Hedgehog Babies
My hedgehog babies are sold between six and eight weeks of age. Some of these babies may be in the beginning stages of quilling but typically their adult color will not be apparent until 12 weeks of age. Some hedgehogs may change their quill colors several times before they reach adulthood.
Cage and Equipment Requirement
I believe wire cages with a solid bottom make an excellent hedgehog cage. The type of cages with a deep plastic pan are preferred to the wire cages with a shallow metal pan.
Accessories can include clay flowerpots, PVC tubes, and other objects to hide in. A wheel is an excellent addition to any cage since most hedgehogs love to run in a wheel. I suggest only using a solid bottom wheel. Little feet have a tendency to get caught in wire wheels. Be prepared to clean your hedgie’s feet because some hedgehogs have a tendency to potty while wheeling.
Bedding
- ASPEN SHAVINGS are relatively safe bedding material but it is not very soft and it can be messy.
- PELLETED BEDDING is good to use,but if a hedgehog should eat some of the bedding the bedding could cause very serious problems such as intestinal blockages.(yesturday's news cats litter) non-scented is what I typically use.
- PINE SHAVINGS do not contain the harmful Plicatic Acid that cedar shavings have but they contain high levels of Abietic Acid when not heat cured which can cause similar problems after lenghty exposure. If using pine shavings make sure they are kiln dried and the hedgehog’s cage is well ventilated.
- NEVER USE CEDAR SHAVINGS because they contain a toxin called Plicatic Acid and other aromatic (volatile) hydrocarbon or phenol compounds.
Care
- Choose to mix some high quality cat food with your hedgehog food. Some good choices are Chicken Soup For the Pet Lover’s Soul Lite Cat, Innova, Evolve, Nature’s Variety, Wellness or Felidea.
- Keep your hedgehog out of drafts and in a warm location (preferably between 74°F and 80°F)
- Hedgehogs need fresh food and water every day, A variety of several good high quality foods are the best.
- Hedgehogs generally love to play in water (preferably warm) one to one and a half inch of water. Make sure the hedgehog is completely dry after its bath.
- You may see your hedgehog self anoint. Self-anointing is when the hedgehog makes a foamy saliva and then deposits the saliva on various parts of its body. The reason hedgehogs self anoint is still unknown but it is usually related to a new tatse or smell.
- Treats can include meal worms (only one or two per day), hard-boiled egg, cooked scrambled egg, tuna, canned cat food, and fresh fruits and vegetables, variety of baby foods, some hedgehog wont eat some treat given to them.
- I would highly reccomned a book, Antigone Means-Burleson has recently published its called "The Hedgehog Primer ".
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Misc.Info
- The average hedgehog has 5,000 -7,000 quills
- Hedgehogs only defense is to roll in a ball and raise in quills
- Hibernation can be lethal for pet hedgehogs
- Hedgehgogs can Self-Anoint when tasting/smelling something new when they do they
arch their head back over the shoulders and lick a foamy saliva onto the quills,The no known purpose of anointing.
- Hedgehogs are an insectivore which is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures.
- Fully grown hegehogs are between 6- 8 inches long
- They are called Atelerix albiventris (Latin name) or African White-Bellied Hedgehog
- The African pygmy hedgehog is a solitary animal
- Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals
