Hello-
For many years I lived in a 300 sq foot apartment. Since most things I owned were visible all the time (no storage), I came to believe that everything should be
both useful and fun to look at. I still go by that philosophy even though I'm in a slightly larger place now.
So when I started thinking of adopting a hedgehog, I also started thinking of a cool-lookin' hedgie-home. I love Lord of the Rings (my home wifi network is named The Shire), so I thought I'd build a hobbit-ish home.
Hedgehogs are tricky pets for several reasons, but in particular they need a large wheel and they need to be kept at 75-80 degrees. So I had to fit in a wheel and a heat lamp.
Now, I get nervous about leaving a crock-pot on when I go out for the day. So a 24-hour heat lamp is definitely making me nervous. Especially when it's hanging above polar-fleece (which I'm using instead of litter). So I've ordered a flame-retardant spray (safe for pets) online. I also have a thermostat connected to the heat lamp, so it should turn off if it gets too hot. Hopefully that will prevent disaster.
The house itself is plexiglass. My boyfriend bought a HUGE sheet of plexiglass, then bent the sides up (with a mini blowtorch!). Then glued on either end. All the fixin's are velcro'd on the outside. This way the little guy can't get into trouble eating the moss etc (it's all outside his container). And all the stuff can be removed should I want to clean it (or redecorate). Velcro was the boyfriend's idea, brilliant!
There's a lamp attached to the outside on the far end, so I can see inside in the evening. The tree on the corner hides a messy seam (handy!). The plexiglass broke in half and had to be glued back together, but the crack is fairly well hidden (you can see it on the "brick" wall).
The roof has a hinge on it, so it can be lifted up and then hooked to the shelf above (to keep it open).
The lamp looks very close to the moss roof and the wheel. But incredibly, they are hardly even warm!
I'm on a list to adopt a hedgehog, just waiting for him to be a little older. I'm excited! I hope he likes his new place. I'm sure I'll have to make some modifications, we'll see how it goes.
If you have a hedgehog and have suggestions for me, please let me know! And thanks for reading! Now the photos
April 9th Addendum:
I've adopted a hoglet! His name is Quillbur. He's a snowflake variety. He's loving the hobbit home, yay!
Thanks for reading the post
