First Hedgehog - Enclosure Plans

Hello, my name is Austin. I'm new to the whole "Hedgehog Scene" and would like to ask a few questions. I have plans, to build a custom enclosure for a hedgehog. I do not have any hedgehogs, and have not had any in the past. I have done my research on them for the past week. Anyways, from my research, I have gathered that the enclosure must be a bare minimum of 1Ft. x 2Ft., well, good deal, because I have just enough room in my room for a enclosure of that size. I do plan on taking him/her out of their cage as much as possible. This enclosure will be exactly 24"Lx12"Wx20"H, it will have 4 generic household vents (like for an air conditioner) for ventilation, and will have two swinging plexiglass doors on each half of the front of the enclosure, and the top will swing open upwards as well. I also plan on making a bucket wheel for my hedgehog aswell. But, my real question is, what are the safe, and poisoness woods to hedgehogs. I know that the aromatic oils in Cedar and Pine are know to be not so good for them, so I plan on keeping away from those. But once again, a list of "Safe" and "Potentially Dangerous" woods would be GREATLY appreciated since this project is due to take off in a few days.
Thank you SO much,
Austin.

Hi Austin

A couple thoughts - if there's any way you can make the enclosure bigger, I'd strongly suggest doing so. I started off with a cage that size, then put in the wheel, food & water dishes, & igloo for a sleeping area and quickly realized there was no room for hedgie to move!! I do use that size cage for when we travel, so, yes, it's possible, but it's *really* cramped. When the sites mention a 1' x 2' minimum... that really, really is the minimum.

I'd stay away from wood products to make the cage for a couple of reasons - while you can find a non-toxic sealant to help protect against things like spilled water and urine, it's not going to be 100%... you may end up needing to reconstruct portions of the wooden cage sooner than you'd anticipate. Also, wood has been cited as a source for harboring mites. It can also hold on to other "bug" - viruses/bacteria. And is harder to sanitize if hedgie runs into a real health issue. While you can pull the wood out, scrub it, and bake it to clean it during the course of treating for a viral or bacterial infection, it's going to be ever so much easier to wipe down something like coroplast, plastic, etc... Though I have known people to successful make a portion of their enclosures with wood -- just want to make sure you know some of the issues with it, so you can anticipate what steps you may need to take in the future.

That said, right, stay away from cedar and pine. From there, I'd be looking at finding a rather non-porous hardwood. Maybe think about a coroplast liner though to help with the messies??

As you're describing it, it sounds like the only ventilation in via the generic vents... If I'm picturing it right (like: http://www.justhomedecor.com/estoreusa/home.php?cat=306) hedgie may or may not have enough ventilation. Remember hedgie's poo and pee are going to build up in there - it could become foul pretty quickly. These little guys make a lot of poop for a creature their size! Gads, I remember bringing my baby home some years ago, expecting something maybe a bit bigger than the pelleted poops that a guinea pig makes... then out comes this log... and another log!

If you were thinking along the lines of the larger vent covers with those with nice, big, openings/plenty of airflow and you're planning on putting them around the sides (ie, not just like the ones with thin slatted parallel openings placed on the top of the enclosure only) it *might* work out. You definitely do not want to assemble something that looks/acts like a fish tank... not enough air flow.

Thank you so much for the reply! You have definately given me a lot to ponder on. It sounds like I may be back to the sketch pad! Haha, I'll probably re-arrange my room a bit to see if I can get an area for a larger enclosure. And I was actually thinking about using a Reptile Carpet, (That I used to use with my bearded dragons) the reptile carpets I use have no loops and no loose strings to post hazards. I was actually going to use the household vents instead on the top, two on the back wall, and one on each side wall. And another thought for me, was actually, cutting out some sections of the walls, and screening it. Screening, like the screening on your front door, or window. And what I was thinking with the whole, "Custom Enclosure" is these good sized Guinea Pig and Rabbit Cages are quite pricey. And I was thinking, I could maybe spend a bit more, and get a nicer looking, and better quality enclosure. But, once again, thank you so much for the response! Definately back to the sketch pad!

Check places like craigslist, ebay, etc to find less expensive premade enclosures. Just make sure that the spaces between the bars are 1/2 inch or smaller and that it has a solid bottom, not a screen, grid or anything that is supposed to make cleaning easier because it's dangerous for 99% of animals. Getting a premade wire enclosure would offer you the ventilation you need to get the ammonia and smells out. Look for one with a large door to make cleaning easier on you. If you do get a cage on craigslist or anything, you'll obviously have to make sure you make it absolutely sterile using vinegar or a pet-safe cage cleaner, but it would be much simpler for you to both get and maintain.

First of all, welcome to CnH!

I have a cage that I custom built for my hedgie. Its made of plastic board (coroplast). It's 5ft by 2 ft, and I used wood trim to build a frame and a non-toxic sealant on the outside attaching the plastic board to the frame. It was tricky making sure that no sealant was on the inside of the enclosure, but it worked and its great. Super easy to clean, with 2ft walls it doesn't need a top so its extremely well ventilated and has tons of space for her to play. It's also extremely light (maybe 5 pounds?). Best of all, it cost me about 40-50.00 in total and its very flexible if I want to add more space, make another level, etc.

check out some of the other threads on here about housing/cages. people have posted many great ideas and pictures, anything from the coroplast cages as lexie was talking about to attaching two or more large rubbermaid containers together with 4 inch pvc pipe (which is what i use and they love running thru the pvc pipe and having the extra space to run and play). a lot of these ideas are very easy and cheap to make and people have posted exactly how they did it if you need a more detailed explanation on how to do it.

I had plans to build my own cages, in the style that the Flash & Thelma Memorial Hedgehog Rescue uses (you can see an example here: http://hedgieflash.org/rosie.htmll). But for me it was just easier to go ahead and buy ferret nations instead. Poke around on the F&T website and you'll find more examples of their cages. I've seen them in person and they are very large and impressive cages. They have been in use for many many years now. They are sealed and from what I understand easy to keep clean. So yes, wood can be used, but it needs to be done right.

I know some feel 2 square feet is enough, but seriously I wouldn't go with anything under 4. These little guys need space. The more you give, the happier they will be.

Some of the cages you buy in stores can be quite pricey (i.e ferret nation 142), but there are plenty of good cages out there at a reasonable price. Watch for sales at your pet store, or shop around on line.

Cube & Coroplast cages are also an idea, and if you don't mind plastic tubs, you can do some amazing things with them too. I used plastic tubs connected via pipes/tubes for many years, you can make huge cages out of them.