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Zathamos

New member
Joined
Aug 7, 2019
Messages
1
I am going to upgrade the size of my cage for my hedgehog. I keep reading "get as big as you can" but I havent found anything on height. I currently go without the lid since it's a foot tall plastic wall she has never tried to climb.

I currently have a bin that is 34l x 18w x 12h about. And it has worked fine for the first year but I want to get her more room. I have searched and found the two largest options possible. One is 39.75l x 21.5w x 18h. The other is 44.7l x 19.9w x 6.3h. The overall footprint is slightly larger with option 2 (885.8sq inches) however a height of only 6.3 inches concerns me as I usually use 2 inches of bedding. While having a slightly smaller footprint than option 2, option 1 (854.6sq inches) is quite a bit taller than what I have now. Either way I am adding or subtracting about 6 inches in height.

If I went with option 1 I could cut the height down though and get it to about 12. If I made the switch from bedding to fleece I could gain at least an inch on option 2. But i am not convinced that 5 to 5.5 inches is tall enough. One other thing to consider is heating. I currently use one 150w CHE bulb with a 10 inch dome on a stand which keeps it centered over the cage (obviously with a termostat). I feel like in gaining only 5 inches in length and 3.5 in width shouldnt change how well that one light warms the area. However gaining over 10 inches in length makes me think I would need a 2nd light and therefore another stand and bulb.

While option 2 is slightly larger it is all in length with only an extra nearly 2 inches in width. While option 1 is still nearly 6 inches longer than what I have now but also Gaines nearly double what option 2 does in width adding 3.5 inches instead of only 1.9.

I am thinking it makes more sense to get option 1 and cut it down a bit in height, but I was hoping to get someone else's opinion on this and my thought process.

Would you go longer at the expense of width, or try to grow everything equally and get a taller cage. The main thing holding me up is the height and the fact that width really seems to be what she needs over length. Yes she runs the length of her cage frequently but she also doesnt have much room width wise with her bed and food next to each other and how wide her wheel is.

Conditions to consider; I live in a very cold (winter) and very humid (summer) environment, so drafts and humidity build up can be a thing. I feel as though 12 inches is the perfect height but everything else seems too small for her. I have considered C&C options, but they need more heating and are harder to clean (with bedding), I thought about two bins and pvc, but don't have that much room. I will post pictures of both options to help you picture my height concerns. Although gaining nearly a foot in length has its appeals as well.
 

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