igloos, sleeping bags, and fruit and veggies

[Caroline]

I have a few questions in regards to my little man here.
1) He is in a cage that is 32" long, one of those rabbit cages that you can get at the petstore. In it he has his wheel, his guineapig sized igloo, his litterbox, his flexitube, and of course his bowl and water bottle. Sounding kinda crapped doesn't it. Up until I got his flexitube he was sleeping in his igloo, which was lined with stripes of fleece and his Mcdonalds beaniebaby, and was heated from underneath the cage by a reptile heating pad. Now that he has his tube, he has pretty much abandoned his igloo and sleeps in his tube, which is not over the heating pad but on the other side of the cage. Would it be ok to get him an igloo that is one size smaller to provide him with more space in his cage? Was he possibly to hot in his igloo and choosing somewhere cooler to sleep? I don't want to unplug his heating pad in case our furnace breaks down (which it shouldn't since it is only a few years old)
2) I would like to make him some sleeping bags but need to know exactly how to make them. I have the cute patterned fleece for the lining and cotton fabric for the exterior, and my serger has been taken to the shop to be serviced so what I need is directions on how to sew them. It would be cheaper to just order sleeping bags and a snuggli for him online,but that takes away the satisfaction of making them myself. Any ideas? How big should I cut the fabric and how big will the finished product be? I plan on of course having the seams inbetween the lining and exterior so that his feet don't get caught in threads, but am wondering about the exposed seam where I turn the bag inside out, any idea how to finish that seam? Then of course once it has been turned right side out I will be stitching all the way around the edge so that it does not get all messed up and pulled inside out.
3)Any suggestions for patterns for making him a little hedgie snuggly to carry him in? Should I add a pocket for a handwarmer?
4) I have offered him fresh carrots and applesauce and he has turned up his nose at both. He does love his wet cat food, (those teeny tiny expensive cans, which my own cats don't even get) and his mealworms. Any suggestions as to what other fruits and veggies I can offer him that he might like?
Thank you for all the suggestions

Caroline and Napoleon

 

[SpineyPigFaceLover]

Usually hedgehogs will opt to sleep in the area that is warmest, but if it is too hot then hedgies will move away from the spot to cool down. Is this reptile heater on some type of timer? If it gets hotter than 80 degrees then it may be too hot for your hedgie. I used a space heater that turned on and off with the room temperature depending on where you set it. Since then I've invested in a ceramic heat emitter and lamp to place above the hedgie's house. It is set so that if it gets hotter than 78-80, it turns off until it needs to heat again. That may be the better option just in case so your hedgie doesn't get too hot!

Also, some hedgehogs will just sleep in different places than where you think they'd be most comfortable. I did the igloo at first, but when I switched to a fleece liner, both of my hedgies preferred to sleep under the liner. I'm still trying to bribe them into sleeping in their homes, but it's kind of a lost cause! :hilarious:

As for treats, papaya, melons, bananas are good ones to try. Hedgies can be very picky about what they eat so don't be too discouraged if they reject it.

 

[wasabipeanut84]

Snacks

My little man Oscar really likes Kale, cilantro and apples. I haven't tried giving him any other fruits yet because they aren't in season, so the spring will tell more! His favorite place to sleep is his igloo and in my lap wrapped up in a blanket. I keep the apartment pretty warm, so I haven't had any need for a heating lamp yet. Although when summer comes, I will get one because the indoor temp will be a bit cooler than what he is used to.