# Wait.. or not to wait.



## casxcore

I got the message that I can pick up my new hedgie after this Sunday! I am so excited to meet the little man! The thing is, I am going to be away from August 12- August 15 and do not have anyone that would be able to interact with him while I am gone. My mom would be able to change his water and make sure he has food but I doubt she would be willing to pick him up and spend time with him. Should I just email the breeder I am getting him from and ask her to hold him until the week I get back from vacation? :?


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## MissC

I've never had a baby, so you will get more experienced advice any minute. :lol: 

BUT...if it was me, I would get him now and handle him quite a bit. He will have almost two weeks to get used to his new home, then you're only gone for a few days, so at worst you will have a grumpster for a few days when you get back.

But what do I know? :roll: 

Besides...how could you possibly wait. :? :lol:


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## JLF1995

MissC has a point. You could hadle the baby a lot befor you leave and come back, the problem is that over time when you are not handling the hedgehog, the more uncovertable the hedgie will be when you come back. I am in the same situation you are in. But instead of having no one to hadle the hedgie, I have my whole family that wants to get them out all the time! :lol:


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## casxcore

Should I email back the breeder and tell her my predicament and ask her advice?


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## JLF1995

I would just in case, she might tell you some suggestions.


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## DexterTheHog

I had the same problem and I decided to wait... I was going away for a week. but maybe 3 days wouldn't be a big deal. 
Sadly I need to leave 3 days during the week every week but Dexter doesn't seem to mind. He loves me just as much as when I left. He's fine whenever I return (my mom does talk to him every day though)
I guess 3 days isnt a big deal as long as you bond before


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## Nancy

I suggest waiting. You will just be started getting her used to you when you go away and then you are gone. Ask the breeders advice but if she were mine, I'd wait until the new owner is home to stay.


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## casxcore

Okay. I emailed the breeder and she hasn't gotten back to me yet. But I did, however, add the picture she sent me of my little man to my signature for you guys!


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## DexterTheHog

casxcore said:


> Okay. I emailed the breeder and she hasn't gotten back to me yet. But I did, however, add the picture she sent me of my little man to my signature for you guys!


Dawwww he's so cuuuute  He looks just a little darker than my Dexter!
I love hiiiiiiiim! Did you think of a name yet?


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## CanadienHedgie

He's very cute!  I never use to like the lighter colours, but now I'm starting to :lol: .

On another note, some breeders won't even hold the babies after the date they are supposed to go home. Either they just don't want to, or can't (space issues).


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## casxcore

Thanks for all the compliments! His name is Walter.

I would hope that she would be looking into both he and my best interests when she gets my email. When I originally picked him she said that he was her favorite and really wanted to keep him but couldn't. I dont know if it was because she has too many or what. I hope she writes back soon because if I get him before I go I want it to be as soon as possible. I cant wait to meet my little man!


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## casxcore

Just wanted to give you guys an update (if you care, hahah), the breeder said either was fine but then when I asked to pick him up the day after we got back (August 16) she told me she wouldn't be back from vacation until August 19th. So now I am going to pick him up tomorrow. Since I thought I had two weeks I was taking my time getting everything ready but it looks like I need to get moving. 

I'm so excited!


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## cylaura

casxcore said:


> Just wanted to give you guys an update (if you care, hahah), the breeder said either was fine but then when I asked to pick him up the day after we got back (August 16) she told me she wouldn't be back from vacation until August 19th. So now I am going to pick him up tomorrow. Since I thought I had two weeks I was taking my time getting everything ready but it looks like I need to get moving.
> 
> I'm so excited!


Haha, of course we care. I don't think you have anything to fear by posting more info about adorable baby hedgies. :mrgreen:

Anyway: So excited for you!! I'm sure you'll be able to get everything done in time, since you've been doing so much research already. Walter is such a cutie, can't wait to see/hear more about him!


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## PJM

I'm excited for you!! Can't wait to hear all about him.


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## casxcore

So now that I know he is coming home tomorrow, I'm running around like a crazy person (if you didnt already assume) trying to get everything all set for him to come home to. Do you think I should worry about toys too, or do you think he will still be warming up to the place and I can wait and get them Thursday (the day after he comes home). 

So far, I put his cage together (the cubes, last night and I'm picking up the corrugated plastic on the way home), getting fleece for the bottom & for his hideout (which i might have to make a temporary one of for now) and his food and water dishes along with treats (meal worms and crickets), and litter pans. Im still trying to find a plastic dryer tube.

I'm just not sure if he will be too preoccupied getting used to his new home to play or if he'll be roaring to go when he gets home. Help!


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## CanadienHedgie

Babies sleep a lot, and he will take some time to get use to his new surroundings. One of the most common things I read is, "I picked him because he was so playful, but he's completely opposite now that he's home!". They take time to settle in, so I wouldn't worry about toys right away  . As long as you have the essentials, hiding place, food dish, water dish and wheel, he'll be okay. 

I got my dryer vent tube at Home Depot.

Oh, and make sure your heating system works and keeps the temperature consistent.


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## casxcore

So, on my budget and with less than 24 hours notice I managed to pull this together. I still need to go to JoAnn's to get fabric, get a dryer vent and cable tie the corrugated plastic of the loft down (because its too big). I got him a pirate ship to sleep in  instead of an igloo and I got a small food/treat dish and a medium water dish. Im debating whether or not to get another medium bowl for food and use the small one for treats or just use the small one for both. I wrote WATER on one. I also got crickets and meal worms. If you have any suggestions or advice, it would be greatly appreciated. I am picking him up straight from work but I could always run to the store on my lunch break (I plan on getting toys and his own fleece but this was all I had on my (less than) 48 hour budget, hahah). Thank you for all your help and input!


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## CanadienHedgie

Coming along great!  

Are you using CHE's? It looks like you are, but that could be a light. Is it heating the whole cage, I'm just asking because it's only on the one side. Do you have one above the loft, to keep it warm? Oh, and zip tie the bottom of the coroplast on the loft to the grid, so he can't squeeze through (unless you already did  )

You'll need a lid on your cage, because hedgies are masters at escaping. Is your coroplast at least 8"? It's hard to tell from the pic, but I think it is  . Make sure you put grids along the other side of the loft as well.

The grids you bought are the wrong size, they have 5 square across, the right ones have 9 across. The different is the size of the spacing between the bars. Because of this, you'd want to put coroplast all the way up, because hedgies can get through them very easily. 

And lastly lol, it the litter pan sharp on the cut end? Some hedgies like to sleep under the wheel, so just check to make sure it's not sharp, so he won't cut himself.

I like the flannel  I have the pirate ship too! (P.S. It's hard to get an unhappy hedgie out :roll: )


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## casxcore

CanadienHedgie said:


> Coming along great!
> 
> Are you using CHE's? It looks like you are, but that could be a light. Is it heating the whole cage, I'm just asking because it's only on the one side. Do you have one above the loft, to keep it warm? Oh, and zip tie the bottom of the coroplast on the loft to the grid, so he can't squeeze through (unless you already did  )
> 
> You'll need a lid on your cage, because hedgies are masters at escaping. Is your coroplast at least 8"? It's hard to tell from the pic, but I think it is  . Make sure you put grids along the other side of the loft as well.
> 
> The grids you bought are the wrong size, they have 5 square across, the right ones have 9 across. The different is the size of the spacing between the bars. Because of this, you'd want to put coroplast all the way up, because hedgies can get through them very easily.
> 
> And lastly lol, it the litter pan sharp on the cut end? Some hedgies like to sleep under the wheel, so just check to make sure it's not sharp, so he won't cut himself.
> 
> I like the flannel  I have the pirate ship too! (P.S. It's hard to get an unhappy hedgie out :roll: )


I dont know what CHE's are.. :? I have a heat emitter on the left hand corner? I didn't try to heat it because I after setting it up I kept an eye on the temperature and it was any where between 79-85 in his cage. I don't have a second lamp for the loft but he cant get up there yet, I dont have fleece for it or a dryer tube so he can get up there and I still need to secure it to the cubes with zip ties because I guess I cut the corrugated plastic too big and it doesn't sit inside the cubes properly. I have zip tied all the cubes together for extra support  The corrugated plastic is 8". The end of the litter pan is not sharp, I covered it so that it had a smooth edge. I tried to find a smaller pan but thats all the store had so I cut one 3/4 of the way and actually switched that one with the bigger one after I took the picture.

Hahah, the flannel is just a blanket I had in my closet because I didn't have the money to go to JoAnn's. I think I'm going to go today, I want to get strips of fleece to put in the ship so he can burrow in it and sleep safe and sound when he gets home tonight. =)

Thank you for your advice!


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## CanadienHedgie

casxcore said:


> CanadienHedgie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Coming along great!
> 
> Are you using CHE's? It looks like you are, but that could be a light. Is it heating the whole cage, I'm just asking because it's only on the one side. Do you have one above the loft, to keep it warm? Oh, and zip tie the bottom of the coroplast on the loft to the grid, so he can't squeeze through (unless you already did  )
> 
> You'll need a lid on your cage, because hedgies are masters at escaping. Is your coroplast at least 8"? It's hard to tell from the pic, but I think it is  . Make sure you put grids along the other side of the loft as well.
> 
> The grids you bought are the wrong size, they have 5 square across, the right ones have 9 across. The different is the size of the spacing between the bars. Because of this, you'd want to put coroplast all the way up, because hedgies can get through them very easily.
> 
> And lastly lol, it the litter pan sharp on the cut end? Some hedgies like to sleep under the wheel, so just check to make sure it's not sharp, so he won't cut himself.
> 
> I like the flannel  I have the pirate ship too! (P.S. It's hard to get an unhappy hedgie out :roll: )
> 
> 
> 
> I dont know what CHE's are.. :? I have a heat emitter on the left hand corner? I didn't try to heat it because I after setting it up I kept an eye on the temperature and it was any where between 79-85 in his cage. I don't have a second lamp for the loft but he cant get up there yet, I dont have fleece for it or a dryer tube so he can get up there and I still need to secure it to the cubes with zip ties because I guess I cut the corrugated plastic too big and it doesn't sit inside the cubes properly. I have zip tied all the cubes together for extra support  The corrugated plastic is 8". The end of the litter pan is not sharp, I covered it so that it had a smooth edge. I tried to find a smaller pan but thats all the store had so I cut one 3/4 of the way and actually switched that one with the bigger one after I took the picture.
> 
> Hahah, the flannel is just a blanket I had in my closet because I didn't have the money to go to JoAnn's. I think I'm going to go today, I want to get strips of fleece to put in the ship so he can burrow in it and sleep safe and sound when he gets home tonight. =)
> 
> Thank you for your advice!
Click to expand...

CHE's are Ceramic Heat Emitter's  , which you have. As for the temp, 85 is way to high. The cage should be 73-78° F (23-25° C). Hedgies get heat stroke easily and quickly. Methods to cool down a cage:

-Put a bowl of ice on top of the cage
-Put a frozen bottle of water in the cage, wrapped in fleece
-Put a tile on top of the fleece for him to lay on if he wants
-Put a ceramic flower pot, tipped on it's side, in the cage for him to lay in if her wants
-Put frozen ice packs on top of the cage, or in the cage wrapped in fleece

Heat goes up, cold goes down, so having ice on top of the cage works great.

Some of my liners are cut up blankets lol, some are even my boyfriends plaid shirts :lol: I got carried away :roll: .

Oh, does your heat emitter give off any light? If it does, it's the wrong type because the cage has to be completely dark at night. If it doesn't give off light, it's a Ceramic Heat Emitter, which is the right kind  .


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## casxcore

CanadienHedgie said:


> casxcore said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> CanadienHedgie said:
> 
> 
> 
> Coming along great!
> 
> Are you using CHE's? It looks like you are, but that could be a light. Is it heating the whole cage, I'm just asking because it's only on the one side. Do you have one above the loft, to keep it warm? Oh, and zip tie the bottom of the coroplast on the loft to the grid, so he can't squeeze through (unless you already did  )
> 
> You'll need a lid on your cage, because hedgies are masters at escaping. Is your coroplast at least 8"? It's hard to tell from the pic, but I think it is  . Make sure you put grids along the other side of the loft as well.
> 
> The grids you bought are the wrong size, they have 5 square across, the right ones have 9 across. The different is the size of the spacing between the bars. Because of this, you'd want to put coroplast all the way up, because hedgies can get through them very easily.
> 
> And lastly lol, it the litter pan sharp on the cut end? Some hedgies like to sleep under the wheel, so just check to make sure it's not sharp, so he won't cut himself.
> 
> I like the flannel  I have the pirate ship too! (P.S. It's hard to get an unhappy hedgie out :roll: )
> 
> 
> 
> I dont know what CHE's are.. :? I have a heat emitter on the left hand corner? I didn't try to heat it because I after setting it up I kept an eye on the temperature and it was any where between 79-85 in his cage. I don't have a second lamp for the loft but he cant get up there yet, I dont have fleece for it or a dryer tube so he can get up there and I still need to secure it to the cubes with zip ties because I guess I cut the corrugated plastic too big and it doesn't sit inside the cubes properly. I have zip tied all the cubes together for extra support  The corrugated plastic is 8". The end of the litter pan is not sharp, I covered it so that it had a smooth edge. I tried to find a smaller pan but thats all the store had so I cut one 3/4 of the way and actually switched that one with the bigger one after I took the picture.
> 
> Hahah, the flannel is just a blanket I had in my closet because I didn't have the money to go to JoAnn's. I think I'm going to go today, I want to get strips of fleece to put in the ship so he can burrow in it and sleep safe and sound when he gets home tonight. =)
> 
> Thank you for your advice!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> CHE's are Ceramic Heat Emitter's  , which you have. As for the temp, 85 is way to high. The cage should be 73-78° F (23-25° C). Hedgies get heat stroke easily and quickly. Methods to cool down a cage:
> 
> -Put a bowl of ice on top of the cage
> -Put a frozen bottle of water in the cage, wrapped in fleece
> -Put a tile on top of the fleece for him to lay on if he wants
> -Put a ceramic flower pot, tipped on it's side, in the cage for him to lay in if her wants
> -Put frozen ice packs on top of the cage, or in the cage wrapped in fleece
> 
> Heat goes up, cold goes down, so having ice on top of the cage works great.
> 
> Some of my liners are cut up blankets lol, some are even my boyfriends plaid shirts :lol: I got carried away :roll: .
> 
> Oh, does your heat emitter give off any light? If it does, it's the wrong type because the cage has to be completely dark at night. If it doesn't give off light, it's a Ceramic Heat Emitter, which is the right kind  .
Click to expand...

It is a ceramic heat emitter. the light I am using is a heat lamp leftover from when I had my turtle but the bulb I got for it does not give off any light and its a 65 W but the lamp allows up to 100 W. I think it may have been too hot in my room yesterday because my door was shut and the air couldn't really get into my room (I actually need to look at my vent because I think it may be partially shut).

I am planning on getting him a ceramic flower pot, I just haven't made it to a store that carried them yet, i've been super busy trying to get him every necessary thing so that when I bring him home later tonight he isn't missing anything important.

I actually went to the fabric store today and got him cute pirate fleece but he will be using the blanket for now until I measure & cut it. I also got another medium dish for his food and im going to keep the small for treats.

Where do you think I should place the CHE in the cage? (he won't be able to get into the loft until I get a dryer tube and fix it all up) and I tried to place the thermometer gauges away from it so that they don't think its hotter than it is. As I said, I haven't had the CHE on yet because its too hot. But i'm going to check it before I go get him so its all set for when we get back.

I also haven't put any fleece strips (I haven't cut them yet) or any blankets or anything in his pirate ship. Do you think he'll be okay to sleep without them for a day?

I'm really excited/nervous, if you can't tell. hahahah  :?


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