# Super Saver Hedgie Style!!



## MeyMey (Apr 28, 2015)

Hey everyone!

I hope this post can be helpful to at least a few of you, mostly geared towards people who are in the process of gathering materials or who are wanting to change things up without spending a ton of money!
I'm sure we all have have GoodWills, Salvation Army or local Thrift Shops around town! These are all great places to check out for pet supplies!! Believe it or not a lot of people are to lazy to sell their used pet supplies online or at a yard sales, so they give them to stores that will sell them. Stopping by on your way home from work or after your classes get out and just taking a quick look once or twice a week can save you a lot of $$. These stores sell the items at discounts 50-90% off! I have gotten dogs toys made by KONG that are usually $20-$30 in pet stores for just a few bucks! (I have a huge dog) Not to mention hedgies love cat toys and small balls that you can find usually prices under a dollar!! I love to keep my pets spoiled but I am also a college student and this is how I avoid my pets getting bored and keep my wallet full!
Now if you like DIY projects thrifts stores are definitely for you!! You can find tons of supplies for your DIY Pet Projects! Supplies like fleece, bed pads, fabric can all be found in the linens section. Thrift stores always have plenty of blankets big and small new and used! A lot of craft stores will give fabric they can't sell or have to much of to Goodwill this can be a diamond in the rough for DIY'ers! I found 40 of the cube panels used for C&C Cages with the connectors, that I got for free!!! That's huge savings! If you just dig around especially at local thrifts stores you can get things that they don't see as that useful for really cheap or even free! Another thing you can find at Thrift Stores is books on animal care, I have not seen any hedgehog books but I have heard of people finding hedgehog related material. If your interested in building your own wheel or even looking for a replacement for coroplast you should keep your eyes open! Also bin containers and PVC can be found at Goodwills.
And don't forget about ReStore! I love this store its full of used items for building houses, doesn't sounds very intersting but they also have PVC, different types of plastics and woods you can use for some of your DIY Projects! They also have a ton of books! I always see a lot of animal care books! They often have the plastic bins people like to use and they can come in so many sizes and everything there is priced very cheap!
All used items do come with some warnings though!
*Wood:* can hold mites,and can be chemically treated, make sure you know what your buying!
*Fabric/Blankets:* Always wash these multiple times before you start to use them!
*Toys:* Put them in a mesh bag and wash them in the washing machine or in the sink! They are used and could be germy!
*Unique:* If you plan on using something for a DIY project and you break it or cannot use it anymore than you probably won't have a backup, the items are unique and your searching will have to begin again! Be careful!

I am going through the process of gathering all the supplies for my Hedgie C&C Cage! Its going well I will try to figure out where I can post updates and tips on doing the same!
Money Spent: $00
Supplies Collected: Toys, cube panels(40), fleece, bed pads

Last note I want to leave on here is donate to these stores! I always take my used pet supplies to these stores, they can be really useful to another family! Old toys or gifts they your hedgies don't like can make a great toy for another hedgie!!! :grin:

**If you have any Super Saver: Hedgie Style stories tell them below! I love to get ideas from other people finds!**​


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## SarahAlwaysWins (Dec 19, 2013)

I hadn't even thought about going to places like goodwill! I actually need more fleece so maybe I'll stop by my local store today and see what I can find. And thanks for including those warnings - they go without saying but sometimes little things can slip people's minds!


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## TikkiLink (Dec 4, 2013)

A word of caution for thrift store shopping: bedbugs can be a risk to look out for, especially in wooden and fabric items. I won't set foot in thrift stores in my city anymore because here and in my hometown the thrift stores have said they have to treat their items all the time for bed bugs. They're a big problem here though, and I'm terrified of getting them after my mom had them and battled them for several months.


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## SarahAlwaysWins (Dec 19, 2013)

Yeah - that is a real concern. However, it still possible if you take necessary precautions, at least for fabrics. While bedbugs aren't really a problem where, I know you can protect against them by immediately packaging up any fabric purchases, then putting them through the dryer for at least 30 minutes. You can wash them beforehand, but that's not necessary - it's the dryer part that really kills them. Since it's not clothing, shrinkage isn't particularly a concern. You'd just have to go through several wash/dry cycles before they're safe to use.

Still, it's good to be aware of these things - bedbugs are nasty little critters.


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