# Cage heating for weekend trips



## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

I am adopting a hedgie in a few weeks and I'm still trying to work out everything that I need to buy and set up. One of my biggest dilemmas has been how to successfully travel with my little guy. I've mentioned on a few different threads that I am a college student who routinely spends weekends and breaks from school at home or at my boyfriend's apartment. Generally I am away from my apartment 1 or 2 weekends out of the month. However, the amount that I actually end up traveling after bringing my hedgehog home is going to largely depend on how he reacts to car rides. Just for reference, home is 2 hours away and my boyfriend's apartment is 3 hours away. 

When I am away for extended periods (during winter break, for example), I will bring his entire cage setup with me (cage, CHE, etc.). However, when I am just bringing him somewhere for a weekend, it would be nice not to have to drag everything with me. Also, I will most likely be using some sort of well-ventilated Sterilite bin or a hard-sided travel carrier big enough to fit his wheel for his "vacation home". Using a CHE around a plastic cage makes me really nervous.

I've read about a lot of alternatives to CHE's on this forum, but I'm really having trouble deciding what would work best for this particular situation. I've been heavily leaning towards a Snuggle Safe, but I'm wondering how long it ACTUALLY lasts (the website claims 10-12 hours) and if it consistently gives off the right amount of heat. 

I'd really appreciate hearing some heating suggestions/opinions from people who have experience with overnight hedgie travel.


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## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

I have a plastic bin as my girls home with the lamp on top. What I did was for the cover of the bin I cut out the two panels that it had and replaced it with gridding that would be normally used for a C&C cage. That way the lamp just sits on the metal. 
If you wanna see I posted a thingy on youtube that shows it for a few seconds in the end. 



 (I was sick when I did the video so I look gross, lol don't judge haha)
I know this doesn't really answer your question about alternative heating but a plastic bin wouldn't be to bad to drag around so I hope this helps at all.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

A lot of members have a CHE with a sterilite bin cage, and it's safe as long as you don't have the heating unit sitting on top of plastic (you can rest the lamp on a wire closet shelf, and that would be totally safe.)

The snuggle safe is not recommended as a heat source to heat the entire cage, because it won't heat the air and your hedgie will get cold. You can use it to heat the carrier in the car though. 

Another option is to buy a portable heater and bring that along with you, and heat the entire room your hedgie will be in.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

I agree with all of the above  And just wanted to add that I used a CHE with a sterilite and had no problems with it. I understand your concern because CHEs get pretty stinkin' hot, but I never had a problem with mine. I made sure to keep it a couple inches away from the sides of the bin, and away from my CSBW, and it worked great. Bins hold the heat in SO well, and I wish they would make them bigger (3ftx4ft, please? :lol: ) so I could use one as a permanent home for my Milly.

I'm sure you've realized that your options are limited if you don't use a CHE. You would probably just have to make sure that the entire room the hedgie is in is at a good temp, whether you use the house's heat, or a space heater. I know people use heating pads, but like stated before, providing a warm place to lie down isn't the same as providing a warm environment.  

If you're planning on keeping a cage for the hedgehog at your boyfriend's, I would definitely recommend using an "extra" set up. Kind of the way kids with divorced parents keep a toothbrush, clothes, books, toys, etc at the "weekend" parent's house? This summer, when it's gotten really hot, I took my hedgie to my mom's house. Milly has her old sterilite bin there, with extra fleece bedding, toys and water. So when I take her there, I put her in her cat carrier, grab her wheel, food and dishes, and off we go.  Ideally, I would like to get another wheel and another set of dishes but I have other things for her full-time home to get first, lol.


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2011)

lehaley said:


> I am adopting a hedgie in a few weeks and I'm still trying to work out everything that I need to buy and set up. One of my biggest dilemmas has been how to successfully travel with my little guy. I've mentioned on a few different threads that I am a college student who routinely spends weekends and breaks from school at home or at my boyfriend's apartment. Generally I am away from my apartment 1 or 2 weekends out of the month. However, the amount that I actually end up traveling after bringing my hedgehog home is going to largely depend on how he reacts to car rides. Just for reference, home is 2 hours away and my boyfriend's apartment is 3 hours away.
> 
> When I am away for extended periods (during winter break, for example), I will bring his entire cage setup with me (cage, CHE, etc.). However, when I am just bringing him somewhere for a weekend, it would be nice not to have to drag everything with me. Also, I will most likely be using some sort of well-ventilated Sterilite bin or a hard-sided travel carrier big enough to fit his wheel for his "vacation home". Using a CHE around a plastic cage makes me really nervous.
> 
> ...


If your referring to the heat levels in the car just get a power inverter that has a regualr 3 prong plug for your CHE or heating pad for your hedgehog 

You can find them at most retail stores that have an auto section and sometimes in electronics it converts your 12V cig outlet to a power source like plug outlet


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

I have such mixed feelings about the bin/CHE combination. I know that many people on this site use them together regularly, but it still makes me nervous. I'm the type of person who checks that she shut the stove off 4 times, so I guess you could say I'm a bit of a worrier about stuff like this. I think for my peace of mind, because I know that I would be constantly obsessing over it, I'm going to try and avoid plastic and CHE's.



susanaproenca said:


> The snuggle safe is not recommended as a heat source to heat the entire cage, because it won't heat the air and your hedgie will get cold. You can use it to heat the carrier in the car though.


That was one of my biggest reservations about the Snuggle Safe. A small heater was also on my list of options, and it's kinda looking like my best bet. My dad likes to keep his condo at borderline glacial temperatures (which is where I spend most of my breaks from school, and I legitimately bought myself a heated fleece blanket just because of that), so I wouldn't mind having a heater for my own personal use as well.


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