# Can hedgies get too hot?



## Kitsune (Mar 14, 2012)

Since people are always talking and worrying about keeping their hedgies warm enough, I've never considered that they can get too hot. I've lived in New Orleans my entire life, so I'm used to heat indexes above 100. Electricity here is also really expensive, especially during the summer and in older houses and the one I grew up in was really, really old (as in no central A/C--pretty common down here). Basically, I've grown up without really using A/C, so a comfortable temperature for me is somewhere in the 80's. Seriously, anything lower than the mid-70's and I'm ready to hibernate myself.

Considering that, I thought warm climate+little to no A/C would be perfect for a hedgie. How warm is too warm? It's summer here now--should I get him a fan or just suck it up and run the air conditioning?


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## Curlygurl1190 (Mar 14, 2012)

I'm no expert, but from what I've heard and read, temps 80 degrees and over are getting too high for our little friends. I'm sure it depends on each hedgehog somewhat as well. I know that today in my part of the country it was a very warm day outside, I went to check Skittles thermometer and it read 83! That was with the CHE unit off. You might just end up having to use AC from what it sounds like. I'm sure experts on here can give you a much more indepth anwser =]


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

It definitely depends on the hedgie, just like with lower temperatures. Lily's cage got up to 84-85 in the summer in my room and she did okay with that, though she shoved all her fleece strips out of her igloo and sprawled out across the plastic bottom. You won't want to use a fan on the cage - no breezes should be on the cage, whether warm or cool. The best thing to do is have your options ready just in case there's an issue, and keep an eye on your hedgie for cues. Signs of being too warm are splatting out on their tummy, panting, and clammy skin, as well as lethargy. Some things you can do to help him keep cool is put a ceramic floor tile (less than a dollar at most home improvement stores, I would think...Mine was like 83 cents, lol), or put a ceramic flower pot big enough for him to hide in in his cage. Both would stay semi-cool in a warm room and he could use them to cool off if he wanted. If there's an emergency situation where he's definitely too warm and you want to cool the cage down, you can put an ice pack on top of his cage with a towel over it. You'll want to be next to it though, and keep an eye on the temp so it doesn't drop too fast - sudden drops in temperature can cause a hibernation attempt as well.

If it turns out your hedgie is one who likes cooler temps and thinks 78 is going to make him melt, you may end up having to resort to air conditioning or something to keep him comfortable. Do you have him a room by himself, or something? You might be able to do a window A/C and keep just his room cooler for him.


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## Kitsune (Mar 14, 2012)

He sleeps splatted out even when his cage is a cozy 74 degrees 
A ceramic tile sounds like a great idea! I think I might even have some samples under my bed. I'll be sure to file the corners down.

I'm really starting to think he's the most resilient hedgehog on the planet. He didn't have any trouble last summer, or when the power went out last winter--so I'm probably worrying for nothing. Just want him to be as happy and comfortable as possible. :lol:


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Kitsune said:


> He sleeps splatted out even when his cage is a cozy 74 degrees
> A ceramic tile sounds like a great idea! I think I might even have some samples under my bed. I'll be sure to file the corners down.
> 
> I'm really starting to think he's the most resilient hedgehog on the planet. He didn't have any trouble last summer, or when the power went out last winter--so I'm probably worrying for nothing. Just want him to be as happy and comfortable as possible. :lol:


Worrying to a certain extent is good when you are responsible for a living thing.

A girl who used to post here owns my hedgehog's brother, and she adopted a young-ish hedgehog and it died shortly thereafter of what the vet suspected to be heat stroke. I think she said the cage temp was 83 or 84 when she noticed the hog was behaving abnormally. They immediately went to the vet, but the hog died on the way there. 

Keep things like this in mind. I know the idea of running an A/C regularly might be daunting as far as finances go, but it might end up being necessary.


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## alyssinreality (Jan 18, 2012)

hanhan27 said:


> Worrying to a certain extent is good when you are responsible for a living thing.
> 
> A girl who used to post here owns my hedgehog's brother, and she adopted a young-ish hedgehog and it died shortly thereafter of what the vet suspected to be heat stroke. I think she said the cage temp was 83 or 84 when she noticed the hog was behaving abnormally. They immediately went to the vet, but the hog died on the way there.
> 
> Keep things like this in mind. I know the idea of running an A/C regularly might be daunting as far as finances go, but it might end up being necessary.


Dangit! On here it's always like oh no you'll be fine just keep and eye out. And then I relax... and then there's one person that is like, but I know a hedgie that died from this! -cue ominous music and constant worrying of hedgie moms around the world-

haha but it's good to know so thank you for the information.


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## Kitsune (Mar 14, 2012)

alyssinreality said:


> hanhan27 said:
> 
> 
> > Worrying to a certain extent is good when you are responsible for a living thing.
> ...


I know! I'm glad I'm being saved from a false sense of security though....
Ok, definitely going to make sure his cage doesn't get above 80.


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## alyssinreality (Jan 18, 2012)

Kitsune said:


> alyssinreality said:
> 
> 
> > hanhan27 said:
> ...


For the record, that is what Diggory's is sitting around right now because my parents won't turn the air on and he's upstairs in my room. He seems to like it though.


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

My breeder said that 85 should be no problem at all, and even 90 would be okay if the hedgie doesn't start to splat. I was surprised, but she has many years of experience and very little worry that 85 would be a problem. It is already running to 82 degrees in her cage here and she seems pretty happy.

I'm aiming for a range of 73 - 85. That should give me room and time to deal with any issues..

With AC, it might feel better to remember that you aren't 'cooling' the room, but managing overheating. That should help to contain costs.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

I wasn't trying to scare anyone, but I would hate for someone to lose their hog because they weren't given info from both ends of the spectrum.

Everyone thinks differently when it comes to what they believe is a safe temperature range, and obviously every hog is different as well. My hog has handled 85 degree temperatures well in the past when I wasn't able to lower the room temp, and she has made it through a 6 hour period of her cage only being at 69 degrees without attempting hibernation. I do believe she is a tough little thing compared to some of HHC's more sensitive hogs, but I won't ever take the risk of assuming she'll be just fine no matter how warm or cold her cage gets.

I know it's easy to believe everything your breeder tells you, but keep in mind that there are a lot of breeders out there who have been breeding for a long time, but don't practice the 'normal', accepted methods that other breeders practice that are generally seen as the 'right' way to do it. A lot of hedgehog breeding is based purely on speculation and if a hedgie breeder/owner throws up blinkers and ignores what other people have seen happen just because they personally have never seen it happen... that's something to watch out for.  

Also try to remember that sometimes it isn't necessarily the temperature that can trigger a hibernation attempt or issues dealing with heat... it can also be a drastic change in temperature in a short amount of time.


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## Kitsune (Mar 14, 2012)

> Everyone thinks differently when it comes to what they believe is a safe temperature range, and obviously every hog is different as well. My hog has handled 85 degree temperatures well in the past when I wasn't able to lower the room temp, and she has made it through a 6 hour period of her cage only being at 69 degrees without attempting hibernation. I do believe she is a tough little thing compared to some of HHC's more sensitive hogs, but I won't ever take the risk of assuming she'll be just fine no matter how warm or cold her cage gets.


All the input is definitely very, very appreciated. I think my guy is in the tough boat with your girl, but I'll definitely be more mindful of his temperature in the summer (and shifts in it when we go places). I check the cage temperature, but like I've said, I've always assumed that if I'm fine, he's fine because the low 70's are really chilly for me. He's yet to have a problem with temperature, but I'll make sure to check on him more during the day in the summer. I already do that like crazy when it's cooler outside. I like the idea of a 73-85 window. That's probably what he's used to anyway.


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## Heavenly Hedgehogs (Mar 19, 2010)

I think it depends on the individual hedgehog. Most are fine with room temp, but I have a couple of girls that need a warmer space.


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