SO many questions!!

[kellyk]

Well...we will be receiving our first hedgie in about 6wks time...they were just born 5 days ago.

Trying to figure out where to get supplies ect, we are in Ontario Canada and it is proving to be a challenge.
Found the Carolina wheel here that you can order from the States...but its $25 for shipping...so hoping somewhere here can point me to Canadian places??!

Are there any places in Ontario or Canada that you have found supplies to be of great quality and recommended?

Also...something I thought of today, what do you do when you go away for a few days....how long are they able to be 'on their own' or is this not an option?

I also need to find a ceramic heat emitter with a thermostat...we keep our house between 17-19 in the fall/winter!

Would LOVE any suggestions!!!

Kelly

 

[smhufflepuff]

Hi Kelly and welcome. I don't know so much about the Canadian side of things - where to shop and such. Happily, we have active Canadian members who will be able to reply. I can answer your other questions...

When we go away for a few days, we either take the hedgies with us or bring them to their hedgie-sitter. Once, we had people come to the house to look in on them. We also boarded one at her vet early on... we found that our friends/family did a better job.

I've left mine alone for less than a day... we've been gone over night, but are back in the day to check on them. Or we're gone during the day, but back at night. There are so many things that can happen to them that I just don't feel safe leaving them on their own for too long. One example was when Tex dumped his water dish out - his blankets were wet. I found him huddled in a relatively dry part on top of his wheel stand by morning, but he was still a touch cool and damp Miss Satin has done similarly. Another example is the day Satin's thermostat broke - which cut power to her ceramic heat emitters. Brrr!!!

 

[kellyk]

Thanks for your response!!

I didn't realise so many things could happen...guess we will need someone to come in. Just to make sure nothing like that happens!
We do go away for 2 nights in the winter every year....and hoping to travel to PEI summer 2012...no way we would bring it with us...and I would be nervous bringing it with us in the winter time during that travel time as well.
We have a cat and she is fine on her own for a couple days...but was not sure on the hedgehog!

thanks again!

 

[Nancy]

Hedgehog Grove in Toronto sells the Carolina Storm wheels. Nikki of Quills n'things in Alberta sells bedding. http://quillsnthings.webs.com/accessoriesforsale.htm

It is not a good idea to leave them alone overnight. Since they are up and active at night, that is when problems can happen. A claw/nail can get stuck in bedding or in the care. One might choke on food, spilled water which creates wet bedding and therefore cold hedgie, heater goes off, heater gets too hot or any type of injury could happen. Usually if they attempt hibernation it happens overnight and we find them cool the next morning. If hedgie attempts hibernation that first night and nobody is there to warm him or her up for hours, the outcome may not be so good.

Big Als online sell thermostats. Petsmart sells fixtures and Ceramic heat emitters.

 

[kellyk]

Thanks Nancy

That info is great...I did see online about Als. I didn't think about the bedding and their nails...do you think it is better to go with the recycled paper for the floor than blankets? I was leaning towards blankets...but maybe I should rethink this.

You have me worried about this overnight idea...no one is awake in the night to be watching them, the cage will need to be safe until we are up in the morning. ....!