# Arrgh! Suggestions wanted/needed..



## dawn71 (Aug 29, 2008)

Spike has developed this new habit over the last 2 weeks or so, of getting under his cage liner, and totally destroying/pooping all over everything.. :shock: I can handle that part, but he continuously knocks his water dish over, soaking his liner and everything near the water dish.. I keep refilling the water dish, but a few times I've found it bone dry in the mornings.. I'm afraid that when he knocks it over, and nobodys around to refill it, he'll go thirsty.. and I don't want that.. I have what I thought was a heavy water dish for him.. its one of those Exo-terra ones.. I don't want to resort to a water bottle for him... but thats what its looking like...  


Heeeelp!!!!!!!


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## SunRayz (Jan 30, 2009)

I have the same issue with Paco...he would rather be under the liner instead of on top of it. What I did to keep him from tipping over the dishes, is I placed them on a ceramic tile in the corner of the cage. The tile is approximately 6 inches by 8 inches. A bit bigger then I originally wanted, but it does its job very well from keeping the bowls in the upright position. I also place a piece of fleece of it to keep his feet from getting chilled.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

You can move/fold/cut the liner so it isn't under the food/water dishes, that way when he yanks it around it won't be on top sloshing and tipping everywhere. Maybe that would work?


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## gyaku (Jul 9, 2009)

My hedgehog doesn't use any liner, though he does like his blue blanket I made him, he never sleeps with out being on it along with being burried in shavings. Should I maybe use a liner?


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## raisinsushi (Jun 13, 2009)

gyaku said:


> My hedgehog doesn't use any liner, though he does like his blue blanket I made him, he never sleeps with out being on it along with being burried in shavings. Should I maybe use a liner?


What kind of bedding(shavings) ahve you been using? Liners are the best to use for bedding, a lot of other bedding is bad for their respiratory system.


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

Sylvie dug under the liner the first night she was home (at the breeder she was on shavings). I moved things around so there was something heavy (wheel) in the corner. The other corners I put rocks in to hold the liner down. She's never climbed under since. In her hut she has a shirt, hersleeping bag & fleece strips so tons to climb under in there.


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## gyaku (Jul 9, 2009)

I use Aspen shavings for Sonic


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

If you can, switching to liners would be a great change. They aren't expensive (just buy em once and wash them from then on), look nice, are easy to spot blood/unusual poop/pee, are easy on a hedgie's respiratory system, etc. Overall they are a great choice.

If you are worried Sonic won't get to dig in things with liners, you can cut small strips of fleece for him to dig in and put them in his hiding box/igloo.


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## gyaku (Jul 9, 2009)

I'll think about it, so far I am trying to litter train him so that his cage is a bit easier to clean.
Sonic seems to be fine with out a liner, and he does sleep on his sonic blue blanket I made him, with out it he hisses and glares at you till you return it. I made it from fleece, and I bough the Sonic and Knuckles emblem from Comics Hobby, I think its fleece, could be wool too.


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## dawn71 (Aug 29, 2008)

I have a tile.. I'll try that! I tried folding the liner, but Spike saw that as an opportunity to go under the liner even more lol! :lol: What am I gonna do with my little destructive guy!!
I swear in the mornings, its like 10 hedgehogs were partying it up in the cage - its always a disaster!! :shock:  :mrgreen:


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

LOL, sounds like the drunken sailors that routinely visit Reaper's girl's place are coming to visit you! :lol: Inky did the same thing, I never found anything to stop him. When I switched to my new cage I was able to tuck the liners under and finally he stopped doing that.


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## gyaku (Jul 9, 2009)

LOL party hogs, sorry I just couldn't resist, that is one of the reason I use shavings over liner, my gerbil was even worse, eventually his house crushed him. He was named Digger since he loved to dig, he did also find a way to get out of the cage and crawl into my bed.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Quigley dug under his liners constantly until I just started putting a second liner bunched up on the other side of his cage from the food. Even with the second one though I occassionally wake up to spilt water and a dry water bowl. I've never seen him show signs of dehydration when he spills his water though. 

My theory is that he probably spills it pretty close to morning when he's going to sleep after he's spent the night drinking and running on his wheel. As long as you replace the water first thing in the morning. I don't think you need to worry about your hedgehog not having water. It will have only been for a few hours most of which would probably be spent sleeping anyway.


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## Snickers Mom (Aug 31, 2009)

Hi, I was just wondering because so far I cant find a good posting, but where does one get the liners, or what would you use for a liner. I was going to go today to the store after reading that a lot of people use fleece liners, but am not sure if they just get fleece and cute it to fit or what they do. Thanks "


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## CuteHedgieGirl (Aug 28, 2009)

i would say go to walmart or a craft store and get some heavy duty velcro with the sticky back and cute 6 rectangles out(long and kinda skinny) and sew the velcro to each corner of the under side of the fleece liners and also sew the 2 other pieces of velcro the the under side of the longer sides of the liner so that all the liner edging has velcro on it and then cut the opposite kind of velcro to fit the shapes of the other velcro you already cut then stick it to the velcro on the liner and peel the sticky paper off and lay the liner in the cage and WALAH!

the liner is secured to the cage and is also removable when needed  

Thats just my opinion though, hope it helped.


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## Snickers Mom (Aug 31, 2009)

So do you just use regular fleece from Walmart too? OR is there a special place to get the liners? Right now Im using a Baby blanket type material as a liner but know that fleece is better I just have to wait to get to walmart to get some if thats ok.


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

I would stay away from velcro & sewing. Unless you're a seamstress, you run the risk of your hedgies nails gettingg caughtin the stitching/velcro, especially if they're a digger.

I've noticed many (myself included) just pick up some regular fleece material, preferably a lighter colour to notice any blood/urine, and then cut it to fit the cage. If you have a digger, you can try putting heavy things as the wheel or stones in the corners. Make a couple liners for yourself and just switch them out when they're dirty. You can cut any extra fleece into strips to go your hedige house for them to dig in.


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## Bengall77 (Aug 1, 2009)

Quillbert is the exact same way. For a good two weeks he was burrowing under his liner to sleep and would end up pooping over everything and sometimes spilling his water bowl. It seemed like nothing I did kept him from getting under the liner. Even putting down several clean, heavy rocks to hold it down didn't stop him since he just kept working until he got under them anyways. I finally started shifting his cage around and gave him back his igloo to sleep in (after switching him to just a hedgie bag so that he'd have more room to maneuver in his cage). It turned out that all he wanted was his igloo back plus a hedgie bag inside. He has stopped burrowing, and only occasionally knocks over his water bowl. You could try changing his sleeping place. Even something as simple as turning the entrance to be facing away can make them like it more. Or you could give him a place to dig. Quillbert has a cut open kleenex box with fleece strips that he can root around in.


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## Snickers Mom (Aug 31, 2009)

Well right at the moment I have a blanket (ie that is used for new borns) as a liner. As soon as I can get some fleece I will be using that. For her house (bed) I am using a smaller travel cage and took off the handle and opening piece of the top and turned it on its side. Its stuffed with strips so she can burrow too. I then got a small untippable bowl for water and a bowl for food and set them in each corner. As soon as I get a wheel I will be attatching it too. I am hoping that with the house of burrowing materials that she wont burrow under the liner, but time will tell lol.


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## CuteHedgieGirl (Aug 28, 2009)

well it would be fine if you use a sewing machine. The edges of the liners are sewn and they are safe so why wouldn't the velcro being sewn on be?


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

The edges of my liners are not sewn. The safest thing about liners is that they are just fleece (unless you get them from Nancy or make similar ones yourself) and don't have any loose threads or the possibility of loose threads. Fact is if someone doesn't know how to sew a sewing machine isn't going to help the stitches be any more safe. Also Silvercat didn't say you couldn't do it, just to be careful and that it would be better not to UNLESS you can sew.


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