# Bringing Baby Home



## woahamie (May 5, 2010)

Sothis is what I've decided to buy for my new hedgie. His name is going to be Sonic the Hedgehog.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... oduct+Type

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... n=Pet+Type

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... n=Pet+Type

http://www.petco.com/product/14454/Care ... _Carefresh

http://www.petco.com/product/106845/PET ... lSaleItems

http://www.petco.com/product/14888/Sile ... SiteSearch

Anything I'm missing?
Oh, and about the cage... I might stick to a Rubbermaid container, since it'll come out more economical.


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## M_Canadian (Feb 22, 2009)

That's not a very good choice for a wheel and you would need a bigger size you need at least the 12" wheel. The cage really isn't a very good choice as the hedgehog could climb and get hurt, the bins would be better. Also how are you heating the cage? 

FWIW- I would recommend fleece blankets over the carefresh as it tends to dry their skin out and is way messier than blankets and more cost effective in the long run.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

that cage is too small...by the time you put a wheel, dishes and an igloo in there there won't be any room left...you should have a minimun of 2 Square feet of open floor space AFTER putting everything in the cage. Silent spinner wheels are dangerous, and a wheel should be 13 inches or bigger, I think that waffle house would be to small for a full grown hedgie, a large igloo would be better. What kind of food will you be feeding and what type of heating?


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## rainbowcookie (Dec 21, 2009)

Wow, Sonic the Hedgehog! Not many people on here would name a hedgehog something like that.

IMO, plastic containers are easier to clean. Also, you will HATE cleaning the Silent Spinner wheel. Some of my hedgehogs used them with no problems, but cake cover wheels are SO much easier to clean. Even if you pay twice as much, it's worth it to have an easy to clean wheel.

A cheap alternative for a bedroom or nest box is a cardboard shoe box--flip over and cut a door out and put in some fleece pieces and you are done! Hedgehogs will get poop on them, so be prepared to replace them every few weeks!


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## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

Don't forget a heating system!

Hedgehogs must be kept at a constant 76-78F at ALL times!!!


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## woahamie (May 5, 2010)

So I decided to go with a plastic Rubbermaid container.



Also, I live in Miami, and do you really think it's necessary to have a heating system since it's always hot here. I always keep my house at a constant 75-78 degrees.


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## tiesaresopxnk (Apr 29, 2010)

It's better to be safe then sorry.


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## woahamie (May 5, 2010)

Well, my house NEVER gets hot. If it does, it has to be in 100s here in Miami, but I want to take care of my future hedgie. What do you recommend I get? A heating lamp?


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## tiesaresopxnk (Apr 29, 2010)

There's a sticky on here that does an awesome job at explaining heat set ups, along with their pros and cons. Everybody's house is different, but it's a great guideline to go by.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I live in a very similar climate and honestly its best to have something set up for heat. I have a space heater when I need it. Even though its hot there is days in the winter where it may feel warm to me but is under 75 degrees.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

how big will the tub be?


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## woahamie (May 5, 2010)

The biggest one I can find, or the biggest one avalible, haha.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Don't buy the carefresh. Especially not the colours it is too dusty and drying for a hedgehog. If you have to get it get the ultra version. It's much less dusty. Most people use fleece liners (buy fleece from a fabric store and cut it to the size of the cage. The interesting thing about hedgehogs as pets is that you pretty much only have to get their food from an actual pet store (and the CHE if you are using one). Everything else can be bought elsewhere.


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## woahamie (May 5, 2010)

Actually, instead of using the tubs, I decided to go with the C&C cages. I find that he'll have a lot more space. I plan to use fleece liners since I like to sew (but I don't do it very well, so I'm going to ask my grandmother to help me out a bit since I wouldn't want any strings out). I find that fleece liners will be more economical in the future.  


I also do have one concern.
I plan to keep my baby boy in my room, since in the rest of the house I have to dogs roaming around at night and in the mornings as well. If I plan to use a heating lamp, won't that bother ME at night, because of the light and/or heat?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

You don't use a heat lamp. Hedgehogs need it to be dark and although some are not bothered by red light, some are. You use a ceramic heat emitter which produces heat with no light. You also need to use a thermostat to control the heat output of the emitter. Otherwise the emitter will make it too hot. The thermostat is the most important part of a heat emitter setup. 

The heat from the emitter will not bother you at all. That is the wonderful part of using an emitter/thermostat setup. Only the cage will be warm. 

If you make a c&c it's best to make a lid. Hedgehogs can climb C&C's and if you have other pets there is always a danger when there is no lid. With a lid, you can also put set the emitter right on top of the cage. There are numerous threads with information about emitters and lots of C&C cage pictures.


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## woahamie (May 5, 2010)

What's the best watt to buy?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

100 watt is usually enough for most cages, and should be fine since your house temperature is usually pretty high anyway.


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