# Am I on the right track?



## Quilliam Is My Buddy (Jun 16, 2009)

Whenever I let my hedgehog out to explore the house, he runs a little, stops, walks, then stops again and then he stands completely still, sniffles about and then looks around a little. He stood there for about five minutes before even putting his paw out to walk. I have no clue what's wrong. He usually goes behind the table in a little crevice next to the wall and just stays there. He never really wants to walk around or run like he does usually... Also, he won't get on his wheel. It wobbles a little, but it's nothing big. It said it was designed specially for small animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, and hedgehogs, and it's just his size, but whenever I put him on the wheel, he just climbs off. That's my only hope wheel wise because I don't know how to make a cake walk wheel. I'm not one who can or enjoys to make things. And another thing. my hedgie stretches a lot. He stretches his legs out while he's standing, and he has his back up in the air. Is this normal, or what? 
-His home.....
He lives in a large 90 gallon Sterilite bin with newspaper as litter and a little towel blanket to seep in. And, the bedding is a towel cut to fit the cage. I'm thinking of replacing the towel blanket with a little wooden house to sleep in, but I'm not so sure about that because it could harbor mites, or eggs. I'm also thinking about replacing the whole cage with a ferret playpen.
Also, should I use this kind of liner? If not, which kind should I use?


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## raisinsushi (Jun 13, 2009)

I don;t know anything about his behavior being odd or not, someone else can help you there.

I do suggest that you change the towel liner for fleece and use fleece for him to sleep in a well (you should get a plastic igloo and put fleece bits in there for him to snuggle in) the towel can have those loose threads that he can get caught up in and get hurt with.


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

What kind of a wheel do you have?If it is a comfort wheel it has to be the largest one they make or it is to small. I believe the same thing goes for a flying saucer....any other commercial wheel is really not recommended. SIlent Spinners can cause toe/nail injuries and possible fall off of their stand. Mesh and rung type wheels are very dangerous as well.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Besides switching the towel over to fleece...

Take the newspaper out immediately.
The inks may/may not be toxic...Why take that chance?
Newspaper also gets cold when wet and dries slow, which can give your hedgie a chill.

Since he's a boy....The back arching sounds to be "boyishly normal" My boy does the back arch when he feels the need to have his "boy time"

As for the house, get a plastic igloo type of house. It's easy to disinfect and clean, and many here use them.

For the ferret cage that you are looking at, IF there are MULTIPLE levels, be sure to ENCLOSE all ramps and the levels, so your hedgie cannot fall. This is a must, and if you want your hedgie to stay alive, be sure to make sure any extra levels and ramps are enclosed/walled off. 

And what kind of wheel? Dorasdaddy made some excellent points about wheels.

It also sounds like your boy would much rather cuddle up somewhere and sleep. Which is perfectly normal. My boy NEVER explores. The only exploring he does is to find my lap or find his fleece and go to sleep :lol: 
How old is he? Babies do tend to sleep a lot more than adults. So he could be just "baby tired" as well. ^_^


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

How long have you had him? From your post it sounds like this is a behaviour change. So I'll answer with that assumption. 

I agree with everyone above about the type of bedding and wheel. Flying saucers are my favourite but take up more room in the cage. 

If you haven't had your hedgehog very long and he is not running around like he did when you first got him it could just be part of the normal settling in process. 

The first time I let my hedgehog out in the hallway we use as a playpen he got so excited that he ran around like crazy exploring every corner before settling right next to one of the doors (closed) and falling asleep. That was his behaviour for the first month or so and then he completely changed and hardly ever explores anymore. Even when he is in a new environment he just sticks close to mom and dad (me and my boyfriend).


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## Quilliam Is My Buddy (Jun 16, 2009)

Yeah, I've had him a little over a month. I'm planning on getting a rabbit playpen as a different cage from my local Feeders Supply, and he does sleep a lot. So, as the litter, should I use paper towels? Because he didn't seem to have any problem with that.


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## Quilliam Is My Buddy (Jun 16, 2009)

dorasdaddy said:


> If it is a comfort wheel it has to be the largest one they make or it is to small.


 Yeah, It's a medium-sized comfort wheel. I thought the XL one would be too big for his cage.


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

If the xl doesnt fit then his cage his WAY too small for him. Hedgies must have a MINIMUM of 2 square feet of floor space. That is a bare minimum. I prefer Lizardsgirl's assessment of 2 square feet AFTER you add the proper wheel, food and water dishes and hidey spot. With a wheel too small his nose and back will be rubbing and i dont blame him for not running in it. You need to get the proper size wheel and cage a.s.a.p.

E.T.A. : if you get a rabbit cage make sure it has a solid bottom and no wood hidey houses in it. wood can harbor mites and is a pain to disenfect.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

A 90 quart sterlite bin is way to small for a hedgie.
I use two 106 quart bins connected with 4 inch PVC pipe,cheap and easy to clean.
I have small holes drilled around the bottom of the bins every 2 inches for airflow.
Pictures on my site http://imageevent.com/thomasonratterriers

EDIT:106 quart bins not 110


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

If you have only had your hedgehog a month then he is still in the settling in period. His behavirour may continue to change. Did you read all the sticky notes on the forum? there are a bunch at the top of every section and they all have important information. I haven't found another source of hedgehog information that is as reliable or thorough as this site is.

Paper towells are not meant to be a bedding, the amount you would have to use to cover a cage would be ridiculous and impractical. Fleece liners are the cheapest and easiest bedding as well as being best for your hedgehog.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Quilliam Is My Buddy said:


> So, as the litter, should I use paper towels? Because he didn't seem to have any problem with that.


Paper towels are fine to use as the litter area. Many here use paper towels under their wheels to catch falling/rolling poop and pee.

Have you switched from towel liner to fleece liner? That's another important one, as you don't want your boy to be ripping out nails.


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## Quilliam Is My Buddy (Jun 16, 2009)

No, but I will most likely today. He is asleep right now, and I took the newspaper out. He's fine right now.


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

Quilliam Is My Buddy said:


> Yeah, It's a medium-sized comfort wheel. I thought the XL one would be too big for his cage.


When I first got my hedgie, I thought the "large" version would be big enough. Not even close. He quickly outgrew that. So the medium size is much too small. The biggest version available is the only one you should be using. If he's barely used the wheel, find out the store's exchange policy you got it from. They might allow you to exchange it for a more suitable one. Even if not, you still need to get a different one.

If you're using a sterilite bin, you can cut a rectangle in the top of the lid to accommodate the taller wheel size.

90 gallon is a little on the small side. You can connect another bin easily with PVC pipe. Then that way you can have an area for the wheel/exploring, as well as food/sleeping.


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## Quilliam Is My Buddy (Jun 16, 2009)

Well, right now he has a playpen 27 and a half inches X 27 and a half inches, and the playpen is 9 and a half inches high. For bedding he has flannel bedsheets and another little sheet for curling up in and sleeping in, and in that is a very big plastic igloo, since several of users here recommended that to me. I used it previously for my rabbit who has about outgrown it, I rinsed it out about 3 times. Anyways, He's on Special Kitty Cat Food, original flavor, 2 tablespoons a day, and since my state is in the top ten (not sure what number) for cleanest tap water in the US, I let my water run for 30 seconds and fill his water bowl up with tap water and give that to him. He's getting a wheel. My local pet store, Sandy's, only had two of their biggest wheels left, and one was squeaky, and the other one was wobbly. I'm going to go to another pet store and buy a more suitable wheel. I'm also thinking of getting a plush ferret bed for him, but I don't know if it can harbor any parasites. I'm not sure if any kind of parasites can nest in that material, but just to be safe I'd rather ask the experts


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

Get rid of that special kitty crap IMMEDIATELY!!!!! It is no good for cats, much less hedgies...you really need to refer to Reapers list in the nutrition forum to get a higher quality food. Right now you are feeding your hedgie the equivalent of cardboard, and not even clean cardboard....that stuff is just plain nasty.


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## Quilliam Is My Buddy (Jun 16, 2009)

Okay, okay, but last night he escaped by lifting up the hatches in his playpen with his nose, TWICE! We got him in the cage/playpen safely, but it looks like he had a little redness above his nose when he tried to lift up the cage with his nose. It's not a flesh wound or anything. I'm getting kinda worried about him. Also, he sometime sits like a dog in his daily run of the house, then goes back to running again. He kinda looks like this,
http://www.canpages.ca/blog/wp-content/ ... -small.jpg
Except he has his head up, sniffing around. He seems fine and dandy like cotton candy, and seems active, but still, I need answers. He got on his Comfort Wheel for the first time last night, and I think he liked it. I put his food on the wheel to show him that it meant no harm to him, and I think that's what encouraged him to get on it. 
*I REALLY NEED A REPLY*


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

If he's escaping from the playpen by lifting it up that means you have to get a heavier play pen. Making the encloser bigger (space permitting) may also help in detering or distracting him from escaping. 

As to the redness on his nose if it's not a bump, or a cut it's probably fine (not positive though). It's likely that he just rubbed some of the fur off or irritated his skin when he esacaped.


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## Quilliam Is My Buddy (Jun 16, 2009)

What about him sitting like a dog? I don't know if it means something. He's also been, like, pulsating whenever I redo his cage. Is he marking his territory or something? :?: :?:


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## Shelbys Mom (Mar 27, 2009)

Quilliam Is My Buddy said:


> What about him sitting like a dog? I don't know if it means something. He's also been, like, pulsating whenever I redo his cage. Is he marking his territory or something? :?: :?:


I don't think that him sitting like a dog would be a problem (at least I hope not because mine do that as well)
As for the pulsating
He may be having "boy time". That's what it sound's like to me anyway.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Sitting sniffing the air is normal behaviour. 

As well I would like to say if he looks find he probably is. It's good that you are vigilant and care so much but try to just relax and watch him during play time. Watch videos of hedgehogs on youtube, you might see some behaviour that you recognize in your little guy.


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## Quilliam Is My Buddy (Jun 16, 2009)

well, i just found out recently that he has a bump on his nose from where he escaped! what should i do?!


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