# Over night stay house set up option?



## silverbell_angel (Apr 17, 2012)

My family go out to the cabin very often during the summer especially over long weekends. I don't want to leave my hedgehog at home where no one can watch him or check up on him.

I'm looking at making a portable over night stay kennel except I have a few issues that comes to mind.
What size kennel will be good? I guess it would be one that fit the wheel. Does any one have any good recommendation?
Also my other main concern is the heat. I use a CHE lamp at home for his cage, those don't work very well for a kennel (plastic one will melt as well), so what's a good travel advice for keeping the temperature constant?

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks.


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2012)

best i can think would be a sterilite bin


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## HedgieGirl519 (Oct 21, 2011)

A lot of the times hedgehogs don't do well with travelling around. If you have anyone who can check up on him, that would be much better.

If you use a dog carrier, you will want to make sure it can fit the wheel, house/bed, food/water bowls comfortably.

I'd personally use something like this:
Intermediate: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... rier+Style
Or like this:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... rier+Style

The first one is 28"L x 21"W x 22"H and the second one is 26.2"L x 18.6"W x 16.5"H. The first one is shorter, so it would be easier to heat, but the second one has more space and gets more light.

Make sure you put a couple pieces of fleece under his current liner so when you go, he'll have fleece that smells like home.

For heating, you can use 10 hour handwarmers. Like this, http://www.warmers.com/ItemDetails.aspx ... of+25+pair)&pval=SVP50&pIds=itemid

You just put them under the liner, one or two at a time should do it. Make sure you change them when they stop heating and keep a thermometer in the cage all the time you you know the temperature. Make sure the cage isn't in direct sunlight and that you keep to the regular lighting schedule.

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You could use a bin for the cage, but you will still need a hard sided carrier for the trip. When you are driving you will want to have him in a hard sided carrier, in case you are in a car accident. I've used hard sided carriers trips, and they work just fine. I zip tied the wheel to the openings on the side, you will want to do this.

If you use a bin, you could use the CHE setup. But you'd have to make ventilation holes around the sides of the bin. The bin also would have to have a lid. You could place wire grids or closet shelving on top of the bin, then set the CHE ontop of that.

If you get a carrier with a top door, like this http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... rier+Style then you could hang a CHE above the top door. Make sure it isn't close though, it will melt the plastic. Some come with metal top doors instead. You could hang it with something like this http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... d=11147204


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## silverbell_angel (Apr 17, 2012)

Thanks HedgieGirl. I like the idea of an open top so I can maybe get that stand so I can hang the CHE lamp.

What about a heating pad? Has anyone tried this http://www.amazon.com/Heated-Resting-Sm ... 79&sr=8-21 ?

I thought about switching the wheel to a flying saucer, except I'm worried that he might not like it.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Why not just get another cage to keep at the cabin for him? A plastic bottomed, wire topped cage you can set the emitter right on top of. 

For a few days, in something like a dog carrier, a heating pad would work because of the smaller, more confined space. The only problem with heating pads is the hedgehog can get used to that extra warmth to sleep on and can make them more temperature sensitive.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

I agree with Nancy that having a second cage makes things do much easier. I have 2 cages for my boy, one at moms and one at my apartment for when I'm at school. And I travel back and forth on weekends during the school year. Makes travelling around so often much easier. At first I started with just 1 wheel and ended up getting a second so I didn't have to pack that around too. So all i have to worry about is packing him and his "dirty" bed for travelling.


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## silverbell_angel (Apr 17, 2012)

Oh, I didn't realize a heating pad can do that!!  
Would having your hedgie sleep on you with a heated blanket also affect them the same way???

Hmm... having cage out there might be nice. I never thought about that, cause we are only out ever during the summer.


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## HedgieGirl519 (Oct 21, 2011)

This is a good, easy to move cage: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2753290
It's 5 square feet.

You could put the CHE right on top of the bars  It'd be a lot easier than a pet carrier.

I'm not sure about the heated blanket though, you'll have to wait for Nancy to come back


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## DasIgelPoggie (Oct 21, 2010)

I have the cage that HedgieGIrl linked to, as a travel cage (for when I stay at my folks and have to bring a hedgie with me), it's wonderful-- except you have to build the sides up with cloroplast. Hedgies love to climb up the bars, and they often get to the top and then drop, which can hurt them, or they get the arms caught in the corner where the two panels meet-- that happened to one of mine once and though she wasn't injured (just upset), her screaming was enough to make me go out and invest in making a couple of adaptations. Great cage for a travel set up... but just make sure you modify it before adding the hedgie!


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## silverbell_angel (Apr 17, 2012)

I have that cage as well that Hedgiegirl linked to right now for my hedgie at home. 

My only concern with it is that it may take up too much space out at the cabin, it is already pretty cramp as it is. 
Does the C&C cage hold up the CHE lamp okay? Or will I still require a stand for that? I like the idea that it can come apart easily and be stored away.

I never realized hedgehog can climb up the bars, I better modify it just to make sure it is safe then. Thanks for warning me about that DasIgelPoggie. Wow, there is still so much about hedgehog that I don't know about.


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## HedgieGirl519 (Oct 21, 2011)

A C&C works fine with a CHE  You just make a lid out of the grids, which is required anyways, and set the CHE on top


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