# Hedgehog Day/Night Cycle



## Bea (May 16, 2017)

Hello everyone!

I'm trying to make sure everything is perfect for when I bring my baby home this Thursday (still don't have a name for her :grin
One thing I haven't been able to find out is if just letting the natural light from my window be okay for the day/night cycle a hedgie needs. 

The window is on the exact opposite wall as my hedgehog cage, and is set up so that I get the sun Noon-sunset. Would this suffice for the proper hedgehog day/night cycle needs?


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## Pixel101 (Dec 11, 2016)

No you should buy a lamp and a timer that will provide enough light. Daylight won't


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## ArizonaHazelnut (Nov 16, 2016)

Hedgehogs need 12-14 hours of light daily, which can be artificial or natural. The only issue with natural lighting (one which I've had myself) is that the amount of light you get changes throughout the year. If the hedgehog senses the daylight is changing, I've been told it could trigger a hibernation attempt. 

My solution was to buy a lamp with a regular bulb, and a $5 timer from Walmart. The timer is set to 12 hours, and switches on and off daily so I don't have to worry about my Hazel getting enough light.  Hope this helps!


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## Bea (May 16, 2017)

ArizonaHazelnut said:


> Hedgehogs need 12-14 hours of light daily, which can be artificial or natural. The only issue with natural lighting (one which I've had myself) is that the amount of light you get changes throughout the year. If the hedgehog senses the daylight is changing, I've been told it could trigger a hibernation attempt.
> 
> My solution was to buy a lamp with a regular bulb, and a $5 timer from Walmart. The timer is set to 12 hours, and switches on and off daily so I don't have to worry about my Hazel getting enough light.  Hope this helps!


This helps a lot! One last question though:
Since it's the summer months for me right now, I get 12-14 hours of daylight for the next three months. If I waited to get a lamp until the first month that daylight goes down and set the lamp to 12 hours, will my hedgehog sense the change from 13/14ish hours of natural daylight to 12 with a lamp, and would that be a bad thing for me?

Edit: And would cute little LED lights work instead of a lamp? I've seen some people decorate their cages wtih LED lights (kind of like white christmas lights) and use those, is that proper?


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## ArizonaHazelnut (Nov 16, 2016)

I would think that as long as you make sure the switch from summer daylight to a lamp on a timer is exactly the same, there shouldn't be a problem. You would need to take careful note now, however, of exactly when the sun is up and shining and when it goes down, and then replicate that.

My concern (if this was me) would be that I would forget to get a timer (or not notice that the days were shortening) and mess up my hedgie's schedule. If you already have a desk lamp and bulb, it's only $5 to buy the timer...so IMO, I would just go ahead and set it up. 

Additionally, it's summer here in Arizona for us, and while we do get enough daylight currently, leaving the blinds open for natural light makes the room too hot for Hazel. We have our AC on and everything, but it still gets too warm in her room and cage. The lamp and timer set up doesn't heat the cage past where it should be, which is another plus in my opinion.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

You probably don't want to wait too long. Most rooms don't get adequate light for the recommended 12-14 hours. And no room will get it daily. I'm sure you get cloudy or rainy days. 
If you have an extra lamp sitting around the house, use it. If not and buying a cheap desk lamp, bulb and timer isn't an option just use the lighting in the room and maybe set a timer on your phone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Bea (May 16, 2017)

twobytwopets said:


> You probably don't want to wait too long. Most rooms don't get adequate light for the recommended 12-14 hours. And no room will get it daily. I'm sure you get cloudy or rainy days.
> If you have an extra lamp sitting around the house, use it. If not and buying a cheap desk lamp, bulb and timer isn't an option just use the lighting in the room and maybe set a timer on your phone.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I found a Walmart gift card sitting around with extra money on it so I'm heading there today to go purchase a bulb and timer  
Would LED string lights be alright though? They look really cute and charming, but would they work for lighting?


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## ArizonaHazelnut (Nov 16, 2016)

I don't know, I would be suspicious that LED lights provide enough light...but I could be wrong. I personally would rather play it safe and have a regular bulb. You could always add cute lights anyway, as it certainly wouldn't hurt anything!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Can you link what you're thinking of? I think they'd probably work. I was using stick-on LED strip lights for my girls' vivs for a while & they were plenty bright enough. The main reason I stopped using them is because they weren't sticking to the PVC walls of the viv well enough. I switched to LED mounted light bars, which I really like because the ones I got have two brightness settings. I keep it on the dimmer one for regular use & use the brighter setting for cleaning, which works great.


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## ArizonaHazelnut (Nov 16, 2016)

LOL, see when I hear of "LED" lights, I think of the little, twinkly craft LED strands...which honestly look pretty but don't give off much light. My brain is kinda one track sometimes, and I immediately though of those, haha!


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## Bea (May 16, 2017)

I actually picked up a couple of strings of white Christmas looking lights just for decoration, and also bought a clamp lamp


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