# Aquariums



## Knuckles58 (Nov 13, 2011)

I feel as if an aquarium would be best for my hedgehog for the simple fact that I won't have to worry about him escaping, or injuring himself with the big gaps some wire cages have.The only thing that worries me is how to heat his tank properly for the fact that they have poor ventilation. Any ideas?


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Poor ventilation and the ammonia build up from urine are the 2 reasons why hog owners are told not to use aquariums. Rabbit cages, C&C cages, ferret nation cages and sterilite bins are the most common ages. If they weren't safe for hedges that like to climb, they wouldn't be recommended.  

Also, to get an aquarium big enough for all of a hedgie's things and still leave enough room for the hog itself, you would have to spend a LOT of money. It's recommended that hedgie's have at least a 4 square foot cage. That's the minimum. My hog's cage is a C&C that I paid $45 to make and it's 10.5 square feet.  

Getting advice here about how to heat an aquarium that you want to put a hedgehog in will be hard.


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## GoldenEyes (Nov 4, 2011)

Poor ventilation AND harder to clean. I just would NEVER go with a tank for a hedgie.

As for the wire, if you get say a rabbit cage that had a plastic bottom that would be good, also C&C cages are great, you put a plastic called coroplast (sp?) and it keeps the hedgie from escaping. 

Really, I just dont think tanks are good for hedgehogs at all and I would strongly suggest against it


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## AllyPent (Jul 7, 2011)

As one of the other people who posted mentioned a big enough aquarium would be INSANELY expensive. My first hedgie came with one but I quickly upgraded him to a C&C cage. On mine I have the coroplast not only on the bottom but about 7 inches up the sides. My little guy isn't a climber, but if he randomly got the itch he still wouldn't be able to climb out. I would totally and completely suggest making one of these. It is pretty cheap to make, easy to clean, and gives your hedgie the room they require. The one I made for Hannibal is 2 squares by 3. (Each of the squares are 14 x 14.) Lots of room and a happy hedgie!


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## Knuckles58 (Nov 13, 2011)

Well it would be a 40 gallon tank which is 36 x 12 x 20. I figured that would be a lot of room, I mean sure it's a bit more expensive. But that's not a concern in my case, just the hedgies well being.


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## HedgieGirl519 (Oct 21, 2011)

That'd only be 3 square feet though and the complete minimum is 4 square feet... And the reasons listed above would not make an aquarium good. I'm getting a rescue in a few days that is currently living in a tiny tank. Once the wheel and igloo is in that tank there will be no room to move around... You can put coroplast all the way up the sides like LarryT did and make sure you have a lid. Then there is no chance of him getting out...


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

An aquarium that's 12X36 will be crowded once you put everything in it. A wheel would take up one end and the igloo the other, leaving little room for anything else. Also you need to be able to wash out the cage, a 40 gallon tank is heavy, I know because I used to have a 33 gallon fish tank and it was horrible to have to wash out completely, I can't imaging doing that at least once a week. When you add heat to an aquarium you'll be creating a moist enviroment that isn't healthy for your hedgie. You need to have ventilation in the cage, not just at the top, that's why when people use bins they're told to drill holes in the sides for ventilation, you can't do that with an aquarium.

My cages are all 24x36 and I can't imaging going back to anything smaller for my hedgies.


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## Knuckles58 (Nov 13, 2011)

Well hm does anyone have any threads on how to make a C&C cage?


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## GoldenEyes (Nov 4, 2011)

I did a really quick search and couldnt find anything, i know there is one though maybe someone else will post it, in the meantime, you just have to buy some storage cubes, and some coroplast, set up the cubes the way you want the cage then cut the coroplast so that it goes not only on the bottom of the cage but also a bit up the sides, im not sure how high but high enough so he cant get out.

Then you just have to put some fleece at the bottom of the cage and its essentially done! Oh yeah and you'll need some cable ties, to secure the cage because the round nubs the have arent that great


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## Knuckles58 (Nov 13, 2011)

Alright, so I found some videos and some things on how to make them.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm (I know it says for guinea pigs but a lot of people have these cages for them too it seems)
Is there anything that you guys would suggest like the cube size? Or if the coloplast would melt if I put a space heater near him?? I'm not even sure what I would set it on to keep his temperature right.


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## Knuckles58 (Nov 13, 2011)

& yeah I was wondering how tall I should make it too so he wont escape on mee :/


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## Knuckles58 (Nov 13, 2011)

I just found the best site ever. -_-
http://www.guineapigzone.com/c-and-c-cages-guinea-pigs


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

For the cubes you want to make sure that there are 9 squares across each panel, not 5, also you want the coroplast to be about 8-10 inches high on the sides to reduce the chance of climbing. You should have a lid on the cage, you can either use more cubes or get wire shelving for the top. The guinea pig cages don't have lids because guinea pigs don't climb at all. You can heat the cage with either a space heater, it won't melt the plastic unless you put it right agains it, or use a CHE. If you type "C&C" in the search box at the top of this page you'll find lots of info about them.


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## calisphere (Oct 29, 2011)

Guinea pigs are either too lazy or having too much fun to climb, depending on the pig. I've had a few climbers but never bothered putting a lid on. I just used two grids instead of one grid stacked. That stopped the escapes.

Just remember, if you make a cage without a lid, you have to make sure the hides are away from the sides. I've caught Javo, my hedgie, on his igloo twice all ready, making him almost walking level to the top of the coroplast and his walls are 10 inches.


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## Knuckles58 (Nov 13, 2011)

Lol thats too cute that hes ontop of his little igloo. But yeah im going to see if they can custom make me one thats a bit taller. Hopefully they will and they do sell tops you just need an extra set of cubes.


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## Knuckles58 (Nov 13, 2011)

I emailed the lady about the cages and she said that they can customize it where the coroplast is 10 inches for an extra 6 dollars. im overly excited :]


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Great to hear! Your little one will be much happier in a C&C  (Not to mention that they're SO easy to clean! I just spray a small amount of vinegar water on a soft dish scrubby, scrub the couple of dirty spots on the coroplast and wipe with a paper towel. Takes like 2 minutes!)


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