Chinchillas AND hedgehog...? Help! 9 Questions!

[JustAshley]

Hi, I just registered to this website and have no idea if this is how you post a question but, here goes! (sorry it's a bit long...)

ALL QUESTIONS ARE BOLDED (9 QUESTIONS)

I have 4 male Chinchillas (as pets) and they all live together VERY WELL in harmony, but as my hamster recently passed away (from old age), I would like to get a hedgehog, but what I'm scared of is that since chinchillas and hedgehogs are very different from each other, can I keep them in the same house? I know not to house them in the same cage, but I would like to keep the hedgies cage in the room next to where the chinchillas are (they are in my room).

I also know that hedgies go into hibernation if it gets too cold, which is deadly, so I'm sure 70 is too cold for hedgies, but chinchillas shouldn't go near 80, so (my house is usually 70) can I keep the hedgie in the room next to mine warmer using a heater? (obviously not CLOSE to the cage)

As I noted above that I have 4 males, and I know to never get a female chinchilla because all the males (no matter how bonded they are) will fight (possibly to the death) over the female chinchilla in heat. Would the males still fight over a hedgie in heat even if they are different animals in different rooms?

I always take my chinchillas out to play every single day in my room so, when they are in the cage, if I'm holding her and I have to get something, and pass by them I do not plan to introduce them to each other, but I might have to take my hedgie through my room to get something, is that dangerous?

Can I take my hedgie out in the room next to mine to play every day?

There is nothing in the other room that a hedgie could climb on and fall off of, or get stuck under, plus s/he will be supervised cautiously! (I will triple check before I adpot)

I sew fleece for all my chins and I would like to do the same for my hedgie's bedding (but dont they need to burrow?)

Any recommended cages? Any cages that should NOT be used? I can't really have a C&C cage because I also have cats, and either way it is not a cage that I personally like anyway.. The door to my room is always shut to keep cats out and away from the chins, and I can do the same for a hedgie.

Also, I only plan to have 1 single hedgie (hopefully female, if having her in the same house as 4 male chins is okay) is that stressful for her to be alone?

I only want the best for all my pets that I ever own. Which brings me to my last question.. What more do I need for a hedgie?

I already have:

-Place to put a cage
-Sleep sack/hide away (I can afford/make multiple if needed)
-Water bottle
-Food dish
-I have a wheel but it may be too small (I'm planning to upgrade)
-I can easily find crickets/mealworms/etc in my pet stores
-I have aspen bedding/shredded paper (if I can't use fleece)
-I can order food online (its not a nuisance)
-I have a hedgie already in mind to adopt (if this thread says positive things)
-I have nail trimmers and I can purchase baby safe shampoo
-A heater (if needed to keep in the hedgies room for more warmth)

I know its a LOT of questions, but please help!

 

[Amethyst]

Well I can't answer all your questions, I can give you an answer for some. I've never had a hedgie, the most experience I've had is my cousin had one that I met once, lol. I also did a little research, but decide against getting one. I think you would get better info from the hedgie threads then the chinchilla threads on this forum.

-Yes you can have them in the same house, just not the same room, as you mentioned the temp difference is an issue.

-So long as you can maintain proper temp in each room their shouldn't be an issue with them being in next room over. If the rooms aren't well insulated and the heat causes an issue or the cold from the chin's room cooling the room you may have a problem. You could try putting a heater where you plan in the other room and a thermometer to just make sure everything is ok before getting a hedgie. Hedgies will die below 70F I think they need around 80F.

-The male chins shouldn't fight over a hedgie in heat, as you said, different species.

-Just walking through the room with the hedgie shouldn't be an issue unless the hedgie is sick and coughing or sneezing. However I would wash between handling the animals regardless to avoid any possible transfer of bacteria or anything between them.

- I know some people use fleece liners for hedgies, I think they need a sleeping bag or something though. You could probably make tunnels or pockets in the fleece?

- I can't help too much with cage ideas, but I think they are suppose to be at least around 4-6 square feet.

-I believe hedge hogs are solitary animals, only getting together to mate, so a single hedgie is best.

 

[aprinceton]

Hi, I just registered to this website and have no idea if this is how you post a question but, here goes! (sorry it's a bit long...)

ALL QUESTIONS ARE BOLDED (9 QUESTIONS)

I have 4 male Chinchillas (as pets) and they all live together VERY WELL in harmony, but as my hamster recently passed away (from old age), I would like to get a hedgehog, but what I'm scared of is that since chinchillas and hedgehogs are very different from each other, can I keep them in the same house? I know not to house them in the same cage, but I would like to keep the hedgies cage in the room next to where the chinchillas are (they are in my room).

I also know that hedgies go into hibernation if it gets too cold, which is deadly, so I'm sure 70 is too cold for hedgies, but chinchillas shouldn't go near 80, so (my house is usually 70) can I keep the hedgie in the room next to mine warmer using a heater? (obviously not CLOSE to the cage)

As I noted above that I have 4 males, and I know to never get a female chinchilla because all the males (no matter how bonded they are) will fight (possibly to the death) over the female chinchilla in heat. Would the males still fight over a hedgie in heat even if they are different animals in different rooms?

I always take my chinchillas out to play every single day in my room so, when they are in the cage, if I'm holding her and I have to get something, and pass by them I do not plan to introduce them to each other, but I might have to take my hedgie through my room to get something, is that dangerous?

Can I take my hedgie out in the room next to mine to play every day?

There is nothing in the other room that a hedgie could climb on and fall off of, or get stuck under, plus s/he will be supervised cautiously! (I will triple check before I adpot)

I sew fleece for all my chins and I would like to do the same for my hedgie's bedding (but dont they need to burrow?)

Any recommended cages? Any cages that should NOT be used? I can't really have a C&C cage because I also have cats, and either way it is not a cage that I personally like anyway.. The door to my room is always shut to keep cats out and away from the chins, and I can do the same for a hedgie.

Also, I only plan to have 1 single hedgie (hopefully female, if having her in the same house as 4 male chins is okay) is that stressful for her to be alone?

I only want the best for all my pets that I ever own. Which brings me to my last question.. What more do I need for a hedgie?

I already have:

-Place to put a cage
-Sleep sack/hide away (I can afford/make multiple if needed)
-Water bottle
-Food dish
-I have a wheel but it may be too small (I'm planning to upgrade)
-I can easily find crickets/mealworms/etc in my pet stores
-I have aspen bedding/shredded paper (if I can't use fleece)
-I can order food online (its not a nuisance)
-I have a hedgie already in mind to adopt (if this thread says positive things)
-I have nail trimmers and I can purchase baby safe shampoo
-A heater (if needed to keep in the hedgies room for more warmth)

I know its a LOT of questions, but please help!

I can't answer everything, but I have 2 female chinchillas and 1 female hedgehog (they're in completely different parts of the house though, the chins in the nice cool basement and the hedgehog is upstairs)
I use ceramic heat emitter to keep my hedgie warm, which work great! If you have a wire cage you can set them right on top. They're basically heat lamps that just emit heat and no light. Our house is pretty cold, kept at 60 in the winter, so I have two 150 watt lamps on her cage to keep it around 73. Heat preference depends on hedgehog. Most people say 75 is the LEAST warm you should keep a hedgie, but mine seems to like 73 and runs away from the heating pads if I keep it any warmer!
I use fleece bedding for my hedgie. I have fleece snugglesacks, a tunnel, and I also put in strips of fleece just in the cage so she can burrow through them and sleep under them. She also LOVES cardboard boxes filled with fleece strips to play and sleep in!
I have a c&c cage which I love, but if you're looking for something else I used to have a really simple cage that I made. I got 2 plastic bins (I don't know the exact size but the larger the better!) and cut a hole out of each and connected them with a PVC pipe. It was great, but I got too small bins and decided to upgrade. Plastic also keeps out cats and retains heat well, if you do end up using ceramic heat emitter lamps! (for the lids of the bins, I cut out the middles and hot glued on window screen, which you can get at a hardware store for pretty cheap, so the air could flow).
Hedgehogs actually prefer to be alone, so just one is no problem!
Looks like you have everything a hedgie would need! You can look into the ceramic heat emitters if you want (which are a lot cheaper to run than a heater), or go with the heater. It's also nice to have a heating pad to stick under the cage to make it nice and toasty, but that's definitely not a necessity. Wheels should be 12in. diameter, and most people recommend the Carolina Storm Wheel which you can get online. It's silent and stays silent! The cheap ones you get at petstores tend to squeak after a while.
Hedgehogs like to have plenty of hides and sacks to sleep in, but they like everything! Cardboard boxes, loose pieces of fleece, PVC pipes, or sometimes I even just clean out old Quaker oat boxes to use as a tunnel

 

[smhufflepuff]

can I keep them in the same house? I know not to house them in the same cage, but I would like to keep the hedgies cage in the room next to where the chinchillas are (they are in my room).

I also know that hedgies go into hibernation if it gets too cold, which is deadly, so I'm sure 70 is too cold for hedgies, but chinchillas shouldn't go near 80, so (my house is usually 70) can I keep the hedgie in the room next to mine warmer using a heater? (obviously not CLOSE to the cage)

You can keep chins and hedgies under the same roof; though certainly not in the same cage. You can probably do the same room too as long as you have a reliable system for keeping hedgie warm. It's best to put hedgie cages along an inside wall to help guard against temperature fluctuations that occur more so along outer walls/windows.

As I noted above that I have 4 males, and I know to never get a female chinchilla because all the males (no matter how bonded they are) will fight (possibly to the death) over the female chinchilla in heat. Would the males still fight over a hedgie in heat even if they are different animals in different rooms?

I can't be certain, but I doubt it. Chins are rodents, hedgies are insectivores. Really rather different.

I always take my chinchillas out to play every single day in my room so, when they are in the cage, if I'm holding her and I have to get something, and pass by them I do not plan to introduce them to each other, but I might have to take my hedgie through my room to get something, is that dangerous?

If the chins are in their cage(s) and unable to reach hedgie, hedgie should be fine. Or are you saying that the chins would be loose, and then you'd get hedgie out? <--that would be odd since you'd be leaving the chins unmonitored.

Can I take my hedgie out in the room next to mine to play every day?

There is nothing in the other room that a hedgie could climb on and fall off of, or get stuck under, plus s/he will be supervised cautiously! (I will triple check before I adpot)

In terms of hedgie playing, you'd need to be with hedgie all the time. They can get themselves into lots of trouble - some that you'd expect; some that you wouldn't. So, provided that you're there with hedgie in the other room the whole time, that's fine. My kiddos come out to the living room and snuggle on us humans each day.

I sew fleece for all my chins and I would like to do the same for my hedgie's bedding (but dont they need to burrow?)

Some burrow; some don't. Satin, for example, enjoyed sleeping under her liner and would burrow through her litter box. She wouldn't poop or pee in it. Just play. The others weren't and aren't burrowers... other than they they love to be covered in their hedgiebag, under their hat, or wrapped up in their blankie under the igloo.

Any recommended cages? Any cages that should NOT be used? I can't really have a C&C cage because I also have cats, and either way it is not a cage that I personally like anyway.. The door to my room is always shut to keep cats out and away from the chins, and I can do the same for a hedgie.

Ferret and Critter Nations are fine. The Marchioro 120 and 102 are good. Some of the SuperPet ones are good - look for a big floor space. They don't really do levels - can be dangerous. And look for one where you can get the wheel in and out every day (to clean off the poops). And one where you can reach the farthest corners in case hedgie decides to go there when you need to scoop hedgie up.

I only plan to have 1 single hedgie (hopefully female, if having her in the same house as 4 male chins is okay) is that stressful for her to be alone?

Hedgies are largely solitary creatures. I've tried introducing them. The mostly ignore each other. One will huff at the other if she's in the way...and someone is always in the way because there is only one good spot to sit in in the entire house... well, according to them anyway.

What more do I need for a hedgie?

I already have:

-Place to put a cage
-Sleep sack/hide away (I can afford/make multiple if needed)
-Water bottle
-Food dish
-I have a wheel but it may be too small (I'm planning to upgrade)
-I can easily find crickets/mealworms/etc in my pet stores
-I have aspen bedding/shredded paper (if I can't use fleece)
-I can order food online (its not a nuisance)
-I have a hedgie already in mind to adopt (if this thread says positive things)
-I have nail trimmers and I can purchase baby safe shampoo
-A heater (if needed to keep in the hedgies room for more warmth)

I'd trade in the water bottle for a bowl. I know some will say a bottle is fine. I really don't prefer it. They're not rodents; they have one set of teeth as an adult...just like you and me. We don't want them smashing those little toofers on the metal ball. And the stories and pics I've seen of them having accidents with water bottles... oh boy. Having quills trapped in the metal part and being unable to move. Having their tongue trapped in the metal part and requiring surgery. ugghh... makes me shiver just thinking about it.

The heater.. if they're in the same room as the chins, you'll do best with a CHE set-up: 10" dome lamp rated for at least 150w ceramic heat emitter bulbs; 100 or 150 watt CHE, thermostat controller, and a way to help hold the heat in the cage - crib bumpers are nice for that (help control climbing too). If they're in a separate room for the chins, you can heat the whole room.

Baby safe shampoo --- hedgies have issues with dry skin. The traditional baby shampoos like Johnson & Johnson are still too drying for them. Look toward Aveeno oatmeal bath (or the store brand).

Your wheel... you'll want as big as you can reasonably go. 11" is great. Ensure it's a solid running surface; no bars on which they can trip and break toes or legs.

Add a kitchen scale to the list. Hedgies are prey animals. They hide illnesses. Being able to monitor their weight in grams is very helpful.

 

[Spanhan89]

Hi

I have 2 male chinchillas and a female hedgehog and I did have them in the same room to start with. Chinchillas in a large cage and the hedgie in a viv with a ceramic heat emitter. I would strongly recommend a 4ft viv minimum for a hedgehog together with a che,thermostat and thermometer. This helps to control the temperature and means both animals could be kept in the same room. A viv may also be a good idea if you have cats as there will be no mesh or wire to stick paws through.

I do have my hedgie out with chinchillas in the same room but only when supervised. There has been no issues with this at all and they tend to keep themselves to themselves really. There won't be any fighting due to heat or anything as they are a different species and hedgehogs are induced ovulators so they only come into heat in the presence of a hedgie male.

The only reason I ended up moving my hedgehog to a different room was because she recently stopped using her wheel and I am wondering if the chins on their wheel is too much noise and is disturbing her at night.

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