How Much Work Is A Pet Hedgehog?
If you are considering getting a hedgehog it’s important to know how much work hedgehogs are and what their day-to-day care needs are. There are several items mentioned below that you may be unfamiliar with. If that’s the case, I recommend checking out my Must Have Products For Pet Hedgehogs blog post first.
Daily needs:
1. Feed & water & clean water & food dishes.
2. Hold for at least 20 minutes (to keep them friendly with you and humans in general).
3. Check cage temperature to make sure thermometer and heater are working properly.
4. Many hedgehog owners recommend weighing your hedgehog daily. Watching their weight will let you know if your hedgehog is losing which is usually the first symptom of an illness.
Every few (2-4 days) days:
1. Clean cage (replace pee-pad or cage liner, lean litter pan if litter trained, wipe down wheel).
2. Put cuddlesack/bed through washer and dryer.
As needed:
1. Give your hedgehog a bath. I did this about every 4 weeks when my hedgehog was a baby but after he hit puberty he got a lot stinkier so I would bathe him more like every 2 weeks. I did this by filling a bathroom or kitchen sink, putting a hand towel or thick dishcloth on the bottom (so he could walk without slipping around) and then dropping a little bit of Aveeno oatmeal body wash into the water to moisturize him a little bit and prevent his skin from getting dried out.
2. Take your hedgehog to the vet anytime he’s acting lethargic, not eating or otherwise behaving oddly.
Do you have a pet hedgehog? Does it require more or less care than you originally anticipated?
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This will be my frist time own a hedgehog and I what to know what they can and cant eat and how to handle them
They eat cat foods but highly recommend a limited ingredient cat food which on the bag it says L.I.D and they eat freeze dried bugs such as meal worms or crickets as their main diet and then for snacks some ideas are cooked meats like turkey or chicken, baby foods, fruits like bananas but never anything citrusy. For treats Pinterest has a lot of accurate dos and donts lists
Freeze dried bugs cause constipation so should be fed in moderation. Live are much better.
Very informative 🙂 planning on getting a boy hog when I move I’ve been reading up on them in my pigmy care book
yes so do I.
Thanks this was so helpful! I’m hoping to get a little friend soon so thanks for the info!
I was just wandering. So my hedgehog Dinosaur fell a little ways while of one of my stuffed animals. He started walking after that and he is eating and such. Should I be worried? He is about 3 months old and if something happened to him then I would hate myself. So do you think he is fine?
What is their natural enviorment ?? N is it cruel to keep them in captivity. ???
Just wondering how you manage to get a hedgehog as a pet? As I would dearly love one or two and one help me with that
I’ve gotten this question several times so I wrote a blog post about how to get a pet hedgehog here. http://franklovesbeans.com/2016/08/10/buy-hedgehog/
So my daughter got a new hedgehog and he is 4 months old.he is being mean and hissing when we touch him.any ideas what to do?¿
He’s not mean, he’s acting instinctively (defensive behaviors). Continue actively handling him for at least *30 minutes* a day!
Great post. Our little hedgie loves the Pokey Crunch Hedgehog Food that the breeder we found feeds her hedgehogs. It has kibble mixed with dehydrated fruit bits , insects, larvae, mealworms, bee pollen, calcium, vitamins and coconut oil. We can order it online at Jandaexotics.com I like that is has a mix of things in one bag so I don’t have to buy a bunch of separate things or worry I am giving my hedgehog an imbalanced mix of food. Her site has lots of great info for new hedgehog owners and she is willing to answer tons of newbie questions.
Keitha-I got my little guy from Janda Exotics too!
i want one so bad
When exactly do they hit puberty? I have a male hedgehog and, right now, he only gets a bath once every four weeks. He’s my first hedgehog, so there’s some things I’m still learning.