What is a hedgehog?
Hedgehogs are small mammals in the Insectivora (insect eating) order. On average hegehogs weigh betwen 0.5 to 1.25 pounds and are 5-8 inches long. In other words, hedgehogs are about the size of guinea pig (sometimes smaller). Hedgehogs have round ears and eyes and a pointed snout. They have very powerfull legs and strong claws which inables them to dig for bugs and insects.
What does a hegehog feel like?
Hedgehogs are covered in quills. The quills are sharp spines attached to the hedgies skin and protect them from predators. The underneith of a hedgehog is very soft fur. When a hedgehog gets scared or feels threatened, they will lift up their quills which causes them to criss cross and they become very prickly. If the hedgehog continues to feel threatened they will ball up to protect their soft bellies. Hedgehogs can and will sometimes do this when you go to pick them up. Unless your hands can handle the pricks, it is best to use gloves to pick them up or something to protect your hands. Once the hedgie is comfortable they will unball and lay their quills flat down. Then you can pet them head to tail and they are actually very soft.
Does a hegehog need to be groomed?
Yes, it is important to keep a hedgie clean and to make sure that their skin does not get to dry. Checking your hedgie's skin for dryness is important. To keep a hedgie clean and their skin moisturized it is best to give your prickly friend a bath once a month. Most hedgehogs enjoy a bath and find it relaxing. Bathin a hedgehog is much easier then you probably think.
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Fill your sink with an 1.5-2 inches of warm water (about the temp that you would bathe a human baby in).
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Use only Aveno Oatmeal Baby Shampoo to wash your hedgie. Put a quarter amount in your hand and rub it onto quills in the head to toe direction. Becareful to not get soap in their ears.
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Use a soft brissle toothbrush to "scrub" quills. Use toothbrush ONLY IN THE HEAD TO TOE DIRECTION. Do not brush quills in the opposite direction as this is VERY uncomfortable to your hedgie.
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Once shampooing is done make sure to completely rinse your hedgehog with warm water until all the shampoo is gone.
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Hedgehogs MUST be dried off completely so they do not get chilled (which can cause horrible issues which I will explain).
Hedgehogs also need to have their nails trimmed just like dogs do. I find that the easiest time to trim nails is after a bath when the hedgie is relaxed and you can use the towel to restrain your prickly pal. If you find that your hedgehog is being to wiggly, you might want to get someone to help you.
What kind of enclousure and living conditions do I need to keep a hedgehog?
Hedgehogs actually do very well in the LARGE Serilite storage containers. Hedgehogs can and will climb so often the wire cages (like a rabbit cage) can lead to them climbing and then falling which can cause injury. If you do choose to use a cage, make sure the base is deep enough so that the hedgie cannot climb up the bars. Honestly the BEST form of bedding for a hedgie is fleece. Fleece will not harm a hedgie in any way. You can actually just go to a fabric store and pick up a few yards of it. My hedgies have a few pieces of fleece and I just change it every other day. I wash the dirty in Dreft detergent, run it through an extra rinse cycle and then dry in the dryer. DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER!!!!! This method is the safest method for your hedgies and the most cost effective for you.
In your hedghog's enclosure you will need an exercise wheel. In the wild hedgies will travel up to 13 miles per night in search of a mate and/or food & water. Hedgies will use their wheels every night so this is a MUST HAVE item. The ONLY kind of wheel that I will use and recomend is the extra large Comfort Wheel. These wheels are large and have a SOLID, FLAT base which makes them the safest for your spikey friend. The Silent Spinners might look pretty, but the area that the animal runs in is not flat, it is arched and there are tiny slits in the wheels themselves which have been known to cause toes to get stuck which can cause broken legs. Be SAFE rather then sorry!! Comfort wheels can be found at most pet stores including Petco & Petsmart and you can also order them online. They are very quiet and easy to clean and incase I have not said it enough ~ they are SAFE!!!
Hedgies seem to "get in the zone" while on their wheels and the proof of their nightly exercise will be left in the form of a poopy wheel in the morning. I simply will soak their wheel in a very diluted mix of warm water and bleach and then scrub with a brush (note: mark your brush ~ hedgehogs only ~ so there is no mix up LOL). I wash wheels on the days that I change their bedding.
Another very important thing that hedgehogs need is warm temps! Your spikey friend needs to have temps of 74 degrees plus. Cooler temps might cause your hedgie to try and hibernate which can cause death in pet hedgies. If 74 degrees is not what you keep your house set at, then you will need to provide another heat source for your hedgehog. You can provide additional heat for your hedgehog with a portable space heater (make sure it has a thermostat so that it does not run full blast and make it to hot) or a heating pad under the enclosure (make sure that the heating pad does NOT have an automatic shut off and place it under only one half of the enclosure so that if your pet gets to warm, they can move away).
What do hedgehogs eat?
Actually hedgehogs are easy to feed. There is commercial hedgehog food that can be purchased at most pet supply stores, or you can feed a high quality cat food. I feed my hedgies Exclusive Cat Food. It's #1 ingredient is chicken (NOT chicken bi-product, but actual chicken) and it does not contain wheat, soy or fillers. My personal hedgehogs are not as fond of the commercial hedgehog food as they are the Exclusive Cat Food. As with any food, quality is important as you want to give your pet what is best for them. Always feed dry food. Dry food helps clean their teeth which can help prevent dental problems. Not to mention it helps with making better poops! :)
Hedgies also like bugs such as mealworms, crickets and roaches. These should not be their only souce of food, and should be fed as a treat. Never feed your hedgie bugs that you have caught outside or creepy crawlies that have found their way inside. These bugs might have come in contact with pestasides or chemicals that could be poisonous to your prickly pal. Check with your local pet supply store to see if they carry or can order these bugs for you or you can purchase them online in bulk.
Hedgehogs can also like other things as treats as well. Try giving your hedgie boiled chicken, hard boiled or scrambled eggs, fesh fruits, and fresh veggies. Each hedgehog is different so try different things to see what interests your pet. Just remember ~ SNACKS IN MODERATION!!
Since you do not want your hedgehog to become over weight, your hedgie should have around 2 TBS of food per day. Just like some dogs and cats, hedgies can over eat. Make sure to really learn your individual pet to see if you can just fill up their bowl or if you need to actually measure out their food so that they do not over eat.
Daily fresh water is also important. Just like all pets, hedgies depend on us for their needs, so make sure to give your pet fresh water EVERYDAY!!! Some hedgehogs will drink from water bottles (like the ones rabbits use) and some prefer to drink from bowls. Mine prefer bowls for their water and I have not had any problems with them knocking the bowls over.
