To the left, Sandra poses on top of her Maxmar cage. These acrylic cages are pricey, but very beautiful, open on the top and side, and are easy to clean. They can be stacked in multi-level formations with ramps to link them together. Very classy! For information about purchasing a Maxmar cage, click here. |
Cages for Hedgehogs! Lots of people ask us- what kind of cage is best for my hedgehog? The answer is: there are LOTS of great options! The main things to keep in mind are: * the cage should have a MINIMUM of 2 sq. feet of floor space. * the floor should be solid, not wire, bars, or mesh. Hedgies have little feet and their paws are not made for grasping, so flooring that isn't solid can be dangerous. * if the sides are wire, it should be sized so that hedgie cannot squeeze through. I have seen an adult hedgie squeeze under a space 1 cm. high, so if there are no cross bars to block hedgie from squeezing out, hedgie could escape if s/he wanted to. * Hedgies can be amazing climbers when they want to. Make sure there is nothing hedgie can get a leg up on, or else make sure that there is a secure lid! Now, for some examples of cages! |
To the left, Sandra poses on top of her Maxmar cage. These acrylic cages are pricey, but very beautiful, open on the top and side, and are easy to clean. They can be stacked in multi-level formations with ramps to link them together. Very classy! For information about purchasing a Maxmar cage, click here. |
The deluxe tower to the left was custom built by my stepfather, Allan McQuarrie, to house my mother's four lucky hedgehogs! The wood is oak, and it has an acrylic door on each level. Because not all of the hedgies are perfect in their litter training, all wood surfaces are protected. Each level has its own wheel, tubes, heat lamps, tubes, etc...! Certainly, a deluxe accommodation! |
Hedgie accommodations don't have to be quite so deluxe as the first two examples to still work well. To the left, you can see me working on one of our "sterlite" cages. We like to use 56 quart or larger plastic storage boxes. |
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To customize, I use a sautering iron to melt holes for the water bottle and for elastic to hold it on to the outside. A drill can be used, but tends to crack the plastic. To create a ventilated wall, a hair dryer can be used to heat the plastic so that it can be cut with a utility knife. Then holes can be melted and a panel of coated wire, hardware cloth, or plastic canvas can be attached with wire. I like this kind of cage because it's inexpensive, easy to clean, and stackable! There's a lot of great and creative ways to house your hedgehogs: try a few and see what works best for you! |
