# Glass causing hedgehogs belly to feel cool?



## distantxdreams (Jun 23, 2013)

Hello! I'm pretty new here but I have some questions. I work with school age children and we were just given a hedgehog as a class pet. I have fallen madly in love with her, and I would really like to make sure that we are taking the best possible care of her. She was given to us in a glass terrarium, and I kept it because I figured it was what she was used to. However, I went to take her out of the terrarium a few days ago and she was difficult to wake. When I finally managed to get her to uncurl and pull her out, her belly was cool. I'm fairly certain she was attempting hibernation. I managed to warm her up with body heat, and she was back to her normal self. I've been watching her like a hawk now. I'm noticing now that every time I pull her out her belly feels cool. When she goes to sleep she shifts the shavings around so they are all piled up around her, but she is sleeping directly on glass. Could it be that the glass is making her belly feel cool? Our classroom is kept at a steady 74 degrees, and her cage is in front of a window (that doesn't get direct sunlight) because I thought that may help with the temperature. 

Should I buy a lamp, ceramic heat emitter, and thermostat? Do they maintain heat fairly well? Are they safe to have around older kids? Does anyone know of a vet in the Austin, Tx area who knows anything about hedgehogs?

Thank you for your help!


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## CinnasParents (Mar 7, 2013)

I'd recommend a different cage with more air flow. I keep my hedgehogs at 75-78 degrees, so the temperature may be a bit cool for her. I'd definitely recommend a CHE and a thermostat to monitor her temperature. Once a hedgehog attempts hibernation they are more likely to again. What kind of shavings is she in? A lot of owners on here recommend using a fleece liner or using a snuggle bag to cuddle up in if a hedgie gets cold.

As far as the vet question, I would just call around and ask. I'm from IN so I'm not much help there.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Agree with above - I'd switch her to a more open cage for better air ventilation, and a CHE for heat. You should be fine with it with the kids, just caution them that it IS hot and not to touch it - maybe a sign posted on the cage would be a good reminder to be careful around it. If you're worried about it being knocked off, I think the Fluker's lamps have holes in the edges and you can ziptie it to the cage. The clamp part of the clamp lamps can also be clamped to the wire.

Plastic-bottomed wire rabbit cages make great cages and you might be able to find one on Craigslist or at garage sales. Sometimes pet stores or online sites have sales too, so shop around. C&C cages (made of coroplast/sign board and wire storage cubes) are popular and cheap, but they're also very open and difficult to heat. Fleece/fabric liners are also safer and generally more comfortable for them as well, and you can cut up strips of fleece to stuff an igloo with for burrowing in. Wood shavings have risks like mites, slivers, allergies, and they're messy. The liners would need to be washed though, people typically change them a couple times a week, depending on level of mess from hedgie.

As far as a hedgehog as a classroom pet...Personally I'm pretty iffy on it. Would you be at all willing to take her home on weekends, or is the school near enough that you could go check on her Saturday and Sunday? They can be left overnight, but it's really best to have them checked on once a day, to change food/water (some are notorious for messing up their water bowls, and bottles have some negatives to them (possibility of broken teeth, hard to get water from, etc.). Their wheels (and she should have one, they run a LOT on their wheels) generally need to be cleaned daily since they poop on them. Liners would also have to be taken home for washing. I know a lot of classrooms with class pets will have students take the pet home on vacations like spring break, etc. I would be VERY careful with that with a hedgie - they're not common pets and many people aren't up to some of the specifics, such as heating and wheel cleaning, as well as the dangers of other pets or smaller children in the house. It'd be safest if you take her home for vacations, to make sure she gets proper care and so you can watch for any illnesses or other issues.

Here's a book that I'd highly recommend checking out - http://www.westcoasthedgehogs.com/files ... index.html It's free to download and it's a fantastic resource full of general and specific information about hedgehogs, everything from housing to heating to food to health and more. It's written by one of the mods from here, LizardGirl, and it's just really great! If you do decide to let any kids take the hedgehog home at some point during vacations or anything, I would also require the kid and their parents to read the book so they understand what they're getting into and how to care for her. 

Good luck and please, ask any more questions you have if you're having issues finding answers in the book or with the forum search!


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## distantxdreams (Jun 23, 2013)

Thank you so much for all of your advice! I'm searching online for the things I would need to keep her at a comfortable temperature. 

I was iffy about having her as a class pet as well, but her owner brought her up to the school and I fell in love. The school is close enough that I do go up to check on her every day during the weekend. I am also looking into purchasing a cage for my house and bringing her home on the weekends. She has 2 ceramic water bowls that she uses and a wheel. So I believe we are good on that front. The shavings will be my next worry, and why I am looking for a vet. She has developed what looked like dry skin, but after all of this research I'm beginning to believe she may have mites. The fleece liners sound like a better option all around, and I have no problem taking them home to wash them. 

Thanks again for answering all of my questions! My boss was beginning to think I was a little neurotic about the hedgehog, so it's nice to have a place where I can ask questions and such.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Does she scratch at all or is she losing quills? Usually if they have mites they scratch a lot and lose quills. I could just be dry skin, try adding a drop or two of flaxseed oil to her food a couple times a week. What kind of food is she on?


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## distantxdreams (Jun 23, 2013)

She does scratch quite a bit, but has not lost any quills. The food her former owner gave me is Evolve, I think. Is that okay? I'm ordering her a new wheel today because the one she has is unsafe (I discovered this through reading the forums today). I'll probably just go ahead and find a vet and have them do a well check. 

Can you recommend a place online to buy the things necessary to maintain a comfortable temp for her? I wanted to get her set up this weekend, but none of the local pet stores carry a thermostat.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Sounds like you're right on top of everything!  It sounds like she found a very good classroom to call her new home.

From what I'm finding on the food (which is a bit difficult to locate), it looks like it has pretty good ingredients. I couldn't find much of a nutritional analysis though, so you may want to take a look at that on the bag - protein should be somewhere 28-35% or so, and generally you look for fat between 10-15%, depending on hedgie's activity level.

I know a lot of people just order things off Amazon or one of the pet store sites. As far as brands, I used the Zilla temperature controller (http://www.amazon.com/Zilla-11939-Tempe ... thermostat), Fluker's 10" clamp lamp - you want 10" to spread the heat out as much as you can - ( http://www.petco.com/product/9469/Fluke ... Lamps.aspx ), and I can't remember what I used for bulbs...I know I used Petsmart's name brand, All Living Things, a few times, but I can't remember if I used any other brands. I never had too many issues with bulbs, but I know others have. I would suggest buying the bulbs in person if you can - you can take them out of the box to make sure they don't look deformed, and if they end up shorting out or causing problems or not working, you can return them much easier. For thermometers, it's up to you - I got at least one of mine from the petstore because it was half off (I had two, so I could keep track of both ends of the cage), but you can also find digital thermometers with probes (for more accurate readings) at stores like Walmart, in the outdoor section. My petstore thermometer had a handy feature so you could push a button and get the lowest and highest temperature recorded since the last time you checked it - great for keeping track of any fluctuations that might be happening at night and such.

Don't worry about seeming neurotic here - we all tend to be about our quilly babies. :lol: You can join the club! Before you know it, you'll be worrying about things like poop color and NOT having poop on the wheel!


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