Hedgehog Health and care
Topics covered on this page are:- Is a hog a good pet? What you need
for a pet hog, Choosing a healthy hog, basic care information
Do
Hedgehogs Make Good Pets?
Well it really does depend on what you are looking for in a pet. As you
can imagine they are no good for taking for walks in the park or
playing fetch. Despite their ball like appearance at times ;) .
Hedgehogs can make excellent pets. As they are not rodents they are
insectivores so they have really very little smell, so they are really
a perfect indoor pet. They are also more active at evening-night time
another plus for those out all day. With well socialised hogs they also
do not mind being woken up in the day for a little out of the cage
time.
What will
I need for a pet hog
Home Fit For A Hog
A metal or plastic cage (like those made for guinea pigs or ferrets)
works great, or a 20 gallon or larger aquarium. Large plastic storage
containers also work very well as a hedgehog home. Make sure that the
cage has at least 2 square feet of floor space, and that the cage
bottom and sides have no wire grates that little hedgehog feet can fall
through and get hurt on, or get stuck. Clean the cage at least once a
week, and odor won't be a problem. Indoor rabbit cage are an excellent
choice.
Hedgehogs like to have a hiding place or cover to sleep under.
Providing such a hiding place will reduce nervousness. Large half logs,
a kleenex box with a hole cut in the side, plastic bowls, or even a
hedgehog sized cloth bag will work well.
You will want to place your hedgehog's cage in a warm area of the
house. Hedgehogs need to be kept in a room with a temperature of 70F to
85F. If a hedgehog gets too cold it will attempt to go into
hibernation. Heating pads can work well in the winter, but make sure
that it doesn't cover the entire cage, so that your hedgehog can escape
the heat if he starts to get too hot. Be careful using heating pads, as
hedgies who have difficulty moving can easily be burned by them.
Unless you are attempting to breed hedgehogs, keep males and females
separated. If a female has babies while there are other hedgehogs in
the cage, it is likely to cause her stress and either she or the other
hedgehogs are likely to eat the babies. Also, hedgehogs can get
pregnant when they are as young as 8 weeks old, but this is not healthy
for them. A female hedgehog should not be bred until she is at least 6
months old.
In the wild, hedgehogs are solitary animals. In captivity, some
hedgehogs will accept (or even crave) the companionship of other
hedgehogs, but don't necessarily assume this is the case. Hedgehogs can
have lethal roommate disputes, so if you decide to try to house two
hedgehogs together, be sure to observe them closely (or at least be
within earshot to separate them in case of fights) for at least the
first 24 to 48 hours. Hedgehogs can emit a bloodcurdling scream when
upset or hurt, but they can also get into fairly quiet tussles, so be
careful.
Bedding
You can use a wide variety of beddings for your hedgehog. Cloth liners,
recycled paper products and aspen have been recommended by many. A
little warning about wood beddings, they have been known to carry mite
eggs which could hatch and infest your new pet, wood beddings also can
become lodged in sensitive areas of your hedgehog. Be certain to
inspect your hedgehog daily for redness or swellings.
Litter tray
Your pet will use a litter box if you provide it with one. A small box
that is 2” deep x 6” x 9”, half filled with dust free cat litter does
very nicely. Also wood chippings can be used. Here we place the wheel
into a cat litter tray, we find this the best way to do it.
Daily Routine
You will need to attend to your hedgehog's needs on a daily basis. Here
are some basic suggestions:
Daily
Scoop the litter box
Fill the food dish
Provide fresh water
Make sure any mess such as spilled food etc. is cleaned out of the
shavings
Clean off any messy toys
Love your pet
Weekly
Clean the cage and put fresh, clean shavings on the floor. Soap and
water will clean most items, but if you use any chemicals, be sure to
rinse the cleaned items thoroughly. Be sure to wash the water bottle
inside and out.
Toys
Hedgehogs need lots of exercise, as they tend to become obese with
inactivity (who doesn't? ;). A large wheel (11" in diameter or so) is
recommended. Be sure that the running surface of the wheel is solid, so
that the hedgie is not at risk for slipping and breaking legs. You can
find a listing of hedgehog wheels on the internet www.ebay.co.uk .
Wheels made for rodents with metal bars should in no case be used, as a
broken leg may result.
Many owners report that their hedgehogs enjoy anything that they can
push or manipulate. Examples of toys that owners have reported their
hedgehog enjoying are: toilet paper tubes (slit down the middle, avoids
getting heads stuck) , brightly colored plastic toy trucks, cat balls,
wooden blocks, Small paper grocery bags (never plastic), 4" diameter
plumbing pipe and various stuffed animals. I often wash and swap the
toys around between my hogs, helps stops boredom and keeps things a
little more interesting for them.
Diet
Diet is an area where there is considerable controversy. We still don't
know exactly what a hedgehog needs, but there have been preliminary
studies at the Bronx Zoo. Information presented at the 1998 Go Hog Wild
Hedgehog Show and Seminar indicated that hedgies need a diet that has a
good amount of protein and is low in fat. A fibre content of
approximately 15% (preferably from chitin, but hedgehogs can utilize
fibre from plant sources, too) is optimal. At this time, no single food
fully meets the optimal nutritional requirement for hedgehogs. Many of
the hedgehog foods on the market do a pretty good job of meeting most
of the needs, but a good quality commercial cat food didn't seem much
off the mark, either, according to the statistics given in the
presentation. Due to the lack of knowledge veterinarians and owners
will agree that a hedgehog should be fed a mixture of foods
supplemented by insects, fruits, vegetables and cooked meats.
There are now a number of good hedgehog foods on the market. Some
examples of good hedgehog foods are Insectivore Fare, Select Diet,
Pretty Pets, 8n1, Spike hedgehog food (dry) and others. The use of Vita
craft hedgehog food is very strongly discouraged, as it appears to have
been crafted for use with the much larger European breed of hedgehogs,
and contains some choking hazards for the smaller African hedgehogs.
My hogs eat Eukanuba “light” cat biscuits every night or IAMS chicken.
At least 3 times a week I offer my hogs some freshly cooked chicken.
This will take younger hogs a bit to get used to so chop it up quite
small. I also offer them meal worms 4 times a week. Meal worms can be
fattening so don’t be to generous. My hogs also like the odd grape, bit
of apple and a few peas. I try to offer them some fruit or veg about 3
times a week. On newly weaned hogs I use whiskers dry cat food lamb.
Then slowly mix in a better quality cat food with a higher meat
content. Such as Eukanuba light and or Iams chicken, lamb or turkey. It
is always a good idea to offer all pets some added vitamins, minerals
and calcium. You can buy these in powder form and just add some to your
hogs other foods.
Water
I personally use water bowls, but hogs can be trained to use bottles.
Just offer the hog both until you are 100% sure the hedgehog is using
the bottle and make sure the bottle is quite low as reaching up to
drink for hogs is unnatural.
Choosing a
hedgehog
Spotting A Healthy Hedgehog
Eyes should be nice, round, wide open, and bright, without
discharge. The nose should be clean and not running. Fur on the stomach
should be soft and white not matted or stained. Spines should be nice
and even with no bare patches. The body should be a nice and plump.
Also take the time to watch ur little hog walk. Please view our video
section to see footage of healthy babies.
A Boy Or A Girl?
Both boys and girls make equally great pets.
What Colour?
Colour is only a real matter of
preference, though it has been noted by a few breeders the darker hogs
have a harder time quilling.
What age should I take my hog
home?
Buy a just weaned, 6-9 week old hedgehog, it is much easier to
bond with them. Look for bright clear eyes and a well-rounded body. The
hedgehog should be alert, inquisitive, and energetic. Buying an older
hog is fine, it just may take a bit longer for the hog to bond with you.
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