# Building my new Hedgie a better home.



## rboelens

Currently, im keeping him in a smaller hamster cage (yes I know its too small) which is why Im in a bit of a hurry to pick him up a better home.

This is the cage im looking at. I plan to attach 2 of them together as shown









The reason i like this cage design is the fact that its modular and expandable.
It also has a canvas bottom to protect my floors from messes and the dividers (which are adjustable) would allow me to give him a seperate room for sleeping, eating, pooping and playing.

Im tempted to even put some earth in one or two of the rooms and put live grass in one or two of the rooms. (I dont know if this is a good or bad idea, so please chime in if you have any thoughts).

I have a Flying Saucer 12" spinner wheel
2x pyrex bowls for food and water (though im looking for some sort of auto feeder and water dispenser, but i know i dont want bottles due to hedgehogs chipping teeth on the metal bit)
I also have a 4 inch diameter flex tube or "Fun Tunnel" Its called. I havent opened the packaging yet as im afraid it may be too small. My hedgie is only a few months old, but im worried about later when he grows older.
For a bed, im looking to either get an igloo or hedgie bag, or maybe even a small fake "den" lined with a removable hedgie bag.

I grew up as a sega kid, so of course I named my hedgie "sonic", so the whole "green hill zone" theme will be going towards the cage.

Im tempted to leave it open topped, the cage comes with a wireframe top but I think it should be ok. I know hedgies are climbers, but im having a hard time beleiving a hedgehog can climb a wire frame cage that is a 1-2 foot high.

with 2 of these cages, totalling approx 16 sq ft, I figure he should be pretty happy.

Im also thinking about putting a small "river" (via 2 room dividers) to seperate the areas, which would kinda "force" him to wash his feet (itll be wading depth, not swimming depth) or maybe a small "pond or something" for aesthetics. Im also hoping this will relax his apparent fear of water (he seems to hate it)

Whatare your thoughts?


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## Lilysmommy

As far as I know, the cages look fine. I remember another user, LarryT, I think, saying that they were kind of flimsy, so I think they'd be difficult to move much, but they have plenty of room. There's just a couple of issues I noticed.

Hedgies are _very_ good at climbing and escaping containers. A determined hedgie would have no trouble at all scaling the cage walls and getting out. So I would suggest using the top that comes with the cage, just to be safe. You may not know your hedgehog is a climber until he's escaped and you're panicking and trying to find him.

The other thing I thought of is, how are you planning to heat it? It'd be very difficult to heat two of these cages with CHEs, you'd need probably two per cage, which would be pretty expensive to buy. Plus, with how open they are, the CHEs may not keep them warm enough. You'd probably have to keep the entire room that the cages are in to a safe temperature, using the house thermostat or using a space heater.


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## rboelens

I tend to keep the temperature in my apartment pretty warm. around 22-23 degrees celcius.
do they REALLY need a seperate heater? I dont really like the idea of having heaters on while im not home (i might even forget to turn it off one day). The reason being, A heater i had for my tropical fish tank one day out of the blue failed and ignited on its own as I was walking out for work. If I hadnt caught it in time, my apartment would have gone up in flames. This is why I will always distrust electric heaters. I much prefer to keep a warm apartment anyways.


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## Hedgieonboard

You may be able to get away without a heater but it will be important to keep the cage a fairly constant temperature. You'll need a thermometer for sure and will have to make sure the cage stays around 75 give or take a few degrees (depending on the hedgie). You can heat the whole room the only problem I see is that if you don't have an alternate heat source its going to be very hard to maintain a constant temperature, especially when it starts getting cold out. I heat the entire room also but I also have a space heater that turns on if the temperature drops below 75. I just say this because from all the stories I have seen with people catching their hedgies trying to hibernate, its something you will want to avoid at all costs because it sounds super scary and can be fatal.


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## Immortalia

As for the dirt and grass...It would have to be "clean" dirt. If you are taking dirt from outside, you would have to stick it in the oven and heat it to kill all bacteria. 

I'm not quite sure how safe potting soil for the grass would be... and both dirt and grass would probably need to be replaced every few weeks, or every month, as I highly doubt your hedgie will refrain from defecating on the dirt and grass.

Also,along the idea of dirt, you should be very careful that nothing gets trapped in his boy parts. It can happen, and it has happened. Especially if he pees when he's on the dirt and stuffs sticks to him.


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## meggie0703

first, on the topic of automatic feeders: for my little one I got a gravity feeder in the bird section of the pet store for water. it has the advantages of being small enough that she cannot climb into it but large and heavy enough that she can't tip it over. I looked for ages for a gravity feeder for water (the bottle being dangerous- especially for her as she had a tendency to chew on it- and a dish being either too small to hold a suitable amount of water, or too big so she may decide to crawl into it like her food dish which I am not comfortable with) but the only ones i could find were the massive cat/dog feeders, all of which she could use as a swimming pool, so, the bird section is probably the best bet- they don't hold much water and I do have to re-fill it every other day (or every day if she decides that she wants to put some food in the water- i have yet to understand that one) but it is the best solution i have found, and as i clean her wheel every day as well, it is not a big deal. also, it makes me feel better when she has clean/fresh water- I am a bit obsessive. 

considering that I have yet to encounter a hedgie that will gorge itself on food (though i am sure they are out there) a similar set up might also work for food (although a similar issue would arise: the bird feeder may not hold that much food). Daphne, however, is picky about her food and will not eat food that has been left from the previous night- spoiled little thing!  maybe that will change when i have fully transferred her to her new food... 

I am also using a wire cage, however, I would recommend cover the bottom of the wire with something to make sure that your hedgie cannot climb it. My cage set up has about 6 inches of plastic before she can get to exposed wire which works for me, but if you end up with a climber, you may want to line the cage up a little higher, especially around those ramps and doorways. though, you will have to do the research to find the best way to do that. (I am partial to a hard-plastic type material of some kind, zip ties and a power drill- but I am just a power tools type of girl...).

lastly (or rather lastly that I can remember from your post) I, personally, would not recommend putting any kind of "river" into the cage. the reasoning is sound, clean feet are good, but chances are the little one will poo and pee near the water, making it dirty and not very hygienic. also, over time, no matter how warm your apartment is, the water (or the hedgehog) will get cold which, as i am sure you are aware, is a very very bad state for a hedgehog to be in. Especially if you do not have any kind of heating unit, a wet hedgie is not a good thing- you wouldn't want to walk around in a wet towel all day would you? 

I am fairly new to Hedgehog ownership as well, so by all means, do more research! but that is just my opinion on what I have experienced so far. I have sent hours researching and reading about hedgehogs, (like I said, I am a bit obsessive) but it can be hard to find actual truth in anything because hedgehogs (as opposed to dogs or cats) are still fairly new 'pets' and information is still being collected. hope I have helped! good luck.


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## meggie0703

correction: Daphne _was_ not a climber- until I took her wheel away for the night when i found little bloody footprints leading from the wheel and trailing all over the cage. she went absolutely spare! I'm talking completely fruit-loop nuts. she started by (presumably) climbing the cage (evident by the soft thuds i heard when she fell off the wire when she could not get her back legs up). then, when i put her in a soft but solid lined cage for the night until I could get the material to extend the barrier to the wire a few inches further she would not stop rooting around under all the lining, spilling water and food alike. she wouldn't even settle down if i held her, which usually calms her down (she didn't ever huff at me or ball up but kept turning circles in my hand and running up my arms). Its is incredible. finally i broke down and had to put her wheel back (for a little bit at least- i know, her poor little feet! but that may be better than further stressing her with boredom as she has no interest in any other toys) and, other than joyfully running into it when i was trying to mount it back onto her cage, she has completely ignored it! just curled up under the top liner and hasn't made a peep since.

in short: do not assume your dear one will not climb at some point: make sure they cannot get a foothold in the wire cages!


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## rboelens

Actually, after looking at the many C & C cages, Im really tempted to pick one up to make my own custom design.

I liked the above cage due to the removable canvas bottom, but i heard they are a little difficult to clean and to get rid of the stains. Besides coroplast, are there any other fabric materials I can use that is "waterproof" to make easier to clean?


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## tie-dye hedgie

Coroplast is not a fabric, it is a plastic material that "home for sale" signs are made out of. Coroplast goes around the edges of the cage about 6-8in up the walls to prevent escaping. 

Fleece is a fabric that is the majority bedding choice here. It is safe, clean, reusable, and saves you money in the long run. You don't even have to sew it, just cut to fit the bottom of the cage and put down two layers. Change every two-three days and machine wash and dry.


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## Puffers315

Best description of Coroplast is plastic cardboard, like tie-dye said its used for signs like at the corner store and such, can be found at Home Depot and other home improvement stores.

And its very typical of a hedgehog to 'go insane' when their wheel has been removed, understandable its gotta be done when they've injured themselves, but because of all the energy they have, when its removed, they have no outlet, and thus go insane. Shae on here I think had the same thing happen, her hog ran enough to hurt his feet and then when she removed it, he totally wrecked up his cage.

As for the 'liner diving', that can usually be solved through a few methods. First try a few different houses for them, both my hogs do not like hedgie bags or igloos and I had trouble with both going under the liner. I designed a 'shoe box' house which seems to have solved the problem, along with pinning down some of the liner edges and placing their stuff along the edges making it more difficult for them to burrow. They do it because they enjoy it.

What kind of house does he have? If I remember the picture of your cage, his house is just a plastic style box with a wide open end and looked like nothing inside. They like to be covered, and they like to be surrounded, reasons why they burrow under the liner. They kind of like the security of having that fleece on top of them. Both my guys have shoe box houses filled with fleece strips and generally rearrange it into a nest.

As for the injury on the wheel, it may be possible if I'm not mistaken that Flying Saucers have ridges, and I know when I first got my Loki, he came with a Comfort Wheel that also has ridges on the running surface, and it seemed his feet were kind of swollen after a night of running, LarryT and I and others concluded that the ridges can be rough on an avid runner's footsies.


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## meggie0703

> And its very typical of a hedgehog to 'go insane' when their wheel has been removed, understandable its gotta be done when they've injured themselves, but because of all the energy they have, when its removed, they have no outlet, and thus go insane. Shae on here I think had the same thing happen, her hog ran enough to hurt his feet and then when she removed it, he totally wrecked up his cage.
> 
> As for the 'liner diving', that can usually be solved through a few methods. First try a few different houses for them, both my hogs do not like hedgie bags or igloos and I had trouble with both going under the liner. I designed a 'shoe box' house which seems to have solved the problem, along with pinning down some of the liner edges and placing their stuff along the edges making it more difficult for them to burrow. They do it because they enjoy it.
> 
> As for the injury on the wheel, it may be possible if I'm not mistaken that Flying Saucers have ridges, and I know when I first got my Loki, he came with a Comfort Wheel that also has ridges on the running surface, and it seemed his feet were kind of swollen after a night of running, LarryT and I and others concluded that the ridges can be rough on an avid runner's footsies.


I am not so concerned about her burrowing under the liner that much any more. I have started putting multiple liners in at one time because she is very crafty and has learned to move anything i put in there. However, I now use three or four fleece liners and she is delighted with it. she will only burrow down under one or two of them and hide under her wheel (which is mounted to the side of the cage and sits just off the bottom of the cage). she had a hut, but she was not so enamored with it and it took up a lot of running space so i got her a tunnel instead.

I am not really sure where the injury came from. I suspect, however, that it is more likely that she may have accidentally stepped on a shed spine (she is quilling). She has a Wodent Wheel (which was recommended by the breeder), which has ridges, but they are only raised from the running track by a millimeter or two. she has had this type of wheel since I brought her home and (save for last night) I have yet to have an issue with foot injuries, which is why I suspect that it was from stepping on a stray quill- that an i found the issue at 1am, having put her back in her cage after watching a movie at 11 and am sure that she has on many occasions run for longer without incident) for anyone looking for a wheel, I would very much recommend the wodent wheel. the sites that sell it boast that it is "The only exercise wheel recommended and approved by the ASPCA", but you can't really put much stock in marketing slogans and such... it is designed for delicate feet and frequent, east cleaning (the track pops out and lays flat!). moreover, it is a closed wheel except for three hedgehog sized holes so she cannot fall out. the stand is problematic, but it is pretty easy to create a cage-mounting system diy. but anyway... sorry to hijack your post!


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## PJM

I too bought a woodent wheel (recommended by the breeder) when we first got Cholla. My main issue with it was the cleaning. You had to take it apart. I almost lost that nut-clip down the drain a couple times. And although the inside tread does come out flat, it's a bit unruly.

I do still have it & use it as an extra wheel. Used it for a day or 2 when we got Zoey, until I could make a base for the cake walk wheel she came with. Reminded me how much I truly love Larry's CSW wheel. It's SO much easier to clean.

But of all the other wheels out there, like the dangerous silent spinner, you could do worse than the woodent.


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## LarryT

Here is a link to the CSW thread;
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=4844&start=0


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## rboelens

Ive been looking for these cube things everywhere. Ive checked online at walmart, home depot, zellers etc. Noone seems to sell these anymore?

I looked on Ebay and found the connector pieces, but not the wire square pieces.


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## LarryT

rboelens said:


> Ive been looking for these cube things everywhere. Ive checked online at walmart, home depot, zellers etc. Noone seems to sell these anymore?
> 
> I looked on Ebay and found the connector pieces, but not the wire square pieces.


Target has them for $17.99 each,I bought three packs of them a few weeks back.


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## nessariel

I see you're in Ontario (me too!  ) Try Canadian Tire. That's where I found some, and they had them the last time I was there a couple of weeks ago.


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## Nancy

Costco here has them too, as does Walmart.


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## shealynn87

I got mine from amazon.com. I live in WA and couldn't find any stores that sell them close to me. I ordered which gave me free shipping and I used the extra squares to make a playpen.


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## krbshappy71

Just wanted to comment on the autowaterer and feeder:

I tried extra-small auto-watering jugs made for small cats. The hedgies stepped in the drinking area EVERY night, thus I had to keep cleaning its basin, which defeated my purpose of not having to keep tending to the water dish. Not worth it, I now use small ceramic crocks. Clean, fresh water is really important and now they don't stick their poopy feet in their dish.

My hesitation on auto-feeders is that you will not know when the hedgie has eaten less the previous night which is possibly a first sign to illness. I feed my hedgies the exact amount every night so if someone doesn't eat I can tell immediately. Some people count the kibble, particularly if they are wary that the hedgie did not eat. An auto-feeder is not going to give you this important sign of trouble.

Love the cage, I have large cages and keep the entire room warm but it kills my Natural Gas and Electric bill. It can be done, but prepared to be smacked by the larger bills. You have to keep the room at least 73 and some hedgies may want it warmer. Also, come up with a backup plan in case your furnace dies. Mine have "Snuggle Safe disks" that are warmed in the morning and stuck in their beds just in case our power goes out while I'm at work. They don't heat the air, though, so they can't be used for their only heat-source, its just to keep them from hibernating until I can get home and rescue them. (Riley loves his) I do this during the winter months and any nights that I see the temps will drop significantly.


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## hercsmom

Immortalia said:


> As for the dirt and grass...It would have to be "clean" dirt. If you are taking dirt from outside, you would have to stick it in the oven and heat it to kill all bacteria.


Going along with this point, any insects or bugs you bring in from the outside (even accidently) may have insecticides or pesticides in them, and this can be very harmful for your hedgie.

Looks like your baby will have lots of space to play though!


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## rboelens

Picked up 2x Cube packages, a huge board of coroplast last night.

I just have to say. WOW. I went to store after store after store, and noone carried them.
Walmart, Zellers, Costco etc.

I got lucky and found the last 2 packages at Home depot in the very back corner. they were about 35$ + taxes a set approx.

Was up till about 2am, cutting up the coroplast (I wanted to keep it as large segments as possible (cause i dont want to have gaps and segments for litter or poop to get stuck in between) and I finally got the segment for his loft made up, but then realized after all that precision cutting, the **** thing was 1cm too big on x and y axis. Unfortunately, since i took apart his other cage (to make room for the new one), I have to keep him in the single cube segment loft untill i get back from work today. He was NOT happy about that as its too small to fit him and his wheel, and understandably so.

I cut apart a garbage bag and used it as a liner for the coroplast (so its easy to clean while im building the thing still) and since he couldnt get out, the crafty bugger pulled the garbage bag into the cage and wormed himself between the garbage bag liner and the coroplast floor, which seperated him from his water + food + litter stuff.

When i get home from work, Im gonna continue working on his new home and recut more coroplast to give him more space.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to do all way Vertices on C&C cages? i can currently do them for every side but one.


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## NoDivision

Whoa, I would get that garbage bag out ASAP. Plastic bags are not good for living things! 

Coroplast is extremely easy to wipe down and clean, I can't imagine why you would need to put a plastic bag down over it.


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## silvercat

Diddo on getting the plastic bag out of there. Too many risks. just to name two major concerns:
1 - getting caught under/wrapping the garbage bag and suffocating
2 - eating any of the plastic and the resulting suffocation or internal blockages


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## rboelens

Removed it already. It was a temporary solution to prevent him from pooping up the coroplast before I could finish taping up the edges etc.

I have plans to put some sort of fabric down on top of the coroplast (as done by many users on the habitat thread), I think they are blankets or carpet or felt or something. but not untill I get him potty trained.

This morning i woke up to see poop everywhere. Even up on the top walls of the coroplast (how the **** do you get poop 4 inches high against the wall?!) Cleaned it up, but Im still dumbfounded by how something soo small can poop 1/5 his body weight in 1 night... and on the wall?!

Im hoping he will take a hint soon and start using the litter box. Ill have pics shortly on my setup.


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## tie-dye hedgie

While they run on their wheels, they poop. So sometimes the poop can be flung up on the sides of the walls.  

Fleece and flannel are what you need! Not felt of anything else! Cut it to fit the bottom of the cage and do two layers. Wash every other day. 

To potty train with the litter pan, you need to pick up the poop in the cage and place it in the litter pan everyday so they start to get the idea of what the big thing in the corner is.  
For litter, use a paper towel, Yesterday's News Paper Pellets, or a piece of white fleece!


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## rboelens

I have a loft that is seperate from the wheel, the poop was not from the wheel lol.

Im using the rabbit litter pellets for the litter, which is also in his wheel area (i read that they by nature poop on the wheel)

Gonna look into getting some Flannel or Fleece in Green or Brown so i can complete my "Green Hill Zone" Theme


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## tie-dye hedgie

Han**** Fabrics and Joann Fabrics are the main fabric store chains.


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## Kenzi

Just a tip for liners/ fabric in general

Fleece is a favored liner because it is very absorbent and you don't even need to hem it. You can just cut it to size and place it in the cage. 

Flannel is a great material for bags, blankets, and other accessories as it is soft, but it will need to be hemmed as it does fray, which is a safety concern (loose threads). You can use flannel and fleece together, as it's a great combo when sewn properly and there aren't raw edges.


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## alyssinreality

I was wondering if rabbit litter pellets are okay for hedgies? My boyfriends hedgie came with these pellets for her litterbox and I know that wood pellets can harbor mites. I also don't know the brand so I don't know what kind of wood it is. Would we be better off switching to yesterdays news or papertowels? She doesn't even potty in the box, just digs in it.


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