Heat Lamps+ more

[autumn5930]

I will be a new hedgehog owner. I want to buy a heat lamp but don't know what kind to get. Could anyone put in some links of the ones that you hedgehog savvies use?
Also more questions.....

1. What cat food is good for them. Is Blue indoor cat good?

2. Is it okay to let them run round in the bathroom (right temperature of course)?

3. What about playtime? What 'cage' should I use?

4. Last but not least.... Is having a heat lamp good for a C&C cage?

5. Sorry... one more.... I go to my dads here and there (hour away) for a couple of days at a time. Would it be okay to bring him or her to his house with another cage? ( I go to his house (3 days) every other weekend)

 

[smhufflepuff]

I want to buy a heat lamp but don't know what kind to get. Could anyone put in some links of the ones that you hedgehog savvies use?

-you'll need three different pieces to make the heat lamp idea work: a ceramic heat emitter (che) bulb... either 100 or 150 watts is good, a 10" lamp to screw the che into, and a thermostat to control the temperature. You can get them all at a place like petco, but they like to charge a lot for the convenience of grabbing them off the shelf. I really prefer big apple herpatology... especially their black che's.


1. What cat food is good for them. Is Blue indoor cat good?
Blue is good. I currently feed blue freedom indoor as part of my mix. In general, you want 2 or 3 kibbles in the mix. Hedgies are sensitive to changes in their diets, so if you find there's a problem with a kibble (think of the recent Innova recall), then you have fallback kibble. Check out kibble like Fromm, Wellness, CSCLS, Solid Gold, Natural Balance... usually the indor/weight control/light versions.

2. Is it okay to let them run round in the bathroom (right temperature of course)?

I wouldn't. Bathroom floors are usually tile and will get cold. Also, humans often are in there without socks or shoes... and hedgies lose quills from time to time...

3. What about playtime? What 'cage' should I use?

I don't have a seperate play cage. Mine have been snugglers. I hold them.
You might create something out of c&c's if yours is an explorer/adventurer.

4. Last but not least.... Is having a heat lamp good for a C&C cage?

Some people do. The thing you'll want to ensure you get right is that the che & lamp are very securely placed in way that will not fall onto hedgie or in the cage. I prefer plastic bottom/wire top cages for that reason.

5. Sorry... one more.... I go to my dads here and there (hour away) for a couple of days at a time. Would it be okay to bring him or her to his house with another cage? ( I go to his house (3 days) every other weekend)

Yes, I'd suggest keeping a second set-up at your dad's. So much easier to just transport hedgie back and forth. It'll need all the same stuff as the regulr cage - heat, hidey place, wheel, liners, dishes... or check out the collapsable travel cages from martinscages.com

 

[autumn5930]

Thank you sooo much! I thought my account was messed up... so this same thing is on once or twice..... but anyway thank you soo much for the help! What kind of CHE do you use, like the brand and all, because I saw lots of different brands

 

[smhufflepuff]

I have a few different CHE's.

The ones I prefer are these:
http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Apple-Black-Infrared-Ceramic-Emitters?sc=2&category=13
They seem to last a bit longer and spread the heat better than the others. I use both the 100w and 150w (I have two cages - one of which uses just one dome lamp, CHE, and thermostat; the other cage uses two domes and CHE's plus one thermostat).

The other ones I'll use are more for convenience factor:
http://www.petco.com/product/5003/Zoo-Med-Repticare-Ceramic-Infrared-Heat-Emitters.aspx
They work just fine, though don't seem to last quite as long and they're more expensive. There's a PetCo on my way home and I can just stop and pick some up from there as needed, so I'm paying more for the convenience of being able to do that then actually preferring the product.

 

[autumn5930]

That helps a whole lot! Thank you!

Wait isn't there some kind of playpens for like rabbits and guinea pigs? What would you suggest if I have an adventure/explorer....

 

[smhufflepuff]

Yes, there are playpens... those fence-like things that fold up. I have one.

You can most certainly use them. What you can't do is leave hedgie unattended in one. They have strong little bodies and can nose under them. They can also stretch farther than you'd ever guess and climb right over. It seems impossible, but hedgies can do amazing things when they want.

If you have an explorer, you can set up the playpen with plenty of toys (tp tubes, hidey places, stuffed animals, hidden mealies, etc...)... just stay close by to scoop hedgie up.

 

[autumn5930]

What one do you have? I was thinking of getting this one... http://www.amazon.com/Ware-Manufact...87&sr=1-3&keywords=playpens+for+small+animals

 

[smhufflepuff]

That looks pretty neat.

I have one that's a foot high; multicolored panels; no integrated floor cover.

 

[autumn5930]

Sorry if I keep asking questions, but back to one of my previous questions.....
What other food should I combine with the blue indoor cat.... Like what brand and all

 

[smhufflepuff]

Fromm - any of these: http://frommfamily.com/products/four-star/cat
Wellness Healthy Weight: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=cat&pid=20
Wellness Indoor: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=cat&pid=21
CSCLS: http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/products/cats/dry_food/adult_cat_light_formula/
Solid Gold: http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/index.php?product=4&code=1932
Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck: http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/pr...t+Diets®+Green+Pea+&+Duck+Dry+Cat+Formula
Natural Balance Green Pea and Chicken: http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/pr...iets®+Green+Pea+&+Chicken+Dry+Cat+Formula
Now!: http://www.petcurean.com/for-cats/now-fresh/grain-free-senior



You'll want to aim for a minimum of 2 different kinds of kibble. So Blue plus any of these would work just fine. I have 3 kibbles in my mix... others do more. But 2 works.

 

[autumn5930]

Hmmm...... I think I will do the Blue and Wellness Healthy Weight. Also if I get three, I will do the Natural Balance Green Pea And Chicken. So here come the questions... again.
1. What if my hedgehog gets too hot in the summer? How would I cool his/her down?
2. I'm looking for fleece tents/ igloos to use for my future hedgie, but I can't find any good quality ones... What do you suggest
3. Just to make sure I didn't read this wrong... You are not supposed to get a water bottle for hedgehogs right? Because their necks don't bend that way naturally?

 

[autumn5930]

Sorry, Searching for about 20 minutes to find how to edit... too late now... But anyway..
4. Where do you buy fleece and coroplast?

 

[smhufflepuff]

1. What if my hedgehog gets too hot in the summer? How would I cool his/her down?

I usually leave the air conditioning on for them. Other possibilities are to put the cage on the floor (heat rises). Once, I visiting a house with no A/C and it was over 80 inside, so I got her cage down low created a cooler corner by stacking ice packs on the outside of one of the corners of her house.

2. I'm looking for fleece tents/ igloos to use for my future hedgie, but I can't find any good quality ones... What do you suggest

If you go commercial, I've found the Marshall's ferret products from places like PetCo are decent. You'll want to ensure that you can get hedgie out of them though. Grab a softball, wrap your hand around it (think of the softball like a very scared or angry hedgie who is balled up tight with all their quills sticking out... and you have that scared hedgie in your hand... so hold the softball loosely), and see if you can get your hand with the softball in it through the openings.

Many people have learned to rely on each other. Check out: http://quillsnthings.webs.com/ or some of the chin vendors on the boards whose products would also be hedgie-safe. http://www.camphorchins.com/store_fleece.html for example.

For igloos, I'd suggest a run-of-the-mill plastic one that you can get from a pet supply store. Then you can add a fleece cover. Hedgies, especially babies, can be messy. So you'll want something you can clean easily.

3. Just to make sure I didn't read this wrong... You are not supposed to get a water bottle for hedgehogs right? Because their necks don't bend that way naturally?

Right; use dishes and not water bottles. The other problems with water bottles include broken teeth, tongues getting stuck, and quills getting stuck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOcrgxUAkA8 for example -- though why they didn't pick up the hedgie and water bottle at the same time instead of pulling like that... I don't know. It hurts me to watch.

4. Where do you buy fleece and coroplast?

Fleece is simple - any fabric store will have it. Or you can get pre-made products like I mentioned above.

Coroplast is a little more tricky. I'd try a place like Home Depot first - call your local one before heading out - some carry it; some don't. After that, try a sign store like signarama or fastsigns.

 

[autumn5930]

Okay.... So stick to a plastic igloo with fleece when the hedgehog is a baby, then go for the covered fleece tents. Got it. Here's more...

5. Is there something called like snuggle bags for hedgehogs for bonding time?

6. What happens if the power goes out unexpectedly. Like today, clear sun shine (little chilly) then bam, power's out for a half an hour.
What do I use for a substitute instead of a heat lamp?

7. I am going to make a C&C cage. One package comes with 17 cubes. I am going to make one-of course- and still use the extra for something (a little complicated).
How high should the coroplast be so my hedgie does not climb out?

 

[smhufflepuff]

5. Is there something called like snuggle bags for hedgehogs for bonding time?

Yep, some call them snuggle sacks, others call them hedgiebags. You can make your own or check out folks like quills-n-things.

6. What happens if the power goes out unexpectedly. Like today, clear sun shine (little chilly) then bam, power's out for a half an hour.
What do I use for a substitute instead of a heat lamp?

If you have any warning that power might go out (eg, it's stormy out), you can make use of snugglesafe's: http://www.amazon.com/Snuggle-Safe-Pet-Microwave-Heating/dp/B00008AJH9
If you have no warning and it's just gone, then these are super helpful: http://www.bigappleherp.com/Heat-Packs
You can find the ones with a shorter life spans in drug stores, sporting goods sections of places like Target, etc...

7. I am going to make a C&C cage. One package comes with 17 cubes. I am going to make one-of course- and still use the extra for something (a little complicated).
How high should the coroplast be so my hedgie does not climb out?

Depends on the hedgie. I've had a hedgie scale a 12" solid plastic wall by stretching and hooking her front toes on the edge and pulling herself up and over. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it myself. But she wasn't generally a climber... she just wanted out of bath time. I had another who fancied himself a gymnast of sorts and I'd find evidence that he routinely scaled a 6" solid plastic wall. I think I'd aim for somewhere between 8" & 10." Only the acrobatic escape artists will bother to scale that... And it's so hard to know what their personality will be beforehand.

 

[autumn5930]

Very interesting..... and here are some more.....

1. What's the worst a hedgehog could eat? ex: dogs= chocolate

2. When I was little, we put fans (the ones on the ground) on for the noise, my brother mostly, but will the noise (on low) bother the hedgehog? Should I stop the habit completely?

3. What toys would you suggest for hedgehogs besides cat balls and stuffed animals?(CVC pipes and wheels don't count)

 

[autumn5930]

Also,

4. Can I put paper towels in the litter box? I want to stick to the napkin-paper towel-newspaper area....

5. People say that when they give their hedgie a bath, they put oil on them. What do they mean? Like soap or something? Is this soap okay?
http://www.amazon.com/Pet-Promise-Shampoo-16-Ounce-Bottles/dp/B001EO6FPA

 

[autumn5930]

Or this soap..... http://www.amazon.com/Aveeno-Active-Naturals-Relief-Fragrance/dp/B000NN3H9K either one is fine...

 

[smhufflepuff]

1. What's the worst a hedgehog could eat? ex: dogs= chocolate

chocolate is a bad idea for them too. Grapes cause renal failure. For safe foods, check out this: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13961

2. When I was little, we put fans (the ones on the ground) on for the noise, my brother mostly, but will the noise (on low) bother the hedgehog? Should I stop the habit completely?

A fan that generates white noise will be fine. I have a HEPA filter running in the hedgies' room that makes a soft fan sound 24-7. Just don't have the fan blowing at your hedgie. You don't want to create a draft as the little ones are susceptible to hibernation attempts.

3. What toys would you suggest for hedgehogs besides cat balls and stuffed animals?(CVC pipes and wheels don't count)

Other than wheels and stuffed animals, you might try a little dump truck and put mealies in the truck bed. Toilet paper tubes that are cut lengthwise are a treat for many hedgies. They stick their heads in, walk around, pop back out... repeat...

4. Can I put paper towels in the litter box? I want to stick to the napkin-paper towel-newspaper area....

Yes, a paper towel in the litter box is just about perfect.

5. People say that when they give their hedgie a bath, they put oil on them. What do they mean? Like soap or something? Is this soap okay?

Oil like flaxseed oil... just a drop here or there goes far. Others use vitamin e oil. I don't like it as much (sticker and doesn't spread as well). The other good thing about the flaxseed oil is you can put a drop or two on their kibble. I'd stay away from the commercial "pet moisturizer" things. They cost more, don't work as well, and some have scents that will upset your hedgie. Many people use the Aveeno oatmeal wash. Store brand is good too.

 

[autumn5930]

Okay.... Interesting.....

1.There is no difference between a boy hedgie and a girl hedgie's personality, right?

2. I wake up about 6:45 in the morning. Its usually about 65 degrees downstairs, if I bring my hedgehog down, put it on my lap, with a blanket on top, will the hedgehog be safe and warm?

3. Is it okay to give tap water to my hedgie, will the chemicals (that's left) make the hedgie not drink any of it?