Best Hedgehog Starter Kit Setups

When we first looked at buying a hedgehog, we had to do a lot of research to find out what we needed to house and keep a hedgehog safe. This took up a lot of time as we didn’t know as much about hedgehogs then as we know.

So, what’s the best hedgehog starter kit setups? The best hedgehog starter kits setups offer the essential items needed to house and look after a hedgehog with minimum ease. This includes their cage, with some owners prefering vivariums, housing, bedding, heating, exercise wheels, feeding, drinking bowls to bathing equipment.

These essential items are important in maintaining a safe environment for a hedgehog, allowing them to have enough space to roam, exercise and sleep in comfortable surroundings.

I’ve created a minimum list of things required to get going and save you the hassle of individually trying to work out the products needed.

There are two types of starter kits to choose from:

  • Plastic Cage Starter Kit; and
  • Vivarium Starter Kit.

Both starter kits are good options with the only difference apart from one being plastic cage based and the other a vivarium is the heating options. The plastic cage can’t use the heat lamp (ceramic heat emitter) option as this could become a fire risk, so a heat mat is recommended instead.

Hedgehog Cage starter kit setup

Deciding to go for the plastic cage option is what we did. We felt this was not only more cost effective when compared to the vivarium option, but gave us the flexibility for us to move the cage around, especially when we had guests and needed to move the cage along with our hedgehog to one of the bedrooms temporarily.

With the cage starter kit setup, the following minimum products are needed:

  • Plastic Cage;
  • Heat Mat;
  • Thermostat;
  • Thermometer;
  • House to hide;
  • Exercise Wheel;
  • Feeding/Drinking bowl;
  • Fleece-lined bedding;
  • Exercise Ball

These are the Top 2 hedgehog cage starter kits for 2020

Cage starter kits vary for the US market compared to the UK and European market, as some products are not available in different regions. With this in mind, I have listed the US Cage Starter Kit items first, followed by the UK and European market Cage Starter Kits.

Cage Starter Kit items for US

The Cage Start Kit items for the US include the following:

Cage Starter Kit items for UK & Europe

The Cage Start Kit items for the UK and European market include the following:

Why I picked the ZooZone Habitat Large starter kit?

Making a decision when comparing different starter kit and setup options, the ZooZone Habitat Large starter kit caught my eye. Mainly because it met so many of the requirements we’d set aside for keeping our hedgehog safe. The main benefits included:

  • not an expensive cage, offering immense value for money as other options were quite expensive;
  • being 3 feet long (101 cm) and around 2 feet (51 cm) wide, gave us assurance this cage had adequate space for a hedgehog;
  • items such as exercise wheels, igloo housing, feeding and drinking bowls, could easily be placed in this cage with enough space for a hedgehog to easily move around;
  • the ZooZone Habitat large cage wasn’t bulky or heavy, making it easy to transport, so I could easily move it upstairs into one of the bedrooms when we had visitors;
  • heating is very important and the Petnap Flexiguard 33 Metal Heat Pad Mat had a low running cost, with a full armored cable cover protecting the electrical cables against any biting, thereby giving me reassurance a hedgehog couldn’t bite through the cable and get eletrocuted;
  • having heating on all the time when it was cold was also important and the Petnap Flexiguard 33 Metal Heat Pad Mat could be left on for days on end;
  • the running costs of using only 25 watts of power per hour made the Petnap Flexiguard 33 Metal Heat Pad Mat really inexpensive to run, with costs being in pennies over the weeks when compared with alternatives;
  • keeping the Petnap Flexiguard 33 Metal Heat Pad Mat clean meant a suitable heat mat cover was required and fortunately this model of Heat Pad Mat came with one that could be removed easily for cleaning, was sturdy for the hedgehog to use with a layer of protection from hot metal in the heat itself;
  • controlling the temperature is vitally important and with the Petnap Flexiguard 33 Metal Heat Pad Mat the inclusion of a thermostat control, allowed us to easily set the minimum temperatures the heat pad mat would come on at and when it would switch itself off, if it was too hot in the cage.

Features to look at in a quality cage starter kit setups

These are the features to look at in a quality plastic cage starter kit:

  • Cages are big enough for a hedgehog to live in comfortable, the ZooZone Habitat cage is just over 3 feet long (101 cm) and nearly 2 feet wide (51 cm);
  • Cages are easy to clean, the ZooZone Habitat cage has clips to separate the different parts of the cage, making it easier to clean;
  • Cages have easy access so it’s easy to take the hedgehog out as well as making it easier to remove or add items. The ZooZone Habitat cage has a grill on top, which we open to get to our hedgehog;
  • Cages have good ventilation for when it’s warmer, the ZooZone Habitat cage’s grill on the top, keeps the cage cool;
  • Cages need to have a SAFE heating source, for our ZooZone Habitat cage, a heating mat can be safely used to keep a hedgehog warm.

Hedgehog Vivarium starter kit setup

  • Vivarium;
  • Heat Lamp;
  • Heat Lamp Holder;
  • Heat Lamp Guard;
  • Thermostat;
  • Thermometer;
  • Exercise Wheel;
  • Feeding/Drinking Bowl;
  • Exercise Ball.

These are the Top 3 hedgehog Vivarium starter kits for 2020

Deciding to go for the vivarium option is what some owners decide to do, as an alternative to the cage option. Vivariums provide eloquent enclosures with additional matching cabinets, made from beautiful woods like beech. Vivariums are stylish and do look good when placed around other furniture.

Like with the cage starter kits earlier, some of the vivarium starter kit and it’s constituent components are not readily available in different regions, so I’ve listed the starter kits for the US and the UK and European markets.

Vivarium Starter Kit items for the US

The Vivarium Start Kit items for the US include the following:

Vivarium Starter Kit items for the UK

The Vivarium Start Kit items for the UK include the following:

Why I would pick the Vivexotic Repti-Home Vivarium & Cabinet – Maxi Large starter kit?

Looking at getting a vivarium meant an opportunity to get a matching cabinet as part of a combo, this makes a lot of sense because:

  • It’s important to ensure the vivarium chosen can house a hedgehog in comfort with enough space, like the Vivexotic Repti-Home Vivarium & Cabinet – Maxi Large Beech which is just over 3 feet long (101 cm) and nearly 2 feet wide (51 cm);
  • It makes sense to pick vivariums that aren’t going to be difficult and time consuming to clean, with the Vivexotic Repti-Home Vivarium & Cabinet – Maxi Large Beech having clips that allow the separation of the different parts of the Vivarium, this makes it easier to clean;
  • Having other important features like space saving options are important too, with the Vivexotic Repti-Home Vivarium & Cabinet – Maxi Large Beech, giving the options to store hedgehog items like exercise wheels, spare bedding to cat food biscuits in the additional cabinet;
  • Style can be important for some people and the Vivexotic Repti-Home Vivarium & Cabinet – Maxi Large Beech is certainly stylish, with the added bonus of being able to blend with other furniture;
  • Sturdiness is important, as the vivarium with its glass components can be quite heavy, so the Vivexotic Repti-Home Vivarium & Cabinet – Maxi Large Beech is very well built, easily able to provide a strong base;
  • the Vansuky 100W Heat Lamp is a 100 watts in power but check to make sure temperature in the area is not more than 82F (28C);
  • the Vansuky 100W Heat Lamp only emits heat, providing a warm environment for a hedgehog;
  • the Vansuky 100W Heat Lamp is compatible with a number of Heat Lamp holders like the Komodo Ceramic ES Lamp Fixture & Mounting Bracket, allowing for simple mounting in the vivarium;
  • the Vansuky 100W Heat Lamp is compatible with a number of Heat Lamp guards like the Petblis Prorep Heater Guard, providing protection against burns for a hedgehog;

Features to look at in a quality Vivarium Cabinet combo starter kit

These are the features to look at in a quality Vivarium Cabinet combo:

  • Make sure the cabinet if bought separately is the same length and width (depth) as the vivarium otherwise, the vivarium on top won’t fit in snuggly and safely;
  • Make sure the cabinet matches the same style as the vivarium, so getting a beech style vivarium would require a beech style cabinet;
  • Make sure the wood used in the cabinet like the vivarium isn’t toxic to hedgehogs;
  • Make sure the Vivarium Cabinet is strong and sturdy enough to take the weight of the Vivarium;