Fleece blankets can also be used, but the edges should be sewn so that there are no stray threads in which a hedgehog could catch itself. Recycled newspaper beddings are also popular.
Many hedgehogs will sleep under their shelter as opposed to inside it. Providing 12x12 squares of fleece also make good sleeping material. Hedgehogs will bury themselves inside the blankets. Cloth cage liners are great for hedgehogs as long as they are made with safe material.
Transporting hedgie home
Hedgehogs are burrowing animals, so a fleece blanket will help make your carrier comfortable and warm. Hedgehogs feel safest in small confined spaces, so a small animal carrier or a small cat carrier is best. If your enclosure is bigger, put a larger blanket in it so your hedgehog can hide.
Acceptable bedding materials include shredded paper, newspaper, recycled pelleted/absorbable material, and wood shavings, such as aspen or untreated pine. Avoid corncob bedding as it tends to grow mold when wet.
Only solid bottom cages are suitable for hedgehogs, any wire bottom cages could trap their legs or rip off toenails. Provide a soft bedding free of dust, such as recycled paper pellets or if you use wood shavings use only kiln dried pine or aspen. Do not use cedar shavings as they could irritate your hedgehog's lungs.
Hedgehogs like to burrow so the more bedding the better for them. Recycled paper bedding and towels or blankets are often used inside the enclosure. Remove any strings from the towels or blankets because these pieces could wrap around a hedgehog's legs or feet.
As you know now, there are multiple ways to keep your hedgehog warm while travelling, so you don't have to worry about him falling into hibernation. Be sure to provide your hedgehog with lots of insulation, with bedding and blankets.
Pine shavings: This is a classic small pet bedding but is not good for most small pets. The wood shavings aren't very absorbent and there is some discussion that the pine oils can cause health problems in your hedgehog and even cut up their tiny, delicate feet. It is best to just avoid this wood product altogether.
During the day, and during winter hibernation, the hedgehog will sleep in a specially built nest in thick undergrowth, under a shed, in piles of leaves or unlit bonfires. It will never sleep or hibernate outside a nest.
For a hedgehog house in your garden, choose natural nesting materials like leaves, hay or straw. If you are looking for bedding for an indoor hedgehog care box, hay and straw are still fine, but you could also use other small animal bedding, like wood shaving bedding of fleece.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day and are active at night. They also make sure to hide themselves away in their nest when they're resting, to avoid disturbance and predation. For these reasons, sleeping and resting aren't behaviours we're likely to see a lot in the garden!
Hedgehog heating pads are another great way to keep your hedgehog warm. You'll pretty much see owners split down the middle when it comes to pads vs lamps. The best way to use them is by placing them underneath half of the cage.
Whether you make your own or buy one, fill the chamber of your hedgehog home with a layer of dead, dry leaves. Hedgehogs prefer small leaves such as birch, oak, hawthorn or hazel. Then screw the roof to the box so that you can remove it in future to clean the box out.
Keeping the Temperature Constant with a hedgehog heat pad
Hedgehogs should be kept in an environment that is between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature drops below this, the hedgehog may start to hibernate.
Hedgehog Bottom Hot Feeding Tip
Put out a dish of cat biscuits, hedgehog biscuits or meaty dog food each night along with a dish of fresh water. If there are hedgehogs around they will come to know where there is a reliable source of food.
Leave out foods like tinned dog or cat food and crushed cat or dog biscuits. Supply good quality, meaty hedgehog food from wildlife food suppliers. Never feed hedgehogs milk or bread - milk can cause diarrhoea and bread isn't very nutritious.
Look for warm dark places where a hedgehog is likely to hide. Be sure to look in, under and behind appliances such as the stove and refrigerator. Refrigerators are very popular because they are warm. Couches and recliners are dangerous because an unassuming person can sit on one and squish a poor hedgehog.
Furthermore, hedgehogs are vulnerable to frostbite, even freezing, if their body temperature drops below 4C (39F); this is a significant danger if the temperature inside their nest falls below 1C (34F) and they may leave nests during very cold weather to avoid freezing to death.
Signs of hedgehogs in danger of being too cold are decreased activity, decreased appetite, sneezing (as opposed to puffling). So, if she's not on her wheel and exploring at night, eating her food and turning down mealworms and other treats, check the temperature in her enclosure!
Hedgehogs are sensitive to temperature changes. The ideal range is between 75°F and 85°F. However, they will tolerate temperatures between 72°F and 90°F. Hedgehogs can go into a hibernation-like state of inactivity when temperatures are too hot or too cold.
There is no fixed rule on how often you should clean a hedgehog cage.
The best place to put a hedgehog house out is a quiet, shaded position in your garden (ideally facing east to south), where the entrance hole will be shielded from bad weather.
Hedgehogs prefer temperatures that are warmer rather than cooler in temperatures. Cages should be placed on a table, stand or shelf to keep them up off the ground where temperatures are cooler..