Hedgehogs

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After reading in another thread, I have become very intrested in hedgehogs. Do they make good pets? At places where cats are not allow, are hedgehogs allowed? How do you litter box train them?

I have always been a cat lover, but with vet school and apartment/house searching most places do not allow cats or dogs. A hedgehog seem now to be an option. Do they travel well (in a car, just in case I want to go home during the holidays)?

Tell me more about these cool looking animals! Do they like being pets?
 
Hedgehogs are pretty much the coolest animals ever! 😎

I got a hedgehog several years ago from a 12 year old boy who no longer wanted to care for it. She wasn't the nicest hedgehog, and never really did come out of her shell for me. But they're just so goofy! I'd leave her to play in a play pen or sometimes let her get lost in my room. She loved running in her wheel (unfortunately, she also loved pooping in her wheel so it would stick to the wheel, go up to the top, then fall on her :laugh:. Unfortunately, bathing her was not fun (nor was cutting her nails... I took her into work and gave her a bit of iso whenever they got to be dreadful). She seemed to travel well.

One thing to be careful of is that they have very strict temperature requirements! I found this out the hard way when my heat broke and the temperature in my apartment dropped down to ~50 overnight. When I woke up shivering I made an effort to get her moved to the warmest part of the house and to get her a hot water bottle to curl up with (in addition to her heat lamp that was always on in the winter). These guys are capable of going into hibernation if the temperature gets too low, but their metabolism can't keep them alive for more than a few days (I believe? can't quite remember) like this.

Sadly, Hazel was not the friendliest of the bunch, but I have met many sweet hedgehogs. Its just best to get them at a young age and handle them LOTS. I had thought about getting another one sometime soon, but decided against it with vet school approaching... I just wouldn't have the time for a hedgie and my 2 dogs and cat. However, if I didn't have other pets, I would consider getting another one...

Oh, and the worst was when she would shed a quill or two on my carpet and I would step on it... ouch. Always quite a surprise since they don't really tend to lose quills frequently.
 
One of my classmates has a hedgehog named Harrison and she has a small apartment. Cute little guy! She even has an annual birthday party for him. She keeps him in an extra large high walled Rubbermaid tub with the top off, which makes it super easy to carry, move, and clean. With four dogs (and a ferret, a rat, a goldfish, and 2 snakes), I don't think I'd get one personally, but they were pretty cool if that was your only pet.
 
I don't think we ever litter trained our hedgie, but Chrissie was pretty cool anyway. She was easy to handle and very inquisitive, and even when puffed out to the max (i.e. our dog found her) you could still pick her up without injury. Their spines aren't like porcupine quills that are thrown, they're pretty stationary and not as sharp as they appear. We fed her cat food/ferret food and supplemented with insects we'd find outdoors. I was fairly young when we had her and if I had another one I'd probably do a few things differently, like feeding a very high-quality cat food and giving her a regular supply of insects, fruits, and veggies. I'd also make sure to avoid the torpor -- we had that happen with her a few times on accident and it was always alarming.

A hedgehog might be a pet I'd get if I went to Western in CA -- I have a cat I'll be bringing with me, but it'd be more hassle than I want to deal with to try and get a ferret in a state where they're illegal. And this particular cat never harassed the hedgehog when we had her, but was a fiend when it came to rodents, so they would be out for now. I'm thinking ferret or hedgie for sure when I move for school.
 
They STINK. I literally mean they smell. They are very dirty creatures but cool. A friend of mine had one for a while and it just stunk :wow: That's about all I remember!
 
I took care of a couple hedgehogs in high school and although they're not the cuddliest, they have the most adorable faces! Something about them, you barely even notice the prickly factor. As for smell, I don't think they smell worse than any other small mammal, and considerably better than some (ferrets, for example). They seem to need a fair amount of handling to adjust to it, but eventually they get there, or at least ours did.
 
I have a hedgehog currently and basically if you are ok with small animals (hamsters, chinnies, guinea pigs) then you will like them. They can be litter trained which is definitely helpful although that wont stop them from defecating while they run. So as long as you dont mind cleaning up their wheel every day your golden. Cat food has the best standard balance of proteins and such for food and you can supplement with mealworms as treats. They travel well and as for stinking not at all. Ferrets stink, this is nothing like that. Unless you were to let the wheel/cage get full of feces for 5 days it wont be in the least bit stinky.
 
I am seriously considering one now!!

About the temp requirements - they'll be ok indoors with a heat lamp over the winter?

If I don't turn the heat on overnight, it can get down to the upper 40s in the house by the time I wake up. Ugh.

I wouldn't want anything to happen to my hedgie and would need to leave a heat lamp on most the time just in case......but could they overheat by doing that? I've never had a temp sensitive animal.

Do they make any noise, other than a squeaky exercise wheel?

Do you they get lost easliy? It's a stupid question, but most of the hedgie websites I've looked at have a section for 'what to do if your hedgie gets out of its cage and you can't find him' Uh oh.
 
lailanni said:
I am seriously considering one now!!

About the temp requirements - they'll be ok indoors with a heat lamp over the winter?

If I don't turn the heat on overnight, it can get down to the upper 40s in the house by the time I wake up. Ugh.

I wouldn't want anything to happen to my hedgie and would need to leave a heat lamp on most the time just in case......but could they overheat by doing that? I've never had a temp sensitive animal.

Do they make any noise, other than a squeaky exercise wheel?

Do you they get lost easliy? It's a stupid question, but most of the hedgie websites I've looked at have a section for 'what to do if your hedgie gets out of its cage and you can't find him' Uh oh.
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I wouldnt go as far as a heat lamp. An electric blanket under the cage would be adequate. They dont make noises though wheels can be loud, I recommend the Silent Spinner. The only noise the really ever make is a "huffing" sound when they are irked.
 
*Walks in with a big grin.*

Yo!

*Looks around.*

Oh...Different type of hedgehogs..

...

LET THEM RUN FREEEEE!!

*Runs away.*
 
lailanni said:
Do you they get lost easliy? It's a stupid question, but most of the hedgie websites I've looked at have a section for 'what to do if your hedgie gets out of its cage and you can't find him' Uh oh.
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Check under your dresser?? That's where mine always ended up.

My sugar gliders on the other hand... crawled under the couch cushions and literally were inside the couch 😱
 
I girl I used to be friends with (who is also in pre-vet) had a hedgehog. They are really neat, but from my experience with them, they are pretty timid and sensitive.

She pulled a stupid... she bred hers one year even though everyone she talked to said not to because the risk of complications is just too high.

It is really good that you are doing research. I thought about owning one and did some research on it too, but the costs of keeping one and the upkeep were just too overwhelming for me. I found this forum really helped me: http://www.chins-n-quills.com/
 
Hedgehogs are adorable! I wanted to own one for a little bit, but then I found out that owning a hedgehog in my home state is illegal. 🙁 So you should check your local laws to see if you need any type of permit. There's some info here: http://hedgehogcentral.com/illegal.shtml. I thought I heard they were illegal in DC and Vermont too, which aren't on that list. But laws are always changing, so you'd have to check for where you live!
 
They are wild animals here - non-natives brought in by the British, maybe?

A bunch live in my backyard. My dog Silas loves them, although he toys with them like a cat toys with a mouse 😱
 
If you want to know about their health issues, I can say from experience that they tend to get a lot of cancer and "wobbly hedgehog disease" (not really treatable). 🙁 Very cute but not what I would want to handle every day. Their dietary requirements may be difficult for you too...should have insects at least once per week in addition to the dry "hedgehog food".
 
birdvet2006 said:
If you want to know about their health issues, I can say from experience that they tend to get a lot of cancer and "wobbly hedgehog disease" (not really treatable). 🙁 Very cute but not what I would want to handle every day. Their dietary requirements may be difficult for you too...should have insects at least once per week in addition to the dry "hedgehog food".
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You can buy mealies at any pet store and "hedgehog food" consists of a quality cat food like Chicken Soup For the Cat Lovers Soul.
 
bakaduin said:
You can buy mealies at any pet store and "hedgehog food" consists of a quality cat food like Chicken Soup For the Cat Lovers Soul.
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They actually have hedgehog food now, that is an improvement on cat food. As for insects - feeding insectivores involves much more than just buying mealworms. You need a good variety of captive bred insects, such as crickets, meal worms, wax worms, cockroaches, and more. You should also gut load your insects to provide optimal nutrition.
 
birdvet2006 said:
They actually have hedgehog food now, that is an improvement on cat food. As for insects - feeding insectivores involves much more than just buying mealworms. You need a good variety of captive bred insects, such as crickets, meal worms, wax worms, cockroaches, and more. You should also gut load your insects to provide optimal nutrition.
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Most the readily available "hedgehog" foods like Vitakraft, Pretty Pets, and browns are all poor quality foods. Yes they market them as an improvement but thats hardly the case. There are a few better hedgehog foods like 8 in 1 but a good quality light feline food (Felidae, Innova, Royal Canin Slim 38) is much better for your hedgie. This subject has been discussed ad nauseum on the chinsandquills website. Supplementing this with fruits, veggies, mealies, and waxworms will give your hedgie more than a balanced and healthy diet.
 
Do they make any noise, other than a squeaky exercise wheel?
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The only noise the really ever make is a "huffing" sound when they are irked.
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Besides puffing/huffing, they also:
purr/whistle
snuffle/snort
squeak/chirp
hiss/click
scream
 
athenaparthenos said:
Oh no, they're illegal in CA, too? WTF! California is an *******. Stop illegalizing all the awesome pets! >_<
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In some places, it is a good thing that they are illegal. If they get dumped, they pose a threat to wildlife and environment in that paticular state.

That reminds me... someone posted in stupidpetowners that they had found a hedgehog on the side of the road. They took it to the vet, but it was so full of mites and so weak that they decided to put it to sleep.
 
scarcelyheard said:
In some places, it is a good thing that they are illegal. If they get dumped, they pose a threat to wildlife and environment in that paticular state.
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Pretty much any domesticated animal can pose a threat though... feral cats' effect on the environment can be huge, yet I've never heard of the domestic cat being outlawed somehow... I think they just have it out for exotics. 😉
 
This is why you all have to apply to Florida. Fill out the paperwork for a wildlife permit and get whatever crazy critter you want.

What can I say, I'm a horrible person and I am not opposed to some wildlife being kept as pets.
 
birdvet2006 said:
If you want to know about their health issues, I can say from experience that they tend to get a lot of cancer and "wobbly hedgehog disease" (not really treatable). 🙁
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I definitley agree with you there. My first two hedgehogs died from wobbly hedgehog disease and my third one (the one in my avatar) passed away from cancer. And I'll also add that they easily get mites too 🙁

Even so, I am definitely getting another hedgehog one day! They are just so cute and fun. Plus they're want got me into vet med in the first place. It was so hard to find a good hedgehog vet in our area. The first one we went to was not good at all! I took my hedgie in because we thought he had some sort of allergy and wanted her opinion but all she did was prescribe him antibiotics without knowing what was going on. After two weeks and no improvement, we took him back and she prescribed him a different antibiotic. Two weeks later and no improvement and she said why not try another antibiotic for two weeks? We said no, went home and changed his food/bedding/cage and he was better in two days. Afterwards, my mom and I went in search of a better hedgehog vet and finally found one a 45 min drive away. But the whole process really got me interested in vet med and basically after that I began my whole prevet adventure!

As for travelling well in a car - I think it depends on the hedgehog. We used to take my first hedgehog for car rides all the time and she didn't mind at all. But my second one - well we got him from a lady about 45 minutes from our house and he got carsick on the way back and vomitted several times. After that he never left the house.
 
bakaduin said:
Most the readily available "hedgehog" foods like Vitakraft, Pretty Pets, and browns are all poor quality foods. Yes they market them as an improvement but thats hardly the case. There are a few better hedgehog foods like 8 in 1 but a good quality light feline food (Felidae, Innova, Royal Canin Slim 38) is much better for your hedgie. This subject has been discussed ad nauseum on the chinsandquills website. Supplementing this with fruits, veggies, mealies, and waxworms will give your hedgie more than a balanced and healthy diet.
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Yeah, that's the same with ferret diets. Most of the ferret diets (Marshall, for instance) are either way over priced or have way too many grain fillers that are inappropriate for ferrets and could lead to problems like insulinoma. Marshall is about the same price as Innova Evo, but Innova has the better ingredients.
 
scarcelyheard said:
In some places, it is a good thing that they are illegal. If they get dumped, they pose a threat to wildlife and environment in that paticular state.

That reminds me... someone posted in stupidpetowners that they had found a hedgehog on the side of the road. They took it to the vet, but it was so full of mites and so weak that they decided to put it to sleep.
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As for ferrets, there has never been a feral ferret population from escaped/released ferrets on the books. They've been domesticated (or at least in human service) for around 2000 years or so. I saw some sites online of ferreting rabbits with dogs. It was pretty interesting and not uncommon in the UK!
 
Kylana said:
Plus they're want got me into vet med in the first place.
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Me too!

"How did you get into vet med?"

"I like hedgehogs."

Because that would go over well in an interview... almost as well as "I LOVE puppies!"
 
Electrophile said:
Yeah, that's the same with ferret diets. Most of the ferret diets (Marshall, for instance) are either way over priced or have way too many grain fillers that are inappropriate for ferrets and could lead to problems like insulinoma. Marshall is about the same price as Innova Evo, but Innova has the better ingredients.
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Yeah when I first bought my hedgie, I had done the research and knew what food I was going to buy. When I got to the register the lady tried to talk me out of cat food to get Vitakraft "Hedgehog" food. This was like no food I've ever seen. It wasnt kibble instead it was a hodgepodge of raisins, sunflower, seeds, puffed wheat, and POPCORN. Basically everything they could find that my hedgie could choke on or acquire a blockage from. The more research I did on it the worse I found out about how bad it really was. Then you have the other hedgie foods like L'Avian, 8 in 1, and Pretty Pets that are all highly corn based. I learned very quickly that just because something is marketed towards your animal doesnt mean its right for them.
 
Mass outlaws every cool animal. I REALLY want a sugar glider! They look like so much fun.

One of my NH coworkers has a hedgie and it's too cool! They've had a few and have had the wobbly hedgehog thing... one died from unknown causes also.
 
Kara31191 said:
Mass outlaws every cool animal. I REALLY want a sugar glider! They look like so much fun.
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African Pigmy hedgehogs are legal in massachusetts.

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfwpets.htm

mass.gov said:
MAMMALS. Lawful (no MassWildlife permit required):
Only the following 11 mammals (or groups) may be kept as pets.
  1. Four-toed (African Pygmy) Hedgehog;
  2. Chinchilla, derived from captive stock;
  3. Deer Mouse and White-footed Mouse;
  4. Degu;
  5. Egyptian Spiny Mouse;
  6. House Mouse;
  7. Jerboas;
  8. Norway Rat;
  9. Paca;
  10. Southern Flying Squirrel;
  11. Striped Hamster.
Unlawful: All other mammals not listed as domestic.
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Ive been looking on and off for the last year now to find a paca. My only leads so far have come from some incredibly shady importers. 🙁
 
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