If anyone wishes to add anything please do. I will no doubt forget something.

I myself have kept hedgehogs for just over 4 years now and still now I find myself asking questions they are the type of pet you never stop learning about.

Here's a bit of a guide to keeping them as pets.

Quick facts.
-Hedgehogs need to be kept between 21 - 24c.
-African Pygmy hedgehogs do not carry flea's.
-African Pygmy hedgehogs do not live outside.
-African Pygmy hedgehogs should not eat fish flavor cat food.
-APH's live around 3-5 years (5 being a good lived hedgehog).


Buying a hedgehog
When looking for a hedgehog please find a breeder, pet shops rarely keep these beautiful babies in good conditions and supporting pet shop breeders is imo wrong.

When you contact the breeder you decide on they should be more than happy to answer any questions you have and offer advice should you need it.
When you go to visit good breeders will allow you to view their vivs/cages and meet the parents of your future/potential hedgehog. Be wary of any breeder who refuses to let you see the hedgehog room or hedgehog homes.

Make sure you ask if your potential hedgehog has been treated for mites and if so what with. Sadly hedgehogs can have bad reactions to ivermectin so its best to stick to what the breeder has already used to prevent a bad reaction.

The breeder SHOULD give you a contract stating that the hedgehogs in good health and that should you need to rehome the hedgehog the breeder should first be contacted.

Some breeders register their hedgehogs with the APH registry. This is good if you ever intend to breed so you dont accidentally inbreed. However if not registered you can register it yourself however the parents information wont be valid so your line will start with your hedgehog.

The APH registry has a recommended breeder list.


Homes for your hedgehog.
Depending on the amount of space you have there are really 3 options of suitable housing for your hedgehog.
Hedgehogs should NOT be kept in a cage! As they do climb and can get seriously hurt.

The best size should be 3ft or more by 18in deep and 18in high.

First off the zoo zone 2 (or zz2 as I put it).

You can buy it from here; Click to buy
The zoozone 2 is a good size and fairly easy to keep clean.

Secondly and my fave option Mesh fronted vivs

I like these best as they are imo easier to clean and because of the mesh are better ventilated than glass fronted.
You can buy one from here; Click here to buy.
Or build your own. You can buy the mesh from ebay (flymesh).

Third and final option is glass fronted viv's..

Which you can buy from ebay or reptile shops. Please note that you will have to add in extra vents to the back of the viv to ventilate the viv enough.


Accessories for your hedgehog.

Liners
are used on the bottom of the hedgehog cage/viv to keep in heat and soak up urine. They are easy to stick in the washer to clean and you can pick almost any colour or pattern. Some liners are half cotton half fleece others are double fleece.
Half cotton/Half fleece is good because you get to pick what fabric you want which gives you the choice of patterns to fit your theme.
Double fleece gives you limited patterns and colours but it keeps heat better and I find it easier to clean.
Picture of my half cotton half fleece liner and tunnel.


Tunnels are perfect for hog hiding holes and can be great for them to zip through for fun. There are a few types of tunnels being made as before its your choice which you like best.
Hard tunnels that can be bought from pets at home are perfectly fine and maintain shape.
Fabric soft tunnels can fall in the center but again meet your theme and choice of fabric.
Double fleece padded tunnel which keeps shape, easy to clean and can be bought at the same time as the double liner and double pouch.
Double fleece tunnel and liner.


Pouches are used as a lovely hide for your hedgehog, ALL hedgehogs should have a pouch as it provides comfort and safety for them. Pouches are usually fabric with a fleece lining or can be double fleece. A pouch is a must have in the hedgehog world and you may find yourself soon collecting them of all different colours, types and sizes. They are fairly cheap (around £5-£7).


Wheels!

Wheels are another hedgehog must have, hedgehogs can run miles in one night and need a wheel to keep their mind occupied. There are many different types of wheels in the UK and (even) importing from the USA your options are endless. Please ensure you do not use a small wheel or a wheel which has bars for the legs to get caught on. This poses a huge risk to your hog. Below are some safe options of wheels you can get within the UK or import.

Silent spinner is the easiest to get in the UK, you will need the large silent spinner. They tend to last about a year before they start to become squeaky of which you need to try to oil it. They are not the easiest wheel to clean however they are very enjoyable for the hedgehog and are widely used by breeders and hedgehog owners within the UK. They do not fit in a zoozone 2 unless you saw the stand down.
Picture of 12' Silent spinner in one of my vivs.

Click here to buy.

Carolina Storm Wheel is a HUGE wheel made by Carolina storm hedgehogs in the USA, they do export the wheels to the UK however this can be quite costly. The CSW comes with a litter pan which fits snuggly below and is by far the easiest wheel to clean, its silent and very nice on the eyes. Only issue is the size, a CSW will not fit in the zoo zone 2.
My Storm wheel in one of my viv's.

Click here to buy.

Carolina Bucket Wheel is made by the same breeder who makes the storm wheel, however this wheel comes in different colours and is much smaller so will fit in a zoo zone 2. Again its silent and very easy to clean (but not as easy as the storm wheel). It comes in red, blue, green and even sparkly green. It does NOT come with a litter pan however you can pay slightly more to get a litter pan with it.
Picture of my bucket wheel in one of my vivs.

Click here to buy.

Flying saucer wheel I do not own one of these however they apparently are very good and very easy to fit in a viv or zoo zone 2. They apparently are silent too. They are also easy to get in the UK. Maybe another member who has used one can give a review?


Critter Cribs Wheels I have not used these wheels yet as they are still fairly new however I have heard only good reviews. They come in many colours and fit in zoozone 2’s as well as fits in standard cat litter trays.
You can buy one from here; Click here to buy.

Feeding a hedgehog
A mix of 2-3 dry cat foods is a good way to feed. Only chicken flavour though as fish is not suggested with hedgehogs. I use a mix of purely (which you can get at pets at home) dry food, Iams chicken cat food and Whiskas’s chicken cat food. Though these are not the best cat foods out there for cats they serve hedgehogs well.
I suggest feeding lean beef mince once a week and small chicken (boneless) once a week. I also feed Scrambled egg once a week. (As well as the cat food).
Meal worms are a great treat and most hedgehogs will go mad for some. Live or dried is fine however live is the best for them as you can gut load them which then gives the hedgehog the nutrients. Dried meal worms have no nutritional value. However they are good treats for those who have owners which are bug-phobia.

Heating a hedgehog
Hedgehogs need to be kept warm. Hedgehogs can go into hibernation so its best to either keep your heating on constantly or get a heat pad.

Flexiguard Petnap Pet heat Pad (33’’) with anti chew cable = £32
+ £3 for a cover. Make sure you get the Anti-chew wire.
Click here to buy.


Snugglesafe Microwave heat pad is a great back up heat pad for journey’s and incase the petnap ever needs replacing.
They are around £22 each and its best to get two per hedgehog as you need to let it go bone cold before you re-heat it.
You can buy them from pets at home.


There are other types of heat pads but these two are by far my faves.
The patnap is controllable by using a “Habistat mat stat”. It will keep the heat consistent and not allow it to get to hot.

Quilling.

Is where old/baby quills are pushed out in favour of new adult quills, its normal for a hedgehog to quill throughout its life however at 7-13 weeks its normal for them to shed a good load instead of the average 1-2 a day. Its best to handle your baby hedgehog 2-4 hours a day (2 hours here and 2 hours there) if you have time to do 4 hours a day and stroke all over his/her body. They more than likely will huff but carry on as this is what the difference is between a friendly adult hedgehog and a huffy adult hedgehog. Do not worry, Most hedgehogs when handled correctly throughout quilling will become friendly after quilling so do not worry about your hedgehog being huffy. Its normal as it’s a painful time for them.

Bathing them with aveeno oil is a great way to sooth their skin. But do not over bath them and do not place the aveeno oil on them, put 1 blob of it in the warm water and put the hedgehog in the water. Don’t rub off the oil.

Flaxseed oil is also good to pop a drop in their food to help dry skin which can happen during quilling. But only 1 drop and clean the food bowl out correctly afterwards so it doesn’t go soggy.

Health.
Hedgehogs are fairly tough but when they get sick it can become quite costly due to most vets not knowing all that much about them.
Some health related stuff.

Mites - Seem to be a fairly common issue and apparently a hedgehog can get mites from what seems like no-where. The symptoms are usually excessive quill loss, excessive dry skin, itching ect. The best way to check is to stroke your hedgehog above a black surface and look to see if any white dots move. Treatments used by hedgehog owners/breeders are usually; stronghold or xeno 50 (not together obviously).

Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome - Click here to view some information on WHS.

Hibernation - Symtoms; Cool belly, Slow reactions and curled unable to unball. A hedgehog going into hibernation needs warming straight away so place on a heat pad or on your skin if needs be. If after an hour there is still no improvement its time to take him/her straight to the vet.

If anyone wishes to add any info that would be great! Or maybe even pictures of your set ups.

Enjoy and sorry there's not more information.

www.rabbitretreat.com
Owned by :- 9 Rabbits, 13 Rats, 3 Syrian Hamsters, 1 Robo, 3 Guinea pigs, 1 long haired moggy, 1 APH
RIP to all that have gone but will never be forgotten

12 rabbits, 13 chinchillas, 1 syrian, 3 robos, 10 hens, 6 mice, 2 gerbils, 3 guinea pigs, 3 african pygmy hedgehogs, 1 dog, 2 cats

Snoopy 01/97 - 27/10/11
Joe 01/04/99 - 28/03/11
Run free my boys, i never knew my heart could hurt this much


www.rabbitretreat.com
www.onlynaturalpetsupplies.co.uk

Originally Posted by AlexArt You keep hedgehogs in cages that small!!!!! I've had loads of hedgies from babies and ones that are too small to hibernate to injured adults, and the smallest I've kept them in is a 23 x 16ft stable with tons of straw and leaf litter etc, and even that was too small and I felt sorry for them - do you know just how much walking a hedgie does in the wild?, doesn't matter wether it is an african or european one?!!! Please if you are thinking of keeping these animals as pets make sure you have something bigger than what is suggested, 12ft by 12ft is as small as I would personally go - these kind of cages are not sufficient at all, I wouldn't even keep a mouse in something that tiny! - they are wild animals not domesticated ones and need space and plenty to do, not just a wheel to try and substitute for lack of space and to keep them occupied, am horrified that that is what people keep them in!!! They also dig and root around alot - that is their natural behavior, which they cannot do on a cotton type liner!!! - If you showed me those cages I would say a child had made them up for a make believe pet, or a mouse/rat at best just to play in - not for actually keeping a living thing in it, I'm shocked I have to say!!!

Originally Posted by AlexArt You keep hedgehogs in cages that small!!!!! I've had loads of hedgies from babies and ones that are too small to hibernate to injured adults, and the smallest I've kept them in is a 23 x 16ft stable with tons of straw and leaf litter etc, and even that was too small and I felt sorry for them - do you know just how much walking a hedgie does in the wild?, doesn't matter wether it is an african or european one?!!! Please if you are thinking of keeping these animals as pets make sure you have something bigger than what is suggested, 12ft by 12ft is as small as I would personally go - these kind of cages are not sufficient at all, I wouldn't even keep a mouse in something that tiny! - they are wild animals not domesticated ones and need space and plenty to do, not just a wheel to try and substitute for lack of space and to keep them occupied, am horrified that that is what people keep them in!!! They also dig and root around alot - that is their natural behavior, which they cannot do on a cotton type liner!!! - If you showed me those cages I would say a child had made them up for a make believe pet, or a mouse/rat at best just to play in - not for actually keeping a living thing in it, I'm shocked I have to say!!!

Originally Posted by AlexArt You keep hedgehogs in cages that small!!!!! I've had loads of hedgies from babies and ones that are too small to hibernate to injured adults, and the smallest I've kept them in is a 23 x 16ft stable with tons of straw and leaf litter etc, and even that was too small and I felt sorry for them - do you know just how much walking a hedgie does in the wild?, doesn't matter wether it is an african or european one?!!! Please if you are thinking of keeping these animals as pets make sure you have something bigger than what is suggested, 12ft by 12ft is as small as I would personally go - these kind of cages are not sufficient at all, I wouldn't even keep a mouse in something that tiny! - they are wild animals not domesticated ones and need space and plenty to do, not just a wheel to try and substitute for lack of space and to keep them occupied, am horrified that that is what people keep them in!!! They also dig and root around alot - that is their natural behavior, which they cannot do on a cotton type liner!!! - If you showed me those cages I would say a child had made them up for a make believe pet, or a mouse/rat at best just to play in - not for actually keeping a living thing in it, I'm shocked I have to say!!!

www.rabbitretreat.com
Owned by :- 9 Rabbits, 13 Rats, 3 Syrian Hamsters, 1 Robo, 3 Guinea pigs, 1 long haired moggy, 1 APH
RIP to all that have gone but will never be forgotten

Originally Posted by B3rnie Sorry but you are mistaken, these are pygmy hedgehogs and they have never been a wild species for starters. They are a hybrid of the White-bellied or Four-toed Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) and the Algerian Hedgehog (A. algirus), they are smaller than the European Hedgehog. There is nothing wrong with the set ups posted so long as the hog is handled daily and allowed to run around for a couple of hours.

Originally Posted by AlexArt You keep hedgehogs in cages that small!!!!! I've had loads of hedgies from babies and ones that are too small to hibernate to injured adults, and the smallest I've kept them in is a 23 x 16ft stable with tons of straw and leaf litter etc, and even that was too small and I felt sorry for them - do you know just how much walking a hedgie does in the wild?, doesn't matter wether it is an african or european one?!!! Please if you are thinking of keeping these animals as pets make sure you have something bigger than what is suggested, 12ft by 12ft is as small as I would personally go - these kind of cages are not sufficient at all, I wouldn't even keep a mouse in something that tiny! - they are wild animals not domesticated ones and need space and plenty to do, not just a wheel to try and substitute for lack of space and to keep them occupied, am horrified that that is what people keep them in!!! They also dig and root around alot - that is their natural behavior, which they cannot do on a cotton type liner!!! - If you showed me those cages I would say a child had made them up for a make believe pet, or a mouse/rat at best just to play in - not for actually keeping a living thing in it, I'm shocked I have to say!!!

12 rabbits, 13 chinchillas, 1 syrian, 3 robos, 10 hens, 6 mice, 2 gerbils, 3 guinea pigs, 3 african pygmy hedgehogs, 1 dog, 2 cats

Snoopy 01/97 - 27/10/11
Joe 01/04/99 - 28/03/11
Run free my boys, i never knew my heart could hurt this much


www.rabbitretreat.com
www.onlynaturalpetsupplies.co.uk