYS has great tips. Just a little side note though, try to avoid connecting two sterlite bins together unless you have two ceramic heat emitters(or another heart source) If your mom is scared of leaving a heating source on 24/7, then I doubt she'll let you use two. Since you were forced to make a sudden cage switch, Iwould go with C&C!
 
I talked to my mom about the ceramic heat emitter and she didn't have issues with that. I had a similar thing for my hermit crabs a few years ago, so I think she realizes that it is a safe thing.

For those of you that have used it before, how often do you have to replace the blub?
I was just wondering.

I was actually planning on a 2x3 cage, so that's perfect.
 
It really depends on what kind of CHE you use. Though it is slightly more expensive and is a bit harder to find, I use a ZooMed 150 Watt for my Ferret Nation cage. For you however, I woul stick with a 100 watt. For ZooMed, they can last up to 5 years but that depends on the usage so I would wither keep another bulb handy at all times or replace it every 3-4 years. ZooMed is suppsedly a highly recomended brand but other people use brands such as Exo Terra and have had no problem at all.

Edit: I just saw that Nancy had responded while I was blabbering away so sorry for the long responce!
 
Last edited:
Wow. I didn't realize that they lasted a few years- that's great.
I think that's what I am going to do then, make a C&C cage. It would give Annie a lot more space.
 
With a heat emitter, you have to use a thermostat. The thermostat will turn the emitter off and on as needed to keep the cage at the required temperature. Because the emitter is not on all the time, it will last longer than if it were running constantly.
 
I'm obviously not Nancy but I really don't see a probblem with any of the pet store displayed thermostats(popular ons like ZooMed and Exo Terra) as long as they all control the heat.
 
Okay, I've seen ZooMed at the pet store I go to, so I'll check the thermostats out next time I go there. Do you some how connect it to your heater?
I'm sorry for all the questions, and thanks a lot for the help. :)
 
That sounds great.
I don't see anything on that site about a price or how to order it.

Thanks again for your help.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top