# Is our baby too young?



## redhead38 (Jul 11, 2013)

I posted a thread earlier this week about our new hedgie. Someone stated that she seemed awfully young to already be adopted out. I am now worried we are not equipped to give her everything she might really need. 

Is there anything extra we need to be going for her? She will be 6 weeks old tomorrow. 

Also, I worry that with the cooler temps (at night) in our area right now, that it may be getting a little cooler than we need for her at night. What's a good way to keep her warm...but not make the house to warm for us?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If she's eating well, she should be okay, I think. Just make sure she can eat her food easily - you may want to crush it up for her if she seems to have a hard time breaking kibble. For heating, a CHE set up is the best for heating just the cage and not the rest of the room. The parts for that are a lamp, CHE bulb, thermostat, and thermometer. There's some more information about CHE set ups on this thread - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...-heating-your-hedgehog-s-cage-simplified.html


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## redhead38 (Jul 11, 2013)

Ok...but we have a sterlite cage set up for her... 2 bins connected by a pvc elbow....one for house and food...one for wheel. Will the CHE be ok for the bins? I was reading that exact thread just now and I am totally confused on that! And would I need a lamp for both bins? Don't want to use a space heater as Hazel's in my daughter's room and she doesn't exactly understand the concept of not putting clothes on top of everything...so that would be a fire waiting to happen!! 
We keep the house thermostat set on 77 degrees but the unit is too large for the house so the temp stays around 73 or 74....but the last few nights have been cooler.

She seems to be eating good...but I need to get a mix started and wean her off the lower brand food she came with. She LOVES her meal worms. As my daughter says, she's a vaccum when she's given them! She's just so tiny that I want to give her everything she needs to flourish!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yeah, the only heating set ups that are commonly used & safe (and effective) are CHE set ups and space heaters. People do use CHE set ups with bins, you just have to be more careful to make sure that the lamp isn't going to touch the plastic. If you get the Fluker's clamp lamps, you can clamp them to the side of the bin. Nancy has suggested also using something else to secure the lamp (like zip-ties) to be safe since the clamp can loosen with time. 

Yes, you'd need a lamp for each bin. If you get a 1000watt Zilla thermostat, it has three outlets, so you can use the same thermostat to control both lamps. With bins being smaller, you could probably use an 8.5-inch lamp instead of the usual 10-inch one, and use a smaller wattage CHE - 100 might be good, or if it's staying too warm with that, 75 watt (or 60). 

With CHEs, you'll still want to stress very carefully to your daughter that nothing can be tossed on top of them - the lamps do get pretty hot when they're running as well (though not as hot as the bulbs, which are usually set back in the lamp a bit, so it's pretty easy not to come in contact with them), and anything sitting on the lamps can be a fire hazard. I had a scare with this once - I was getting Lily out for snuggle time and flipped a fleece blanket covering part of her cage back. When we came back after snuggling, I realized that the blanket had been up against one of the lamps - it had a hole burned/melted in it. CHEs are safe...if used correctly & with a bit of caution.


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

Six weeks is usually the bare minimum for a hedgie to be adopted out- I'm sure yours is fine. The only thing I'd be worried about is the reputability of a breeder that would adopt out before six weeks.

You can use a CHE with sterelite bins but they'd need some modification (some holes in the side to help with ventilation) and also you might need to get something like a wire mesh lid or make one out of C&C to set the heating lamp on unless you clamp it to the bin itself instead of setting it on it. (I'm not sure if it would melt the plastic if you just used the normal lid). And yes- you will need a lamp for each of the sterelite bins if you want both of them to be at the "sweet spot" for temperature- since the heat most likely will not travel well through the pvc. However if your hedgie is feeling cold she could probably just go into the other bin. But that part would be up to you if you wanted them at the same temp. (Same concept when people use heating pads- if they get to hot some will just walk off the heating pad.- I highly advise against heating pads though)


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## redhead38 (Jul 11, 2013)

Thanks soooooo much!!! Going today to see if the pet store close by has these bulbs and the thermostat...if not, what could be used until I can get them ordered?


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## redhead38 (Jul 11, 2013)

We did order a heating pad....the hard plastic one with the chew proof cord. Could I use this at night if our so called pet store doesn't have the CHE stuff we need? Or would that be bad in the bin also?

Also the breeder is also a rescue. I just figured they knew what they were doing.


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

It should be fine- it won't heat the cage though.


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

I would suggest buying your CHE, Thermostat (Which I'm 99% sure you won't be able to find at a pet store), lamp, etc. online at a site such as Amazon.





 $7.02 + Free Shipping

You'll also need you hedgie on a light schedule so she gets at least 12 hours of light a day. They should not be placed near a window so if you want to use your normal ceiling light that's fine- but if you want to save money on electricity I recommend this-

Light Timer $10.92 + Free Shipping (You'd need a lamp if you don't have one- that would be one of the few things that would probably be cheaper buying at Walmart instead of Amazon)
6 Watt LED Bulb $9.96 + Free Shipping (Uses one tenth of the electricity as a normal 60 watt light bulb)


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Tom said:


> However if your hedgie is feeling cold she could probably just go into the other bin. But that part would be up to you if you wanted them at the same temp. (Same concept when people use heating pads- if they get to hot some will just walk off the heating pad.- I highly advise against heating pads though)


I'm not so sure that'd be a good assumption to make though - like you said, only some will move off a heating pad if they get too warm. A hedgehog's first response to feeling cold may not be "Hey, that other bin is warmer, I'll go there", it might very well be "Hm, I'm kind of cold, I guess I'll find a nice corner and curl up..." and end up in a hibernation attempt.

The thermostat would probably be cheaper online, thermometers can be found at a store like Walmart (though online isn't bad either, but store would be faster), but I would suggest getting CHE bulbs in person if at all possible. You can check the bulbs before buying then, to check for deformities (happens sometimes), and if they stop working too soon, they're easier to return than trying to do so online.

If you do use the heating pad, keep in mind that sometimes it can cause more problems than it solves - going from a warmer location (like bed) to a cooler location to run can cause a hibernation attempt sometimes. Is there any room in the house that tends to stay warmer than the others? Or a smaller room with a heating vent that you can move her cage to & close off so it might stay warmer? That might be a better solution until you have the CHE set up all together.


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## redhead38 (Jul 11, 2013)

I do have a space heater that I use at work during the cold months...I will bring that home for now. 

The rooms at the back of the house stay the warmest...which are all the bedrooms, so she is in the warmest area of the house right now. We did get a vent deflector to go on the vent in the room to keep any drafts from her area. Her cages are raised off the floor on tables, would it be better to put on the floor while using the space heater? As of right now we do not have lids on the bins, as she is so small and the bins are quite tall.


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

redhead38 said:


> I do have a space heater that I use at work during the cold months...I will bring that home for now.
> 
> The rooms at the back of the house stay the warmest...which are all the bedrooms, so she is in the warmest area of the house right now. We did get a vent deflector to go on the vent in the room to keep any drafts from her area. Her cages are raised off the floor on tables, would it be better to put on the floor while using the space heater? As of right now we do not have lids on the bins, as she is so small and the bins are quite tall.


If you have a lid I'd keep it on the table- but I'd never take the risk of not having a lid (if no lid- the drop would be far less if it was on the floor). But if you're just talking about the heating then I don't see why it would matter that much. Heat rises!


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## redhead38 (Jul 11, 2013)

Thanks ya'll. We are gonna use a space heater until all the stuff for the CHE can be located! I think I will get some kind of wire rack top for the bins so we can sit the lamps on top..kinda in the middle to keep as far from plastic sides as possible. Do we still need vent holes in the side of the bins if we have such an open top?


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)

redhead38 said:


> Thanks ya'll. We are gonna use a space heater until all the stuff for the CHE can be located! I think I will get some kind of wire rack top for the bins so we can sit the lamps on top..kinda in the middle to keep as far from plastic sides as possible. Do we still need vent holes in the side of the bins if we have such an open top?


I know a lot of people don't cut holes in the side. So you should be fine although it's not a bad idea.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

Yes you still need the ventilation holes. The fumes from their urine and poop get "stuck" down with them and can cause respiratory issues so vent holes are a must.


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## redhead38 (Jul 11, 2013)

how low on the bin do you put the vent holes?


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## Tom (Jul 21, 2013)




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## redhead38 (Jul 11, 2013)

Still trying to make a decision on which CHE bulb to buy! Since we have the bins, would it best to get the smallest watt bulb? I don't want to make it too hot in there or melt the bin. The measurments for our bins are (l x w) 26x16 (66 qts) and 32x19 (105 qts) I want to get this ordered ASAP as there is no where locally for me to purchase these items. I can find the lamps but no bulbs!! Please help!!!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yeah, I would guess you would only need a 60-watt or 75-watt bulb for each bin since they should hold heat in pretty well. It depends on the temp of your home too - especially in the winter. If you keep it pretty cool, you may want to get a 100-watt bulb instead, but otherwise it might keep it too warm.


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## redhead38 (Jul 11, 2013)

I'm a chilly girl so I keep it warm!!! even now I keep the themostat on 77!! lol but her bins are staying roughly around 73 degress


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

:lol: You sound like me, I'm constantly cold! 60- to 75-watt bulbs should be just fine then.


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## redhead38 (Jul 11, 2013)

Thanks for all your help! We should be getting th CHE system in this week...and MAYBE I wont be so paranoid!!


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