# Letting a hedgehog roam the house?



## Judi

Spikey climbs out of his cage every night. I thought he wasn't getting out on the weekends, but it turns out that we were getting up later, so he was going back home when the sun came up. Now, every morning when I turn on the lights, he comes up and stands at my feet, waiting to be picked up and put back into his cage.

My husband rearranged the cage to try to keep him in, and when that didn't work, he added smaller grids over the sides and covered the top with foamcore. I couldn't even see Spikey in his cage, but it didn't contain him. He can also escape glass tanks. I did manage to contain him one night in a large plastic tub, but his arms were bloody the next morning and I think he had rubbed them raw trying to climb out. I felt so bad that I put him back in his c&c cage.

My house is babyproofed and my other pets aren't dangerous to hedgies. I keep the house at 74 degrees all year. Spikey uses the litter box when he's roaming around (I put it in the kitchen after I stepped in poo one morning). I'm thinking of just taking one of the panels off the cage so he can get in and out easily, and letting him have free roam. Does that sound like it would work? I can buy a cage he can't get out of (probably can't get out of, anyhow), but it just feels bad locking up the little guy when he wants so badly to be out roaming around.


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## PJM

My first question would be - does he have a wheel?


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## Lilysmommy

My concern with the idea of letting him roam around the house is...you said the house is baby-proofed, but hedgies are even smaller. He could get stuck someplace, or dislodge something when exploring and have it fall on him...Unless you're able to safely hedgieproof your entire house, it could still be dangerous for him. Another concern is that you said in another topic you have two dogs. Unless they get put in crates or aren't allowed wherever he's exploring, I wouldn't want him out alone with them, even if they've shown to ignore him or not be interested.

I also read that you don't like using wheels because of what happened to your other hedgie...What happened sounds like it was horrible. But it really sounds like Spikey needs a wheel if he doesn't have one. Larry's wheels have a ton of awesome reviews, and there's no ridges on them to scrape hedgie feet or cause other injuries.


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## Judi

The dogs don't come in the house. They have a dog house in the backyard, and crates in the garage for cold weather. I live in South TX so it only gets too cold for a dog maybe three or four days out of the year, most years. The area I live in is kind of rough, so everyone around here has a dog or two in the yard.

I'll have to rethink the wheel thing. He was getting out when he had the wheel though, I don't think it's about having room to run. I think he's bored. I had a lovebird who could escape any cage, until I bought a heavy-duty cage and put a padlock on it, and I know he got out because he was bored. I used to buy him toys and he'd have them all taken apart in the first day. It's not as easy to find toys to entertain a hedgehog, though. 

There's nothing he could knock down on himself, no chemicals he could get into, no food left out. We keep the bedroom doors closed at night (mostly because my husband keeps his gunbelt under the bed and I don't want Spikey messing with it).


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## fracturedcircle

i personally think that if a place is really safe, roaming is great. i had thought about it and would do it if i had wooden floors and less crap in my apartment.

jmo...


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## Kaff

Seems to me he has been doing it safely so far, so he must have some survival skills. Besides, if he is going to hurt himself in attempting to escape you don't have much choice. He is happiest roaming and miserable in the cage. He sounds like great fun!


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## PJM

I think that hedgies are like us - will go crazy if we are bored. My thinking is, since in the wild they usually run all night, and when they have a SAFE wheel, many of our domestic hedgies will still run all night, why not try out a SAFE wheel. 
If nothing else, it keeps all the poop in one spot. :lol: 
Won't step on him in the middle of the night. Probably would have less likelihood of getting stray string or hair wrapped around his legs.
Easier to find him in case of a fire or emergency.

Best case, he loves the wheel & never escapes again. Worst case, you're out a few $.


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## fracturedcircle

i *wouldn't* mind cleaning up after Sweetie if my apartment was safe for him. i guess it comes down to one's views on things, as it usually does. as indispensable as wheels are, i would absolutely love to let Sweetie have more space... lots of space.

jmo.


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## PJM

I'd love to let mine roam around - if the buggers were a couple pounds bigger. :lol: 
We have a good time letting Zoey roam during our bonding time. But just when I want to get her she hides behind the couch. 
I honestly don't think there's anything wrong with it - but I just wanted to point out some things that may not have been thought of.


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## Judi

He uses the litter box when he's out. I put it in the kitchen. It's funny, I would never in a million years have a cat litter box in the kitchen but I have no problem with the hedgehog litter box being in there.

His only bad habit when he's roaming the house is that he's having a love affair with my daughter's satin sheet and comforter. 

There was one night that he didn't get out...or at least, if he did, he got back in before I woke up. I had taken him to the school that day and I think he was exhausted by all the attention...little kids love hedgehogs.


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## Littlefootsmama

If I didn't have three dogs and tons of junk around my house I would definitely let my boys roam the house. They would be so much happier. When I get my own place I am hoping to have at least a bedroom for the hedgies to have of their own.


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## Hedgieonboard

I could never let my hedgie have free roam even if I hedgie proofed because I have very long hair and their would be no way to guarantee that there was none on the floor. It gets everywhere and I can find pieces floating around even after I vacuumed everything lol


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## Littlefootsmama

Hedgieonboard said:


> I could never let my hedgie have free roam even if I hedgie proofed because I have very long hair and their would be no way to guarantee that there was none on the floor. It gets everywhere and I can find pieces floating around even after I vacuumed everything lol


that is a fantastic point. I too have that same annoying problem. Hmm...


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## krbshappy71

If you do a search on the words "free roam" on this site (top right corner) you will come up with many similar comments and warnings.


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## Kalandra

I had a pair that I allowed free roam of a bedroom for many hours each evening. They were limited to 1 room which had no electrical cables they could bite, or places they could get stuck. I would sit in the middle of the room to watch television or to read. I always put wheels out (which they used despite the open floor space), and other toys that were often in their cages. Plus they would climb up on my back (if I was laying down) and slide down my legs. The girls loved it. 

Their cage was a series of 4 storage tubs connected via ferret tubes. One of those tubes was a T joint that allowed them to go in and out of their cage during free roam time. Despite the fact that they had snuggle bags, and other places to hide in the room, they would go back in their cage when they were done. That was where they felt safe to sleep.

I think open range for several hours a night can be very beneficial, but during my sleeping time and during their own, I would rather have them in a cage. There is great benefit in knowing where your hedgehog is at all times. It isn't like they can be trained to come on command. Plus, there is no risk of accidentally stepping on or sitting on a free ranging hedgehog if they are safe and snug in their cage.


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## Nancy

It would be just about impossible to hedgie proof a whole house/apartment to free roam. There are just too many dangerous places such as inside a couch, chair, boxspring, fridge, stove, washer, dryer, under bookcases, under cupboards, inside dressers etc. All of these places are dangerous if someone sits, lays, pulls out a drawer, turns on appliance etc. Hedgie proofing a room for while you are in the room is fine but even then, a room such as a living room can prove dangerous if hedgie crawls up into the couch and someone sits on it. 

Also there is the concern of temperature. Air temperature might be 74 or a suitable temperature but usually the floor is cooler, especially during winter, if air conditioning is used. It is worse when there is a hardwood or vinyl floor and laminate especially is cold to touch. Carpet is warmer but then there is the mess of hedgie poop.


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## leannem

Harley is allowed to free roam when we are home. I have a tube that connects from his cage and comes out into the living room. I put coroplast up under the couches so he can't get back there and all my cords are behind that coroplast. He can get under the first 6 inches of couch and he loves just running back and forth under there. i have a little spot for him in the living room with a piece of fleece down, some food and water and his old flying saucer wheel (which he uses quite a bit). The tube that he comes out is crinkly tube so i can hear him coming and going. it's kind of exciting when i first hear him coming out in the night. see what he does first. sometimes if the tv is too loud or there's too many lights on he'll poke his head out the end, take a look around, and go straight back home. i've also started hiding kibbles under cut up egg cartons for him to find. we have carpet and he sometimes has an accident but it's always in the same place in the corner where the coroplast meets under the couch so i just put paper towel down there. when we have people over i block off the tube so he can't get out and he gets pretty upset about it.... kicking litter EVERYWHERE and tipping over his bowls. oh and he uses the wheel in his cage a lot too. he just loooooooves to explore.


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## CamryJean

Hedgieonboard said:


> I could never let my hedgie have free roam even if I hedgie proofed because I have very long hair and their would be no way to guarantee that there was none on the floor. It gets everywhere and I can find pieces floating around even after I vacuumed everything lol


my mom swears by this flylady rubba sweepa. *http://shop.flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_rubba_sweepa.asp. *It's pretty much just a rubber broom and you "Sweep" your carpet with it, it actually really does a great job at getting all the hair out.


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## Artemis-Ichiro

CamryJean said:


> Hedgieonboard said:
> 
> 
> 
> I could never let my hedgie have free roam even if I hedgie proofed because I have very long hair and their would be no way to guarantee that there was none on the floor. It gets everywhere and I can find pieces floating around even after I vacuumed everything lol
> 
> 
> 
> my mom swears by this flylady rubba sweepa. *http://shop.flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_rubba_sweepa.asp. *It's pretty much just a rubber broom and you "Sweep" your carpet with it, it actually really does a great job at getting all the hair out.
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