# Hedgie no like house?



## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

I wanted to post this query in a like thread but couldn't find one.  As I posted in a different topic, I am the new owner of a boy hedgie, Widget. (Boys are the ones with their little parts far away from each other, right??) And while I am still getting used to his little personality, one thing is perplexing me a bit. Do hedgies really need a house in their cage? Widget doesn't seem to like his! I sawed the top off of a plastic dog food container and sawed a door for it and turned it up side down for him, making what I thought was a nice little hide away for him. I put in a Snuggle-Safe (which did nothing to regulate the temp BTW.) put a can carton over the SS and two little blankies over the carton and the house over all of that. The next morning Widg was balled up in one of the blankets outside of the house and the carton had been thoroughly pooped on. OK. So I found another carton, put a blankie inside it. Next morning Widg was balled up in a blanket out side the house, the carton had been thoroughly pooped in and the other blanket pooped on. So I took out the house and turned over another carton for him to poop on. :| 

Is this ok? He seems happy enough. Since sewing skipped a generation in my family, I've asked my mom to make him a sleeping bag. Is that and the blankets enough?


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

Snuggle Safe's aren't meant to regulate the temperature of the whole enclosure, they are just a warm object for hedgies to cuddle up to.
It may be that your hedgie just prefers somewhere other than his carton to sleep in/on. If you try giving other places for him to hide in I'm sure you will discover something he likes. Hedgehogs like to have objects to crawl around through and hide under in order to feel secure. It could also be that Widget prefers just blankies. My boy Phinneus has a hidey-log with a small tunnel connected to it that he sometimes likes to sit in, but he almost always ends up sleeping in his hedgie sack. Keep experimenting and eventually Widget will let you know what he likes.
Also, if you found lots of poop on the carton, at least you know he's using it :roll:


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Igloos seem to be the norm for owners, which can be found in pet stores. Some hogs require the igloo to be covered up, to give them total darkness, others are fine with it stuffed with fleece, which they'll get under and create their own darkness. But then there are some hogs which don't use igloos.

(I think the runner-up for housing is just a giant pile of fleece or a blanket or snuggle bag).

I promote the shoebox house, which is simple. Take a shoebox or a plastic storage container of roughly same size, cut a 4 or 5 inch door in the long side of the box at one end (but not in the actual end of the container, the side), use something to black out the sides if its a plastic storage container (I used black duct tape making sure there wasn't any of those loose threads off the tape exposed). Also because it was plastic, I used a nail file to soften the edges of the doorway. Put a bunch of smaller size fleece pieces inside, like chunks that are a couple of inches in size, and then one giant piece that's about the size of the box over all the smaller pieces. 

I'm neither an expert or professional but its my belief that some hedgehogs don't like having their door to their house centralized, such as an igloo or even just using a regular container, much like you're probably doing. I think in the wild they tend to dig a tunnel from their door to their actual den of sleep, so this design I've been using kind of replicates it. I've taken note both of my guys have worked the fleece around, and almost have made a dome to sleep in at the farthest point away from the door.

But in the end with almost anything, its trial and error with hedgehogs. Both of my guys would rather sleep on the plastic floor of their house rather than on some warm fleece, its fine by me. I actually like the fact cause the bottoms are not blacked out, if I lift the house out, I can see them sleeping (and waking up grumpy cause I'm disturbing them).


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

I bet he found the snugglesafe to be too hot. When I feel the need to put a snugglesafe in my boy's cage, he will move away from it. But at least I know it's there if he needs it. 

As they get older, some hedgies may like to sleep on the discs, but for now, my boy will sleep slightly away, but still beside it, just not close enough to touch.

Snugglesafes are an extra source of heat, and should never be the main source of heat. It will only heat that one little area, and it does not provide a steady, unchanging temperature as it will cool down.


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## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

Thank you.  The snuggle safe was one I had from my last dog. It was actually an emergency heating source until I could get a lamp. I figured it's be pretty warm which is why I put the carton over it. I learned one thing from that. Apparently he likes a really warm toilet. :shock: 

At any rate, I bummed an igloo from work. (I work in pet food retail we also carry about two or three small animal supplies.) If he likes it, I'll pay for it.  I'll probably toss some fleece over it too. If that doesn't work I have plenty of boxes. Which we will call phase 3.  

Thanks again!

*UPDATE!*
Friday night: Tried igloo with fleece over and inside. Also places a small sheet of cardboard underneath for extra insulation. 

Saturday morning: All fleece was pulled aside and wrapped around hedgie in a large nest. Cardboard was pooped on. 

Saturday night: Places an upside down cardboard box with a door cut in the side over another bit of cardboard sheet and fleece. ALSO added a modified empty tissue box stuffed with fleece. (Caught him playing with the tissue box before I went to bed!)

Sunday morning: Fleece had been removed and tossed aside. Cardboard had been pooped on yet again. 

Tissue box seems untouched. I think he was embarrassed I caught him having fun.  

Think this means he likes "out houses" ? :lol:


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