# Buttercup is home!



## Emminim (Feb 26, 2011)

Buttercup and I rolled into the drive last night at about midnight. It was a long night, I was getting up about every 30 minutes checking on her and her cage temperature (I'm extremely nervous about that) and she was all up all night exploring her cage and has been sleeping all morning. The breeder said she started quilling about a weeks ago so she's a little sour, but she's EXTREMELY inquisitive and an escape artist. Aside from transporting her from her travel cage to her home cage I have not held her yet. I want to give her a little time to settle, plus I'm not sure she'd take very well to being woken up! How long do you guys think I should give her before I pick her up and hold her? or have I waited too long as it is?

Also, I have a feeding question, should I leave food in her dish at night or will this hinder me trying to get her on a more "normal" (as close to non-nocturnal) sleep/wake schedule?


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## abrowndog (Nov 26, 2010)

Congrats on your new piggie! I can't wait to see pics. I wouldn't wake her up until this evening as she had a long night. Grumpy or not, you do want to handle her every day so she knows you are not a threat.

I would advise you against trying to make her non-nocturnal. First, I don't think you can change her, second, you will cause her undue stress and this will make her more prone to illness.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

i believe reversing her natural schedule will negatively affect the immune system of the hedgehog. they are fragile creatures.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

I second what browndog says: handle her daily, even if it's just placing her in your lap...grouchy or not...poking you or not...use a piece of fleece if it's better for either of you but do try to hold her soon without the fleece...even just your hand near her on your lap, then on her, etc.

And please, please, please don't try to change her schedule. She is nocturnal. Period. Lights or not...dark room without windows...she will still sleep during the day and wake at night. She could be in a lead-lined room twenty miles under the earth and would still stick to that schedule. Trying to flip her days to nights will likely stress her and make her sick. best to change your schedule a bit...most will become more active in the late afternoon/early evening...try making play time just before/after her light goes out every night. After is best as she will likely be calmer but you can play with the times a bit and just dim her play space.

Snarf likes being up at 3 for a few minutes...then at 5...and generally stays up if we get him up at 9ish. His light is timed for 9-9.


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## Emminim (Feb 26, 2011)

So then why do people have the timed lamps that turn off and on during the day? thanks for the info, the only thing I was going to do was do the lamp thing but now I won't. She's stayed curled up in her hedgie bag all day. I held her for a while in that and did some homework while she slept. Currently I've been trying to get my CHE to regulate the temperature right. When it shuts off it is still heating up the cage by a couple degrees and for some reason the lowest it will go is about 76 degrees (and then it heats up a couple degrees after it shuts off)...this has created much stress for me.


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## Olympia (Aug 4, 2010)

You do need to have a light on for 12 to 14 hours during the day, while your hedgie is sleeping. If you don't give your hedgie enough light, she might try to hibernate which could be fatal. 

Do you have a thermostat with your CHE? I think a slight variation of temperature is normal, mine goes from about 23.4 to 24.4C (about 74 to 76F) and there's nothing I can do about it. I figure as long as it's always above 74F and my girls seem comfortable it's fine. And I always check the thermometer at least twice a day, in the morning and at night.

Congrats on your new baby!


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Congratulations on Buttercup!! I'm so excited for you!!!

I usually clean out & refill the food & water dishes every morning. 

The reason many of us turn on a light during the day is that you can't rely just on the sun to keep the room light. If it's really cloudy or there's a storm it can get dark. Also, it doesn't stay light for 12-14 hours during the winter months. So, if you just have a light or lamp on for the 12-14 hours, it's just one less thing to worry about. You get in a routine or have a timer set up. 

I can't wait to hear more about her & see pictures!!


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## Emminim (Feb 26, 2011)

Thanks for the info PJM!! And Olympia I do have a thermostat, It's set at 76, (the lowest it will go) and again its still heating up after it kicks off. I went with a recommendation for the heating setup somewhere in one of the topics on here (ZOO MED) and I did get the thermostat and not the rheostat.

When Buttercup was awake yesterday and last evening I was placing my hand in the cage and just leaving it there and she was coming up and sniffing, licking (she already bit me once when I first got her home and hasn't since), and then walked around and on my hand, brushing her side up against me. this morning when I got up instead of finding her in her hedgie bag I found her curled up in my shirt I stuck in there, and when I just got home there she was again (moved though), so I'm happy for that.
I am not sure how to downsize my pictures at the moment but when I do I'll try and get one up.


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## KathyTNY (Jan 21, 2011)

Sounds like you are doing just fine! Congrats on being a new hog mommy! I just got my Tiggy in the beginning of Jan. this year and while she is a retired breeder and 2 years old..... it still was stressful making sure I was doing all the right things.

Now we are just so bonded - we have tv cuddle time every night before I put her in her cage and turn the lights out. Then she comes awake and has her wheel time and eating time and just chilling under the CHE lamp..... Do you have a good wheel for Buttercup.... I didn't hear you mention that.

Relax and enjoy!


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## Emminim (Feb 26, 2011)

I got buttercup out this afternoon and again just a little while ago and we chilled for a while. Besides initially puffing up and hissing at me a few times she is letting me handle her and hold her (she's squiggly though as she doesn't like being still and as soon as she's in a new area she wants to explore EVERYTHING, including my hoodie sleeve that I managed to keep her from crawling up just in the nick of time ). She's letting me stroke her face and underbelly and I clipped her nails (it didn't look like the breeder that I got her from had clipped them in a while  ). And she positively loves my shirt and sleeping under the CHE.

I do have a wheel but it's in the mail and I wish it would get here soon! I bought a flying saucer after reading different people's opinion of them on here. My petsmart was out in the store so I had to buy it online. Any ideas of what I can give her in her cage to substitute until the wheel gets here?


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Congrats on your new hedgie! It sounds like you're doing all the right things! Can't wait to see pictures when you get them. 



Emminim said:


> I do have a wheel but it's in the mail and I wish it would get here soon! I bought a flying saucer after reading different people's opinion of them on here. My petsmart was out in the store so I had to buy it online. Any ideas of what I can give her in her cage to substitute until the wheel gets here?


I have a plastic PVC tube in Liam's cage that he likes to run through - just barrels through over and over again some evenings - so maybe one of those would at least give Buttercup some exercise while you're waiting on your wheel? Just make sure you get one big enough for a hedgie to fit through! Just a thought.


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