# Hedgehogs, Cages or Vivariums?



## emmilllyyy

Im hopefully getting an APH in a few months time, and i was wondering which you guys think is best, a cage or a vivarium? Ive got a 4ft viv at the moment which i was intending to use but if a cage is better i will sell/swap it for one of those. So, any ideas? and help would be very appreciated!

many thanks
emily: victory:


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## Yemstar

Hey, I'm hoping to get one at some point too:2thumb:.

I was talking with another RFUKer (who I'm sure will pop in) and she linked me to her site. She highlights pretty well the pros/cons of a viv/cage and I'm sure she won't mind me sharing. Here's the link:

HEDGEHOG CARE -


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## CPT BJ

Vivariums are perfectly fine for hedgehogs and are draft free! You just need to make sure it is sealed with an aquarium grade sealant as otherwise if any urine gets into the seal it will bust and ruin a perfectly good vivarium!

We keep our breeding hogs at the shop in Zoozone 2 cages which are made by Savic. This is my APH setup -


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## polar

Mine are in viv's. (mesh fronted) I think viv's are best if not zoozone 2's, however cages in general are a no go unless you make the bars un-climbable.

This is my set up.


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## mrcriss

emmamalakian said:


> Mine are in viv's. (mesh fronted) I think viv's are best if not zoozone 2's,* however cages in general are a no go unless you make the bars un-climbable*.


Not strictly true....they're not china dolls! Mine are in cages, and yes, they do occasionally try to climb the bars, but they've never hurt themselves. Obviously I surround the bars with cardboard when there are hoglets running around so they can't escape through them. 

I find the ventilation that cages afford to be a lot better than keeping them in stuffy vivs where mould and bacteria have the perfect conditions to breed.


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## polar

mrcriss said:


> Not strictly true....they're not china dolls! Mine are in cages, and yes, they do occasionally try to climb the bars, but they've never hurt themselves. Obviously I surround the bars with cardboard when there are hoglets running around so they can't escape through them.
> 
> I find the ventilation that cages afford to be a lot better than keeping them in stuffy vivs where mould and bacteria have the perfect conditions to breed.


All my viv's have mesh fronts so they allow more than enough air through, and if you keep it clean it wont get mould even with glass front. Everyone I know who uses glass front viv's have extra vent holes put in the back and sides to allow more air flow. 

Hedgehogs are not as hardy as most think. A fall from the top of a cage and an odd landing can result in a broken leg fairly easily. 

For the OP:
These two links should be useful (the first more so because its UK)
Pygmy Hogs UK - African Pygmy Hedgehog Forum
http://hedgehogcentral.com/forums/

UK pygmy forum have a section on set ups its pretty interesting to look through. Best of luck on your hoggy search.: victory:


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## mrcriss

I've seen hedgehogs scale dry stone walls before now.....they're quite agile. Admittedly, they were the british kind, but it's the same principle. It always makes me laugh (and slightly despair) how much some hog owners treat them like little delicate babies with fluffy blankets and teddy bears!


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## CPT BJ

mrcriss said:


> Not strictly true....they're not china dolls! Mine are in cages, and yes, they do occasionally try to climb the bars, but they've never hurt themselves. Obviously I surround the bars with cardboard when there are hoglets running around so they can't escape through them.
> 
> I find the ventilation that cages afford to be a lot better than keeping them in stuffy vivs where mould and bacteria have the perfect conditions to breed.


 My Hoggy has tried climbing the bars before to no detrimental effect!


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## Jamiioo

To each their own but i wouldn't risk it. Therefore i wont be the one paying an atrocious amount of vet bills when my hog needs its leg amputated :lol2: 

I have 2 glass fronted vivs, which have 3 large vents running the length of the back wall and each side wall and i have never had problems with stuffiness/mould/bacteria. 

Only thing that bugs me is substrate getting into the runners all the time and needing to be picked out before i can close the doors 100%


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## mrcriss

I can't see why the bars would break their legs....they're quite far apart (just over an inch), so they would never get caught. The worst that would happen is that they might land on their bums!


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## mrcriss

One more word on vivs.....

I'm sick of going to these reptile shops that have a hedgehog in a viv with no nest, and a bloody great light shining on them. The poor things are always balled right up, missing a load of quills, and look completely stressed out! I just don't understand how shining a bright light on a nocturnal animal makes any sense!:bash:


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## polar

Jamiioo said:


> To each their own but i wouldn't risk it. Therefore i wont be the one paying an atrocious amount of vet bills when my hog needs its leg amputated :lol2:
> 
> I have 2 glass fronted vivs, which have 3 large vents running the length of the back wall and each side wall and i have never had problems with stuffiness/mould/bacteria.
> 
> Only thing that bugs me is substrate getting into the runners all the time and needing to be picked out before i can close the doors 100%


I am with you on this.

Just because they have not hurt their leg so far doesnt mean they wont. I for one would rather pay a little more for a viv and not have the worry of a huge vet bills/an seriously injured hedgehog than take the risk daily.


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## mrcriss

emmamalakian said:


> I am with you on this.
> 
> Just because they have not hurt their leg so far doesnt mean they wont. I for one would rather pay a little more for a viv and not have the worry of a huge vet bills/an seriously injured hedgehog than take the risk daily.


Maybe you're not getting me right....the bars on my cages are far too wide apart for their legs to get caught....s'not possible. They would just drop. And I know I could have gone down the cheaper route and used a vivarium (seriously, I don't know where you get your vivs from, but you're probably being ripped off:whistling2 but I find cages just have way more benefits. 

And it's all very well pulling the "It'll happen some day" lines, but my hogs have been more than happy (and breeding well) for years now, and so were the hogs belonging to the breeder that had them for years before I did. I've never had any health issues, or any of the stresses that people seem to cry about on here, so I must be doing something right, eh? :no1:


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## CPT BJ

mrcriss said:


> I can't see why the bars would break their legs....they're quite far apart (just over an inch), so they would never get caught. The worst that would happen is that they might land on their bums!


 Mine has tried before and thats all that happens, he hasnt tried since!


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## mrcriss

Fact is - there's no right and wrong answer to this question, and it will be fought out ad nauseam on RFUK 'til the end of time.....how very dull.

The one thing that is true is that there are two very different types of hedgehog owners.....the sane ones that view them as they would any other pet / small mammal, and then you have those that seem a little deranged....that see their charges as tiny little precious delicate babies that require more special care than a premature child! Those that keep them in heated incubator boxes with fluffy blankets, fluffy teddies, fluffy EVERYTHING, lest they damage their fragile little bodies. You can usually tell this kind from their hilarious forum signatures.....you know who you are! And the thing is.....the two shall never agree, as they're both convinced they're right:lol2:


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## mrcriss

Oh, and I forgot about the 3rd, rather sinister variety of hedgehog owner....more of a subspecies of type 2, if you like. 

These are the hedgehog snobs....we must have all locked horns with these before. These are the people that believe no-one else knows *anything* about hedgehogs apart from themselves. The people that _*know*_ they are the only ones that should be able to breed hogs *EVER!* And those that think others should face death row for having an unregistered hedgehog......crime of all crimes!!!!:lol2:


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## LuLu

*I got one last month and its in a cage. A cage thats over a Metre long though!  So plenty running room!  *


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## CPT BJ

LuLu said:


> *I got one last month and its in a cage. A cage thats over a Metre long though!  So plenty running room!  *


 Sounds great! A metre is generally regarded as the right size for a hog, especially if give them a wheel too!


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## LuLu

My guy came from BLR aswell. Got him last minute. Was down visiting family friends - tried to get Joanne to price match vivs for me but she wasn't prepared to do it. She was at the bank when I first called in.


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## CPT BJ

LuLu said:


> My guy came from BLR aswell. Got him last minute. Was down visiting family friends - tried to get Joanne to price match vivs for me but she wasn't prepared to do it. She was at the bank when I first called in.


 Hi, i remember you! I have the sibling to your hog, you got the really friendly and sociable hoggy mines still a misery but thats just part of the appeal lol .


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## IamAshlyRose

I recently got my African Pygmy Hedgehog & she's kept in a 32" x 16" & a half inch indoor rabbit cage on top of some drawers in my room. I've found that room temperature is enough to keep her comfortable & I have a heater in my room which I'll put on a low setting during the colder nights. I reckon it's down to personal preference, or which you believe you'd be able to keep your hedgehog the warmest? I managed to find a cage with a deep enough plastic base that my Hedgehog is not at risk of attempting to climb the bars & injure herself ~ I hope thats helped :}

*My Hedgehog's current set up* →















{The set up is still relatively basic but you can see she has plenty of room}

I'm seeking some advice on how to make my Hedgehog's cage more comfortable & homelike if anyone has suggestions? {please click}.


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## Rach1

my two are in a converted trophy cabinet..LOL

i find they largely ignore toys so i removed them as they were taking up space that was better used for them to runn about!


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## kelz32

if they fall from the bars from a height it would be quite easy to break a leg or 2 barred cages are just so not right for hedgehogs


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## heatherj

i agree about the bars we got a hog who had fallen from bars in his previous home and had a healed broken leg that he trailes now obviously his owners never noticed 
my hogs are kept in vivs with petnap heatpads on a thermostat


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## kelz32

they are lovely vivs im just in the middle of having one custom made :2thumb:


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## mrcriss

heatherj said:


> my hogs are kept in vivs with petnap heatpads on a thermostat image


:gasp::roll2::roll2::roll2::roll2:


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