# New hedgehog owner!



## Prickerz (Sep 17, 2014)

Hi all,

So I finally decided a hedgehog is the right addition and found a real cutie from a breeder in my home town! (About an hour and a half from where I am now)
I have a bazillion questions, so all advice is welcome! I am bringing her to her forever home October 8th.

Is a ceramic heat emitter an absolute necessity, or will a space heater and microwaveable heating pad be enough, as well as consistently having the heat set high? We don't pay for heat here, so it wouldn't be a problem.

Is aspen bedding good, or am I better off with something else? I guess paper bedding gets stuck on them...??

What do you think about this cage?

Amazon.com : Living World Deluxe Habitat, Large : Pet Cages : Pet Supplies

How often does she need bath time? This sounds adorable and I can't wait!

Purina pro plan cat food- yay or nay?

Should I leave her alone for a couple of days when I first bring her home, or just get right to socializing?

Thanks!!


----------



## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

The heat set up should be fine. No matter what you decide get a thermometer in her cage so you know the exact temperature of inside of her cage. The thing I like about the CHE and a thermostat is that it helps keeps the cage steady. Some space heaters also have that option so once you get it set right you should be okay. 

I hated the aspen bedding, it gets everywhere and has bad odor control. I use fleece and that to me is the best liner. It's easy to clean, has good odor control and looks super cute. 

The cage looks fine if not a little small. Make sure she doesn't climb it and be prepared to put up something if she does decide to climb. Also I would forgo the second level. If you want it, you will need to enclose the ramp (and get a better one) and the second level so she can't fall off of it. 

I give foot baths on a semi daily basis depending on the hedgehog. I don't give full baths often because they all stress out and it dries out their skin in the Colorado weather. When you do use a oatmeal based body wash, Aveeno makes a great baby oatmeal body wash and you can also use regular oatmeal to help with dry skin and a little bit of flaxseed oil or vitamin e oil. 

I seriously don't like Purina but that is my opinion. I would go with a higher quality cat food, Innova, Wellness, Castor and Pollux, Blue Buffalo, Simply Nourish, Nature's Variety, etc. Make sure the protein is between 30-35% and the fat is below 15%. 

It depends on your hedgehog whether or not to socialize the first night. With my first girl, I knew I could take her out and she would be fine. She rarely huffed and is always really laid back. My boy and my two older girls I left alone for the first night and started bonding with them the next day.

Good luck bringing home the new baby. Sorry if the information was a lot all at once. :lol:


----------



## phoenix1964 (Jan 23, 2014)

One more thing to add to Desiree's post: make sure you get a baggie of food from the breeder to tide you over while you switch food, unless you plan to use the same as the breeder, then it would be fine. You don't want to risk your hedgie not eating and you having to stress out over trying to spend all that time and money trying to find a good food she will eat. Even if the breeders food choice is not what you would prefer, take some anyway!
Have fun!


----------

