# NEW OWNERS NEED HELP!!!



## kkozy17 (May 21, 2013)

My lovely girlfriend and i just bought our first hedgehog this past weekend. We went to petco got food bedding water bottle made our own litter box. We forgot to get a light though. We went to home depot and got a 5 1/2 inch clamp light and a 50 watt blue day heat light. I am going to get a 50 watt ceramic heater emiiter later today with her. Can someone please tell me if we are doing good or what else we need to do to make our little hedgie his new home more comfortable for him. His house is a hefty storage container.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

What kind of food and bedding did you get? Most everyone here highly recommends using fleece, not shavings or the paper stuff. You need a thermometer and it would be nice to have a timer for the light, if it doesn't already have one.

You should also look into getting or making some cuddle sacks. Moxieberry sells them  Also, do you have a wheel? Moxieberry also sells those.


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## Sarah_Stark (May 2, 2013)

Did you get a wheel? That is just as important as the food. Get a 12 inch wheel that has a smooth surface. Carolina Storm bucket wheels or Comfort wheels are good choices. Also get a thermometer for your babys cage it has to be kept from 73-83 degrees at all times. He also needs an igloo to sleep in because they like to hide when they sleep.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

They don't NEED an igloo. Mine never used one. They go in between their fleece liners lol. It might be nice to offer one to see if your quillbaby uses it. If not, take it out.

This has a pretty good list on what you "must have" and what might be nice to have. It also have TONS of other information.
http://www.westcoasthedgehogs.com/files ... ertzen.pdf


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## sklock65 (Jan 9, 2013)

The book by West Coast Hedgehogs mentioned above will be really helpful! I learned a lot from it when I first brought my hedgie home. I agree that they don't necessarily need an igloo. Some like fleece or other creative hideaways. I've seen people use various plush houses designed for ferrets as well...as long as they have a nice cozy space to sleep they are happy. Also just wanted to touch on the heating...I wasn't sure if you meant 5.5inch dome? That MIGHT be a little small. I have my hedgie in a cage (so maybe for a bin it would be different) but I use a 10inch dome and 60W bulb. Definitely switch to the CHE! Other optional things some hedgies enjoy: toys (no loose strings/small pieces), balls (some hedgies like cat toys with the bells in them...just make sure there isn't catnip in anything!), and other tubes to run around in. My hedgie likes to run through pieces of 4inch PVC pipes that we bought at Lowes. Some hedgies like to play with toilet paper rolls as well. Some like "playing" and others don't...so it takes some trial and error to find what if anything they like best. Good luck!


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## kkozy17 (May 21, 2013)

We bought some bedding that is wood shavings i believe it is pine and something else. Not cedar though i read that that is bad for them. We went and bought a wheel and he has a fleece liner that he loves and to be honest he really doesnt leave it. he goes bathroom in it which i hope is ok but my girlfriend is saying he doesnt leave his liner at all. He only eats when she puts food in front of his face and barely drinks water. She is saying now it sounds like he is blocked up from breathing. PLEASE HELP!!!!


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## AngelaH (Jul 24, 2012)

It sounds like its time for his first vet visit! It's recommended you take a new quill ball in to the vet anyway, for a check up and to establish a relationship and record with the vet. 

The not eating or drinking very much the first few days home is normal as he adjusts to his new surroundings, but it sounds like he's getting close to a week now which is dangerous.

Anything with breathing and respiratory needs to be checked by a vet. They are prone to Upper Respirarory Infections (URI). There are many causes but a possible cause is irritation from particles in the bedding.


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## kkozy17 (May 21, 2013)

We are feeding it fruit hard boiled eggs and sunseed vita exotic formula and dried meal worms.


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## velooyuotn (Apr 10, 2013)

You can get big tubes for them to hide/play in from home depot, sometimes they even like sleeping in it.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

Pine bedding isn't really good for them either as it can get stuck places and cause problems. Fleece is HIGHLY recommended on this site and by me (not that my opinion really holds much weight LOL). Anywho, the sunseed vita exotic formula... I'm not sure about this particular food but hedgehog foods are not very good for them and it really is recommended that you use a high quality cat food from one of the lists found on this thread: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15

If you switch over to fleece liners it's possible your quillbaby would enjoy sleeping between the liners. Mine do. Are you measuring how much food/water you give? I measure how much I give every evening and how much was left over. I feed Prim about 1.5 Tbsp of food and usually have 3/4 tbsp left over. Ivy gets 2 tbsp and has 3/4 tbsp left over. They each get 2 tbsp of water and have about .5-1 tbsp left over. Try measuring food/water if you aren't already and definitely take your baby to the vet if they still aren't eating


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

It's not usual for them to use the bathroom where they sleep - it can be a sign of sickness. With the breathing problems you mentioned, I'd switch him off the wood bedding immediately. If you don't have a fleece liner ready for the bottom of the cage, you can use a pillowcase or flannel baby blanket for a temporary liner. Don't use a towel - their nails can get caught in the loops.

Another concern associated with inactivity and lack of eating/drinking - what temperature is his cage? Do you have a thermometer? If not, you need one. Depending on the size of the cage, the 50 watt CHE may not be enough to keep the cage all at the right temperature. You also need a thermostat to regulate the CHE - it will turn the bulb on and off to keep the cage at a steady temperature. It needs to stay between 73-78*, and it should stay as steady as possible - a fluctuation of only 1-2* is what you're aiming for. To have it dropping a few degrees is enough to cause a hibernation attempt. Hibernation attempts can lead to breathing issues that could be a URI. URIs turn into pneumonia without a vet visit and medicine.

All that being said, keep in mind that babies sleep a LOT. Hedgehogs in general sleep during the day (with a few exceptions) and will usually only be active at night. Many tend to be shy about their habits as well, and if there's any light in the area (including street lamps from a window or night lights), that may deter them from going about their business. Likewise for human activity or noise. It'd be a good idea to count, weigh, or measure his kibble out (2-3 tablespoons is a good amount to start with, usually) and then do so again in the morning so you can get a more exact idea of how much he's eating. If he's not eating on his own and hasn't been for a couple days, you may need to syringe feed him - they go downhill quickly without food.

With food...It'd be a good idea to look into changing his food as well. Sunseed is one of the better hedgehog foods, but even the best hedgehog foods tend to be on par with the "okay" cat foods. Most people recommend feeding a good quality cat food - no corn, a meat or meat meal for first ingredient, and no BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin. Protein should be between 28-35% and fat around 15% or below (depending on his habits, how much he runs, his body shape, etc.)

So overall...

- change bedding
- schedule a vet visit (for a wellness check, at least, and to get him checked out if his breathing doesn't improve after the bedding change)
- tweak heating system a bit
- start keeping track of food intake in case you have to syringe feed (if you update us & let us know if he's not eating, we can give more information on the specifics of syringe feeding )
- look into switching to a good quality cat food (preferably a mix of 2-3 foods; it helps make sure you've covered bases nutritionally since we don't know their exact requirements, and it's a good back up in case a food becomes unavailable because hedgehogs tend to be so picky)

Here's some links to help out! I also agree with the book recommendation - it's a fantastic resource for new owners and contains a ton of essential information from the forums, but more organized.

Heating information: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4579

Cat food list (just suggestions, not a definite list): viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15

Other treats list (also found in the West Coast Hedgehogs book): viewtopic.php?f=6&t=19408


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## kkozy17 (May 21, 2013)

We bought a 75 watt day light heat light from Home Depot put that in Friday and he is still acting the same. Bought some fleece today going to put that in for his new bedding and plan on changing his food today. Should we keep the pedialite in his water or take that out. We just want to make him feel at home and be able to hold him and have him crawl around us.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

When you switch his food make sure you do it gradually! Just put a little bit of the new food in. Also, you might try wetting the food down. My Ivy doesn't like hard food and will not eat if it I don't wet it down to soften it up.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

A day light heat light is no good except for during they day. At night is when temperature is the most crucial as that is when they are up and active and need a warm but dark cage. Most people use ceramic heat emitters but it must be controlled by a thermostat. There are many threads on here about CHE setups. Temperature is the first thing to consider when hedgies become less active with less of an appetite.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Agreed with the previous comments about the heating bulb and changing food slowly. And yes, I would take the pedialyte out and just give him regular water.


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## kkozy17 (May 21, 2013)

So the ideal thing to have would be a 50 watt che thermostat timer and thermometer. Take the pedialite out of his water and change his food softly to a nice cat food.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yup! Just don't forget the CHE needs a thermostat to regulate it, and you need a thermometer to make sure the cage is staying at a steady temperature between 73-78*. If it's not staying warm enough with a 50-watt CHE bulb, you may need a 100-watt one. It depends on the size of the cage, and the temperature of the room that the cage is in.

Edit: If you click the heating thread I linked above, that does a good job of showing and explaining a complete CHE set up.  The book link that was provided earlier is a great thing to read too - lots of information on all of the basics!


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## kkozy17 (May 21, 2013)

Ok sounds good. We have a 60 watt Che then I just ordered a thermostat timer and also a digital thermometer.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Can you post a link to the thermostat you ordered. They aren't timers.


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## kkozy17 (May 21, 2013)

http://m.petsmart.com/mt/www.petsmart.c ... lInUS%2FNo

This is what I ordered


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Your link isn't working.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

It worked for me and yes, that's a proper thermostat, so you should be fine.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

ooops working now, sorry!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The link must be possessed. It's not working for me. :lol:


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

It must be! Its not working for me again...LOL


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## kkozy17 (May 21, 2013)

It's the zoo med repitemp 500r I believe that's how you spell it


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