Hedgehog
CareSheet
African Pygmy Hedgehogs can live 8 years with the correct care and conditions.
Hedgehogs need to live indoors unless outdoor heating is supplied in their cage. There ideal temperature is 18-26c, anything below 8c and they may hibernate which is very dangerous. They also need an average of 12hrs daylight this can be artificial or natural daylight.
Hedgehogs are a solitary animal and prefer to be on their own, although some of our females actively choose to live with another female, males however will fight and result in serious injury!!
The ideal housing for an adult hedgehog is an indoor rabbit cage 36” by 18” as they are very active little creatures, running up to 5 miles in a night.
They will also need a nest box - a plastic guinea pig igloo is ideal... they also love to curl up in fleece pouches, a water bottle, feeding bowl and wood shavings for bedding.
Hedgehogs can be litter trained, although most hoggies prefer to use their wheel as a loo…. Placing the wheel in a shallow tray lined with paper towels means that cleaning is quick and easy or you can put a litter box in the cage where they go to the loo and they should start using it.
Hedgehog feeding
Hedgehogs need a diet that is high in protein and low in fat. Our hedgehogs are fed:
Cooked chicken breast, good quality cat meat & dry cat biscuits.
We also feed insects in the form of mealworms, crickets, wax worms & locust…. These can be fed live, bought freeze dried or as we choose to feed, frozen and defrosted before feeding!
We also feed a variety of fresh fruit and veg including sweet potato, banana, papaya and apple. Occasional foods such as cooked pasta, scrambled eggs and low fat cottage cheese may be offered… although from experience, the cottage cheese just isn’t worth having to clean up the end results!!!
Hedgehog Toys
Hedgehogs need stimulation!!! A large plastic exercise wheel is an absolute must, they will spend hours running which is good exercise and stops boredom. Hoggies also enjoy exploring tubes, playing with cat balls and they absolutely adore small soft toys… the TY Beanie babies make ideal toys and ours all have their own little buddies to snuggle up to.
Hedgehog Behaviour
Hedgehogs are seldom aggressive, in most cases they only ball up because they are scared. They rarely bite through aggression or fright, I have not been bitten yet! If they start licking your fingers there may be something tasty on them so licking is best stopped to avoid an accidental nip.
Where you have purchased your hedgehog and how socialised it has been will dictate how well your hoggie interacts with you. A well socialised hog from a reputable breeder will be quite comfortable with being picked up and handled… whilst it may initially curl up, it should quickly uncurl and start to investigate it surroundings. An un-socialised hog will curl up into a tight ball and make huffing and popping sounds… it will take time and patience to gain the trust of an un-socialised hedgehog.
Self anointing is a very common hedgehog act and its very amusing to watch, when they taste something new they build up a frothing lather in their mouth then doing the most amazing contortions they spread the lather on their backs.