You are in the right place if you want to know how to clean and maintain a hedgehog cage. Hedgehogs are adorable pets that are becoming more and more common.
Therefore, you should ensure that they live in a clean habitat because they are tidy creatures who care about grooming themselves.
Let’s dive in to see more.
Tips for Cleaning and Maintaining a Hedgehog Cage
1. Ensure to Clean the Cage Regularly
Surprisingly, all hedgehogs are different. Some are considered to be more active at night since they’re nocturnal and poop and roam all over their cage. Others are well-behaved, while some are just naturally stubborn.
Take note of your enclosure’s smell. Simply put, watch your pet. You may be required to clean it daily if the smell is persistent. If not that frequently, perhaps only twice or three times per week.
Remember that caring for a pet takes a lot of time and effort. It might be wiser to forego it if you are unprepared for such accountability.
2. Take the Items Out of the Cage
Remove everything from your hedgehog cage before cleaning it.
These items are food bowls, bedding components, water bowls, exercise wheels, toys, and anything else that could be contaminated with germs.
Make sure your automatic feeder is empty before cleaning it, and don’t forget to include it in your deep clean if you have one. The cage liner must also be removed and put in a hot wash.
3. Avoid Using Shavings as Cage Bedding
The urine and poop of your pet are absorbed by paper or wood flakes, which bring a terrible smell inside the hedgehog cage.
Additionally, shavings are more tolerant of harmful infections that could harm your beloved animals. Instead, use soft clothing such as fleece.
4. Remember That Younger Hedgehogs Are Messier Than Adults
Bathe the pet daily if you can because they might smell worse and be dirtier.
5. Get a Cage With a Plastic Bottom
You can clean it with soap and water, then sanitize it with alcohol or another chemical disinfectant before returning your little ones.
6. Return the Items to the Cage
Use a dry towel or get the cage sun-dried. Before putting the cage together and adding more bedding, everything must be thoroughly dry.
Return everything inside the cage once you’re finished. You should keep everything away from the cage’s walls as they tend to dampen over time.
Even if you don’t think there is much filth in the cage, clean it once a week. This is because the cage might begin to smell and needs more regular cleaning.
Important: The ideal environment for hedgehogs is around 70 to 80 degrees. You could give your hedgehog a warm zone in his cage so he can get comfortable there but yet be able to move away if it gets too heated. Avoid placing your hedgehog’s cage in regions that are cold or sunny.
After How Long Should I Clean Hog’s Cage?
If you like, you should thoroughly clean your hedgehog’s cage once or twice a week. It needs to be secure to perform a thorough cleaning if you regularly spot-clean it.
Use your discretion since some hedgehogs leave a lot of mess than others. Therefore if you see that it appears or smells unclean, clean it thoroughly.
Here are Tips to Apply When Cleaning Your Hog’s Cage
Put Your Hedgie in a Cardboard Box
Place your hog inside a cardboard box or have a friend or relative watch it as you clean up their cage till the cage is ready. Removing trash from the bedding and moist areas each day is essential.
Pet hogs will have more room to roam risk-free, thanks to this. By getting rid of trash soon enough, you can prevent contamination of the cage’s eating area or other living spaces. As you would do with your bowls, food should be emptied and cleaned with warm water and mild soap.
Wash and Dry Your Hedgehog’s Food Bowl
Before putting the bowl back inside the cage and refilling it with food, washing and drying it well is crucial. Wet bowls will encourage undesirable things, including bacteria and fungi that spread disease and make food decay more quickly.
You should also use mild soap and warm water to clean water bottles. Bottle brushes like those used in human food bottles can make cleaning easier before putting clean water inside the water bottle and returning it to the cage.
Anyone who cleans up after a pet may decide against keeping one. However, long-time owners affirm that having pets is a good idea because it allows them to bond with the hogs and watches them live healthy, active lives. Their efforts ultimately pay off handsomely.
Final Word
If you have a hedgehog as a pet, it’s essential to clean and maintain a hedgehog cage. If you are using wood shavings, only use kiln-dried aspen or pine. Be sure to provide soft, dust-free bedding, like recycled paper pellets.
You shouldn’t use cedar shavings as they may irritate your hedgehog’s lungs. Some give their hedgehog a small litter box filled with paper towels or soft pellet-type litter. Ensure you use something other than clay for their cage.
