# New Mommy



## doublej92118 (Nov 29, 2011)

Hi Everyone! Im Jordyn and I hope to be a Mommy to a hedgehog either after Christmas or the beginning of the Spring, i am wicked excited. I had many questions coming in to this but, hours of research and videos on Youtube helped me out :lol: i do have some questions still no answered.

1. Is plywood ok if covered by the fleece or is that a no no.
2. When I go to sleep should I leave some sort of light on so it can see or is dark fine. 
3 What heating source is the best in opnion, i might get a heat emitter so what thermostat is awesome in your opnions .

Thats about it, if you have any more tips on other stuff like quilling etc., please post 

Cant wait to have one        
P.S. If i get a girl, Airryka ( is that good?? ) and if i get a boy, Finn


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Welcome!

Youtube isn't the most reliable source in hedgehog ownership information out there.......... So you may want to read over every single sticky in this forum and then see if you have anymore questions on top of the ones you have.

1) Plywood... is that the smooth kind or the slightly roughened kind of wood? Either way, wood MUST be treated/coated before being used, just because they CAN harbor mites, and if your hedgie ever gets mites, it would be near impossible to ever fully disinfect the wood. Also, if untreated, the pee would just seep right into the wood. Also, make sure the wood isn't pine or cedar, as both can emit fumes that can cause respiratory problems when they come in contact with urine. If it's the roughened kind, I'd worry about digging and end up with splinters. 

2) Hedgehogs do not need light at night. They prefer complete darkness at nighttime.
However, they DO need a light during the day. Yes, I know there's sunlight, but having a light source guarantees a constant and unchanging light cycle. Most people have a normal desk lamp set on a timer so that it turns on at around 7-8am and off at 9pm (this may vary per people's schedules). Hedgehogs needs a minimum of 12 hours of "light" so that they don't go into hibernation thinking that it's winter with shorter light cycles. Some people have had their hedgehogs go into hibernation just because the weather was crappy and cloudy. 

3) I don't use a CHE so I can't really comment on what's good or bad. I just use a space heater, since I like the warmth as well. ^_^


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## doublej92118 (Nov 29, 2011)

Thanks so much! I have almost read every sticky haha to much time on my hands  really helpful thank you


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Welcome to HHC  Research is definitely a good idea. We see so many members come here asking about things (like heat sources, cages, etc) that they really should have known before bringing a hedgie home. There is so much to learn about them and being as prepared as possible will only help you & your little one.

You can also use an aquarium light for your light source. 

There are 2 thermostats that seem to be the most common here - the ZooMed ReptiTemp 500R thermostat (http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiTemp ... 874&sr=1-1) and the Zilla Temp Controller (http://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Temperature ... 874&sr=1-3). There are pros and cons for each. I personally have the ZooMed ReptiTemp and the only thing about it that I dislike is that it doesn't have actual temperature settings - it just has a knob with the options of low and high. After I played around with it, I found the right setting and haven't had to mess with it since. 

Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions! Everyone here is really nice and more than willing to help out potential hog owners.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Welcome to HHC!  Glad you've been reading on here a lot, as Immortalia said, most youtube videos for hedgehog care are questionable at best and very harmful at worst.

I just thought I'd add a bit about the CHE's, as that's what I use (along with a space heater and heating pad...My hedgie is rather temp-sensitive). They work great, depending on your cage type/size, and what the room temperature is. For more open cages (like C&C's), you may find that you need to put some blankets on the back or sides to help hold the heat in, especially if the room temperature is cooler. You may also need more than one CHE, depending on the size of the cage. For example, I have two 150 watt CHEs for Lily's 2x3 C&C cage, along with some blankets draped on the back/sides. My room temperature is around 75-77 degrees, and her cage stays between 78-81 degrees. Like I said though, my hedgie is pretty temperature-sensitive and needs it really warm. Other people have found that they only need one CHE, or don't need to keep the room temperature so warm in order to keep the cage warm. You may want to figure out what heating set up you want before hand and get it so you can play around and find the best way to keep the cage to the right temp.

For thermostats, this is what I use - http://www.petco.com/product/108340/Zil ... SiteSearch There's no numbers on it, which some people don't like, but with some fiddling and testing, once you have it at the right spot, you're good to go. If you get the 1000-watt one, it has 3 outlets on it, so you can plug in more than one CHE. I've had mine for two years, and got it slightly used, and have had no problems with it.


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## hedgielove89 (Jan 5, 2012)

I agree with all that's been said. I'm a new hedgie mommy myself so I know that this is the best place for answers. Good luck


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