# Should my hedgehog be more awake and active during the day or at night ?



## Michellerussell (Dec 30, 2013)

I'm confused about the lighting issue? Why should I do ? Should my hedgehog be awake and active during the day or at night and what do I do with the lamp someone has said I need to use a lamp ? When and why do I use this ????


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so they're active during night time. Most hedgehogs won't come out during the day and some of them only come out if the whole room is entirely dark.

Some people use a normal lamp on a timer during the day to make sure their hedgehog gets the same amount of light (12-14h) to prevent hibernation. The hedgehog is asleep when the light is on.

If you're new to hedgehog care I highly recommend this free e-book, it has all the information you'll need!

If you mean a heat lamp, hedgehogs need to be kept at the right temperature at all times (something between 73-78F). Otherwise they'll try to hibernate which can be fatal. Most people use a CHE, a ceramic heat emitter for heating. This is a lamp which provides heat but no light so the hedgehog won't be bothered by it at night. 
You could also use a space heater to heat the whole room. You'll need a thermometer (and/or a thermostat to control the heat if you use a CHE) in the cage so you'll always know the temperature. The forum has a thread about heating your hedgehogs cage.


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

And oh regardless of when you wake them up or when you feed them, they will go back to sleep if they see natural light direct or indirect. I've been keeping hedgies for a long time now in a kinda bright room and i've observed them well enough to see that if you offer food during the day, they will eat it if they sniff it with eyes half closed then go right back to bed. I guess their natural body clock cannot be ticked off by simply switching them to be up during daytime unlike most nocturnal animals.


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