Enclosure builder
Pick an animal to get the housing size, temperature, flooring, furnishings and shopping list it actually needs — room for natural behaviour, not bare-minimum cages.
Temperatures under 70°F can trigger a hibernation attempt — a genuine emergency in African pygmy hedgehogs.
Hedgehog
Solitary, nocturnal and prone to attempting hibernation when cold — heat is the part most new keepers get wrong.
- Minimum
- 4 sq ft of solid floor (a 2 × 4 ft bin cage or 40-gallon breeder tank)
- Recommended
- 8+ sq ft with room for a wheel, hides and a litter corner
- Temperature
- 73–80°F at all times, with a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat
- Flooring
- Solid floor only — wire floors injure feet. Fleece liners or paper bedding.
- Lighting
- 12–14 hours of light daily so they don't attempt hibernation
Furnishings
- Solid-surface 11–12 in wheel (no wire rungs)
- Two hides — one warm end, one cool end
- Heavy food and water dishes that can't tip
- Digging box with fleece strips or paper
Shopping build list
Bin cage or PVC enclosure, 2 × 4 ft or larger
Solid walls hold heat and stop climbing escapes
Ceramic heat emitter + thermostat
Below 73°F they attempt hibernation, which can be fatal
Solid 12 in wheel
They run miles every night; wire wheels trap toes
Fleece liners (several sets)
Washable, dust-free, no loose threads to wrap toes