a recopilation for heat, please

[Helva]

I had got my hedgie in summer, but now, winter is coming, and I am very worried about risk of hibernation...
I wish a recopilation about what can we do against cold...
Please, tell me what is the better i could do...
A new owner doesn´t know what is the best , what the most necessary accesories... :dunno:
thanks a lot everyone :)

[HedgeMom]

The best you can do is keep the room at the right temperature for a hedgehog, 22 to 24C. If the room is closer to 22C than to 24C, a human heating pad set on low is good to put under the cage where the hedgehog sleeps.

If your room is normally warm but gets cool for some reason or if you have to take your hedgehog to a cool area, then you heat your Snugglesafe disk and use that to provide heat for up to 8 hours. Usually they aren't warm enough after 8 hours but I've had one that held it's heat almost 18 hours.

In an emergency, the safest place for your hedgehog to be warm is in a sleep sack inside your sweatshirt.

[Sterlingspider]

I had got my hedgie in summer, but now, winter is coming, and I am very worried about risk of hibernation...
I wish a recopilation about what can we do against cold...
Please, tell me what is the better i could do...
A new owner doesn´t know what is the best , what the most necessary accesories... :dunno:
thanks a lot everyone :)

The best thing seems to be to heat the whole room, either with your normal heating system or a space heater.

If you really can't do that then look for some sort of temperature controlled direct heat without light and make sure that they have enough room in their cage to escape if it gets too warm near the heater. Many people use ceramic heat emitters normally sold for reptiles with a thermostat or heat pads made to go under an aquarium.

For emergency heat there are microwaveable temporary heaters like the Snugglesafe disc, the old stand by hot water bottle, or the odorless chemical hand warmers (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007ZF4Q8/ref=wl_it_dp/002-2066037-9195250?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1TOOKGPU8M0JX&colid=K4TYBOAOJYIM) often sold in hunting stores.

I have no experience with anything other then space heaters, but if you do a search there are many many posts which cover other set-ups.

[herbiesmom]

I just never let the house be cooler than 75 degrees. I live in Florida so this is easy most of the time. We get a few nights in the winter that are freezing temperatures so I just keep the heat going.

[Jeanette]

I just never let the house be cooler than 75 degrees. I live in Florida so this is easy most of the time. We get a few nights in the winter that are freezing temperatures so I just keep the heat going.
lol... what do you consider to be 'freezing'??

We have winters where it can go below -40 degrees celcius which is (oddly enough) -40 degrees farenhiet... maybe just once or twice a winter.

[FiaSpice]

Jeanette, I hope you meant with the wind factor cause I've never seen such a temperature on my thermometer in the winter even on the days that no car will start up.

[Vampira_666]

lol... what do you consider to be 'freezing'??

We have winters where it can go below -40 degrees celcius which is (oddly enough) -40 degrees farenhiet... maybe just once or twice a winter.


Jeanette-- I think you are over exagerating a lil' !

I live about 1/2 an hour away form you in Hamilton, Ontario-- and I have NEVER ever seen it -40 degrees outside! the coldest I think I have ever seen it was -20-30ish and thats with the wind chill factor! :p

[Sylverwynde]

Jeanette-- I think you are over exagerating a lil' !

I live about 1/2 an hour away form you in Hamilton, Ontario-- and I have NEVER ever seen it -40 degrees outside! the coldest I think I have ever seen it was -20-30ish and thats with the wind chill factor! :p

I've seen it at -40 in Montreal. And I was at the Quebec Carnival in the parade one year, and it was -49, then the wind chill was added on..... Ugh! That was COLD!!!!! :cry:

[Cortni<3]

The highest we've gotten here for the past few years was -30, -35- but I remember a while backk when the hose froze I had to carry pails and pails of water to everyone. Bye then end my snowpants were so wet and cold, I could barely get them off. They were so stiff they stood up on thier own- and it was -40!

[Vincent]

Just thought I'd throw in that y'all have it easy. Lol! My area of South-East Saskatchewan was the coldest place on earth for two days a few years ago... with windchill it got below -60 C. :p Usually it hovers around -30 and -40, though.