# Bored hedgie?



## puppetgal (Jul 1, 2012)

Hello all,
I am new to the site and a new hedgie owner. I have his tank set up with a tube 2 hiding huts and a litter box and food and water bottle. I think he's bored  I have a wheel but he doesn't seem to run on it and it's a wire wheel so everything I've read says he needs a solid wheel, so I will be getting one tomorrow for him. I also would love ideas on what to add to his cage to make it more friendly and home to him. Ive gotten so many ideas and I have him in a 75 gallon tank so there's plenty of space. I just think he's bored in there. We do take him out and let him run around he's certainly happy and active then..he loves to run on my bed! Lol! Any ideas and additions on what to make him more active?


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## Tabi (Jun 24, 2012)

When do you observe him?


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## pickles17 (Feb 18, 2012)

You can put toilet paper tubes with a slit down the side in there for him to play with. As well as solid cat toy balls (not the kind with holes in them). You could also hide mealworms or catfood treats for him to find as well. Glad to see you are getting him a solid wheel, just be sure not to buy a silent spinner (the one where two colours meet and click together in the middle), it's been known to rip out toe nails. Another reason why sometimes hedgies won't run on their wheel is if their nails are too long, or curling under so that's something to check for as well. Hedgehogs are also most active at night, so if you are seeing this bored behaviour during the day then It's probably because he just wants to hide and go back to sleep.


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## SquiggyTheHedgie (Jul 26, 2011)

puppetgal said:


> tank set up with a tube 2 hiding huts and a litter box and food and water bottle.


You say you have him in a tank? You want to switch to a larger, more open cage. Tanks don't provide much ventilation and can be stuffy for your hedgie, especially the fumes from their feces and urine, and I imagine are a pain to clean. The cheapest, most practical cage that you can get a lot of space out of are C&C cages, which are made of storage cube grids and coroplast, and can be made with less than $100 usually. Think guinea pig cages. You also want to take out that water bottle in exchange for a water bowl, since the bottles are an unnatural drinking position and can chip teeth and cut tongues. If he is bored, he probably just needs to wheel, I would suggest ordering a CSW or CSBW, you can easily order them from the ads listed above near the forum banner  These are great, safe, and easy to clean wheels, that your hedgie will get a lot of enjoyment from.


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## puppetgal (Jul 1, 2012)

SquiggyTheHedgie said:


> puppetgal said:
> 
> 
> > tank set up with a tube 2 hiding huts and a litter box and food and water bottle.


You say you have him in a tank? You want to switch to a larger, more open cage. Tanks don't provide much ventilation and can be stuffy for your hedgie, especially the fumes from their feces and urine, and I imagine are a pain to clean. The cheapest, most practical cage that you can get a lot of space out of are C&C cages, which are made of storage cube grids and coroplast, and can be made with less than $100 usually.


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## puppetgal (Jul 1, 2012)

I got him a wheel the largest they have in fact! If that doesn't work for him I will order the CSW wheel everyone seems to be raving about. I also acquired a lot of fleece so that I can reset his home into something that is less crowded. I got plenty so I can swap it out easily. I hope it keeps the smell down too. I have gotten conflicting answers on the bedding so I tried it and I will now try this to see how well it works. If we cant seem to keep him happy in the tank, I will be getting another type of home for him. I like the idea of the bi-level type spaces but have also heard conflicting things on that too. I've seen so many awesome ideas on here, and his living space is actually in my room on my dresser where we can enjoy him while laying around too. He sometimes comes to cuddle with us on the bed  as far as the water bottle is concerned he drinks fine out of it so far. Maybe with the fleece set up I will put a bowl in too to see which he prefers. I really thank you for your input  I'm glad to be here!


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## Viki (Jul 10, 2012)

My hedgehog Willow loves bottles caps. She grabs them in the mouth and moves them all over her house. I have also seen here toss them in the air and go run after it. she also has 7 rubber ducks of all sorts of colors and sizes. She loves to bury under them and over them around as well. Willow has a flower pot to she likes to play with.


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## SquiggyTheHedgie (Jul 26, 2011)

puppetgal said:


> as far as the water bottle is concerned he drinks fine out of it so far


The issue isn't that he's not having a problem with it now, its that it's potentially dangerous in the future. Just because he hasnt chipped a tooth or cut his tongue tonight, doesn't mean it won't happen ever. As for the cage over tank, if you go to the housing section of the forum you can read all the reviews and experiences other people have had with them.



Viki said:


> Willow loves bottles caps. She grabs them in the mouth and moves them all over her house. I have also seen here toss them in the air and go run after it.


Do the bottle caps have any sharp edges, or pointy tips? If they aren't completely smooth, Willow could cut her mouth up pretty badly with them. It seems like she enjoys playing with toys, so I would suggest a jingly ball without any holes in it. Some hedgies love to roll them around and make noise with them.


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## Viki (Jul 10, 2012)

SquiggyTheHedgie said:


> Do the bottle caps have any sharp edges, or pointy tips? If they aren't completely smooth, Willow could cut her mouth up pretty badly with them. It seems like she enjoys playing with toys, so I would suggest a jingly ball without any holes in it. Some hedgies love to roll them around and make noise with them.


The bottle caps are completely smooth and don't have any pointy tips.
She has 3 different colored cat balls in her house but rarely plays with them, however she loves to drag her toilet paper rolls around.


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## jerseymike1126 (Jan 20, 2011)

75 gallon tank is more than enough room for a hedgehog, the floor space on the tank is 48" x 18". that is a 6 square foot enclosure


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## SquiggyTheHedgie (Jul 26, 2011)

I'm thinking more of ventilation and ease of cleaning. That probably a really heavy tank, and if she's using a particle bedding other than fleece liners, it probably needs cleaning at least once a week, and to clean something that big is a pain.


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## jerseymike1126 (Jan 20, 2011)

i clean one constantly and it has topsoil/sand in it. not so bad, glass cleans easy (not saying the other way isnt easier though)


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