(Part 2) Best products from r/Hedgehog

Another male? Aspen is ok though carefresh or better yet (and certainly cheaper in the long run) fleece. You can just go to a Joann's or walmart or any hobby/sewing store and buy some fleece. Toss it in the wash as needed with an extra set in reserve. Cat food is what you should transition him to, high quality. I do blue buffalo cat food personally. It will last you a VERY long time. Hedgehog food is never as good for them as it should be. I will provide some amazon links for things you should probably get, the main one that you should but not quite have to if you have a room in the proper temp range is 72-80 degrees. Please come over to Hedgehogs Anonymous on Facebook request to join, then once you are in simply go to the files and take a look at them. I am a college student myself so I do my best to keep costs low though obviously start up costs will be high but after that its really quite cheap mostly (aside from possible vet visits).

Modular shelving can be the cage and gives him plenty of open room to roam and play around. This is the shelving I personally use and can vouch for. I have a 3x3 grid so 9 sq ft. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LGZOR6A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is the food I get for my Sophie. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KU55KD2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Heating set up, again this is only if you need it and can keep the temp in the right range naturally. I dont know where you live so I do not know what your winters are like but if you get temps in the 50s or lower I do recommend it. Another preventative measure is to put the cage a foot or so off the ground, will actually keep your temps a few degrees higher than on the ground.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DHO6S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Ceramic Heat Emitter - Use this and NOT a heat light or something for reptiles, they need to have a period of darkness to be naturally awake 12/12 light on/off schedule All that the CHE does is emit heat, no light.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CZ0J3E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Thermostat with a temp probe. Plug the CHE lamp into this and it automatically turns the CHE on and off to keep the temp in the right range.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H200QC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The lamp part to plug the CHE bulb into.

Hide - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00068K132/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mint Stick (it seems all hedgies love these things lol)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O8Q5JTO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

food dishes
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040B9NOY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are all the bare essentials aside from a wheel. I and most other people will recommend the Volcano View Hedgehogs bucket wheel or Carolina Storm bucket wheel.

I was just trying to be a thorough as possible without really leaving out anything. Again please join us over at Hedgehogs Anonymous on facebook. Everyone in the group absolutely loves helping everyone with a hedge. Any question that you may have can and will be answered fairly quickly. Most if not all members would recommend getting from a USDA certified breeder just so you know the full medical history of your baby and his parents. Its also generally cheaper as the cost from a breeder is generally around $200 though that depends on the coloring. I am by no means saying do not get him from your pet store you played with him at. I dont like pet stores having hedgehogs just because they are a more sensitive exotic animal that doesnt do well in a retail setting when you have to take care of hundreds of animals at once with high overhead. But if he is behaves well with you now then absolutely get him from there. He looks on the smaller side so hes pretty young.

Again please join us over at Hedgehogs Anonymous. Cant wait to see you and your baby on there. You could potentially take him home today with a cheap bin, simple fleece bolts and food and water dishs from what you have in your house and thatll last until the rest of your supplies are acquired.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/382631271838164/

Thats good to hear :)

​

So to be specific, you're looking for:

Macros

• Protein: 28-35% (always below 40%)
  
• Fat: 10-15%
  
• Fiber: as high as possible
  
  ​
  
  This is what most adult/juvenile hedgehogs need, but if you weigh him and he's under 250g then consider adding +5% fat intake to his diet.
  
  ​
  
  Safe ingredients
  
  
• Meats: chicken, beef, turkey
  
• Meat Meals: chicken meal, duck meal
  
• Fats: chicken fat, turkey fat
  
  These are healthy ingredients for almost any hedgehog. You can also choose to add fish to the list of ingredients, although some people say it makes their poop smell worse.
  
  ​
  
  Unsafe ingredients
  
  
• corn, wheat, brewer's rice*
  
• cellulose
  
• unnamed meats, meat meals, and unnamed fats*
  
• by-products
  
• meat by-products*
  
• BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin
  
• food dyes
  
• menadione sodium bisulfate
  
  Avoid these, but you'll find some of the * products in healthy foods listed beyond the first 10 ingredients.
  
  ​
  
  Good Choices
  
  Blue Buffalo Healthy Living Natural Adult Dry Cat Food
  
  Purina Beyond Simply Natural, Adult Dry Cat Food
  
  Iams Proactive Health Original Adult Dry Cat Food
  
  I've used the Blue Buffalo for juvenile hedgehogs before and its worked well for them, however I stumbled upon the Purina a year ago and that stuff is pretty great for the price. Both have 4% fiber while the Iams only has 3%, but aside from that the Iams is a good food too. I'd just do a search for your local retailers online and see who has the best deal on each product and go from there.
  
  ​
  
  I hope this helps

Not to be a jerk, but on the subreddit information bar there is the 'care' section with Basic Care, Example Cages, Diet Basics, and Commercial Food Discussion that should get you started.

You'll want to read through What to expect from your hedgehog and ask your breeder what they use/recommend and where they get it from. If you're going through a pet store you'll likely get little to no information worth having.

For a basic run-down I'd recommend:

• Non-Pill Fleece
  
  
• A safe cage or Plastic Tote of pretty decent size (discard the lid).
  
  
• A food and water dish Some prefer water bottles, DO NOT GET A SPRING-LOADED BALL STYLE WATER BOTTLE! If you're not sure if it's spring loaded, tilt it back. If the ball rolls down the tube you're good to go.
  
  
• A solid wheel
  
  
• Heat management with Thermostat
  
  
• and an Igloo or other hidey-hole home.
  
  Please note that these are bare minimums and are the easiest to find, but not necessarily the best options. You might find your hedgie is an explorer and needs a bit more room, or you want to litter train your hedgie and you'll need some litter and a corner pan (please read up as hedgies have their own requirements for litter). You might find your hedgie is a runner and needs a Carolina Storm Wheel. Maybe your hedgie is a digger and fleece isn't going to work out (diggers tend to wreck their cages and flip food bowls if you're using fleece liners). You'll need treats, food, and make sure you have a vet that works with hedgehogs within an acceptable driving distance.
  
  For my hedgie's room in the winter I use something like this. So I can make sure the room stays at 72 at all times.
  
  Best of luck to you and your new hedgie. Once you get everything set up they're pretty low-maintenance, but if you don't start out right you'll risk your pet's health in the long run.

Being wobbly can have a number of causes, and, first and foremost, I'd suggest making a vet appointment. If she is still deteriorating, try to find an emergency vet who takes hedgehogs (I know this is not easy!).

Was she walking normally before you went away? Does she have any other symptoms? How old is Dinah?

From what I know, WHS does not present suddenly, but there are other neurological issues that can. It also usually presents earlier in life. Our first hedgie had a stroke near the end of her life. It presented seemingly like WHS, but was accompanied by sudden blindness and happened VERY quickly. She was totally fine one day, and was falling and dragging her legs within a week. We were able to partially rehabilitate her, and she enjoyed some improved quality of life before we had to put her to sleep due to an unrelated tumor. She was five.

Being suddenly stumbly can also be the result of being too cold or having an infection. Do you know if they kept her at the right temp? What's her cage at right now? If you don't have a thermometer in her cage, feel her belly. If it feels cold, she is too cold. Do not let her hibernate. It can be fatal. If you find she's too cold, a good immediate remedy is to hold her under your shirt, using your body heat to warm her. Then, make sure her cage is between 72 and 78 degrees F.

I'm not a vet or a breeder, so I can't tell you with absolute certainty all the signs of infection, but I'd look for changes in bowel habits and appearance. If you suspect an infection at all, you should get her to a vet immediately. Their little hedgehog bodies go downhill very quickly, and an infection is typically easy to treat with antibiotics.

Lastly, no matter what, make sure she is eating and drinking. Sometimes an underlying issue can result in difficulty getting to food and water, and this can compound the primary problem greatly. If it seems she isn't getting proper nutrition and/or hydration, it may be necessary to give her water and food by syringe. We used Carnivore Care with great success. You just mix it with water and feed by syringe or let her lick it, if she will do that.

My apologies if this wasn't entirely coherent. I'm just coming off of sleeping off a migraine, so please feel free to ask for any clarification. I just know how stressful it can be wondering and waiting for an answer. I hope I've been helpful, and please update about how Dinah is doing!

I've been told that heating pads aren't good because they don't heat the air well enough and a failure could burn your hedgie, so I stick with a lamp.

1. A thermostat is essential to keep the temperature regulated. I use this one. Look for one where the watts rating matches or exceeds your bulb's watts. Having the degrees printed on the dial is nice, but not really necessary. Place the probe at the furthest point away from the lamp. Edit: And it should have an automatic shut-off for failures!
   
   
2. You need at least one thermometer of course. I recommend one attached to the thermostat probe and one at the opposite end or maybe a bit closer to the center. That way you know if heat is being distributed evenly.
   
   
3. Next is your lamp. You'll want at least an 8" reflector dome, bigger distributes heat better. If you have a really long cage you might want two lamps. It's SUPER important that you get one with a ceramic or porcelain socket, NOT plastic. The one I linked is the one I use. The reviews are abysmal, but it's worked well with relatively light use for the last 6 months. The clamp is unusable though. For a while I had it laying flat on a metal grid on top of the cage. Now it's hanging from the cage wall with wire. The important thing is that it's secure and isn't touching anything that could melt or burn.
   
   
4. Last is your bulb, either a 100W or 150W ceramic heat emitter (CHE). Make sure you get one that doesn't give off light.
   
   And that's it!

Habistat Mat Stat Thermostat + Whatever heater you want.

Keeps them nice and happy. I have a heat-mat for my hedgehog (was the only thing the petstore had) and I keep it 1/3 under his house and 2/3 outside. It keeps the air nice and warm for him, and gives him a warm and cool spot to pick in his house. He hasn't once tried hibernating since I got it.

I am interested in getting a better ceramic heater emitter, so if anyone has any good recommendations I'm interested as well.

My wife and I don't use heating pads. We have a dedicated enclosure for our hedgie and use central heat and air coupled with a heater and window unit to keep his temp at around 75°F. That being said, there are passive things you can do to help keep the room warmer. Blackout curtains help keep the room at a more constant temperature. Depending on the size of the room, a heater like this one can help stabilize it too. Heating pads can be useful, but if at all possible, it'll be safer to try and keep the ambient air temperature in the proper range.

​

Also, depending on what kind of enclosure you're using, you might want to use a ceramic heat emitter with a temperature sensor on it and use a battery operated thermometer to measure temp near hedgie level. We used to have this set up and kept the thermometer on top of Odin's hut so we could get a reading from somewhat higher than where he'd be. Once it's dialed in, the CHE with the temp sensor will keep your hedgie comfy and warm.

Oh man, the danger is real for me, no doubt.... I just sketched out a cool cage based on your design and a set of wire mesh cube shelves. I can't wait to try to put it all together! I love weekend projects that involve a trip to the hardware store. :-) I'm going to do a smaller litter box for sure though, I usually do a 10x10 litter box at the largest and then use fleece for the rest of the bedding, it's much easier to clean. You could use the same base pan that you have, add a smaller section for litter, and cover the coroplast base in fleece! That way the bottom is still easy to clean because it's plastic, and the litter box is easier to remove. I lately I've been trimming down the sides of a natures miracle disposable litter pan so it's not too tall for them and it'll fit under the wheel well enough. But be careful, I've totally sliced myself cutting those down, too... it was a very sharp knife!

I do need to find a good way to keep him from tracking litter all over his cage though... I'm thinking of trying out one of those litter mats for cats but I'm not sure if his little feet would get caught in it!

For me it has been trial and error mostly, you kind of see what they prefer. Very amazing animals and the personality reflects them definitely. I've had Oli for 4 months now and have bought two cages, two wheels, and went through multiple different kinds of bedding.

Cage wise, I started with your first one, and realized shortly after Oli wanted more room.

This was what I have now, and I love it.

Guinea Habitat Plus https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NJ0DQ8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_rVndzbSGFY140

Make sure you buy a large wheel, both the saucer spinners and silent spinners work great.

As far as bedding, I like the carefresh recycled cardboard. It's less messy and absorbs. My hedgie prefers the bedding, but that doesn't go for all.

carefresh Complete Natural Paper Bedding for Small Animals, 50 L https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PBM761S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_t2ndzbJMEF9Y5

I tried a fleece and he wasn't liking that because he had nothing to burrow in. Make sure you have places for your little guy to hide!

If you are going to use a multi level cage please make sure every ledge he could walk off of (including edges of stairs) has a small wall, their eyesight isn’t the best and they often fall and I’m sure nobody would like him to get hurt.

Depending on what you want, CritterNations has a nice two level wire cage, I’ve seen this used by many people, here’s an Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Critter-161-Leak-Proof-Measures/dp/B001NJ0DAE/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?keywords=cage+for+guinea+pigs&qid=1573865387&sprefix=cage+for+&sr=8-8

i personally have these for daphne but i dont think shes ever tried to tip her bowls. something like this might be harder for her to get her little snoot under to flip

i also found these and im squealing with how cute they are. i think i need them lol

I'm not sure what the non-UK equivalents of these products are, but here we have...

A "snuggle safe" for keeping them warm on journeys https://www.amazon.co.uk/SnuggleSafe-Microwave-Wireless-Heatpad-Fleece/dp/B0014LJKUA

And "pet nap" heat pads as an alternative to CHEs https://www.amazon.co.uk/SAFE-Petnap-Electric-heat-33cm/dp/B00265EVZW/

Those combined with AC in the car & heating in the house should keep your hog happy

Victure 1080P FHD Pet Camera with WiFi IP Camera Indoor Wireless Security Camera Motion Detection Night Vision Home Surveillance Baby Elder Monitor with 2 Way Audio iOS/Android https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P9ZSNVS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_gzEUDb1S3WBTH

It's a $35 camera with 360° view, movable from within the app. The app is a little weird because it was most likely made in a foreign country, but after a little playing around you learn how to use it. The camera has great quality even in the dark too. Additionally, the cloud storage is super cheap, running only $13 a year for 10 second clips to be recorded every time there's motion and stored for 7 days. Will reply to this post with a picture from the camera

Edit: can't reply with a picture :(

I clean my wheel everyday using these amaaazing wipes which provide the perfect friction to get the poop up, and also mask the smell. Some of the amazon reviews say they smell too harsh, but my hedgy will hop right back on the wheel after I clean it so I don't think it's a problem for him. Any smell is better than poop smell.

I alternate between or mix these two (depending on cost or availability):

Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Dry Cat Food, Grain Free, Green Pea & Duck Formula, 2-Pound
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K84Y1Y4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gOAhAbKV0Q4P3


Chicken Soup for the Soul Weight & Mature Care Cat 5lb
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IEEZAV8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lQAhAbZA6N1ET