Whenever people hear of hedgehogs, they think of an out-sized, meat-eating hamster with spikes covered, this sounding like the stuff of nightmares.
However, hedgehogs are excellent pets and share some traits with hamsters, such as their preference for living alone.
They are both nocturnal creatures and run long distances at night, not forgetting that they are charming.
In truth, nevertheless, to live a long and happy life, hedgehogs have different needs.
Introducing Hedgehogs
Having a tapered nose, brown eyes, and coats of quills makes these creatures photogenic, which is one of the reasons for their rapid rise in popularity.
Nevertheless, before purchasing one, you should be conversant with their needs, subsequently providing them with a happy home.
First, research and find out whether hedgehogs are legal in your state.
For instance, the African pygmy hedgehog is not a native species. Some states have forbidden keeping them as pets to safeguard the local ecosystem and native wildlife.
States that keeping hedgehogs as pets is illegal include:
- California
- Arizona
- Maine
- Georgia
- Pennsylvania
- Hawaii
- New York City (5 boroughs)
- Washington DC
Hedgehog Rudimentary Biology
Let’s get up close and personal with your new prickly pet pal.
The African pygmy hedgehog is a tropical species with an average three to five years lifespan. Maturity starts at a relatively young age of five months when they can commence breeding. Therefore, always make a point of separating sisters and brothers before this age.
Typically, a hedgehog pregnancy lasts anything from 32 to 50 days, with the average size of the litter being three to four hoglets.
While in the wild in their native Africa, these adorable creatures mostly dine on insects, officially making them carnivorous as they enjoy a meal of crispy creepy crawlies and a little herbage as a side salad.
Like hamsters, hedgehogs are nocturnal creatures, and once the sun sets, they start being active and surely are active.
Providing hedgehogs with an exercise wheel is a must, and this is particularly critical since wild hedgehogs are known to travel up to eight kilometers in a single night. It may cause you disturbance while you are sleeping, so be sure whether a pet that is active when you do not fit into your plans.
Lastly, hedgehogs originate from a tropical environment and must keep warm. While in the wild, hedgehogs hibernate, but in captivity, you should avail artificial heating to keep them awake all year round.
Housing and Homing a Hedgehog
The essential items you need to attend to a hedgehog’s needs are;
- An appropriate secure cage
- A shelter or hide
- Safe bedding
- Ceramic bowls of food and water
- A heat rug or lamp
- Toys
- Suitable food
A Safe Container or Cage
Typically, hedgehogs are solitary creatures and fancy living alone. Paired males or females tend to fight, whereas mixed genders mate; the same still applies.
Just like every other creature, hedgehogs need adequate space to display their wide range of natural behaviors; thus, this boils down to a scenario wherein, in terms of a cage, the “Bigger the Better.” Preferably, hogs should have a four-foot length to potter in and a wheel for exercise.
When searching for a cage, opt for one with a solid floor that keeps the hog deep bedded, staying away from mesh floors since they damage the hog’s delicate paws.
Various enclosures are appropriate for hedgehogs, ranging from indoor rabbit systems to vivariums or purpose-made cages. The factors to bear in mind include:
- Low level: Hogs usually think they can climb, but that is untrue. They are clumsy and frequently fall, and levels of fall are fine. Additionally, keep away from cages with a mezzanine level since the hedgehog might mistakenly attempt to climb, consequently injuring itself.
- Space: There should be enough room for the hog to roll around and have separate areas to eat, drink, sleep, exercise, and toilet.
- Flat Floor: Avoid mesh floors not to hurt the hog’s paws.
- Warm and well-ventilated: Vivariums are great at holding onto heat but frequently tend to be poorly ventilated, necessitating you to drill extra ventilation holes.
Safe Bedding
The best options include shredded newspaper, untreated wood chips, or aspen. Nonetheless, every bedding has its bad points and good points. Therefore, deciding what works best for you and your hedgehog is up to you.
You can certainly try to litter-train your hog using wood-based cat litter in a pan, following this up by using fleece as a hedgehog carpet.
Furthermore, always spot tidy bedding daily, scoop out the soiled areas, replace them, and thoroughly clean them at least once a week.
A Shelter or Hide
Like every other creature, hogs like to be secure and private while asleep, and for hogs, the idea of a luxury bedroom is a box, shelter, or igloo with bedding where they can curl up inside and sleep all day.
Alternatively, you can use a hedgehog pouch as the hog’s shelter, comparable to a hog sleeping bag, except for the fact that it has to go all the way inside to curl up and sleep.
The main advantage of a hedgehog pouch is that you can easily lift the hog out of its cage when it is cleaning time. Some people find their hogs trotted back into the pouch when they have had enough playtime.
A Heat Lamp or Rug Usually, a hog requires steady temperatures between 73 to 75 F day and night. Generally, a valuable rule of thumb is that your hog needs added heat whenever you feel cold. But you are fine if your centrally heated house is warm all year round.
Using a thermometer, observe the temperature levels, and if it dips during the night, you should give your hog a heat mat or black lamp. Nevertheless, always cover the mat’s top with fleece or cover since the hog cannot lie directly on the rug due to thermal burns.
Avoid temperatures of 68 F and below since this could trigger the hog to hibernate.
Ceramic Bowls for Food and Water
Ceramic bowls are weighty, thus making it difficult for hogs to tip them over. Moreover, they are easy to clean and scratch-proof. Avoid sipper bottles since the hog’s startlingly long tongue may get trapped by the spout’s ball bearing.
Appropriate Food
As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life; therefore, where hedgehog food is concerned, diversity helps guarantee a balanced diet. While in the wild, hogs eat insects, snaffling up whatever wriggles, hope, or flies passing by.
To simulate this, include wiggles such as silkworms, crickets, wax worms, and mealworms to its diet with this found in reptile shops.
The captive hedgehog’s primal diet should be a good quality dry cat food with approximately a half tablespoon daily. Add variety nevertheless by providing a supplement of:
- Lean-cooked lamb, chicken, or turkey
- Scrambled or boiled egg
- Fresh vegetables and fruits
Always confiscate any uneaten food every morning so that it does not get molds. Also, hedgehogs should never be given milk since they struggle to digest the milk sugar and lactose and subsequently develop diarrhea.
Toys
While in the wild, hedgehogs do much investigating and pottering; thus, you should mimic this by offering a cardboard tunnel to explore.
Furthermore, you must have an exercise wheel just like the ones designed for ferrets, and make sure it is big enough so that the hedgehog’s back does not bend into a “U” when inside.
Also, have a safe space or room where you can occasionally let the hog out to stretch its legs and run around, with this being an ideal time to pet and fuss him to get used to your company.
Finally, you will get fatigued and want to rest, whereas the hedgehog still wants to play; therefore, giving him cat-sized toys to play around with is an excellent way for the hog to amuse itself during the night.
Hedgehog Health and Habits
Hedgehogs are prone to a couple of health problems despite your efforts to keep them in a clean environment and offer them a balanced diet.
- Respiratory Disease: The hog’s delicate lungs get easily damaged by ammonia. If the bedding becomes soiled, the high ammonia levels predispose them to pneumonia. These symptoms include poor appetite, rapid breathing, and staying in one place.
- Self-anointing: It looks shocking but is typical behavior with certain smells triggering the hedgehog to produce large amounts of saliva that they smear.
- Bloat: Some vegetables, for instance, those from the cabbage family, encourage gas formation in the bowel, causing the hedgehog to swell up. Whereas some hogs “deflate” independently, others require help from the veterinarian.
- Wobbly Hedgehog syndrome is a condition that causes the hog’s nervous system to degenerate, affecting its balance. With no known cure, this condition is considered genetic, with about 10% of pet hogs affected.
Lastly, having a hog is a five-year commitment; thus, make sure you are ready to face this test, subsequently being able to provide for your prickly pet for the foreseeable future.
Only then can your hog lead the healthy life it deserves and have a happy home.
