# Idea/Question



## sarahomnia (Feb 10, 2009)

So if you had a hedgie (like mine, Hector) do you think you could make a 'cage' for them with a plastic dog wading pool, then put some of the plastic C&C cage walls around it and not put a cover?

I want to do this for Hector because I would love to let him have more room and allow me a better view of him. Plus I think it would be fun and much better for interaction and easier for me to clean because I wouldn't have to separate as many parts.

Just wondering if any of you think this is a reasonable idea.


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## drpepperheather (Dec 19, 2008)

I would say that if you used a kiddie pool, you would probably want to have a lid. The walls are not that high, so a hedgie could easily push stuff over to the side to step on and climb out. And even if you surrounded it with cubes, I've heard that most hedgies can use the square holes as little ladders to escape.

Even my tortoise was able to climb out of a pool pen
(though she never made it very far up the gate):










What if you just used a pool as a playpen? That way he would have more room during playtime and you could see him better, but then you could put him in a secure pen when you can't watch him?

Here's a way to enclose a pool, though it looks sort of difficult:
Fully Enclosed Pen: http://www.ratfanclub.org/cagepln2.html


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## hedgieMate (Aug 28, 2008)

Sorry, but I'm not sure what "if you had a hedgie (like mine, Hector)" means since I have limited time on forums and don't get to read all threads and posts on here. Does this mean Hector is a good climber?

I've seen a few people making a nice "cage" or playpen out of a 60" diameter, high-density Polyethylene kiddie pool. PE is considered to be safe and stable at least at this point in time, and a kiddie pool offers a lot of room at a very reasonable price (less than $20).

If I remember correctly, the height of those kiddie pools is about 15"; since it's made of rigid, smooth, and slippery material with no foothold of any kind, your hedgie will have a difficult time climbing out it. However, as already pointed out, some hedgies are surprisingly ingenious and construct a steopstool out of their cage furniture/accessories in order to climb over the edge (a few are known to drag and pile up items to achieve the goal!), so if you have an escape artist, you probably can't use a kiddie pool without a lid. You probably could use a sheet of plastic mesh and attach it with several alligator clips over the top edge so that you can attach and re-attach it easily.

A kiddie pool also require soft and comfortable bedding to be a good cage/playpen. I recall one person using Carefresh which cost her a small fortune in the long run. Your best bet may be several layers of fleece blankets so that you can wash and reuse them.


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## sarahomnia (Feb 10, 2009)

Hector doesn't seem to be interested in climbing his cage. The only time he seems to climb anything is if he knows there is a good spot that he can hide in there, like the nape of my neck or behind the top of a pillow. But I've never heard any sounds like he was trying to climb his cage, and have never seen any scratch marks on the side of the cage nor seen his liner ruffled in a spot as if he had tried to climb.

So. I had been wondering if I could use a wading pool and put the C&C cage around it (but NOT the regular type with the square holes, the ones with plastic like this: http://www.target.com/Storage-Solut...owse=0&index=target&rh=k:storage cubes&page=1) So then the walls would basically be even taller.


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

Those are really small, i didnt realize how small they were til i saw them for myself, each one is about the size of a cd case....would be better to get the bigger frosted ones, that are 15" tall


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## sarahomnia (Feb 10, 2009)

Those are the ones I'm talking about!  
I just couldn't find them on Target. Hahaha.

I already have some downstairs. I was going to make a playpen but then realized I had no flooring. Now I'm thinking of using them for a cage.


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## hedgieMate (Aug 28, 2008)

sarahomnia said:


> I had been wondering if I could use a wading pool and put the C&C cage around it


Why would you need both :?: If you use a kiddie pool that is over 15" deep/high, you don't need anything to enclose it. Just in case, though, I would cover the top with a mesh screen or something at night and during the day when no one is watching your hedgie - it's always better to be safe than sorry.


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