# Incense, scented oil, and candles



## lmsoft (Sep 9, 2008)

I just resently moved to a new apartment, and I have a roomate now, so I'm spending more quiet time in the bedroom instead of the main room. I occasionally like to burn candles, and since my hedgie lives in my bedroom, I want to make sure this small amount of smoke won't be harmful to her.

I'm also curious about using scented things like incense or oils, and possibly scented candles. I know hedgies usually don't like perfumed things, but are there any such scents that hedgies don't mind? I'm not using either of these things now, I just want to check in before I buy something I can't end up using. Is incense and the like ok as long as it's in a different room? Or must my whole house be incense free?


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## lmsoft (Sep 9, 2008)

A little update on this: I checked with my parents, who owned a lot of pets over the years, and they say that the smoke from candles shouldn't be a problem at all, and that the smoke from incense should be ok if I put a sheet over her cage so she can't breath it in. I'm just hoping the actual smell of incense won't bother her too badly.


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

You probably shouldn't use any scented oils/candles in the same room as your hedgie, because of respiratory health. They have a very good sense of smell and what smells nice to you could be overwhelming from them. There was discussion at one point as to whether room fresheners like glade plug-ins would even be okay, and if I remember correctly it was pretty much decided that they weren't that great for hedgie health. I wouldn't risk using them in the same room. Elsewhere in the house there shouldn't be a problem. The hedgie's room should really be incense free though, in my opinion.


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## Amelia (Nov 27, 2008)

air freshners should be okay. However, you should stay away from oils. I know that the aromatic oils in things such as cedar and pine can cause serious respiratory damage in pets and there are probably others that do as well. In general I would say away from all aromatic oils just to be safe.


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

If it's just fresher air that you want, some people recommend sitting a bowl of baking soda in the room to get rid of any unwanted odors. I would stay away from any scented stuff, myself.

This post was from Kalandra in another thread. (http://hedgehogcentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=522&st=0&sk=t&sd=a)


Kalandra said:


> What about a bowl of baking soda. It can help eliminate odors from the air. You can also sprinkle some on the carpets and then vaccuum up to remove bad scents from there. Overnight seems to work really well.
> 
> Some of you might laugh at me, as you know I'm a huge fan of white vinegar for cleaning....
> vinegar in a bowl is supposed to be similar to baking soda for sucking up bad scents. I've even heard of it being sprayed into the air to remove bad scents.


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## lmsoft (Sep 9, 2008)

Alright, thanks guys! I'll be careful around my little girl then, and keep the scented candles in another room. It's not about odor elimination, I just like candles and stuff. Do you think unscented candles are alright?


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