# Help asap please



## Bailey_simmons (May 23, 2016)

Hello my hedgehog who is a year old does not doing anything but sleep.
I purchased him off of Craigslist and I'm assuming he wasn't socialized at because he super Terrified of me. I've had him for 2 weeks now I know he probably news to warm up to me more but any suggestions would be amazing!


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Not doing anything but sleeping or sleeping more than you expected? 
Basic questions. 
what is good diet?
Lighting schedule and how he gets his lights?
How warm is the cage? Is the temperature consistent?


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## Bailey_simmons (May 23, 2016)

He sleeps more then normal. My room stays at 74 degrees and I have him placed by a window because I read that's the best lighting options for them so they don't over heat. I feed him the blue wilderness cat food


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## Bailey_simmons (May 23, 2016)

Yes he doesn't play and very rarely using his wheel


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

Do you have a termometer in the cage? Are you up at night or have a camera so you can know for sure he's not active? How many hours of light does he have? Have you taken him to a vet yet?


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## Bailey_simmons (May 23, 2016)

I am up at night he does use the wheel but not very much. The lady I bought him from took him to the vet before I got him I saw the paper and he gets from at least 8 hours a day Also he hates baths I've given him two since I got him with oatmeal and I've put olive oil on him also. I've read where they're supposed to love baths but he does the exact opposite he even makes squalling noises he doesn't seem interested in me at all either


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## Bailey_simmons (May 23, 2016)

Also I might be thinking it's due to him quilling, he been loosing quills not enough to be concerned about could this be why he is so grumpy?


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

He's a year old so unlikely he's quilling. Is he itchy? Is his skin flaky?

They need light for 12 to 14 hours a day so 8 is nothing and he might be thinking is winter. Get a lamp with a timer.


Most hedgies hate baths so don't worry about it. 

Most likely he is "grumpy" because he has lacked socialization and I'm a rehomed it can take up to a year to feel comfortable with the new owner. 

Put a shirt you have slept in in his cage so he gets familiar with your scent. Some people use treats to show them they can trust you like mealworms.


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## Bailey_simmons (May 23, 2016)

I have him by my window so he has light from sun up to Sun down. I read the lamps can cause over heating. Is there a certain lamp you would suggest. He is itching but I've been putting olive oil on him and he hasn't been itching as much. Also I have him in a fleece lined Guinea pig cage should invest in a different on I've read different things on cages.


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## Bailey_simmons (May 23, 2016)

I've also been wanting to get him a ball to run around in but I'm very scared since he seems terrified just to be out his cage should I wait on this ? I've also gotten him toys but he seems not interested at all.


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## Bailey_simmons (May 23, 2016)

Here's a picture of him I'm thinking he might be two years old instead of 1.


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

Those balls are not recommended because their toes can get caught and they pee and poop as they run so he would be running with his waste. 

With the light you are stil not giving me an answer sunrise to sundown cannot be measured in hours, we don't k ow where you are. A regular desk lamp will do the trick. 

How much does he weight?


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

Over heating is seldom an issue with hedgehogs. They handle heat much better than cold. What is an issue with hedgehogs is not having a consistent amount of light (this would be measured in hours, so he needs 12-14 hours of light per day) and having a consistent temperature. Do you have a thermometer in his cage? Just because the thermostat for the house says it's at a certain temperature does not mean that's what the cage is at. So a thermometer with a probe inside the cage is not an optional thing. How are you heating the cage? Unless you're willing to have the temperature in your home over 75 year round you'll probably need an independent heat source.

Address the lighting and heating issue and see if that makes a difference. Like Artemis suggested, a regular desk lamp on a timer will more than take care of the light requirements. A desk lamp will not cause him to over heat.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Adding to what's been said, darkness is just as important as lighting. If you are watching TV at night, that can disrupt his sleep/wake cycle.


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## Bailey_simmons (May 23, 2016)

So a desk lamp is fine ?or I still need a hearing source My house stays about 74 -75 degrees.


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

We keep telling you, you need a termometer with a probe in the cage to know the exact temperature. 

My house is kept at 72 and the temperature at the cage is 75.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

A normal lamp with a normal household bulb is needed for light, a heart source is needed for heat. They are two different things.


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

A desk lamp is fine for the lighting. Not the heat. For heating, you can use a ceramic heat emitter bulb which produces only heat, not light. You don't want to use a heat bulb that produces light as your hedgehog will need proper heating 24/7 but will need to have darkness at night. For the ceramic heat emitter you'll need a lamp (also referred to as a dome) that is rated for CHE bulbs as they get much hotter than normal bulbs and is a fire hazard without the proper lamp. You'll also need a thermostat to control the temperature and keep it steady of the CHE otherwise it will just constantly put out heat. You'll need a thermometer in the cage so you know what temperature the cage is at. Like I said before, just because your house thermostat is set to one thing doesn't mean that's what the cage is at. Especially since you have the cage right by a window. You want as little variance in the temperature as possible. No more than a couple degrees either direction. So if your thermostat controlling the CHE is set to 75F then it shouldn't go any lower than 73 or any higher than 77.

The hedgehogs we keep as pets come from a place that has a very steady temperature year round and has about the same amount of light every day. That's why we strive to provide that to them. If we fail to do that we risk our hogs hibernating which can be fatal. We're concerned your hog is heading that direction based off the things you've told us so far. That's why we keep telling you to get your heat and lighting situation sorted out. If you get it done quickly enough you may avoid an attempt at hibernation. And you should see some improvement is his activity.


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## Zhade18 (Nov 20, 2015)

Everything they are saying is correct! Please listen to them. This forum is here for beginners and for extra information that even us who has had a hedgie for a while can still learn. Your hedgie could be going down a bad path right now if some things are not changed. I don't use a CHE as my hedgie is in his own room with a space heater on 24/7 and I have a thermometer in there with him. I also use a regular house lamp with a plug in timer on it to create the light he needs. If you haven't done enough research on these certain important areas please do! Windows are not a good enough for light. Please look up temp, health, hibernation, bonding, and anything else that's related. I promise it will make you so much more of a better hedgie owner. Also look up this PDF on Google and it will help a lot!

http://www.westcoasthedgehogs.com/files/hedgehogbook/PetAfricanHedgehogs2-byKimberlyGoertzen.pdf


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## Bailey_simmons (May 23, 2016)

Ok thank you I was just confused because the lady I bought him from said she didn't use a heating a lamp and didn't need on. I also talked to a breeder and he told me just put him by a window. Thank you everyone


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

Bailey_simmons said:


> Ok thank you I was just confused because the lady I bought him from said she didn't use a heating a lamp and didn't need on. I also talked to a breeder and he told me just put him by a window. Thank you everyone


Unfortunately, a lot of breeders are not up to date with information and the previous owner according to you didn't sociize the hedgehog, so I wouldn't trust one word of advise coming from her, I'd trust people that volunteer their time trying to educate new owners and that have experience.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

In very specific situations a window can provide most of the lighting. 
Depending on the locations of the windows, the sun's path, things obstructing the sunlight, season and weather all play into it. 
Most houses aren't built with getting as much light as possible. Generally this would need to be a sunroom that has nothing blocking the light. When everything is good on that end, you still need to account for cloudy or rainy days, getting less light due to seasons and your geographical location. That gets done by turning on a light.

I'm building a sunroom onto my new house, still going to be turning the lights on at 8am and off at 9pm.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I'm thinking that your breeding isn't very knowledgeable about hedgehogs. Heating is essential and so is controlled hours of light. We don't actually recommend keeping them near a window at all because it can get to hot in the summer and be cold in the winter.


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