Planning for hedgie in 2017!

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Chin Up

Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2015
Messages
18
Location
Arizona
So I planning for a hedgehog sometime next year hopefully! Until then I wanna do all the research I can so I am 100% prepared. I have many, many questions that hopefully you can take the time to read and look through :)

Ok so first. I recently sold a young chinchilla cause she and my other one didnt get along. I kept her cage though just in case. Today I split it in half and took the bottom half and am just wondering if this will work for a hedgie cage?
The dimensions are 1'9" W x 2'8" L x 1'10" H
9sexki.jpg

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Obviously I am going to clean it first lol

2. I have seen a couple different houses that people use for their hedgies and I really want to do the house that is fleece and round but not a plastic igloo. Does anyone know what I am talking about and where to get them?
I will be making my own snuggle bag cause I have a lot of extra fleece I am not using thanks to my chinchilla.

3. What litter do you use in the little pan that goes under the wheel?

4. What do I do for heat? I cant use a space heater cause the chinchilla needs to stay cool. Please be detailed

5. How much does a hedgehog eat? Do I need to feed a certain amount a day to prevent obesity or just free feed?

6. Do I provide insects and fruits/veggies daily?

7. What are the best hedgie supply stores?

8.Where do I let my hedgie to play or how - Do I let him roam around my room? (its already chinchilla proofed) However my floor is not carpet and I heard that that can make their little feet cold. Or do I just let him sit on my lap with a snuggle bag or what?

9. When choosing my hedgehog, where should I get it from? what should I look for when picking it out?

I think thats all for now, but I am sure I will have more questions in the future. Hedgehogs became legal where I live just last month so there isnt anywhere to buy supplies or whatever for them yet :)
Any more advice is appreciated! Thanks!
 
Ok so first. I recently sold a young chinchilla cause she and my other one didnt get along. I kept her cage though just in case. Today I split it in half and took the bottom half and am just wondering if this will work for a hedgie cage?
Yes. That size will work just fine. If you happen to get a climber, you'll want to put some guards up the sides so that hedgie doesn't climb up the bars. Some use coroplast; others use those plastic or vinyl place setting things; I use crib bumpers.

2. I have seen a couple different houses that people use for their hedgies and I really want to do the house that is fleece and round but not a plastic igloo. Does anyone know what I am talking about and where to get them?
I will be making my own snuggle bag cause I have a lot of extra fleece I am not using thanks to my chinchilla.
It's funny, each hedgie has their preference and you'll find that you may need to provide a few things and hedgie will choose. For example, it didn't matter what I gave to Satin - she went under her liner. Tex chose snuggle bags. Bella will only use a hat or an igloo with a blanket in it. Marlee will only use an igloo.

3. What litter do you use in the little pan that goes under the wheel?
If you get the Carolina Storm Wheel, it comes with a litter pan. Other people make their own. I'd suggest keeping it simple like a paper towel or a little extra fleece. Stuff like Yesterday's New or Carefresh or shavings gets tracked all over the house and can cause issues for the hedgie who decides that it's a good idea to eat it. There's also the issue with it hiding health conditions (disguises funny poop or reddish-tinged urine).

I don't use a pan at all. Everyone decides to poop and pee in different places. Three on their wheels, one pees in front of her wheel, the other pees behind it. So I put down little wheel mats (extra pieces of fleece) in their favorite potty areas and change those out daily.

4. What do I do for heat? I cant use a space heater cause the chinchilla needs to stay cool. Please be detailed
I'd use a CHE set-up. There are four parts to it:
1. The ceramic heat emitter bulb. It emits heat, but no light. Aim for 100 or 150 watts. Probably 150 since the rest of the room needs to be cool for the chins.
2. The lamp. Aim for a lamp that's rated for the wattage of your CHE. Aim for a 10" dome. Larger diameters seem to help distribute the heat better.
3. The thermostat. You'll screw the CHE into the lamp and plug the lamp into the thermostat. Don't let the store try and tell you a rheostat will work. You want a thermostat. Zilla, ZooMed, and Big Apple are all fine.
4. A way to help keep the heat in. Those crib bumpers (or other things) I mentioned above are a great way to help hold the heat it.

5. How much does a hedgehog eat? Do I need to feed a certain amount a day to prevent obesity or just free feed?
Free feed a mix of a blend of a couple high quality kibbles. If hedgie starts becoming obese, then cut back. Each hedgie is different. I used to give Tex maybe 15-20g of kibble each night. Satin was 9-12g if I'm remembering correctly. Bella gets around 10g. The goal is go give enough so that hedgie isn't emptying the dish and going hungry and, also, so you're not throwing away mass quantities of it each night when you dump the old stuff and provide new kibble. So, those estimates are what ended up working for those 3 kiddos... They all had more as babies. Gosh, Marlee got over 20g. She's since grown up to be a chub, so we have to restrict.


6. Do I provide insects and fruits/veggies daily?
According to the hedgies, yes. Preferably ALL the mealies and waxworms in the world. All day. Everyday. Except for Tex. He did NOT want any of those things. But he'd eat baby food veggies.

7. What are the best hedgie supply stores?
It's really hit or miss. I end up going on line for most of the stuff. PetCo is near me and has mealies and waxies. Pet Supplies Plus happened to have the best cages in town. I later upgraded to a Ferret Nation via Amazon. Carolina Storm Wheel will lead you to the best wheels. Amazon or Big Apple Herp can lead you to CHE/lamp/thermostat set ups.

8.Where do I let my hedgie to play or how - Do I let him roam around my room? (its already chinchilla proofed) However my floor is not carpet and I heard that that can make their little feet cold. Or do I just let him sit on my lap with a snuggle bag or what?
Let hedgie snuggle on you. They'll tell you what they want, though. Satin and Marlee were and are the under your shirt, on your belly snugglers. Tex was a snuggle in hand boy. Bella prefers to stand on you for 5 minutes max and demands to go back in her cage.

9. When choosing my hedgehog, where should I get it from? what should I look for when picking it out?
Look for someone with a long track record of selling hedgies. Someone who's willing to talk about their herd. Someone who's NOT all about "I have this color and that color." Someone who has a good handle on hedgie care and maintenance. Here are a couple examples of the kinds of things to look for:
http://www.volcanoviewhedgehogs.com/
http://www.terrapinhedgehogs.com/
Note, I have not purchased a hedgie from either and have no stake in this. Rather, I offer these sites and the information they contain as examples of things to look for.
 
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