# Hedgehog lighting questions



## dooiy (Jun 28, 2015)

I know that hedgehogs are nocturnal. Dose that mean that they are active during night time or place where its dark because its night right now and my hedgehog isn't as active as i thought. Could it be because i have light on? Ive seen youtube videos and they all seems to film their hedgehog where lights are abundant. 
Do i need to set schedule for light and darkness? please help. thank you!


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## MyaPerez1018 (Mar 3, 2015)

Nocturnal means they come out when it's dark. They need a light schedule of about 12-14 hours of light everyday. This can be from a lamp next to their cage that's hooked up to a timer so you don't forget to turn the light on/off.

As for hedgehogs coming out in the light, every hedgehog is different. Some are very sensitive to light, and others just don't care. Try turning the light off and your hedgie will eventually come out. Sometimes they don't even come out if they hear you or smell you next to their cage. Just remember that.


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

You just barely brought your baby home and he's still adjusting. Also, he's very young. Babies sleep a lot. Odds are he won't come out on his own until long after you've gone to bed and the room is entirely dark.

Yes, they are nocturnal. So what that means for the lighting schedule is that you need to create a solid day/night cycle. That means during the day there needs to be consistent light for 12-14 hours. At night it should be dark. A regular day/night schedule is very important. If their day isn't long enough it could cause hibernation attempts. So be sure he's getting enough light by using a lamp on a timer. It doesn't have to be a special lamp.

It's typical for people to take their hedgehogs out for bonding in the late evening. I personally do this anywhere from 9pm-10pm and will have her with me until it's time for bed (generally a couple of hours). When you take your hedgehog out, keep the room dimly lit. You want it to be dark enough to not overwhelm your hog, but you need to have enough light for you to see.

The people you see on youtube are a mix of a couple of different type of hedgehog owners. Some of them have put in the time and effort to really bond with their hedgehogs and thus their hedgies are more comfortable with their humans, so the light required to make a video doesn't bother them as much. Others are only bothering their hedgehog briefly while the light is on so they can share their pet with the internet. Others have done little to no research and make these videos without much care about the welfare of their pet. Do your own research independently and don't take everything you see on youtube to heart. Some of those people know what they're doing and some don't. But until you've researched and gotten practical experience under your belt you aren't going to know which is which.


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