Owning a hedgehog?

Question

I'm thinking about getting a hedgehog. How are they as pets? I have heard good and bad things about them. Any advice?

One thing I forgot to ask. I have read that sometimes hedgehogs can be litter box trained. Has anyone been able to do this? Can you tell me a good way to do it?

Answer 1

Hedgehogs make wonderful little pets but not for everyone. I have several of them and they are high maintenance when compared to rats and guinea pigs (I have those as well)

They are nocturnal animals and need to be kept in a temperature controlled environment. My hedgehogs have their own room that is kept at a constant temp. of 73-75 F. I have a few heating pads on some of the hedgies and a space heater near the ones that need it a bit warmer so my room is closer to 76-78F.

I feed my hedgies a mix of holistic cat foods and it's pretty common for me to spend about $40-50 a month on different types of cat foods. I'm not a big fan of hedgehog specific foods. My hogs are also given fruits, veggies, lean meats and insects as part of their diet.

I use clothe liners for my bedding instead of shavings or other substrates. Most of mine are either made of fleece or cotton. They get changed every other day or more often for my messier hogs. Hedgehogs need a cage with quite a bit of floor space. They need enough room for a wheel, a sleeping area and an eating area. Solid bottom floors are strongly recommended. I do a complete scrub down once a week. Wheels are cleaned every other night. (this will keep the odor under control) I used to use a shallow lipped cookie sheet for a litterbox. When I had a few hedgies, I would use yesterdays news as litter. As my numbers grew, I switched to plain paper toweling. I few sheets get folded and put under their wheels. Most hedgies will do their business as they run at night. Every morning they get changed.

All of my hedgies have different personalities. I have very social ones and very crabby ones. The more you work with a hedgie, the more social it has the potential to become. Babies go through a quilling stage and that can sometimes change their personalities. One of my hedgies, Atticus was the sweetest little baby. He would rarely ball up and then he quilled. Now I rarely see his handsome little face. For a first hedgehog, I would recommend a baby from a good breeder. I take in quite a few adults and they are a lot more work and require more patience.
Hedgehogs are usually pretty hearty creatures, but you are going to want to have a hedgehog savy vet on hand before an emergency comes up. All of my hedgies have been seen at least once by my vet for wellness exams. My vet does a physical, a skin scraping to test for mites and a fecal sample.
I have had two hedgies pass from cancer- this is very common. When they are sick, it's easy to drop a small fortune so you need to prepare for it.
Not all hedgies are social like I mentioned above. I handle my hedgies on a daily basis- even the crabby ones. Not everyone is prepared to do that.
The one bad thing about hedgies is that they only live for 4-5 years on average.

They are the most expensive animal in my home and I will always have them. An absolute favorite in my zoo!

EDITED TO ADD: Make sure you check your city and state laws! Hedgeghogs are illegal in several states

Answer 2

I raised them for several years. Pro; They sleep lots, eat bugs ,can survive on cat food, and are the only 1lb. pet the neighbours pit bull will fear.
Con:sleep all day, up all night, they get very ill from ear mites carried by cats and other small outside mammals( mice). they must be handled regularly to be tame (not as pain full as it sounds when you get the nack).

These were on earth with T-rex 250 million years ago. They can fall from 10= feet and walk away. High melatonin levels make them resistant to poison. Ground hog day started in Europe as hedge hog day. If you get a hog and need help I am waa_hu @ yahoo.ca HAVE FUN! P.S. you just put the litter pan in the cage but they will dust bath in it ,so if it is not cleaned every day = shity quils= rshy bumps on skin.

Answer 3

I had one once............he was Houdini reincarnated. Mind you the little munch was easy to find as when you came close he would hiss and bounce a bit. They are as easy to care for as a Hooded Rat, Guinea Pig etc. Use only plain shavings as the scented ones can make him sick.

I had an allergy, his little quills would poke my skin and I got a itchy rash so "Roamer" had to go to a new home. He was a joy while I had him kinda like having a prickly guinea pig.

He ate bugs as in June bugs and the like as well as his food and got along well with my Rottweilers and my cats. If you do decide to get one you will never regret it they are very intelligent and will give you much joy.

Answer 4

They are pretty good pet. I kept mine in a large tub so he had plenty of space. They can be box trained as they will go in one spot. I kept that one spot clean and cleaned the whole cage about once a month.

You have to work with them alot if you want them to be friendly.

Overall I would recomend them as a pet.

Answer 5

No, never heard of that before, but hedge hogs are the best!