A Critter Nation cage is an excellent housing choice for a hedgehog, but it does need some alterations to make it a safe space! Hedgehogs will attempt to climb bars which can result in broken legs and other injuries. To prevent climbing, all bars must be covered with Coroplast. Coroplast is a plastic sheet that can be found at your local Home Depot for about $23 and its plenty to make one insert. I just recently made a hedgie home and figured id let you know how I did it! Im going to give you step by step instructions on how to make a coroplast insert for your Critter Nation cage that will cover the floor and sides. This is more for a fleece bedding set up, if you plan on using loose bedding, you'll need to alter it. Above is a very poorly drawn diagram to help give you a visual of what you need to do. Step 1: Cut a 44.5" x 33" section of coroplast. I use a razor blade utility knife. Step 2: Measure 10" from the outer edge on both sides and back of the rectangle and mark with a pen or pencil (See the dotted line on the poorly drawn diagram). This will create 10" sides to cover the bars of the cage. Step 3: Now you are going to score the inner rectangle that you just created. Scoring means to cut, but only half way through, this will allow the sides to bend up. (Score the dotted line on the diagram). Step 4: Cut where the two blue lines are on the diagram, make sure you are cutting the correct spots. (See photo below). Step 5: Flip your coroplast over and bend the sides so that they are standing up, bend the pieces you just cut over the other side to create a box. (See photo below). You may need to score it to make it bend nicely. Step 6: Tape the two cut sections in place with packaging tape. You should now have a box with one open side. Step 7: Now we need to make two pieces to cover the bars on the doors of the cage. To do this cut two 16" x 10" pieces of coroplast. These will fit right into the space on each door. I taped them in place, but you can also zip tie. (see photos below). Step 8: Fit your coroplast box into the floor of your Critter Nation cage. This will fit SNUG, you'll need to wiggle it in place. Make sure your box is set back all the way. You may need to trim a hair off where the door closes with a razor blade utility knife. (See photos below). Cover your plastic tray with a fleece blanket and place into your coroplast box. It should fit perfectly and allow the door to shut all the way. Step 9: Zip tie the metal shelf in place. This will prevent the shelf from falling and prevent the lamp from starting a fire. Place the lamp on the metal shelf, The dome lamp should be at least 8.5" so it distributes heat. Step 10: Plug your dome lamp into your thermostat (I have links to lamps, bulbs, thermostats, etc under the care tab). Then plug the thermostat into an outlet. Set the temperature on the thermostat (75-80 degrees is ideal for hedgehogs). I cut a small hole in the Coroplast and stuck the probe to the thermostat through it. (See image above to see probe placement).' Step 11: I zip tied the thermostat to the side of the cage for easy monitoring. Notes: You will not be using the plastic shelf tray or the ramp. Hedgehogs need a flat living space.
You may need your thermostat set a bit higher than mine (maybe 77 degrees), I have a heated room and use her lamp to keep her a bit warmer than the room. I hope this is easy enough to follow! I'm not the best at explaining things. :) Good luck!
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