# New hedgie setup, kind advice welcome



## Zeppy (Mar 8, 2013)

I have a new baby girl hedgie coming home in a few weeks, I am trying to prepare and have everything before the 21st. So far I have a bin setup with fleece, custom wood igloo, and a wodent wheel. I am trying to purchase everything necessary for the heating/lighting next. I have attached a photo of an Amazon order I am about to place and would like your opinion on the equipment and pricing. Please let me know I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

The only thing I would suggest is if possible to get a 10" dome instead of a 8.5 one. It will spread the heat over a wider area.

Wodent wheels aren't good for hedgehogs, they are to enclosed. A hedgehog poops and pees while it runs and in an enclosed wheel like that the smell and fumes will be trapped in with the hedgehog. It will also have to be taken apart daily to be cleaned. Wood isn't recommended because it can harbour mites.


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## Zeppy (Mar 8, 2013)

Alright I can switch to the 10" dome no big deal. The only reason i was gonna get the woodent wheel is because my breeder sells them for a good price but I'm not obligated to buy one, is there a specific one that is better than others? Also I haven't made the sleeping enclosure but I had a sheet of MDF board laying around that I was gonna make a little box out of, I guess I can just buy a plastic igloo and save time and effort. Hmm anything else?


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## Zeppy (Mar 8, 2013)

is the hydrofram digi thermostat worth the extra 10 bucks it seems way nicer, its marketed towards heat mat though, im pretty sure it would work with a CHE lamp the same way, right? Thanks again!

Here is a link to the hydrofram one.

http://www.vminnovations.com/Product_94 ... oller.html?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

For a wheel, the only store-bought safe ones are the Flying Saucer and Comfort Wheel. I see a lot of good reviews on here for the Saucers, but they're not right for every hedgie with their different running surface. Comfort Wheels are safe, but that's about it - they're also noisy (fixed by putting a cloth hair scrunchie on the back), can be tippy (especially if the bedding is liners, can be fixed by attaching to the wall of the cage, but that'd be harder in a sterilite tub), and hard to clean (you have to leave them soaking for 5-10 minutes, and they have ridges where poop likes to get stuck). Most people on here prefer and recommend bucket wheels or cake top wheels. You can make your own (there's lots of tutorials on Youtube), or you can buy one - there's several people that sell them on here, if you check the wheel section of the For Sale forum. Some of the ones I know of are LizardGirl, LarryT, and Moxieberry. 

That thermostat does look nice...but I would check around a bit more before you buy it - I think (but can't remember for sure) that a thermostat is supposed to be specifically for CHEs, but I could be wrong. If you don't get any more comments on here about it, you could start a new thread asking whether it'd be appropriate. We have several reptile people on here that are pretty knowledgeable about heating supplies.


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## Zeppy (Mar 8, 2013)

After some searching there have been a few accounts of hedgehog owners using the Digital Hydrofarm Thermostat, it does wait until the temp is 2 degrees below the user setting which means you will have a 2-3 degree flux in temp which isn't the worst. From my research this seems like a better thermostat that the 500R but the Zilla might be the most viable option for temp controller with less change? I'm gonna wait a little bit to buy it and see if I can get some better feedback. 

I like the idea of digital and I am willing to spend extra money especially if its a better product.


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## Zeppy (Mar 8, 2013)

So I ended up placing my order today, I wanted to give myself enough time to get it all setup before the little one arrives.
Here is what I ended up with.
- Zoo Med 150w CHE
- Zoo Med 10" Brooder Dome
- Zoo Med Thermometer
- Zilla 1000w Thermostat
Total on amazon was 71 bucks, with free two day shipping (prime member) 

I did alot of research and while you can find each item individually cheaper at different sites with the extra shipping cost, this was the cheapest option I could find.

This will be heating a 110qt Seterlite Bin, might be over kill but that is why we have the thermostat, we keep our house pretty cold, especially in the winter. I will start a new thread when the complete setup is finished.


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