# How Long Can i Leave Hedgie Out



## LordKmTube (Aug 30, 2016)

I've read most things in how to care for a hedgehog and im nearly ready to start buying all the equipment i need but 5 questions. Do i need a UV light or is a heat pad and a ceramic heat fan enough? Also the other question is lets say my hedgie has grown and im thinking to let him roam around ONLY in the house and not outside as the United Kingdom is quite cold. Lets say outside the cage is like 18 - 21 celcius 64-69 farenheit (i know you should have a hedgehog at 74-82F or something similar) Am i even allowed to let it out or and if so how long? Other thing is, is it mandatory to have mealworms or can you just use normal hedgehog food. If my hedgehog falls while im holding it will it get injured easily? lets say 1 metre the fall. I heard of something called wombly hedgehog syndrome but i haven't seen what it looks like only described, can that be fixed? and finally i have a cat and a dog, my dog is a toy poodle and he is quite playful with my cat (ragdoll) but the cats very grumpy. once my hedgehogs older can i let it be with my dog or should it just be me and hedgie?


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Heating, there is a sticky in the heating section of the housing area of the forum. That will answer your questions about that. But the short answer is no heat source should produce any light. Under cage heating isn't a good idea. Is there a reason you don't want to?
Roaming around a hedgehog safe room. You don't want a big variance between cage and play area temperature. Some hedgehogs handle temperature shifts better than others, unfortunately there isn't a way to know how a particular hedgehog will handle it ahead of time. 
Mealworms aren't required, but pretty much it's an ideal treat. 
Falling should be avoided at almost any cost, it can injure them and can damage trust.
Dog and cat, generally it's a bad idea. By asking them to play nice, your asking them to totally turn off their instincts. Also there are natural reactions that a prey animal will have when it encounters, these can easily stress the body. They don't want to be friends.


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## paige.alison (Aug 30, 2016)

I wouldn't suggest letting your hedgehog run free first of all. That is unless you COMPLETELY hedgehog proof your house so that he can't get into anything dangerous or hide or anything like that. Also you would need to put both your cat and dog in a cage or in another room with the door closed just in case they try to play with it. It is strongly suggested that you mix foods. The best thing to do is mix 2 cat foods that have the OK amount of protein, fat, and fiber for a hedgie (most hedgehog foods aren't actually good for them). But you definitely need to mix it up with mealworms or crickets especially if you're just using one food. For heating, I simply use a 100 watt CHE heat bulb. It works for me but Reggie' s cage is quite big. You must have a thermometer though so you know when to plug in and unplug the lamp. Also don't use a LIGHT bulb because he will need heat at night too, and that simply won't work. You should not let your hedgie out for long periods of time if it's that cold unless he's in a snuggle sack or something warm. Try your very best not to let him fall. That can potentially be dangerous. I heard of a hedgie that fell 4 stories and was fine. That was very miraculous. I've also heard of hedgehogs falling 2-3 feet and breaking a leg or something more serious. I suggest that you just try to completely avoid dropping him. Good luck and have fun with your new hedgie☺

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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

If you're using a CHE you need to have it plugged into a thermostat so it turns on and off but itself to maintain a steady temperature


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## LordKmTube (Aug 30, 2016)

i aint tinking to leave the hedgehog out unsupervised or anything.


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