# How hot is too hot?



## Pandamom (May 23, 2014)

We've had a weird hot spell here (toronto) and now I'm worried that my daughters room, where Pippin's cage is will be too hot when the real heat comes in the summer. We dont have central air, just fans and a couple of window a/c's that cool the house down, but then I don't want him to get too cold either! To day her room got over 80 f, pretty toasty. Not too many places that we can put the cage either. 
Any help will be appreciated!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

It depends on the hedgehog. Lily required warm temperatures anyway (78-81* to avoid hibernation attempts by the time she was 1.5 years), and she did fine up to 86*, which my room reaches in the summer. I'd see her splat a bit more, but she still ate fine, ran, and never showed signs of actual distress.

Typically though, probably over 80* in general is where you should start keeping an eye on your hedgie for signs of distress with the heat or estivation. There's some different things you can do to help keep temperature down: 

- keep the room closed up during the day when it's very hot. Cover windows so the sunlight doesn't come in, make sure windows are closed, and keep air circulating (though make sure hedgie cage doesn't get a draft). During the night when it's cooler, open things up so you can get that cool air in & get fresh air. However, if you do the closed-up thing in the day, you'll want to make sure you have a small light on for Pippin's cage so she keeps her light schedule. 

- Put a ceramic or marble tile in the cage for her to splat out on. Lily never used hers much, but some hedgies appreciate them, so it's nice to offer. You can get a tile for less than $1 at a home improvement store.

- You can help keep the cage cool by putting an ice pack (wrapped in a towel) on top of the cage, so the cool air sinks down. Just keep an eye on things so it doesn't drop too much.

- I wouldn't try putting anything cold against your hedgehog unless you're noticing serious signs of distress (such as open-mouth breathing). Normal signs of estivation include lethargy or less energy, possibly a slightly cooler body temp (but not as cold as a hibernation attempt) & clammy skin (from sweat). It's best to avoid it, but it's not as dangerous as hibernation from what I know & is meant to help keep them from overheating.


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