# We get our lil hoglet in 2 days



## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

Hey everyone.

Well im new to this and new to hedgies.

I've been reading the forums on here for the past 2 days and the advice is brilliant, also i've been looking at the photos of cage setups etc and they're so helpful.

I live in the UK and were getting out lil hedgie (our 1st one) in 2 days. We cannot wait. He looks super cute and we're going to call him Turbo.

We have bought his cage which is a guinea pig one so its big enough and its not wired all the way up so he cant climb. we have a cosy bed with a snuggle sack in, a fleece on the bottom of the cage, lots of little toys, a litter tray, a lil bowl for food and a bottle for drinking water. 

I've been doing so much reading in preparation for the lil guy just so i know what food is right for him and what environment is right, we also bought a thermometer for his room which can also go in his bath so we know the temp is right. 

We've bought a lil travel cage for when we pick him up.

All i wanted to know was there any advice that people can give us for when we first bring him home. We know to leave him alone for a day or two so that he can familiarise himself with his new surroundings and then to play with him daily after that. We have put a tshirt of ours in there aswel so he has our scent ready for him to get used to. 

Can we bath him within the first week or is this not a good idea with him being so young and new to everything, or is it a good idea because it gets him used to having baths early on? 

and any other pointers to look out for??? food wise, appetite wise?  

I just want to be completely prepared for him when he arrives home and to be able to be preapared for perhaps how they are in their first few days? 

i cant wait


----------



## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Welcome and congrats on the new guy!


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

one quick question...do you have a wheel for your baby?


----------



## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

Hi there  

Yes we have a wheel for him, one for in his cage, its tomorrow we get him now and im beyond excited. 
In the UK hedgies are rare to have as pets hence why i've been researching like mad. 

One question i do have is how do i keep the temp up do you suggest? we are out at work 9-5, and we dont leave heating on in our house, he is in the warmest room of the house, but as the colder weather is starting to arrive i was wondering howi should keep him warm when we arent in the house? 

We do have one of those circular pet pads which you heat in the microwave, but is that enough to keep him warm for the day? 

thanks for replying


----------



## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

Also another question....what are oatmeal baths? i've read on here they're good for when they quill which is around 6 mths is it? but is it something you can buy im a little confused by the word oatmeal?

any help would be great.


----------



## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

oatmeal is a hot cereal. I believe it is the same as porridge (I hope I spelled that right). All you do is take the uncooked oats and put them in a cloth, a sock or something similar and swish is around in the bath water until the water is cloudy. The oats help moisturize the skin. 

There are lots of methods for heating the cage. I have individual heating for each room in my apartment so the room the hedgehog is in is kept higher. Microwave discs do not stay warm for very long and do not heat the air of the cage so your hedgehog will get cold if he/she has to move around the cage for food, water and wheeling. 

You will probably need to use a space heater with a temperature control (thermostat) so that it will keep the space at a constant temperature. Another option is a ceramic heat emitter. It looks like a flattened light bulb. With the heat emitter you need a special lamp for the emitter bulb to screw into and a thermostat so that the emitter doesn't get too hot.


----------



## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

Pipkin said:


> One question i do have is how do i keep the temp up do you suggest? we are out at work 9-5, and we dont leave heating on in our house, he is in the warmest room of the house, but as the colder weather is starting to arrive i was wondering howi should keep him warm when we arent in the house?
> We do have one of those circular pet pads which you heat in the microwave, but is that enough to keep him warm for the day?


The air in the environment needs to remain 72-80 degrees Fahrenheit at all times--a pretty constant temperature, too, as a drop of just 5 degrees can cause a hibernation attempt. The microwavable pads are good for emergency heating, such as if the power goes out; however, they should not be relied on as the main heat source. A ceramic heat emitter (that doesn't give off light) with a temperature control to keep the temperature stable can be used (a temp control is a must, otherwise the hedgie will cook). This heats the area of the cage, not the whole room. A space heater is another option; this will heat the entire room. 
Be sure to keep a digital thermometer in the cage at all times so the temperature can be monitored.

You can buy packets of colloidal oatmeal in the pharmacy of most stores. It's used for poison ivy baths, and itchy skin. Aveeno is a popular US product, but if you don't have that in the UK (I've never been so I don't know) just look for 100% colloidal oatmeal. It's a powder that can be swirled into the bath water. It helps the quills to come in a little easier during quilling--which happens about 2 months (8-12 weeks). Some will only quill for a week or two; some can quill for months. It's very painful, and if you move some of the existing quills back you'll probably see new quills poking through the skin--this is much like teething for children.

If you can't find the packets, you can do as hedgielover suggested and just use plain "old fashioned oats".

Also keep in mind that some hedgies won't use water bottles; some will come from a breeder who "bottle trained" them and still not use a bottle in the new home. Because of this you'll need to monitor drinking to find out how he's doing. Most people recommend putting a dish for water in the cage instead. I find that it takes my hedgie 5 minutes of drinking from a water bottle to get satisfied enough to continue eating, where it takes 30 seconds from a bowl--I just feel that a bowl is a better use of his time since he struggled so much with the bottle. There have also been cases of chipped teeth from bottles. But on the other hand, there are hedgies that prefer them and have used them comfortably for years. Some people put both in the cage and let the hedgie choose. It's really up to you and your little one, but you'll find that most people on the forums will recommend using a dish instead.

He probably won't eat much the first few days, and he may have green poop because of the water change. This is normal. It should clear up in a few days. Be sure to get the same food the previous owner had him on, whether you get a sandwich bag full from them or buy a whole new bag yourself. He needs to be on the same food until he gets settled in, and then you can begin switching (if you want to) over a month's span (to avoid tummy trouble).

Unless he's dirty or quilling badly and in obvious discomfort (how old is he?) you don't need to give him a bath the first week. You can if he is, but it's not necessary otherwise; if you do, wait a few days so he can settle in a bit before trying it.

Congratulations on your new little guy and welcome to HHC.


----------



## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

Hi 
Thanks for the advice its helped loads  well we now have turbo and he's a maniac, such a confident lil fella, he's been running all over us and pooping on us, he handled the hours car journey very well as well. He is now kipping in his snuggle sack. So touch wood he'll settle in well and the breeders did a great job of making him tame.


----------



## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Congrats!!
Post some pics when u can


----------



## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

He sounds like so much fun. I can't wait to see pictures.


----------



## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

I will as soon as he stays still long enough to get a pic  
He did all his poops and wees in his litter tray last night as well I'm so proud  
Although I'm hoping all his pooping on me means he loves me hehe, I've never seen so much poop! 
This morning before work I went to check on him, he was in his ball so I picked him up with a blanket and 10 mins later he'd come out of his ball and was running all over me, I was so happy  I can tell we're going to be best friends, they're brilliant lil things hehe


----------



## Anny (Jul 17, 2009)

I can't wait to see pics too! Glad you finally got your little guy home 

I remember when I first brought Kiwi home I had the same reaction about how much poo she could produce in a short amount of time! She still will go a lot when I take her out, in the first 10-15 minutes she'll often go quite a few times both pee and poop. I've been using puppy pads on my lap to deal with the mess easily. It has gotten better in the last couple weeks though and she'll sometimes wait till she's back in her cage and go in her litter box.

Have fun with your new hog!


----------



## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

WELL....... crikey..... what can i say, we've got the poop machine....

He has only peed on me twice but each time i literally think hes emptied his bladder on my hand, and the lil stance he does as well as if to say ''ha, take that!''

He has also got a right lil appetite on him. He is settling in so well, although there is no sign of him using his wheel, does this take time? I mean there is no poo or wee on the wheel in the morning, and whenever ive put him on his wheel he's seemed scared or wary of it? Is this normal?

I have some photos, will upload them later, of his cage and of the poop machine himself


----------



## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

yup wariness of the wheel at first is normal. especially if he has never had one before. Some hedgehog's take to the wheel right away, others take time, and some never wheel, but they are the exception.


----------



## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

Here are the pics of our little cute master 

[attachment=1:w3alf39c]hedgie 3.jpg[/attachment:w3alf39c]

[attachment=1:w3alf39c]hedgie 3.jpg[/attachment:w3alf39c]


----------



## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

[attachment=2:aiw7946a]hedgie cage 1.jpg[/attachment:aiw7946a]

[attachment=1:aiw7946a]cage2.jpg[/attachment:aiw7946a]

[attachment=0:aiw7946a]cage3.jpg[/attachment:aiw7946a]


----------



## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

[attachment=0:1a7fcy5p]cage 4.jpg[/attachment:1a7fcy5p]


----------



## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

how big is that wheel? if it is too small that could be why he is not going on it. Also Silent spinners are not the safest wheels and they are very hard to clean. You should search the forums for alternatives Hedgehog's need the biggest size available of any commercial wheel.


----------



## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

The wheel is a 9'' one but I have the one advertised on here on order from america so that should arrive soon, its the 12'' one.


----------

