Click on the picture
below to go to the product on Petsmart's
website:
In the box |
 Large Wire Cage*
- This is the largest of the
Super Pets brand cages. It is sold at PetsMart
and many other pet stores. The cage is 40.5" long and
is the cage that we recommend the most
if your budget and space allows. As you
can see in the picture to the right there is plenty
of room for a hide house, food dish, and
exercise wheel. This gives a single
hedgehog plenty of room for exercise and
to have a separate potty area. If you
intend to house 2 females together, this would be the size
you would need. Any smaller would be
too small! |
Click on the picture
below to go to the product on Petsmart's
website:
In the box |
 Medium Wire Cage*
- This is another cage option - the Medium Super
Pets brand cage and is 30" long. This is a good size
for a single hedgehog, although if your
budget and space allows we recommend the
larger cage shown above. It is also
sold by PetsMart and many other pet
stores. As you can see in the picture to
the right, this cage has room for a
wheel and all the other necessary items, but
would be too small for more than one
hedgehog. |
Similar items can be
purchased at Wal-Mart and many other
stores |
Storage
Container Cage*
-
If a wire
cage is out of your price range then a
good alternative is a Sterilite or
Rubbermaid type of storage container.
The size needed is at least 30" long and
at least 13" deep to accommodate an
exercise wheel. To give proper
ventilation the top may be cut out and
window screen hot glued to fit the
opening. But the lid may be left off
completely as long as the container is
deep enough to prevent the hedgehog from
climbing out (with a hiding house inside
that depth would need to be at least 10"
above the height of the house). Also, if
you own cats, dogs, small children, or
other pets that are allowed to roam
the house then a lid would be needed. |
Click on the picture
below to go to the product on Petsmart's
website:
 |
 Hiding Place*
- The product pictured
is the "Super Pet Igloo" and is sold at PetsMart
and many other pet stores. This is the medium sized one
that would fit an adult guinea pig. Do
not buy the smaller ones that are for
hamsters - a hedgehog may fit in the
small size as a
baby, but will quickly out grow
it. There is also an oval or rabbit sized
one that they will fit into, but we have
found that hedgehogs do not like this
size because it is too spacious and does
not give that closed-in feeling that
they prefer (and the cage must be larger
for it to fit into).
Another very
inexpensive option would be just to use
a shoe box without the lid, turned
upside down, and with a hole cut in the
side for the hedgehog to enter...You
just need to change it out every month
or so as it becomes
dirty. |
|
Not pictured |
Fleece Material
to add to a Hiding Place*
- We recommend buying a
yard of fleece material from a fabric
store and then cutting it into 12 inch
squares. This will help keep your
hedgehog warm and helps him/her feel
extra safe and secure. Do NOT use any
type of material or stuff sack that has
any stitching of any kind in the cage
while the hedgehog is not being directly
supervised. This is due to the risk of
their legs becoming tangled in lose
strings which often results in the
amputation of the limb (we hear far too
many sad stories of this happening every
year for us to not give this warning). |
Click on the picture
below to go to the product on Petsmart's
website:
 |
Water Bottle - The ones pictured
to the left are a variety of sizes that
can be bought at PetsMart. We use the
largest size (rabbit size) for the most
part since we often have whole litters
of hedgehogs that will drink a lot. The
smaller bottles can be used as
well for just one hedgehog per cage. We like ones that are fairly
see-through so that the water level and the
cleanliness of the bottle can be seen
easily. When using water bottles always
remember to tighten the lid very tight
to prevent dripping which would saturate
the bedding. Also, make sure that the
"ball" rolls easily to the tip of the
nozzle or the hedgehog will not be able
to get water easily.
We have owned and bred hundreds of
hedgehogs over the years and have never
had one break their teeth on a water
bottle as some other breeders suggest
can happen. These breeders recommend
using water dishes. If you use a water
dish it must be cleaned and refilled
more than 3 times during the night since
they are so active and will walk right
through their dishes tracking droppings
or bedding into the dish which
contaminates the water. The chances of
the dish being spilled early in the
night and the hedgehog having no water
the rest of the night are also very
high. |
Click on the picture
below to go to the product on Petsmart's
website:
|
 Food Dish - The one pictured is 2"
tall and 4" wide. It was bought at PetsMart and
ones like it can be found in the small
animal section or the cat sections of the
store. The food dish does need to be
heavy enough to prevent the hedgehog
from repeatedly tipping it and wasting
their food. If the dish is too deep the
hedgehog can not reach the food. We have
found that all plastic types of food
dishes are too easily tipped and food is
wasted, so it is best to start with a
heavy crock type dish from the start. |
Click on the pictures
below to go to the product on Petsmart's
website:
|
 Exercise Wheel
- The one pictured
to the right is a brand called the "Comfort Wheel". PetsMart
sells this brand, as well as, many other
pet stores. They come in an
assortment of colors and sizes. The size
needed for hedgehogs is 12 inches in
diameter and can be found in the
chinchilla section at PetsMart. Many
people mistakenly buy the smaller,
hamster sized ones which are much too
small for an adult hedgehog. We like
this brand because it has a grooved
surface, are extremely easy to clean,
and do not warp like the bucket wheels
do. They also do not squeak like an all
metal wheel will, although, they do make
a "whoring" sound similar to a
clothes drier...It can be disruptive to light
sleepers and for that reason we do not
recommend housing a hedgehog in a
bedroom since they are nocturnal and
like to run the most at night.
Our second favorite wheel would be the
"Silent Spinner"...It is not much
quieter than the "Comfort Wheel" and is
harder to take out of the cage since the
hardware must be unscrewed every time.
And the curved design makes it a little
harder to clean.
The other wheel that is on the market
now is the "Flying Saucer" wheel
and
is supposed to be silent....We have
found that it is too stiff and does not
"run" well for a hedgehog...A larger,
stronger animal like a chinchilla would
be better suited for it (although it is
plastic and would be chewed up in a
matter of a week by a chinchilla). Also, the wheel can
not be attached to the cage so it moves
around the cage too much while the
hedgehog is trying to run on it. Our
hedgehogs that run non-stop on their
Comfort Wheels gave up within minutes
trying to use it. This wheel also takes
up a lot of cage floor space, so it not
the best option unless you are getting
the 40 inch cage for one hedgehog.
We do not recommend
the Bucket Wheels since they are very
hard to clean and provide no gripping
surface for the hedgehog to run on...Out
of the hundreds of hedgehogs we have
owned we have never had any rub their
feet raw on the "Comfort Wheel's" gripping
surface, but we have had several
hedgehogs develop leg problems from not
being able to run well on the Bucket
Wheels. We also feel that the "Comfort
Wheel" is very safe for hedgehogs and can
easily be taken off the stand and
fastened to a wire cage with the clips
that come with the wheel. It also can
easily be attached to a Plastic
Container cage with some modifications
made to the side of the container
(please e-mail us for descriptions on how
to do this...pictures and instructions
coming soon)... |
Click on the pictures
below to go to the product on Petsmart's
website:
|
Bedding -
We have been using kiln dried wood/pine shavings
for many years with no problems
(NOT CEDAR!)...But there are many other good options
for bedding. Some of those options
include, recycled newspaper products,
such as CareFresh and Yesterday's News'
and aspen is also another good choice and it
does not need to be kiln dried. Do not
buy pine wood shavings or compressed
pine pellets for cat litter that have
not been kiln dried. The pine oils are
acidic and over time will cause lung
damage in your pet leading to possibly
fatal results. If the bag does not say
"Kiln Dried" then it is not. |
Can be purchased at
Wal-Mart and Petsmart and many other
stores |
Food - We have been feeding Purina
One Cat Food - Chicken & Rice Formula as
the primary diet for our hedgehogs for
the past 8 years with excellent results.
(Supplement any pre-made diet
with fresh veggies and small amounts of
fruit and mealworms to provide variety
to the pet's diet...See our
Hedgehog General Care page for
further information about feeding
hedgehogs properly.) |
Click on the pictures
below to go to the product on Petsmart's
website:
A similar
product is sold at Wal-Mart
|
 Travel Carrier - The one pictured
to the right (top and bottom) is
a small Rubbermaid container that we
drilled holes into (top picture
with the
lid on and bottom picture without lid
off to show a full grown adult hedgehog inside for size
comparison).
 Also,
cat carriers or other small animal
carriers that most pet
stores sell will work great, too. It is a
good idea to keep something on hand at
all times in case of emergency when you
might need to transport your pet to a
vet quickly. It is also handy to keep
something around to put your pet into
while cleaning
the cage.
A large shoe box with air holes punched
into it will work just fine as well, but
don't forget the lid - even a baby
hedgehog can climb out of a shoe box. If
driving alone or for an extended period
of time it is recommend to use a large
rubber band or string to secure the lid
to prevent an escape in the car which
could end up being traumatic for both
hedgehog and new owner.
And don't forget to line the travel cage
with bedding of some kind. Hedgehogs
especially like fleece fabric to snuggle
into and this is a safe thing to use
since there are not strings to get their
feet or toes caught in. Shavings can be
used, but often make a mess in the car.
Other things like shredded newspaper
(not too shredded, though) and layers of
paper towels will work nicely as well.
To help them adjust to your smell it is
nice to add a T-shirt that you have
recently lightly worn to their travel
cage. But remember NOT to leave them
unattended with any fabric that has
stitching of any kind to prevent
entanglement of the legs. |
Click on the picture
below to go to the product online:
Similar items can be
found at Wal-Mart and many other stores |
Thermometer -
A thermometer should always be used to
keep track of the temperature near your
hedgehog's cage since hedgehogs are very
sensitive to temperature changes. House
temperatures can vary as much as 10
degrees from room to room even with
central air/heating, so it
is always a good idea to use a
thermometer at the cage location at all
times. We like
the digital types that keep track of the
high and low temperature for a 24 hour period of
time. A floating fish thermometer can be
used temporarily to take a reading
inside the cage where the hedgehog
sleeps, but should never be left in the
cage because the glass can break and
mercury can spill out. The thermometer
to the left is a nice choice because it
has a probe that can be run under the
sleeping area so that this exact
temperature is known at all times. The
probe and attaching wire should be
securely taped to the bottom of the cage
tray to prevent entanglement. When using
additional heating sources, like heating
pads or heat lamps, this is especially
helpful to make sure that the proper
temperature is maintained. Other types,
like the second one shown to the left,
can be clipped to the outside of the
cage and are found near the lighting
section at your local Walmart for about
$8.00. |
 |
Small
Animal Heating Pad -
This is only
required if the
place you are
planning to keep
your hedgehog does
not stay at least 72
degrees at all times
(70 degrees is a
minimum temperature
requirement, but
hedgehogs do best
when kept between 72
- 80 degrees).
The 25-watt 9" x 12"
heated pad can be
used inside the
hedgehog's cage or
under it depending
on how cold your
house is kept. The
pad is
thermostatically
controlled, durable
and easy to clean
and comes with a
5'6" cord with steel
chew-guard. It is
not normally sold in Petsmart store and
is not on their
website
consistently, but
here a link another
website that also
carries the item:
www.petworldshop.com/k-amp-h-manufacturing/small-animal-heating-pad.php
This pad should only
be used if the
temperature needs to
be brought up a few
degrees. If the
temperature needs to
be brought up more
than that, then
other heating
methods should be
used as described on
the Hedgehog Care
page of this
Website.
|
Click on the pictures
below to go to the product on Petsmart's
website:
 |
 Small Animal Play Pen
- A secure way to let your hedgehog
explore and get some exercise. Having a
play pen is especially good if there are younger
children in the household who would be
better off just watching the hedgehog
scurry around rather than actually
handle them. A play pen can be set up
on the floor temporarily and folded up
to store out of the way when not in use.
Or it can
be setup more permanently in a
corner of the room or on
a table or
desk top (it does need to
be secured if up on something, so
that the hedgehog does
not push the sides
over over the edge and
then fall off the
table through the
opening). There
are many different kinds on the market. Make sure
the one you purchase has
vertical bars
most of the way up to prevent climbing.
Some brands (like the one pictured
bottom right) have
 many horizontal bars
which would be a perfect ladder for an
adventurous little hedgehog to climb out
of, so do NOT buy one similar to this.
Both the items listed to the left will
work fine, although, the bottom one is
not as high and may allow an extremely
good climbing hedgehog to escape, so
supervision is advised at all times with
this one. Our setup that is pictured top
right is in between the heights of the
two products pictured to the left, but
we could not find it on any websites
currently, so it may no longer be
available. |
 |
Cat Toys - The
toys with bells inside are fun for
hedgehogs to push around. However, never
leave ones with holes or slits in them
inside the hedgehogs cage or anytime
the hedgehog is not directly being supervised
by an adult. Their legs or jaws can
become caught in them resulting quickly
in their circulation being cut off and
amputation of the limb or surgery to
repair damage may need to be done. There
are some solid balls and other types of
toys that would be suitable to leave
inside the cage, just be sure to examine
anything you leave inside the cage
carefully for durability and small parts
that could be a choking hazard as well |
 |
PVC Tube - Another
option for housing or to use in a play
area. We do not use these in our cages
since the hedgehogs seem to prefer the igloos
when both are put in the cage. But they
like to crawl through them while in the
play area. It also can be more difficult
to pick up a nervous hedgehog out of the
tube without just "dumping" him out
causing him to become more upset
obviously. |
 |
Sleep Sack -
This a great place for a hedgehog to
hang out while you hold them to watch
TV, etc. But never leave cloth materials
that have been stitched with any sort of
thread/string
inside the hedgehog's cage since their
little legs can easily become entangled
in loose threads resulting in
circulation being cut off and amputation
of the limb may be necessary. A towel
can also be used while holding your pet
to provide a safe feeling place for them
to take a nap while you hold them. We
now have a small selection of sleep sacks for sale
for those who buy hedgehogs directly
from us. These
"Cozy Quills" sleep sacks are handmade
by Ariel Wolf especially for hedgehogs.
We sell them for for $10.00 each, but we
do not ship them (unless you are
shipping a hedgehog as well)...So if you
would like to order one or more and need
them shipped then please go directly to
the Cozy Quills website -
www.cozyquills.com. |
Similar items can be
found at Wal-Mart and many other stores |
Small Food
Scale - Helpful to keep track of a
hedgehog's weight as they grow and to
determine if an adult hedgehog is
loosing or gaining weight. Try to find a
scale that measures in grams since this
is the more accurate way for small
animals like hedgehogs to be weighed. |
