Do hedgehogs make good pets?

Question

I think that hedgehogs are adorable and I would love to have one as a pet. I just want to know if they are easy to care for? Do they smell? Are they noisey? Is it okay to have cats around them? and I know they are more of a warm climate animal, I live in Upstate New York, so it can get pretty cold, is it safe/okay to have one here? Thanks!

Answer 1

smell- not so bad if you keep the cage clean. noisey-not at all. I think I have heard a noise once out of the 8 or 9 we care for at the zoo. You need to keep them above 60 degrees preferably hotter. They are nocturnal so you would probably have a cranky hedgehog during the day. They also need to be worked with constantly to be tame. Out of the 5 we handle daily at the zoo- one loves getting out, getting pet, and roams around. 2 just hiss and jump while curled up in a ball, and the other 2 will be in a tight ball but not jump. These behaviors are after daily handling, and at least 6-8 times a day in short periods. If you do get one, make sure that it is tame already when you buy it.
Pokiness- it isn't bad if you have a tame one- you wont get poked. With a mean, tightly curled up one, you would need gloves to handle because they are quite irritating.
Cats- I wouldn't leave a cat alone in a room with any animal. Some cats will kill anything. Hedgehogs are still protected more than most other mammals, but don't leave them alone together.
As for feeding: they are insectivores and need a special hedgehog diet. Ours also get snacks of mealworms and waxworms, which they absolutely love.

Other than that, they are pretty easy to care for- they love digging in dirt (looking for bugs) and the active playful one at the zoo will run towards you if he is out.

Answer 2

The most common species of domesticated hedgehog is the African Pygmy hedgehog, a hybrid of the White-bellied or Four-toed Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) and the Algerian Hedgehog (A. algirus). It is smaller than the European Hedgehog, and thus is sometimes called African Pygmy Hedgehog. Other species kept as pets are the Egyptian long-eared hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus auritus) and the Indian long-eared hedgehog (Hemiechinus collaris). Hedgehog domestication began in the early 1980s. They still have much of their wild behavior, including a fear of predators - especially humans, but buying from a responsible breeder and proper handling will do a lot to ensure a friendly relationship. Since domestication began, several new colours of hedgehogs have been created or become common, including albino and pinto hedgehogs. Domesticated species prefer a warm climate (above 22°C , 72°F) and do not naturally hibernate. Attempts to hibernate due to lowered body temperatures can be fatal, but are easily reversed if caught quickly. In the wild they eat a diet of mainly insects, but pet owners generally prefer a diet composed primarily of high protein low fat high quality cat food, with regular treats such as mealworms, fruits, vegetables, and cooked unseasoned meats. The Romans domesticated a relative of the Algerian hedgehog in the 4th Century BC. They were raised for meat and quills. The quills were used in the training of other animals, such as keeping a calf from suckling after it had been weaned. The quills were also used for card paper and dissection pins long after the Romans actively bred and raised hedgehogs.

Answer 3

Hedgehogs make good pets, but you have to have alot of time for them. They need daily interaction with a human. This means taking them out of their cage many times a day for at least 30 min each time. They need a hut, hide box, wheel, food, water, toys, and such in their cages. You should never put them with another hedgehog as they like to be alone in that way. They can not really be trained to come to you when called. They are NOT like a cat or dog. They quills are very sharp and can cause you to bleed. They need to be seen by an EXOTIC vet only. They only live maybe 5 yrs. They can bite. They hiss, growl, and such. So it depends on your, your life style, your house, and so on as to if this would be a good pet. I have Shadow and wouldnt trade him for the world. I only got him about three weeks ago. Contact a hedgehog breeder for more info. They are pretty easy to care for. They have to be changed at least every other day. Pine bedding only. They really have no smell. They can be noisey at night cause thats when they are up and going. The cats would get hurt being around the hedgehog. They have very sharp quills as I said and the cat would get hurt. They HAVE to be between 70 F to 90F. They will hibernate if below or above that and it will kill them. They can not have direct sunlight either but they need light. As far as your state it depends on if they are legal there. Some states its illegal to own or sell them. Hope this helps!!!

Answer 4

I live in the UK, we used to find them at night and years ago we brought one inside to get a better look at it!
They're damm cute but when it was on the white kitchen counter there were fleas everywhere! thousands of the little ____s!

I'm not sure they would make good pets, if they are left outside in a pen or let loose to exercise they are in close contact with flea eggs laid in the grass and therefore prime targets for them (Hedgehogs move pretty slow too)

You would probably have to get regular injections for fleas or tablets since i don't think they've developed hedgehog flea collars yet =)

But other then that i think that a hedgehogs would be a cool pet but they dont really deserve to be kept in a cage,

Keep dem hogs free!

Answer 5

I'll just answer your questions in order!

1 yes, they are hard to care for. They are not even from this continent and are very picky.

2 they have actually been known to lick gross things then make a foamy paste to lick onto their spikes.

3 as far as noise, i'm not sure

4cats are a very bad idea! they are one of the top predators to hunt hedgehogs.

5 no it's not safe to have one there. they can get very cold and eventually die of stress.

overall, hedgehogs are NOT a good choice! They are mean and will bite or poke you. you might think they are cute(i do too) but if you kept one you'd be making things worse for you and the hedgehog. they are NOT pets and shouldn't be kept captive, especially in the enviroment and animals you live with. Try something else! Maybe a little less exotic?

Answer 6

Hedgehogs are adorable but kind of hard to tame. My hedgie took awhile to tame before I could hold him without him keeping his spikes up. If I skipped even a day of holding him, he was harder to warm up to me the next day so you have to be able to commit to play with them every day and let them run around out of their cage daily. They can have a wheel in their cage but it cannot be one of the wire ones because they slip and cut their feet up. It has to have a solid running surface but then they love to run on the wheel. They don't smell that much and don't usually make any noise. You can buy hedgehog food to feed it. They love bugs such as mealworms for treats. As long as it's an inside pet it would be fine to keep it in cold climates but it definitely couldn't live outside. Mine was ok with cats w/ supervision. The cats wanted to sniff it or paw at it and it pricked it's spines up which could hurt the cats. But neither of them ever bit each other or anything. They don't usually bite but they can and it is very painful. They need to be seen by a vet and also checked for skin mites when you first get them.

Answer 7

Hedgehogs can make good pets. They're super cute and they love to borrow in your clothes. They don't smell anymore than a hamster, and they're not vocal (unless they're mad, they'll hiss). It really doesn't matter where you live, as long as you keep your pet heggie in a climate controlled room. I'm sure cats are okay as long as the cat can't get into it's cage.

The down sides would be that they can be a little difficult to tame if you're not consistent. Also, you can't really potty train a hedgehog, so they'll go where they please.

If you'd like to find out more, try this great website:

http://hedgehogcentral.com/info.shtml

Answer 8

I caught one in Germany once many years ago. They don't bite, have a simple diet if you have a pet store nearby. Pretty much a loner animal. Not exactly cuddly. They have spines all over them. I had a difficult time holding him/her in my field jacket due to the spines. I released it with no trauma shown as it went about its business. Consider what you will do if you no longer want it. You can not just release it where you live. A lot of thought should be given to owning a semi exotic pet.

Answer 9

My daughter has a hedgie. She loves it dearly but it is a little prickly. It took a while to tame it to where she could handle it without bleeding. Now it comes out and visits and can easily be held. They are relatively easy to care for but need a big cage because they need lots of exercise. Hers really only comes out at night to run on its wheel- we understand that they can be trained to be awake during the day but we haven't made that happen. They do have a bit of an odor, more than gerbils but less than guinea pigs. Our cats leave him completely alone. He is too sharp to mess with. They do much prefer warm but I don't know how warm. We live in Texas so cold is not usually the problem. Ours eats a high quality, low fat cat food and some fresh vegies.

Answer 10

Yes they can make very good Pet's, but Please research 1st! They are not that easy to care for, Yes, they do smell(Well They do not,Their Feces Does real Bad). THEY ARE ONLY NOISY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NITE WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO SLEEP! No,they do not get along with cats! I they go into a hibernation, you will more then likely lose it! 99%.