# Help, my hedgehog likes cold weather!



## Anodea (Jun 9, 2017)

Hey all!

So with winter right around the corner and the temperatures having dropped to 40's, I keep a space heater near my hedgie's cage and make sure to keep his cage warm and nice. 

However my hedgie seems to be very sluggish and keen on sleeping even at nights with no lights and sound to distract his daily exercise whenever I have the space heater on or the temperature is pleasantly warm.

He actually wakes up and does his exercise when I open the window and some frigid wind blows into the room and keeps being super active and happy as long as I keep the cold and fresh air coming. This obviously worries me because I don't want him to get cold enough to try and attempt hibernation.

Any advice on this? Should I just keep the space heater on and windows closed to avoid risk of hibernation or just go with the cold air indulgence? Keep in mind I sleep when he's most active therefore I can't immediately react to his immediate change of behavior at nights.

Thanks in advance!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Do you have a thermometer in his cage? It may be that the space heater is blowing too warm & causing his cage to go warmer than he'd like. He may be reacting to the smells of the air more than anything, but it's hard to tell. I definitely wouldn't keep opening the window, that poses a risk of him getting sick from getting chilled.


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## Anodea (Jun 9, 2017)

I do have a thermometer! I keep his cage between 74 and 80. If he's reacting to smells, what could I do to improve his mood/will to exercise with the window closed?


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## Yukidama's mama (Apr 4, 2017)

Do you use a light schedule? My boy used to wake up at all different times during the day and sleep at night when I first got him and until I introduced a more structured lighting schedule (12-14 hours of artificial light, can use a lamp next to the cage or the ceiling light). Also my boy just loves to sleep. I have to wake him up in the evenings (with his food) and then he'll use his litter tray, eat and snuggle/sleep again on our laps with us. When lights go out and we go to bed only then will he come out of his hide and be active for the night. 

Also maybe 80s is too warm for him? I don't use fahrenheit but 74-80 sounds a little too much of a variation. Are you able to try keeping his temp more stable? Is he active when the temp is more around 74? Is the thermometer you use actually in his cage? Room temps and the cage temperature can vary. 

An idea to encourage night time activity could be to hide mealworms or other insects in his cage (if he likes to eat them) and let him forage them. I sometimes do this for my boy and he always eats whatever I hide for him . If you use live insects, the pupae stage of them is great for this so they don't get away! ^^ or canned insects are also good for this.


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## Anodea (Jun 9, 2017)

The thermometer is actually inside of the cage, yes. The temperature is normally around 74-76, only going up to 80's if it's a very cold day and I've run the space heater for too long. 

I give him 12-14 hours of light every day and then turn off the lights and the sounds and he wakes up, eats, exercises and goes back to bed to sleep for another hour or two before waking up to do his actual activities till the morning. He remains awake throughout the night only when the windows are open and he can have the fresh/cold air on him.

I'll try to hide mealworms in his cage, he likes them but I give them to him in moderation because I can only find freeze dried ones here and those are high in sodium. 

He isn't trying to hibernate, has no apparent health issues, is eating and drinking well but seems to be less active since it's been colder. I check him daily for any well known illness symptoms too. Should I be worried?


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