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Hedgehog FAQ's
The information provided here is to be used solely for informational purposes. If you are
seeking medical advice, please consult with a licensed veterinarian.
What is a Hedgehog?
African Pygmy Hedgehogs are insectivores, their diet in the wild mainly consists of insects,
they also been known to prey on things like caterpillars, snails, slugs, spiders, small rodents
like mice, small reptiles, and even tiny birds and theirs eggs. A hedgehog has five toes on
their front paws, and four toes on their back paws. They are also referred to as four toed
white bellied hedgehogs. Hedgehogs range in size from 4 to 9 inches in length, and can
weigh between 18 and 25 ounces. Their ears are round with fine hair and shorter than their
quills. Hedgehog quills feel much like a stiff bristled brush. Hedgehogs have two longitudinal
muscles, one on each side, down their entire backs. When a hedgehog feels threatened, they
tighten those muscles and they can curl up into a ball. When they are curled up, they have
the ability to cover every part of their body exposing only their quills. As the hedgehog is
curled into a ball, their quills will stand in different directions, so if you try to pick up a
hedgehog who is curled up, don't be surprised if you get a poke. The poke of their quills can
leave your skin irritated. Why? Because hedgehogs are known to self-anoint. This is a self
lathering they perform, if they taste or smell something unusual they will foam at the mouth.
Hedgehogs have an incredible ability to contort their bodies, and they will contort and lick
their quills placing that foam all over. Hedgehogs are nocturnal, they have small eyes, and
incredible sense of smell. They burrow during the day, so it is important to have an igloo for
each hedgehog. It is best to keep hedgehogs in separate cages, they are a solitary animals.
Hedgehogs only like companionship when mating. Lifespan is usually 4 to 6 years in
captivity, with excellent care, proper diet, and good breeding, hedgehogs are now living 8 to
10 years. A proper diet and exercise are crucial in the length of their lives.
How to tell if one is a Male or Female
When you can get your hedgehog to uncurl in your hand, you would have to get them to lay
flat on their backs. Males penal sheath, the sex organ, is located about 2/3 down their
tummy from their head. It looks much like a large belly button. A females sex organ is
located right next to the anus. If you are unable to get the hedgehog to uncurl in your hand,
wait until they uncurl enough to get your hand under their front legs. Then hold them up
placing the other hand under their bottom, and then sneak a peak.
Hedgehog Colors?
Yes, hedgehogs come in all sorts of colors and color variations. The standard is the now
called chocolate, which is white quills banded with black, white faces, and white bellies. For
more specific information on colors and color variations please visit Hedgehog Color
Descriptions.
Cages
There are several acceptable cages that one can use to house a hedgehog. Minimal of 2
square foot per hedgehog is required to keep a healthy and happy hedgehog. We now carry
cages that we feel are perfect for hedgehogs, they are 30" x 18" x 16" h. No wire mesh floors,
hedgehogs can easily break their tiny legs if caught in this. So make sure what ever cage you
use, it has a solid floor. Hedgehogs should be housed separately because they are a solitary
animals. Their cages should be kept at a minimum of 70 degrees. What ever cage you choose,
the floor of the cage must be a solid surface. Providing your hedgehog with proper hiding
places to sleep will make them feel secure, we recommend using igloos because they are easy
to wash and sterilize.
Bedding
DO NOT use cedar chips what so ever. They can make a hedgehog go into respiratory
distress. Although aspen or pine shavings are acceptable by most we don't recommend
them because you run the risk of your hedgehog getting mites. Some people use corn cob
bedding, but it is not good for males as it can lodge in the penal sheath and it can be difficult
to remove. Of all the liter/bedding we have used, we have found what we think is the best,
Cell-Sorb Plus. It is more expensive, but you only need to spot clean when needed. It is more
absorbent than any other liter, and you may only need to change the liter every three weeks.
In the long run, it is more cost efficient considering you should never have to worry about
mites again. In 2004 a hedgehog owner reported that their hedgehog had ingested
"Carefresh" bedding, it caused an impaction, the hedgehog tried to pass it and hemorrhaged,
and then bled to death.
Exercise
In order to keep a healthy hedgehog, you have to provide them with plenty of exercise.
Hedgehogs need plenty of room to forage. They also need a wheel, similar to a hamster
wheel, but much larger. Hedgehogs can run up to 5 miles in just one night. We have found
a much more affordable wheel that is equally as safe as the other two above, we will be
offering our clients these 12" wheels for less than they can get them in a pet store. If you
have any questions about pricing of our wheels, email us and ask about the 12" Comfort
Wheel. Also critter crawlers are a fun toy for hedgehogs to play in.
Water bowls or bottles?
Depending on how your hedgehog is raised, that will make the difference in what you
should provide for your hedgehog. If your not sure how they were raised, then use both
until you can determine what they prefer. All of our hedgehogs drink straight from a water
bottle. It is important to provide them fresh water daily. Clean their bottles every time you
change the water. Sanitize them at least once a week. Dish soap and hot water will work just
fine. We feel water bottles are much more sanitary for hedgehogs because hedgehogs will
kick soiled liter into a water bowl, and you don't want your hedgehog drinking contaminated
water.
Food
Like described in the first paragraph of this page, hedgehogs are insectivores. They need a
consistent diet of gut loaded freeze dried mealworms and crickets. You can use live, but they
will need to be gut loaded before you feed them to your hedgehogs, and you have to house
them too. You can also feed any other insects to them as well, however I don't recommend
feeding live caught insects from your yard as you or your neighbor could use insecticides or
pesticides and that will be hazardous to your hedgehogs health. There are many hedgehog
foods available at pet stores, however many of the commercial grade hedgehog food is not
completely sufficient for hedgehogs. Avoid foods that have nuts or seeds in them, as those
things can lodge in the intestines of a hedgehog and cause death. They also love fresh fruits
such as apples, we use canned pears, bananas, and more. Hard boiled eggs are a delicacy for
hedgehogs. The wider the variety of foods, the better. We recommend buying and mixing the
following foods together (which can be purchased at a smaller pet store- not at Petco or
similar stores): Felidae (cat food), Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul (cat food, also
available in a light formula), and Wellness Super 5 mix (also a cat food). Those foods are all
natural, made with whole grain ingredients, it is human grade without the commerical
cancer causing crap in it.
Bathing
Yes, occasionally hedgehogs do need baths. Some hedgehogs bathe themselves so well you
may not have to bathe them often. But for those who need baths, you can use Hedgehog
Shampoo and a soft bristled toothbrush to do the job. Fill your bathroom sink up with warm
water, only put enough water in there to cover the hedgehogs legs. Then rinse them off, and
start bathing them. Then use paper towel to dry them off, or a hand towel. If your hedgehogs
toe nails are covered in feces from running on a wheel, use a soft bristled toothbrush to scrub
their feet and nails. Where can you get Hedgehog Shampoo, easy, check out our Hedgehog
Accessories and Supplies page.
Nail Clipping
You can buy expensive nail clippers for pets, or you can save some money by buying baby
nail clippers. Only trim the very end of the nail, if you cut too much you can cut into the
quick and make the hedgehog bleed to death. If you cut the nail and it starts to bleed, get a
bar of soap and rub the nail in to the bar a few times. The soap will help clot the wound. One
way to avoid clipping nails is to use a find grit sand paper in the wheel, don't use it all the
time as it could over wear the nails down. But do it as often as it is needed.
Biting
Hedgehogs do have a tendency to nibble on things, but rarely bite people. If your hedgehog
nibbles or bites you, do not hit it or yell at it. Simply blow in his/her face softly and he/she
will let go. They may nibble if they smell something on your fingers. It is important to make
sure your hands are clean before handling your hedgehog.
Hedgehog Noises
When a hedgehog gets upset and curls up, he sometimes snuffles. It is their way of growling.
Here we call it being "huffy puffy". Hedgehogs will get huffy puffy if they don't want to be
disturbed or if they feel threatened. It is only a warning to whom ever is coming near them,
but it doesn't mean that they will bite you. Hedgehogs do have their own courtship. When a
male is courting a female, he makes a chirping sound. Don't be alarmed, they are not in pain.
The chirping sound may fool you. It is actually quite interesting to hear them courting.
Hedgehog babies do squeak for their mothers while they are still nursing. The older they get,
the squeaks start to fade away.
Now you have the information you want, now how to choose a hedgehog that is best
for you.
First I recommend trying to find a breeder in your state. Please do not purchase a hedgehog
from a pet store. I can not express this enough!! The problem is this: pet stores know nothing
or very little about hedgehogs, so they will not be able to answer your questions, or advise you
to proper foods, cages, etc. Pet stores don't know the date of birth of their hedgehogs. Please
do not consider buying a hedgehog from a pet store with any intention of rescuing it. No
matter what conditions or the circumstances are- every time a person finds a poorly
neglected hedgehog in a pet store and they buy it thinking they are rescuing it, your only
encouraging the pet store to buy more as they will think they can continue to sell them
without proper care. A young couple that came to me for a hedgehog bought a hedgehog
from a pet store first. Unfortunately, they were sold an older hedgehog under the impression
they were getting a baby. Some poor breeders that are only into it for the money will
sometimes sell their retired breeders to pet stores for them to sell as babies. Pet stores do
not offer a health guarantees and offer no assistance. When you purchase from a breeder,
you will typically get a birth certificate, so you will know who the parents were and when it
was born. You will know whether or not it is tame or hand raised, they usually always are if
being bought from a breeder. And the breeder usually offers a health guarantee and after
sale support. The sad thing is that most breeders only make as much money off one
hedgehog baby as the pet store does, but the breeder offers so much more with their sales.
When you find a breeder, make sure you can go visit each of the hedgehogs they have
available. This is important because you want the hedgehog that will adore you as much as
your adore them. Deciding between male and female is no problem at all. As long as you buy
them young, you can hand tame them. There is no personality differences between males or
females, they will bond equally with you. Both make great pets. When you first bring your
hedgehog home, give it a few days to adjust to their new surroundings. You may even place a
small t-shirt with your scent in their cage so they can become familiar with it. Make sure
what ever the material is that it isn't frayed or has loose threads as it can cut off tiny limbs.
Once the hedgehog smells your scent for a few days, they will know it is a familiar scent so
they will be more open to you. Then spend time with them and you will have a new best
friend. If you buy from a pet store, it is Buyer Beware!
Shipping
Shipping can be successful if the breeder knows how to properly ship a hedgehog. The only
legal way to ship is via airlines. You can expect shipping to range between $200 and $300,
price can vary depending on temperature. We Do NOT ship at this time.
All the information above is basic information for anyone looking into buying or caring for a
hedgehog. If you are looking for information on breeding hedgehogs, I recommend reading
our page on breeding. Breeding hedgehogs is a very serious issue and should not be taken
lightly or for the faint hearted. Much research needs to go into the decision making of
breeding. It isn't a simple process. After much thought, I have decided not to add a web page
on breeding. We feel that it would be wrong to give such information and it get in to the
wrong hands. Much time goes into our breeding, and you need to know what your doing. If
you plan to become a breeder, than we suggest finding a breeder that you can work with and
ask them to sort of be your mentor. Also learn the laws pertaining to breeding.
The information & photos found on Prickly Creek Exotics web site may not be used on any other web site, web page, or anything else without written permission from us. Copyright © 2001 Prickly Creek Exotics Web Site. All rights reserved. Revised: 3/17/2008
