# First Cage



## ndap (Mar 19, 2011)

Hi everyone at hedgehog central, I am a newcomer and have recently sent in a deposit for a hedgie. I am getting him around late April. I was planning originally on getting a storage bin cage but recently decided on a c&c cage. Besides coroplast, what could i use as a bottom? Also what is the best type of wheel? I was planning on ordering a carolina storm bucket wheel as they have high reviews.


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

Welcome and Congratulations.

We can only recommend coroplast as that it what we use, easy to cut and clean. Fleece liners work great in the C & C cages as well, remember to have a 8-10" wall of coroplast around the inside of the C 7 C cage to stop climbing 

For wheels, we highly recommend the Carolina Storm Wheel or the Carolina Storm Bucket Wheel, there is no other wheel that compares to these and they are the safest and easiest to clean. Can't go wrong with a CSW/CSWB.


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## hedgehog3333 (Nov 7, 2010)

I highly suggest the Carolina Storm wheel as well as the bucket wheels. The CSW is also sold by larry and the differance is hat the CSW is a little bigger, and comes with a litterpan that fits perfectly underneath. If you find out you cannot order either I suggest the comfort wheel as it is the only comercialized wheel on the market that is fit for hedgehogs even though its a pain to clean. Congrats!


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## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

Coroplast is the best thing to use. It's cheap (I got a HUGE sheet (enough for my two levels + extra) for only $20. You can get it at a lot places too. I got mine at Sign O Rama (I think they're nationwide chain)

As for the wheel I know I'm buying the wheel from LarryT on friday :3
But other wheels you can use are the flying saucers and the comfort wheel.


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## ndap (Mar 19, 2011)

For the wheel I am getting the Carolina Storm Wheel with a litter pan below, is that the best kind? And how would I build the bottom of the cage with the coroplast? I've also seen cages with like 4 or 5 storage bins connected with pvc pipes that I liked as they ensured safety for the hogs from climbing and escaping as well as tons of room.


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

The connected bin cages are nice, but they do take up a lot of room to be able to give hedgie adequate floor space. If you go that route remember to add extra holes around the top of the bins for more ventilation.


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## ndap (Mar 19, 2011)

Could plexiglass be used as a substitute for coroplast?


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## NoDivision (Aug 29, 2010)

I don't see why not, but coroplast is soooooooo much cheaper. Plus it will be harder I think to find/cut plexi to the right size.


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## ndap (Mar 19, 2011)

Okay I just don't know where to find coroplast, and more importantly don't know how I will heat/cool my cage, whether it is a storage bin or c&c cage.


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## leopardhedgehog (Nov 18, 2010)

You can find coroplast at a sign shop, or something like that. (More experianced members, correct me if I'm wrong.) As for heating, I'd recommend a ceramic heat emitter, with a thermostat, not a rheastat. Zilla's, Flukers, and Zoo Med are good brands that can be found in the reptile section at Petco or PetSmart. Flukers also sells mealies.


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## pearlthehedgie (Feb 15, 2011)

Here is a link that shows you how to make the bottom coroplast for your cage-- http://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm. Keep in mind that these are instructions for a guinea pig cage, so you'll need to make the sides taller.

Also, when you fold up the sides it will take up a little space so maybe make the floor space measurement about 1/2 inch smaller all around than your actual cage size. Good luck


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## toblerone (Mar 28, 2011)

ndap said:


> Okay I just don't know where to find coroplast, and more importantly don't know how I will heat/cool my cage, whether it is a storage bin or c&c cage.


Google sign shops in your area! I just did that and went to the nearest sign shop, when they found out I was using the coroplast to build a hedgehog cage all the workers got really excited! I had about 4 of them scouring the store trying to find me the perfect pieces and giving me tons of options! Then when I went to pay I got a massive discount because they were so excited at the idea of helping out an animal! They now want me to send pictures of the completed project because they had never heard of anyone doing this before and thought it was a great idea and could use it as advertisement. It was a great experience!!! Homedepot also did the same thing! I had a few workers helping me find all sorts of pvc pipe and they all had ideas of how to make the cage easy to unlatch [for easy cleaning]. It seems like once you share with these people what you're doing and that it involves a hedgehog everyone gets really excited about the project!


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## mollyluv (Mar 28, 2011)

haha my frist cage was so small molly could not move her new one she has so much room she dose not no what to do with :lol: :lol: it is like a juggle for her!!!!!


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## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

ndap said:


> Okay I just don't know where to find coroplast, and more importantly don't know how I will heat/cool my cage, whether it is a storage bin or c&c cage.


Here's everything you need to know about heating: http://hedgehogcentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4579

As long as the cage is well ventilated (if you go with storage bins, you're going to want to have ventilation on the sides) cooling isn't usually an issue. In cases of extreme overheating putting a frozen water bottle in the cage or something else cold can help cool the air down. Otherwise, never put the cage directly in the path of a window or a fan (this will create a draft). Unfortunately I live in Canada and "cooling" the cage has never been an issue :roll:


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