# What's your daily care routine? New here!



## lexcar (Mar 24, 2014)

Hi! I've been lurking this forum for a long time now in preparation for my hedgehog…which I will be bringing home TOMORROW! So excited!

I was wondering if anyone is willing to share the breakdown of their morning and evening routines (when to clean the wheel, give foot baths, replace food and water, etc.) including light schedule and bonding times? I want to keep a steady routine to 1. make a habit of doing things and 2. make it as stress-free as possible for my hedgehog. 

Also, the cage is set up in my bedroom, does anyone recommend that the light schedule begin at the same time as I would be getting up in the morning?

Will my hedgehog mind the commotion if I were to take out the wheel for cleaning or give her a foot bath in the mornings? Should the light be on or off at this time? And how long before the lights turn on do hedgehogs remain active/use the wheel? 

Sorry if these are weird questions, haha!


----------



## gamerkid08 (Jul 19, 2013)

Just a warning if you are a light sleeper, they are pretty noisy at night


----------



## NewAlbinoMom (Apr 7, 2014)

My hedges get morning fleece, water, food, wheel change/clean. Quick check for hairs on feet.

Afternoon spot check, clean if someone decided it was a good day to do poo rolling and smearing.

Evening clean all again, foot bath or full bath as needed. Then roaming time in a safe play area, followed by bonding. 

One hedge in a bedroom. He doesn't even twitch at our ruckus. Other hedge in office. He sleeps through the whole morning routine.

I'm a newbie owner so I let my hedges needs dictate my routine.


----------



## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

I'm going to be super specific, and this will be a long post, so hopefully it helps 

I usually wake up around 8-9 am. The first thing I do is go to Tansy's room (she has the second bedroom of my apartment to herself, spoiled girl) and turn on her "daylight" lights. They're the overhead lights, because I live in a basement apartment and her room doesn't have any windows.

After turning on the lights, I always check her cage - I check her wheel for any irregular stool or urine, as well as her food and water levels. If there's still a little bit of food in her bowl, I leave it there. If not, I add an extra tablespoon or so just in case she wants to have a quick snack during the daytime. I also change her water for the same purpose. I noticed Tansy doesn't really come out during the day, though. I also spot clean if the cage needs it.

Then around 8-9 pm at night, I turn off the "daylight" lights and turn on her "night" lights. For her night lights, I put up some warm white Christmas lights around the ceiling of the bedroom. Sometimes I turn on my desk lamp too. 
*keep in mind that night time lighting can be different for each hedgie. Some hedgies aren't active unless it's completely dark, some are fine with just the light from a TV/laptop, others are okay with a desk lamp. You just have to try with your new baby *

This is when I do all of the cleaning. I actually found that it's easier to clean the wheel at night, when all of the poop kinda dries out (sorry if that sounds gross!). That way, you can just take a paper towel and scrape out the dried poop before cleaning it. Then I spray the wheel, empty water and food bowl, and sometimes her tunnels/litter pan if they're dirty, with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. After wiping everything down, I put it back in her cage, and then wake her up for bonding/cuddle time!

Since Tansy's only four months, and still needs a lot of sleep, I only keep her out for bonding time for 1-2 hours at the most. This is also when I give her a foot bath if she needs it, as well as nail clipping, or a full bath. If it's time her her weekly bedding change, I put her in playpen while I wash everything too. 

Then around 11 or midnight, I put her back in her cage for the night. She has a plug-in nightlight (not LED) that I turn on, because I noticed if it's completely dark in her room, she won't be as active.

Now, to answer some of your questions:

- You can begin the light schedule when you wake up, as long as you make sure your baby gets 12-14 hours of light.

- I would recommend giving her foot baths in the morning only if it's in the early AM (like around 6-7 am). Your baby will be grumpy if you wake her up when she's sleeping, though.

- My girl doesn't mind the commotion when I take things out of her cage to clean. However, I make sure I do it when her "night" lights are on, so she knows it's nighttime and will be more active anyway.

- It depends on each hedgehog on when they'll be active. It also depends on when you wake them up at night. I've heard Tansy on her wheel at different times, from 1 am to 4 am, even as late as 7 am. 

Sorry if this was way too long, but I tried to give as much info as possible. Have fun with your new baby


----------



## lexcar (Mar 24, 2014)

This helps a ton, *thank you*!

And I am an incredibly heavy sleeper, so no worries!


----------

