# one heating bulb/not wheeling often



## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

Maddie is 6 months and 2 weeks old now but Is the zilla 100 watt black light nocturnal bulb ok to use in a lamp by itself or do I need a daytime bulb too? I just recently got maddie a new lamp that won't melt with a CHE but I haven't got the zilla thermostat thing that controls the temperature yet. Working on it. Um her cage is 39 inches long 20 1/2 inches wide 19 inches high. I keep the lamp above where she sleeps at so she stays warm. I make sure she gets plenty of light through the day by opening my blinds in my window. I notice she's not very active and she's sleeps a lot even when she's supposed to be awake, except eating or drinking. I got her a wheel and I can't hardly get her to use it, I've tried treats(mostly baby food and her kibble) but I just can't get her to use her wheel. So I'm debating whether the reason she's not wheeling is either because maybe I'm not using a daytime bulb for her or maybe its not the right kind of bulb but I don't know. I did just get her wheel recently and she's had it for over a week now I would say but it has been a while since she's used a wheel because her last one was a silent spinner and I deemed that one to be unsafe but she used to run that every night. I'm sorry this sounds so confusing. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm not doing something right here *sighs* so if anyone could give me some advice here, I would really appreciate it and I will fix whatever is wrong


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Do you know what the temperature in the cage is? In the room? There's a couple possible causes, as far as I can see - first being that the cage isn't staying warm enough away from her sleeping area, so she's coming out to eat/drink, but goes back to where it's warm and goes back to sleep instead of running. She might also be able to see the light that comes from the nocturnal bulb and doesn't want to run with that on. Definitely work on getting the CHE set up as soon as you can. My last guess is that she just isn't used to her new wheel yet. What kind of wheel is it?

One other thing I wanted to make note of, you need to be leaving a light or something on for her for her light schedule. Outside light isn't reliable enough, especially now that it's getting towards winter and the days are getting shorter. A lot of people will just use a lamp near the cage, and will put it on a timer so that it turns on at the same time every morning and off every night, so there's no confusion or hibernation attempts from a light mix up.


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

Oh Its a carolina storm wheel  haha and I forgot to mention one odd thing about here. She likes to alternate between sleeping in her litter box under her wheel where its cooler and then switches back to her cuddle sack later in the day. Maybe its more comfy there or warmer and its like maybe the temperatures aren't balanced evenly enough on both sides?? Idk. It stays at least 73 degrees in my room at least I would say or 72 but I'm home a lot so I switch the heating lamp off for a couple hours and make sure my room feels warm and then switch it on. But I'm working on ordering a temperature control device. I can also set up my lamp to turn on so it helps with her day/night schedule. Another thing is if the che bulb that I use is a zilla black light bulb and its made for nocturnal viewing then I don't see how that would interupt her running the wheel. I did however hide pieces of her kibble around her cage so she can get some exercise and it would stimulate her senses, she went through and found them all  which makes me happy


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

Thanks for trying to help me out though. This is like a mystery to me, I can't figure it out. Maybe she's gotten lazy since she hasn't had a wheel to run on in like a month?


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

I feel like a bad hedgie parent for not having her wheel sooner  its probably my fault she's not running. Well on the bright side she's healthy for the most part


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## PokeyCutie (Sep 6, 2012)

Maybe try posting a pic of your cage so we can get a better idea.
I dont have my hedgie yet but Im setting up for her now and I have two ceramic heat emitters that I am going to use. One on each side of the cage..
You may want to get one of those also.


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

You mean a daytime and nighttime heater on both sides? I would post pics of my hedgie and all but I can't until I get my computer fixed so for a long while I've been using my cellphone to access this site. luckily my computer should get fixed today. If I try to post pics directly from my phone, it says the files are too big :evil: rather irritating. I have to find a way to transfer pics from my phone to my computer now when its fixed.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

The heat source (CHE or otherwise) has to be working all day and night. So if by nocturnal you mean it only heats at night, that's not enough on its own. The cage should be roughly the same temperature (within a few degrees) 24/7.


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

Well its a nocturnal viewing type bulb. I leave it on majority of the day but I'm here to monitor and keep an eye on it. I'm working on getting the zilla temperature controller so if I had that would it keep the temperature regulated for me or would I have to get another bulb for daytime?


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

I can turn the bulb/heat on and off any time I want with the flick of a switch. Its just that the type of bulb it is, is made specially for nocturnal viewing so it doesn't disturb nocturnal creatures at night but it let's you view them and see them while it heats up its cage. If I had the temp controller thing then I wouldn't have to worry about turning it on and off by myself would I?


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

The bulb itself I wouldn't say is very bright. Idk if it would be different for the hedgie but for me I can look directly at the light and it doesn't hurt or bother my eyes at all and I'm pretty light sensitive


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Those nocturnal bulbs are not good for every hedgehog. As Lilysmommy already told you, your hedgehog may not want to wheel when the light is on, even the nocturnal one. Lots of other people have had the same experience with their hedgehog. Is it a red light? If so then it is even more likely to be the cause of your hedgehog staying in bed.

As Lilysmommy said the whole cage has to be same temperature. Knowing the temperature in the room and going by how hot you feel isn't good enough. You can get a thermometer to put near the cage or hang two from the bars at each end of the cage. Make sure it is secure and out of reach from your hedgehog. I would recommend you do this now, don't wait to get the thermostat for the heat lamp or anything else. That way you will know right away what the temperature is. Just to note the temperature should be 75ºF or higher. 73 might be ok for some hedgehogs but 75 is usually what is recommended. Shifts in temperature can also be a problem. If the room gets colder at night and the heating lamp or emitter cannot keep the cage as warm that can cause inactivity or even trigger a hibernation attempt.



Maddie The Hedgehog said:


> Well its a nocturnal viewing type bulb. I leave it on majority of the day but I'm here to monitor and keep an eye on it. I'm working on getting the zilla temperature controller so if I had that would it keep the temperature regulated for me or would I have to get another bulb for daytime?


The temperature controller would keep the temperature regulated with the bulb you are using but it is better to use a Ceramic Heat Emitter with hedgehogs since they usually require complete darkness at night. Some people use two ceramic heat emitters at either end of the cage to make sure that the whole cage is heated evenly. You don't need a separate day time heating lamp if you leave a normal lamb on beside the cage for the same time each day. Hedgehogs sometimes hibernate when they sense that the length of the day is changing so they need a regular light schedule that is the same every day in order to prevent this.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

As others have said, you need a CHE bulb, not any kind of nocturnal bulb or daylight bulb, etc. Even the nocturnal bulbs emit either a red or black light and yes, some hedgehogs are bothered by it. I have a feeling that's mainly why she's not wheeling. IMO, you need to get a thermostat first so you can start keeping her cage at a steady temperature. You'll want to get a thermometer before or after as well to make sure you know what the temperature is and to double-check against the thermostat. You can get digital thermometers pretty cheap at a Walmart or similar store. Once you have those two things, then buy a CHE bulb to replace the nocturnal bulb. Then she will probably start wheeling. Until then, there's not a ton you can do since she needs the heat. But regulating the cage temperature is more important right now, in addition to setting up a lamp near her cage for proper light.


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

Its a black bulb that I have. Alright now I know I need a digital thermometer from walmart. That's on the list. Digital thermometer, CHE bulb (what is that exactly and what's it look like so I'm not getting the wrong thing) and I need a zilla temperature control thing. Do I really need a second bulb on the other side of the cage? I watched her the whole time she was awake and until she fell asleep and she slept in her litterbox under her wheel which was away from the heating lamp(maybe she gets too hot sometimes cus she switches to different sides. I picked her up and checked on her a few times to make sure she's warm and not cold and surprisingly her belly was very warm like it should be and not cool which made me happy


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## PokeyCutie (Sep 6, 2012)

A CHE is a white bulb and its flat with a swirl design on the bottom. Here is a pic: http://0.tqn.com/d/exoticpets/1/0/b/p/CE100Ceramic.jpg


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I'm glad that she's stayed warm so far.  Personally, I would get the thermometer first (since it's cheapest), then the thermostat so you can get that temperature regulated. Then you can get the CHE bulb so that she will hopefully start running again without the light bothering her. This is an example of a CHE bulb - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... oduct+Type Sometimes they're white, sometimes they're black. But they give off heat only, no light at all. You might be okay with only one lamp, so I would stick with one bulb (probably 100-150 watts) and put the lamp in the middle of the cage and see how steady the temperature is. Also check to make sure each side of the cage is staying at the same temperature. If it's having trouble staying steady and warm enough, you may end up needing a second one.

One more important thing to check - make sure your lamp is rated for use with a CHE and check to see what wattage it can handle. You'll want to make sure it can handle the 100-150 watt bulb, and they need to be specifically rated for CHE use to be safe with them.


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

Well I have the right kind of lamp now  its ceramic so its not melting, no worries about that. What color che bulb should I get? I shouldn't have any problem keeping her warm, I can get the space heater out just in case but when the winter comes and the whole house heats up, my room stays really warm so I have no fear of her getting too cold. If she does then I can hold her 
I'll get two thermometers for each side of the cage and see how warm it stays(I may just put my heating lamp in the middle of the cage to see how it balances out), with or without the heat on. I think I'm going to experiment and see how that goes and I might just leave the space heater on one night and leave the lamp off and see how she reacts to that until I get a proper bulb. Hopefully this works successfully because I don't feel she's getting the proper exercise like she should


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

It doesn't matter what colour CHE you get it makes no difference to how it works since it doesn't give off light.


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

What kind of zilla temperature control should I get her also? And I got thermometers and I'm monitoring the cage temperatures  so far so good and I moved the heat in the middle of the cage and its stayed close to the same temperature on both sides but one was like a degree or two less but still at a good temperature. The cage is 80 degrees with the bulb on at night and 73 degrees with the bulb off at night. I haven't tested daytime yet, that will happen later.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

This is the thermostat that I believe most people get - http://www.petco.com/product/108340/Zil ... rolHeating I would recommend getting the 1000 watt one if you can. It's only a few dollars more, and there's three outlets so you can plug up to three lamps into it, just in case you should need to have two lamps at some point.

Glad you got the thermometers!  But with how much those temperatures vary from the lamp being on or off, I would stop using it altogether until you can get the thermostat. I would use the space heater instead to keep the room at 74-75. That's a HUGE variation in temperature and that's not good for them either.


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

So 80 degrees isn't good for them?? I wish I would of got her a che bulb that was less than a 100 watts now *sighs* I just ordered the bulb. What's the next lesser watt down from 100?


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## artistshrugged (Sep 5, 2012)

I am new to hedgehog heating so correct me if I am wrong but the wattage of the bulb is more descriptive of the highest heat it can get to. With a 100 watt bulb you should still be able to keep the cage between 75 and 80 degrees. I don't think Lilysmommy had a problem with the 80 degree temperature, though, more that there was a 7 degree difference between night and day. Optimally your hedgie cage should stay the same temperature all day. The 7 degree difference from night to day can confuse hedgies, and sometimes make them sick. The thermostat should keep your CHE at the same temperature throughout the day, and therefore keep the hedgie healthy and happy! (and wheeling hopefully)


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yup, artist is correct. A 100-watt CHE bulb will be fine, but IMO, I would wait to use it until you have a thermostat to control it. 80 is an okay temperature for most hedgehogs, but it is on the warm side. It would probably be most comfortable and safe for her if you just use the space heater to keep the temperature steady until you have the thermostat as well so the temperature of the cage can stay steady, rather than bouncing back and forth from 73 to 80 depending on if you've turned it on/off.


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

So 80 degrees is ok? I'm doing my best to keep the temperatures leveled out while I can until I get the zilla temperature control thing. Can I just leave the bulb on running all night until the next day? I've done that before and it shouldn't hurt maddie I hope not. And then I turn it off during the day because the temperature in the cage during the day without the heating lamp on registers at least 76 degrees which is pretty good I would say. Or do you mean that the temperature change from 75 to 80 is confusing for the hedgie?


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

Lilysmommy said:


> Yup, artist is correct. A 100-watt CHE bulb will be fine, but IMO, I would wait to use it until you have a thermostat to control it. 80 is an okay temperature for most hedgehogs, but it is on the warm side. It would probably be most comfortable and safe for her if you just use the space heater to keep the temperature steady until you have the thermostat as well so the temperature of the cage can stay steady, rather than bouncing back and forth from 73 to 80 depending on if you've turned it on/off.


Ok I get what you mean  I just seen your post because you posted before me when I posted that last one  haha I gotcha and thank you for helping me and my hedgie. I'm going to order the thermostat thing now


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## Maddie The Hedgehog (Jul 28, 2012)

I've been monitoring the temperature and I turned her old zilla bulb off and maddie has started to run her wheel!  eeks! I'm excited


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

That's great!


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