Friday in the midst of running around, getting ready to go on our trip, Tabby’s hedgies made their big debut at Kindergarten. Tabby has, of course, been talking nonstop about them since BEFORE she got them, so the whole class (possibly the whole school) was very very excited for them to visit.
But before they could visit, Matt had to finish a project … namely a permanent home for the hedgies. The had heretofore been living in a plastic storage tub, modified with little holes to hold their water bottle and heat lamp. But they needed more space and we wanted an environment for them where we can view them while they’re going about their daily business. So Matt and I researched hedgie environments and Matt came up with this. It’s a wood frame with acrylic on the front and bottom and protecting the wood inside, glass on the back (so we can have a heating element back there – acrylic is not compatible) and screens on the top and left and right sides for good airflow. It also opens on the front for easy hedgie retrieval. It is a great looking cage and it is also dog secure since it latches. YAY!
Matt was up late many nights finishing this baby and whereas I usually help at least with finishing, I was inundated with swim lessons and other concerns and he was all on his own for this one. I’d say it definitely merits him Dad of the Year!
So when I went to volunteer Friday morning, the hedgies were installed in Tabby’s classroom for the day. The kids were clamoring to see them, but her excellent teacher kept them mostly at bay, calling over just a few at a time for viewing.
The kids were lucky because either due to the new environment or the general confusion, the normally nocturnal hedgies were very active all day! They ran on their wheel. They pushed each other out of the house (actually, I think it was just Snowball pushing Hedgie out of the house). They munched on their food and just generally did lots of whatever hedgies do. The kids were thoroughly entertained and people from all over school came to visit them.
As for the hedgies … while I think they enjoyed their visit to kindergarten, I’m pretty sure they are glad to live in a slightly quieter environment.
Tabby must have been so happy!