Hedgehogs are facinating creatures, but they aren't for everyone. Many people see their cute little faces and are completely bowled over by their charming appearances, yet they don't know much about hedgehog personalities.
First and foremost hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, meaning they are active at night and sleep during the day. This really bothers some people who want to see their pet active when they're up and about. Some hedgehogs don't mind being up for parts of the day as well as the night, but a few get really grumpy when woken up from their daytime sleeping. An important thing to consider is if you will mind not always seeing your pog while s/he's most active.
Hedgehogs have very unique personalities. Some are cuddlers and some love to run around and won't hold still. Hedgehogs have an interesting defense mechanism that also is a factor in their interest as pets. When a hedgehog gets frightened or feels threatened, it will erect its quills. It will make a snuffling/hissing/grumbling noise in an attempt to frighten its attacker away. If the noise isn't enough, they may jump and try to drive their quills into the attacker. When a hedgehog screams (and they can do this quite loudly) it is a sure sign that something is very wrong and attention is due immediately. Because hedgehogs are not soft and fluffy, they are not cuddly like dogs or cats. They cuddle and show affection, but they cannot be treated the same as other furrier critters.
Where Should You Get Your Hedgehog?
I would have to say without a doubt that the best place to get a hedgehog is from an experienced breeder. Pet stores will sometimes carry hedgehogs, but it is rare for them to have any information about the animal. Many times, the store will not have a good idea about how to care for the animal or even what sex and age it is. Often times, pet stores actually hand out incorrect information and this can be quite damaging. I have come across very few pet shops that sell hedgies that actually have any clue as to what they're talking about. The most important thing is to get an animal from someone who knows something about it and it's history. For a list of breeders, I suggest checking out the Hedgehog Hobbby Homepage. There are more breeders than are on that list, so if you can't find out, ask around where you live. Please be aware though that hedgehogs are not legal in all places in the US. Here is a small list of places where hedgehogs are illegal.
Is The Hedgehog Healthy?
When you look at the hedgehog, it should have bright, round eyes, and clean ears, nose and mouth. The quills should cover the entire back and not have any bare patches. There should be fur completely covering the face and tummy. This fur should be clean and soft to the touch. Be wary of the smell of the animal's cage, as this can be a good indicator of a problem. Hedgehogs have their own slightly musky smell, but it should not be overpowering or rank.
Hedgehog Temperment
Make sure that the hedgehog you are considering will unroll in your hands within a few seconds. Animals that stay balled up and who are hissing and clicking at you will not be very social with you, if at all. The more open the pog is with you, the better you two will get along. As I mentioned before, different hedgehogs have different personalities. Some are content to stay and cuddle, and some want to be constantly exploring. Choose the one that best suits your personality.
Cage: Hedgehogs aren't very big, but they certainly appreciate a large space to run around in. I would say anything less than the size of a 30 gallon aquarium isn't enough room. This is especially important if there is more than one hedgie. Make sure the cage has solid flooring and not wire or mesh. Hedgehog feet are small and flat andare not designed to grasp things, so they can easily hurt themselves if the flooring isn't solid. Also, keep the cage away from drafts. Hedgies really don't tolerate cold very well, so keep that in mind when deciding where they should live. The optimum temperature for the hedgie is 65-80 degrees.
I use a variety of things to house my hedgehogs in. The two males are each housed in a cage that was designed for smaller rabbits. They have plastic tubs for bottoms that go up around 5 inches and then have a wire top. These are ok, but they don't offer much play-space. I have 2 girls, Sophie and Selene, housed in a ferret cage. There's a plastic tub for a base, and then they have a ramp up to a smaller 2nd level shelf where I keep their waterer and food dishes. This works pretty well because they can have their pigloo underneath the shelf, and the wheel out in the open, and then the water and food stays out of the bedding. My other 2 girls, Zoe and Eilonwy, are housed in a slightly different type of cage. I picked this one up at a hedgehog show in Spetember, 2000. It too has a plastic base, but this one is not very tall. There is a very small 2nd story with a ramp, and it has a very neat design. The ramp and shelf themselves are made from the same wire as the sides and top, but they are covered with a neat wool, felt type cover that is secured using those little black clips that you can find at an office supply store. It is really convenient, because to clean the cover, I just pull it out and throw it in the washing machine. Well, those are the types that I use. Another kind of cage that is quite common is the Sterlite plastic container that can be found at any Meijer, KMart, WalMart or similar store. These big tubs can have holes drilled/melted/cut into the sides for a water bottle, wheel attachment, or ventilation. These are great cheap "need a cage now" cages, though I personally don't like them too much for prolonged use without a lot of ventilation holes cut into them. They can get smelly pretty quick without those.
Bedding: Hedgehogs like to burrow and play in bedding, so a few inches of aspen, pine, CareFresh, or other small animal bedding is good. Some of mine live on just newspaper, and some live in CareFresh Bedding. Just as do people, hedgehogs can have different living preferences. One negative about wood shavings though is that they get stuck on the hedgehog and tend to spread all over the house if one isn't careful! The bedding should be changed at least once a week.
Food Dish and Food: The food dish needs to be fairly heavy so it isn't easily overturned. I use little Pyrex dessert dishes.
There are a variety of foods that are commercially available for cats and dogs, but only a few for hedgehogs. Hedgehogs have very different nutritional needs than some other domestic animals, and this needs to be taken into account when considering their diet. Hedgehogs are insectivores, meaning they are insect eaters. My pogs get four different types of dry food, along with a variety of other things. I feed L'Avian Premium Hedgehog Food, 8 in 1 Hedgehog Diet, and for those who are not overweight, Optimum Natures Recipe Feline Maintenance Formula or Select Diet. Some of the other things that I feed along with the dry diet include:
Meal worms
Freezedried crickets
Carrots
Broccoli
Spinach (Orion's favorite)
Tofu
Boiled rice
Egg white (Never feed the yolk, it's very high in cholesterol!)
Chicken (baked, broiled, microwaved...) seems to be an all around hedgehog favorite with others that I have talked with, but mine have never seemed too incredibly interested in it. I think a part of that is the fact that they don't see it much, my being a vegetarian and all... They do like the Gerber chicken baby food though.
Remember, it's good to give your animals (not just hedgehogs) a variety of foods in their lives. Also important to remember is that though your animal may love sweets and treats, they should not become a part of his/her regular diet.
It was originally designed as a treat for European hedgehogs, and is not a nutritionally balanced diet for our little African ones. It actually comes nowhere close, and can do more damage than good. My little rescue Zoe was fed for the year and a half of her life before she came to me, and she was quite nutritionally deficient. She is also missing many teeth, which my vet attributes partially to her diet not being hard enough.
Water: Some people use water bottles, some use bowls of water. It's all up to you and the pog. Some find that waterbottles are easier and cleaner since a variety of things can end up in the animal's bowl overnight, if the bowl itself doesn't get tipped over. One disadvantage of the bottle is that they can do damage to your animal's teeth. There are some hedgies I've seen that have lost many teeth to chomping on the spout. I personally use the self-waterers for cats that can be found at Wal-Mart. They're cheap and won't tip over because of the heavy water reservoir. It's important to make sure that your pet has clean water every day!
Toys:
Probably the most important toy you can get for your pet is a wheel. Hedgehogs love to run and some will wheel the night away. Wheels are important for helping to keep your pog active. Without one, they may become obese and unhealthy. Wheels that are suitable for hedgehogs are not easy to find in local pet stores since they cannot run on hamster or rat wheels. They need a solid running surface so that they won't hurt themselves on the rungs of the wheel. I use two types of wheels, one from Sharon Decker and the other being the bucket wheel from Jennifer Young. These two designs are very durable and safe for hedgies. There are many other types of wheels available, but these two are by far my best reccomendations. Some hedgehogs prefer one over the other, and some will run on anything.
Rubber balls, toy cars, sqeaky toys, and stuffed animals also work well for entertainment, in cage or out. Cat balls with bells can also entertain some.
Hidey Place:
Hedgehogs crave a hidey hole within their habitat where they can nap and hide if they feel threatened for any reason. Hedgebags make simple and easy to clean hidey places. I get mine from Sharon Decker. I also just added a Pig-Loo to my girls' cage. This is an igloo type little building that I got from Ain't No Creek Ranch, Inc. The girls have placed their hedgebag inside the Pig Loo and seem very content.
Last updated May 9, 2001.