# How to Change Your Lighting Schedule?



## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

I was just curious if I were to suddenly change my light timer so that it is on 14 hours a day, instead of 12, would that affect my hedgehogs in any negative way?

I used to use natural daylight during the daytime and only had my light come on in the morning & night for a few hours to extend the total daytime to 12 hours during the winter. However ever since my hedgies got URI's and it's gotten warmer here, I've been keeping the blinds closed and the light on for 12 hours straight because it was getting too warm in the room with the natural sunlight, and because I wanted to make sure my hedgehogs had a more solid light schedule (just in case the recently changing sunrise/sunset times contributed to the URI's at all).

My hedgehogs had been doing great with the 8am-8pm light schedule for the past 2 weeks, but last night I noticed all of them were out way earlier than normal, around 9pm. They normally come out at 11-12pm after I have medicated them (around 10pm) despite the fact that the light has been off since 8pm (it still remains a little light in the room until 9pm when the sun sets).

Would it be alright if I changed the timer from 8-8, to 9am-11pm (that way they will keep to their regular awake schedule which is somewhere during 11pm-6am)? The sun rises at 6:30am here so it is acutally kind of light in the room before the light comes on at 8am (despite the blinds being closed). 

Sorry if that was confusing at all, I just want to make sure my hedgehogs don't suddenly change their routine, as they are stopping the antibiotics and I don't want the URI's to return.


----------



## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I haven't had problems with changes like that, but that's just me. Think about regular old time changes- basically the same thing, and I have yet to hear about problems from it. If you think it might cause them to attempt hibernation you could try to do it gradually over a week or so, otherwise I'd just go ahead and change the timer to the new schedule.


----------



## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

LizardGirl said:


> I haven't had problems with changes like that, but that's just me. Think about regular old time changes- basically the same thing, and I have yet to hear about problems from it. If you think it might cause them to attempt hibernation you could try to do it gradually over a week or so, otherwise I'd just go ahead and change the timer to the new schedule.


That's a good point, I never even thought of changing my timer during daylight savings a while back and my hedgehogs didn't even notice the hour change. My hedgies have never attempted hibernation and since they all came from environments with no heating / no light at all, they all seem to be pretty tough.

Come to think of it, with me turning the room light on at night anwyays (they are in my office where I do homework) the light is normally on until 11pm at night anyways, so setting the light timer just ensures that the nights I'm not in there working, it won't mess up their internal clocks.

Thanks  I just wanted to make sure I wasn't gonna totally throw them off but now that I think about more, I doubt they will even notice.


----------



## krbshappy71 (Jul 17, 2009)

I agree, I think its the less-light that bothers them more than extended hours of light. 

I wish the sun would make up its mind today, one dark cloud and I'm turning on the room light, then its bright so I shut it back off, sheesh. Glad I'm gone most days so I don't notice that.


----------



## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

krbshappy71 said:


> I wish the sun would make up its mind today, one dark cloud and I'm turning on the room light, then its bright so I shut it back off, sheesh. Glad I'm gone most days so I don't notice that.


This is why I just have a lamp plugged to a timer. Whether it's bright and sunny out, or dark overcast, it's always on. I don't bother turning it on/off, even if the sun is very bright.


----------



## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

Immortalia said:


> krbshappy71 said:
> 
> 
> > I wish the sun would make up its mind today, one dark cloud and I'm turning on the room light, then its bright so I shut it back off, sheesh. Glad I'm gone most days so I don't notice that.
> ...


Me too, it saves you a world of worry! And that way if you're ever not home and it gets stormy out you don't have to rush home to turn a light on!


----------

