# Excited newbie with a few ?s...



## abrowndog (Nov 26, 2010)

There are so many thought provoking posts that I've become completely overwhelmed and a bit confused. I think my ADD is totally kicking in so if someone doesn't mind answering a few questions that have probably been answered a million time, I would be forever grateful.

We brought home Priscilla today and she is an 8 week old S&P. She is in a basic 2x2 cage that I am positive will be quickly replaced after looking through all the options. In the meantime...

1) My daughter has severe allergies and a hedgehog was the best match for her. Bedding wise, pine is not an option for us. We are going with fleece but Prissypants is not litter trained yet. I went to the fabric store today (Joanne has fleece on sale for $1.99 this weekend!) and bought enough non-pilling fleece to make about 15 liners that are a little bigger than her cage. I put a layer of flannel underneath for added comfort. Is a single layer of good quality fleece enough or do I need the actual liners? 

2) I made strips of fleece for her igloo and blankets for outside her igloo. She has already snuggled into the igloo happily. This is safe, correct?

3) She has always been bottle fed for water, but I bought a bowl for her instead. I have both in there now but want to take the bottle out. I've seen her neither eat or drink today, but I am assuming she will figure this out fast enough, right? I think the three hour car ride has stressed her a bit so she is in hiding now. 

4) Some of the pics I looked at seemed to have ice water in the bowls. Is that not too cold for my little hedgie friend?

I am sure I will have millions more to come, so I appreciate your patience in advance.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Hi,

Congrats on the new hedgie! I'll try to answer some of your questions:

1- A single layer of fleece is enough, at least in my opinion. The flannel underneath it should absorb the pee. Keep in mind that not all hedgehogs can be litter trained. 

2- Yes, that's safe.

3- Sometimes they don't eat during the first day at a new house. That's normal. Make sure she is drinking from the bowl before taking the bottle away. 

4- I've never heard of anyone giving ice water to hedgehogs... I'd think that's too cold. Room temperature water works fine. 

We'd love to see pictures!


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## abrowndog (Nov 26, 2010)

Thank you so much for your reply. I moderate a small business board and I know the same old questions get tedious, so I really appreciate your patience. 

Next few...

I see many people with litter boxes under the wheel, is this for a reason?

I also see many people with trays of paper towels under the wheel. Again the reasoning? 

Are paper towels safe for hedgies? They won't eat them?

I feel like I've brought home a newborn!! So excited and so clueless. Pics to follow as soon as I know I won't make her poop biscuits from the flash.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Most hedgies will poop and pee while running on the wheel. The litter box underneath it helps catching the poop that falls off the wheel. 

Some owners prefer paper towels to catch the pee/poop. You might want to try different things and see what works better for you. I use Yesterday News and so far have been satisfied with the product. 

Some will it, some won't. Again, just try it out and see if she eats it. If she does, remove it and try something else. 

Please, keep the questions coming... I rather answer the same questions a zillion times than read stories about owners who just didn't take the time to learn about their new pet and end up with a very sick hedgie.


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## abrowndog (Nov 26, 2010)

Thank you, but you may regret those words....

:lol:


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Ice in their water is used just in the summer time when the heat is on and your house is getting really hot, gives them cold water to help keep them cool. Otherwise when its not hot, room temperature water is fine, I think ice water when it isn't hot would be indeed too cold for them.

Like Susanaproenca said, its very normal for a hedgehog in a new home to hide and possibly not drink and eat. You may find she'll also be 'anti-social' with a lot of huffing, hissing and stuff if she was friendly at her previous home, its normal behavior, it may take a few days or a week for her to get comfortable. Count how many kibble you place in her bowl (about 50 to 100 pieces, they should always have more than they'll eat, especially when babies) and try to monitor water. You can also put some kibble inside the door to her igloo/house so she can eat while hiding.  

(Oops, you posted while I was writing this, so..)

Hedgehogs poop and pee while running on their wheel, its just a part of their nature as they do this in the wild (as a prey animal, stopping could mean death). So many people will place either a litter box or paper towels under the wheel to catch the mess. The wheel will also need to be cleaned daily, as many will poop and run through the poop and make a mess. They also can require foot baths, as they get 'poopy boots' from running through it. You either use a warm washcloth if she'll let you handle her feet or fill a sink up with just enough warm water to get their feet wet and let them walk through it, to soften it up.

Paper Towels are safe for the most part, I don't think many have eaten them, many though are known to drag the paper towel with them to bed, some may shred them. Hedgehogs are mammals but not rodents like mice or rats, thus they don't really chew and gnaw on things, more or less just observe her and make sure she doesn't decide to eat it. Many people use paper towels I think so they can see urine color and fecal color, these things can help to determine health and if the hedgehog becomes sick, they can hide sickness really well and usually when they start to show signs of sickness, it means then need to see a vet ASAP because they've been ill for awhile. You can use Yesterdays News for litter also.

Two things I always tell new people, you need to make sure your hedgehog is on a light cycle. They need 12 hours of light during the day from any old light, don't depend on the sun, most people setup a light near or on the cage with a timer, so the light turns on and off at the same time everyday. A lack of light might make the hedgehog think winter is coming (like it is now), and when they sense shorter days, they may hibernate, which is bad.

Darkness at night can be important too, some hedgehogs don't mind mild light, others may want total darkness to run on their wheel. You just have to judge and see how active she is, once she is settled in. Don't be surprise if she doesn't really show her face tonight, first nights can always be like that. They're mostly active on their own accord early evening to early morning.

Warmth is also important, a hedgheog needs to be kept in a temperature range of 73'F to 78'F with somewhat steady temperature. Its a very good idea to buy an indoor/outdoor digital thermometer with a wire probe and a high/low record to put inside the cage to monitor their temperature. If it gets too cold, you can get a Ceramic Heat Emitter setup which is somewhat costly, but needed, unless the entire house (and cage) stays in that safe range of temperature.

Don't be afraid of asking questions, even tons and tons, that's why we're here, and indeed many get asked over and over, but we got no problem answering them. There's also many 'stickies' at the top of threads, check them out, they contain a world of knowledge (you can also check my site which has all the basics).


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Welcome to HHC, you've gotten some great info already but I just wanted to mention one thing. If you're using flannel under the fleece make sure the flannel is hemmed before using it, flannel frays alot and the loose threads can be dangerous to our lil guys legs. Even under the fleece it will need to be hemmed because alot of hedgies go under their fleece liners.


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## abrowndog (Nov 26, 2010)

Thanks all! I bought receiving blankets that are well seamed on the edges for fraying. I had the kid sleep with them for scent and that's what we brought her home in. I mad her mad when I shoved some extra fleece in her igloo so she is huffing in her ferret tunnel now. Her current temperament reminds me very much of my eldest child when her little sister gets on her nerves so I am sure she will get over it.

Has anyone ever tried flannel changing table pads for a base? They are absorbent but they do not leak through.... Thoughts?


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