Housing:
Hedgehogs do a lot of running in the wild so they will do the same in captivity. This means you will have to have a decent size space for him/her.
Plastic or metal cages (the kind for guinea pigs/ferrets use) works great or a 20 gallon long aquarium or bigger is also ideal. If you use a plastic or metal cage be sure it doesn’t have grates so his/her leg can’t get stuck/hurt. You can clean the cage every 2 weeks so the odor won’t be a problem.
Your hedgie will need a place to hide in his cage. This is easy to do and in some cases made in the home. You can use an old shoe box and cut it in half. Or a Kleenex box with a hole cut out on the side. You can also use a 4” inch pvc pope with a cap on the end, this mimics a hollow log found in the wild.
The temperature is a great deal of importance. The temperature needs to be between 65-85 degrees. Or your hedgie will hibernate and you don’t want this to happen because it will die from not preparing to bulk up.
Bedding:
For bedding use pine, aspen or ground corn cob. DON’T use cedar because the aromatic oils can cause respiratory illness or the death of the hedgehog.
Food:
Diet is an area where there is still considerable controversy. So the diet is still not yet certain. Meal worms, crickets, eggs, bananas, cat food and some meats etc.
Veggies that your hedgehog might like:
Fruit:
Other:
Do not feed your hedgehog:
Beware: Don’t over feed your hedgehog, because it may get obese!
Handling your hog:
This is very important if you want to keep a friendly hedgie.
At first your hedgie might be afraid of being picked up. It may roll up into a bal or puff air and click with its tongue at you to scare away a potential predator (you). But the more you handle your hog, the more it will get used to you and be willing to be played with.
Bath time!:
Well, this could be tricky for some hedgies. Either because they are not used to it, or because they are a little scared. But generally, you should bath your hedgie once a week, or whenever he/she gets into something smelly. You can use fill up your sink with warm water, and slowly let your hedgie in to swim round. (It is perfectly normal, if he/she tries to get out of the sink). Some may use baby soap to clean your hedgehog, and a soft toothbrush to scrub their backs.
Are hedgehogs safe for kids?
This depends on how old the kid is, but since hedgehogs have quills on their backs, that will always impose a danger to the child. Not to mention that some people may be terribly allergic to hedgehogs.
How big can hedgehogs grow?
This may depend on the sex of the hedgehog (males tend to be bigger - at least in the European hedgehog), but it will mainly depend on which species you have. (There are 14 different species of hedgehogs)
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