Shopping List

Now that hedgie-hood is coming up soon, I need to start my shopping list. First off, the cage (or hedgie-home):

• Plastic Storage Bin
• The clear plastic storage bin has been raved about as the best cage for a hedgehog on multiple websites. They are about the right size, can't be climbed out of, and are safe for small hedgehog feet. An additional bonus for the engineers out there, you can craft your own multi-bin estate by cutting holes and adding tubes.
• size: at least 54 quarts, with tall walls
• UPDATE: I got 2 plastic storage bins, connected together by a PVC tunnel
  
• Heating Pad
• In case it gets too cold in the room, a heat source in part of the cage lets the hedgehog get warmer if they feel cold (but can also move away if it gets too hot).
• option: small pet safe heating pads
  
• option: the hand warmers from places like REI work in a pinch as well
• UPDATE: I got a space heater to keep next to the cage
  
• Bedding
• Aspen shavings
• Water Bottle or Bowl
  
• An idea from some folks in Michigan is to drill a hole for just the nozzle of the water bottle, and hang it on the outside of the cage to reduce the possibility for the hedgehog to climb out of the cage.
• The water bowls meant for reptiles are resistant to being flipped over.
• Food Bowl
• I still have my food bowl from when I had a hamster, and I plan on using this for now, however I may need a slightly larger one for the future.
  
• Hiding/Sleeping Place
• One of the many available igloo like domes from pet stores may work, but PVC pipe and cloth-bags have reported as being favorites for some hedgehogs.
  
• Exercise Wheel
• An 11 inch wheel with a solid surface to avoid a fat hedgie. This I'll likely need to order from online unless I plan to make one myself.
• UPDATE: I was able to find an appropriate wheel from Petco
  
• Litter Box
• I hope that my hedgehog will learn to use the litter box, in which case a corner based one would be on my shopping list.
• Non-clumping, preferably non-dusty cat litter.
  

And other items:

• Traveling Carrier
• A small cat carrier for traveling with my hedgehog, especially on his car trip home from the breeder.
  
• Food
• Dry cat food (though apparently the IAMS brand is not recommended)
• Other treats to be discussed later
• Toys
• Toilet-paper rolls are popular, along with various things to push around and explore
• HOL Storage Cube from IKEA
• To house the above plastic bin cage, and store other hedgehog belongings, my plan is to get a HOL storage cube from IKEA. It has plenty of ventilation, while allowing for a more sophisticated look than a plastic bin ;)