# Housing question



## Cjjoyner (May 13, 2013)

Hi everyone. I'm super new here. My hubby and I are thinking of getting a hedgehog. I'm a bit eccentric when it comes to housing small animals... For instance I have a betta fish who happily resides in a 10 gallon fish tank. Just Hamlet swimming around in his huge tank. So of course now I'm trying to research about the largest cage I can find. I've been looking at the two or 3 level ferret cages. What is everyone's thoughts, and does anyone else use these? From what I've read I would need to enclose the ramps... Thanks and look forward to getting to know everyone.


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## sparkmanr (Aug 29, 2012)

I have seen lots of people use the Ferret Nation cages but you do have to do some serious alterations to them before you can use them. I built a C&C cage and I love it. It's easy to open and clean and everything fits just right.


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## Cjjoyner (May 13, 2013)

Those are the cubes right? Hmm guess I'm going to keep researching a bit.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The Ferret Nation or the Critter Nation cages are the best hedgehog cages IMO. They are sturdy, escape proof, and are secure against cats and dogs. With the double doors at the front, they make cleaning a cinch. They do not need any modification unless you decide to use the loft and then it needs to be enclosed as well as the ramp. If you use a CHE setup, the fixture can be set on the wire loft which then makes it safe against any other pets or children. 

Critter Nations have narrower bar spacing which is good for a small hedgehog, but the bars are horizontal which means hedgie could climb. For a baby or very small hedgehog, it is best to put coroplast or weave stiff plastic in and out of the lower section of bars but that needs to be done for C&C's as well. 

The ferret cages with multiple levels need far too much modification to be hedgehog safe and even then, the doors are often small and in awkward locations for getting wheels or hedgie out.


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## Cjjoyner (May 13, 2013)

Nancy said:


> The Ferret Nation or the Critter Nation cages are the best hedgehog cages IMO. They are sturdy, escape proof, and are secure against cats and dogs. With the double doors at the front, they make cleaning a cinch. They do not need any modification unless you decide to use the loft and then it needs to be enclosed as well as the ramp. If you use a CHE setup, the fixture can be set on the wire loft which then makes it safe against any other pets or children.
> 
> Critter Nations have narrower bar spacing which is good for a small hedgehog, but the bars are horizontal which means hedgie could climb. For a baby or very small hedgehog, it is best to put coroplast or weave stiff plastic in and out of the lower section of bars but that needs to be done for C&C's as well.
> 
> The ferret cages with multiple levels need far too much modification to be hedgehog safe and even then, the doors are often small and in awkward locations for getting wheels or hedgie out.


Those are the ones I was thinking of. I guess I feel like I would need it to have lots of space. I'd rather too much space then too little. I can't have an open top I have 2 cats and a toddler. So I need a fully enclosed space. I don't really want to go the sterilite route because I would for sure need a heat lamp in my house and the thought of a heat lamp and plastic scares me. I also wonder if they produce enough ventilation.


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## HappyHedgies (Feb 17, 2011)

We use C&C cages to house all of our hedgehogs and we love them. You can make them completely escape proof, easy to modify, and fairly cheap compared to buying a manufactured cage. I also find they give a lot more space compared to anything else we have tried.


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## ChubbyPuppy74 (Sep 30, 2012)

I've experienced C&C cages, sterlite bins and ferret nations for my hedgehog. First it was sterlite bins 3 of them connected together, it was a pain for me to clean and took too much floor space up and she didn't enjoy going through the pipes to the other section of the cage. And either got too cold or too hot in the container. So I quickly got rid of it within a week. Next was a 2X3 C&C cage. It was great nice big and spacious and had a top to it as well as sitting on a stand. But for me it was a pain aching to clean and just to get her out. I would have to move the heat lamps every day and then put them back. I have back and knee problems so bending down to clean that killed my back and knees quite often and was overall not suitable for her or me since she never really used the space. Now she sits in a 142 double ferret nation cage and we both couldn't be happier. I have no more issues with cleaning since the doors open wide and no back breaking problems just trying to get her out. I would highly recommend a ferret nation. They are great cages especially if you can find some cheaper locally.


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## Cjjoyner (May 13, 2013)

I'm thinking its off the floor safe from kitties and toddler, especially with the heat lamp be ause in my old house I'd definitely need that. There is storage on the bottom. I just have to figure out what this coroplast stuff is so I can put sides up. IF I were to keep the ramp and loft up I'd modify that too. I think the cheapest I've seen them is $139 on amazon.


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## velooyuotn (Apr 10, 2013)

Another one to consider is build your own cage. It takes more work, but price wise its the same as buying a huge wire cage.

I built my wooden cage 48Lx24Wx24H and I used a light but sturdy material.
I made windows in the sides, 3 vents and sliding glass doors (you can add a lock on them too) to prevent children from opening them. What I like about it is I can put the light fixtures inside so that nobody will get burned by it and have to move it around when opening.

I think the cons is that it takes time to build, its more expensive then a CxC cage and it is heaver (30-40lbs) depending on material.

If you didn't want to build your own you can buy a reptile cage which works the same way except the light is outside, but they are waterproof and easy to clean just a lot more expensive.


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