# Hedgehog Newbie Housing Questions?



## 11swedishfish (Feb 1, 2011)

A general disclaimer: I am very new to the Hedgehog world and am just beginning my research, so if this is a very very stupid idea, please forgive me!!!! 

I was just looking into buying a hedgehog and was reading about housing. I already know that aquariums are a no-no because of their lack of ventilation. I saw some posts about making your own wire-type C&C cage and I am considering putting together one of those ( I won't buy one they seem a little expensive for something so simple).
But I was wondering if I could put something together using a plastic storage tub like these:

http://www.homedepot.com/Storage-Organi ... ogId=10053

It would probably not have adequate ventilation as is, but I thought perhaps I could drill holes into the plastic to fix this.

Am I being totally unrealistic? Or could this work?


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## Desperodo (Dec 12, 2010)

Lots of people actually do use the storage bins. As long as you drill holes in them, it's okay.

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http ... 29,r:4,s:0


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## 11swedishfish (Feb 1, 2011)

Great! 
Thanks very much.


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

I use a big Sterilite bin myself. Easy to clean, lightweight, and it holds in the heat.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

You should go out and see if there are still any leftover christmas tree storage bins. They are nice and big, so you don't have to think about connecting two smaller bins to make a bigger cage. 

Just realize that you WILL need a whole lot of ventilation holes, especially if you are planning on using a CHE heat setup.


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## Kenzi (Aug 29, 2010)

I use sterilite bins. You can see both of the set ups here: https://picasaweb.google.com/1126885331 ... 1756/Ebba#

A minimum of 2 square feet of floor space AFTER everything (the wheel, hedgiebag/igloo, food/water bowls etc) has been placed in the enclosure is the general guideline. Some people say 90 qt. is the bare minimum for an adequate sterilite bin. I personally feel this is too small. The pink lined one is 110 qt, and the green lined one (with the loft) is 105 qt.

Christmas tree bins are a good idea, but the ones I've seen have fairly short walls, and the lid can not be used with a tall wheel (unless you cut out space for it, but it might be unsafe/allow room for the hedgie to escape) Also, they are so large that It would need a full size table to have it off the floor (being raised helps keep it warmer).

I drilled 1/4 inch holes 8 inches from the bottom of the bin for additional ventilation. The loft needed a lid because the walls are so short, so i cut out the majority of it and replaced it with insect screen for great ventilation.


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