Cages & Accessories
CAGING
We suggest using a cage that is at least 36 inches long by 18 inches wide by 18 inches tall. You can use cages that are larger, tenrecs do best in larger cages, that is just the minimum we suggest. If you use a cage that is very tall, you do need to have shelves/ledges to stop them from falling the whole height of the cage because that could cause severe injury if they fall from over 2-3 feet high up. So you want shelves & ledges in the cage break the fall some if they do climb up to the top of the cage & fall.
Best types of cages for lesser tenrecs are wire cages with ½ inch or less bar spacing because they can escape through anything larger than ½ an inch, & a solid floor; or a terrarium or vivarium that has completely vented top & preferably ventilation near the bottom of the cage as well.
RECOMMENDED CAGES
We suggest using a cage that is at least 36 inches long by 18 inches wide by 18 inches tall. You can use cages that are larger, tenrecs do best in larger cages, that is just the minimum we suggest. If you use a cage that is very tall, you do need to have shelves/ledges to stop them from falling the whole height of the cage because that could cause severe injury if they fall from over 2-3 feet high up. So you want shelves & ledges in the cage break the fall some if they do climb up to the top of the cage & fall.
Best types of cages for lesser tenrecs are wire cages with ½ inch or less bar spacing because they can escape through anything larger than ½ an inch, & a solid floor; or a terrarium or vivarium that has completely vented top & preferably ventilation near the bottom of the cage as well.
RECOMMENDED CAGES
- Midwest Critter Nation single unit cage (36”x24”x39”)
- Zen Habitat wood panel (4’x2’x2’) enclosure
- Repti Zoo 50 gallon terrarium (36”x18”x18”)
- Exo Terra large/tall terrarium (36”x18”x18”)
- Thrive front double door front opening terrarium 40 gallon (36”x18”x18”)
- Repti Zoo 67 gallon terrarium 2 in 1 side meshes & side glasses double hinge door with screen ventilation (36”x18”x24”)
Cage Accessories: Hides, Tunnels, Climbing Accessories, Food Bowls & Watering Supplies
HIDEOUTS & HOUSES
Due to tenrecs being prey animals, they don’t like open space & prefer cluttered space so they feel more safe & secure. So you want the cage floor to be filled ¾ the way with hides, logs, branches, tunnels, etc to provide lots of places for them to hide if they want to & so they feel covered in their cage & not exposed. Tenrecs must have at least one hiding place/house in their cage. Depending on the size of the cage you may need to add multiple hides. You can use wood hides, plastic hides, hay hides, snuggle sacks & other fleece bags, fleece made hides, etc. (NOTE: All items that are sewn must have hidden seams so the tenrecs cannot get any loose strings/threads wrapped around their feet, toes, head, nose, mouth, teeth, etc. which will easily cut off circulation and can turn into an emergency needing a vet a.s.a.p. Fabric hides should only have anti pill fleece on the inside, cotton or flannel can be used on the outside or fleece both inside & out. Felt isn’t safe to use for small animals). have
RECOMMENDED HIDES
TUNNELS
PVC pipes make great tunnels, they’re easy to find, cheap, & easy to clean. Make sure you get 3” PVC pipes, bigger is fine but anything smaller & most tenrecs won’t fit in them & could get stuck. Most tenrecs like the elbow & T-shape PVC pipes, they usually like when you get connector ones & make longer tunnels too. Cork & wood tunnels are great, so are pet plastic bendy tunnels & fleece tunnels can be used as well.
RECOMMENDED TUNNELS
CLIMBING ACCESSORIES
You want to make sure that the tenrec has a lot of climbing accessories so that they can get the exercise they need because lesser tenrecs are semi-arboreal animals. Semi-arboreal means that they’re somewhat climbers. Items like wood logs & branches (both real wood & fake are okay) are needed throughout the cage. Make sure the wood you use is untreated & is pet safe, it’s best to stick to pet store bought wood for reptiles & birds/ wood labeled for reptiles & birds because that is pet safe. It’s quite a process to clean & sterilize wood from outside, it can be done but you have to boil, scrub, & bake it. Also not all wood is safe for them, please research small pet safe woods before using any outdoor wood. If you use fake branches make sure they’re thick enough to hold a tenrec's weight. Many are sold to use for lighter weight reptiles.
RECOMMENDED BRACHES & LOGS
CAGE WALL & FLOOR ACCESSORIES
Optional but recommended, we suggest using fake vines & fake plants to add clutter to the cage walls & floor & help make the tenrec feel more secure in their cage.
RECOMMENDED CAGE WALL ACCESSORIES
RECOMMENDED CAGE FLOOR ACCESSORIES
FOOD/WATER BOWL & INSECT DISH
Tenrecs don’t drink out of water bottles & need to always have access to fresh water in their cage. If you have a multi-level cage we recommend putting food & water on each level in case they don’t want to go all the way up or down the cage daily to get to food & water. This way they will never be far from it. For food & water bowls we suggest using ceramic or porcelain bowls that can hold at least a few ounces of water/ is at least approximately 4”Lx4”Wx2-3”H (for water bowl we suggest they be no more than 2.5”H), We suggest ceramic or porcelain because it’s less likely for them to tip them over. Tenrecs tend to put their paws on the edge of the bowl while eating & drinking, and will tip over light weight bowls like plastic bowls.
For an insect dish you want to use a smooth sided dish with at least 3”H sides to the insect cant climb out. Ceramic or porcelain dishes are preferred so the tenrecs don’t tip over the dish while eating, when eating insects most try to climb inside the bowl. The bowl should be at least 4”Lx4”W. If feeding insects like roaches & some worms it’s best to use a curved lip dish because they can climb out of most other dishes even if taller.
RECOMMENDED FOOD & WATER BOWLS
RECOMMENDED INSECT DISHES
Due to tenrecs being prey animals, they don’t like open space & prefer cluttered space so they feel more safe & secure. So you want the cage floor to be filled ¾ the way with hides, logs, branches, tunnels, etc to provide lots of places for them to hide if they want to & so they feel covered in their cage & not exposed. Tenrecs must have at least one hiding place/house in their cage. Depending on the size of the cage you may need to add multiple hides. You can use wood hides, plastic hides, hay hides, snuggle sacks & other fleece bags, fleece made hides, etc. (NOTE: All items that are sewn must have hidden seams so the tenrecs cannot get any loose strings/threads wrapped around their feet, toes, head, nose, mouth, teeth, etc. which will easily cut off circulation and can turn into an emergency needing a vet a.s.a.p. Fabric hides should only have anti pill fleece on the inside, cotton or flannel can be used on the outside or fleece both inside & out. Felt isn’t safe to use for small animals). have
RECOMMENDED HIDES
- Lixit igloo
- Zilla stump den (Size medium)
- Galapagos mossy dome reptile & amphibian terrarium accessory, fresh green
- Galapagos Sapa corner hideout reptile terrarium accessory, fresh green, 10”- https://www.chewy.com/galapagos-sapa-corner-hideout-reptile/dp/284196
- Super Pet plastic tree trunk (Size medium)
- Kaytee woodland getaway hideout (Size medium)
- Ware natural willow & grass hut (Size medium)
TUNNELS
PVC pipes make great tunnels, they’re easy to find, cheap, & easy to clean. Make sure you get 3” PVC pipes, bigger is fine but anything smaller & most tenrecs won’t fit in them & could get stuck. Most tenrecs like the elbow & T-shape PVC pipes, they usually like when you get connector ones & make longer tunnels too. Cork & wood tunnels are great, so are pet plastic bendy tunnels & fleece tunnels can be used as well.
RECOMMENDED TUNNELS
CLIMBING ACCESSORIES
You want to make sure that the tenrec has a lot of climbing accessories so that they can get the exercise they need because lesser tenrecs are semi-arboreal animals. Semi-arboreal means that they’re somewhat climbers. Items like wood logs & branches (both real wood & fake are okay) are needed throughout the cage. Make sure the wood you use is untreated & is pet safe, it’s best to stick to pet store bought wood for reptiles & birds/ wood labeled for reptiles & birds because that is pet safe. It’s quite a process to clean & sterilize wood from outside, it can be done but you have to boil, scrub, & bake it. Also not all wood is safe for them, please research small pet safe woods before using any outdoor wood. If you use fake branches make sure they’re thick enough to hold a tenrec's weight. Many are sold to use for lighter weight reptiles.
RECOMMENDED BRACHES & LOGS
- Large grapevine log
- Spider wood
- Fluval fake African shade leaf ornament
- Fluker’s small animal bend a branch fake branch
CAGE WALL & FLOOR ACCESSORIES
Optional but recommended, we suggest using fake vines & fake plants to add clutter to the cage walls & floor & help make the tenrec feel more secure in their cage.
RECOMMENDED CAGE WALL ACCESSORIES
- Fluker’s pothos repta vines
- Fluker’s red coleus repta vines
- Fake large grape leaf vines
- Fake Boston fern bush vines (2 pack)
- Fake green bushy vine
RECOMMENDED CAGE FLOOR ACCESSORIES
- Exo Terra rainforest ground plant
- Fake orchid grass
- Araceae fake plant
- Fake dandelion plant
- Fake sago palm plant
FOOD/WATER BOWL & INSECT DISH
Tenrecs don’t drink out of water bottles & need to always have access to fresh water in their cage. If you have a multi-level cage we recommend putting food & water on each level in case they don’t want to go all the way up or down the cage daily to get to food & water. This way they will never be far from it. For food & water bowls we suggest using ceramic or porcelain bowls that can hold at least a few ounces of water/ is at least approximately 4”Lx4”Wx2-3”H (for water bowl we suggest they be no more than 2.5”H), We suggest ceramic or porcelain because it’s less likely for them to tip them over. Tenrecs tend to put their paws on the edge of the bowl while eating & drinking, and will tip over light weight bowls like plastic bowls.
For an insect dish you want to use a smooth sided dish with at least 3”H sides to the insect cant climb out. Ceramic or porcelain dishes are preferred so the tenrecs don’t tip over the dish while eating, when eating insects most try to climb inside the bowl. The bowl should be at least 4”Lx4”W. If feeding insects like roaches & some worms it’s best to use a curved lip dish because they can climb out of most other dishes even if taller.
RECOMMENDED FOOD & WATER BOWLS
- 3oz porcelain round dip bowl
- 4oz porcelain square dip bowl
- Oxbow no tip ceramic small pet bowl
- Living World ergonomic small pet ceramic dish
RECOMMENDED INSECT DISHES
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