I would like to own a hedgehog. What do I need to know?
January 7, 2016 5:07 AM Subscribe
Hedgehogs: they are so cute. I hear they make a good pet. What do I need to know?
Are there good books or websites out there that will give me a good background on owning a hedgehog?
I don't travel a ton but sometimes I visit relatives for the weekend. Should I take the hedgehog or is it ok to ask a neighbor to check on it and feed it?
Is it better to get two? Do they like having a companion?
I have two kids ages 6 and 4. I'm not planning to make the hedgehog theirs - it would be fully mine. Is owning a hedgehog with such young kids a bad idea? If we want to get a dog sometime this year, would it be bad to also own a hedgehog? If it would be best to wait until my kids are older, that's ok with me.
I have family members (who don't live with me) who are severely allergic to cats and mildly allergic to dogs. Would a hedgehog have any effect on their allergies?
Finally, I live in the greater Boston area so any recommendations on where to get a hedgehog would be great.
Are there good books or websites out there that will give me a good background on owning a hedgehog?
I don't travel a ton but sometimes I visit relatives for the weekend. Should I take the hedgehog or is it ok to ask a neighbor to check on it and feed it?
Is it better to get two? Do they like having a companion?
I have two kids ages 6 and 4. I'm not planning to make the hedgehog theirs - it would be fully mine. Is owning a hedgehog with such young kids a bad idea? If we want to get a dog sometime this year, would it be bad to also own a hedgehog? If it would be best to wait until my kids are older, that's ok with me.
I have family members (who don't live with me) who are severely allergic to cats and mildly allergic to dogs. Would a hedgehog have any effect on their allergies?
Finally, I live in the greater Boston area so any recommendations on where to get a hedgehog would be great.
Hedgehogs are illegal to own in a handful of states - I used to live in Pennsylvania, which is one of them (I knew someone who had a secret pet hedgehog that had to be smuggled in from a breeder in Jersey). Massachusetts is not one of those states, you can legally own a hedgehog there, but it's a possible drawback to keep in mind if you may be moving out of state any time soon.
posted by Itaxpica at 6:15 AM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Itaxpica at 6:15 AM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
A note on owning a nocturnal animal: hedgehogs I've had in the past woke up around ten pm to run in their wheels and were often still at it when I'd get up at five. I for one liked sleeping to the sound of hedgehog play, but every house guest I had would go quietly crazy to the point that they'd ask if the wheel, carboard tubes, and any other toys that could be used to make noise could be removed. This won't be an issue if you have a house with a spare room far away from sleeping people, but if not it's somethings to consider.
posted by lepus at 7:02 AM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by lepus at 7:02 AM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: One big thing to keep in mind is that they need a fairly high temperature to be happy and healthy. If you're out of town for a weekend and their heat light burns out or you lose power, you could end up with a deathly sick pet (especially if you keep the house fairly cold in the winter). Redundancy is a good thing.
Vet bills for hedgehogs can be expensive and you may have to hunt to find one nearby that can treat them.
Some hedgehogs never warm up to humans so you can end up with an expensive pet that doesn't really like you.
posted by Candleman at 7:15 AM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
Vet bills for hedgehogs can be expensive and you may have to hunt to find one nearby that can treat them.
Some hedgehogs never warm up to humans so you can end up with an expensive pet that doesn't really like you.
posted by Candleman at 7:15 AM on January 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
One big thing to keep in mind is that they need a fairly high temperature to be happy and healthy.
Yes, this. Even a draft going through the house from open windows on a spring or a fall day can cause their body temperature to drop. Hedgehogs are prone to pneumonia and you have to be very careful to monitor them and to take immediate corrective measures if they are chilled.
posted by Amy NM at 7:52 AM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yes, this. Even a draft going through the house from open windows on a spring or a fall day can cause their body temperature to drop. Hedgehogs are prone to pneumonia and you have to be very careful to monitor them and to take immediate corrective measures if they are chilled.
posted by Amy NM at 7:52 AM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: We rescued a hedgehog. What we have learned:
-It prefers to keep its own company. It puts up with us, but doesn't really like us or seek our company.
-It would be ok if left on its own for a weekend with sufficient food. In fact, it would prefer this to our company because it would mean more hours of dark and quiet.
-The hedgehog will roll into a ball and put its spikes out if it does not want to be handled. This can mildly hurt your hands.
-If it is used to receiving treats from your fingers, it may sometimes smell your fingers and mistake the smell of fingers for the smell of food and nip your finger.
-The hedgehog does not have very good depth perception, and will fall off of a surface (table, sofa) if not supervised.
-The hedgehog moves silently and is capable of squeezing through small cracks. This makes it an excellent escape artist.
-I am severely allergic to cats but am not allergic to this hedgehog.
-The hedgehog produces copious amounts of stinky poop. Its environment will need to be cleaned out each day. This involves wiping down the running wheel, which becomes caked with poop. (Hedgehogs poop as they run, and then continue running... in the poop if they are in a wheel). Its feet also require washing from time to time if they get poopy.
-The poop is also an issue when handling the hedgehog. We have learned to detect signs of imminent pooping and peeing and put the hog back in its environment when that's about to commence, but there is a learning curve and there will be accidents. The pooping also limits the amount of time we can spend handling the hedgehog.
-Speaking of running wheels, they are a must-have. The hog is a tiny marathoner and explorer with a ton of energy to release at night. Carolina storm-bucket wheels are pretty quiet and don't have cracks that the hog's legs can fall through.
-My understanding from a reading of a library book on hedgehogs is that they prefer to be solitary (not have another hedgehog in the same environment)
-Our hog is prone to bouts of grumpiness. He may be ok with us handling him one week, and the next week curl into a ball and adamantly refuse to uncurl whenever we pick him up.
-Our hog doesn't like change. If we give him a different brand of food, he refuses to eat it for a couple of days.
posted by scrambles at 7:59 AM on January 7, 2016 [7 favorites]
-It prefers to keep its own company. It puts up with us, but doesn't really like us or seek our company.
-It would be ok if left on its own for a weekend with sufficient food. In fact, it would prefer this to our company because it would mean more hours of dark and quiet.
-The hedgehog will roll into a ball and put its spikes out if it does not want to be handled. This can mildly hurt your hands.
-If it is used to receiving treats from your fingers, it may sometimes smell your fingers and mistake the smell of fingers for the smell of food and nip your finger.
-The hedgehog does not have very good depth perception, and will fall off of a surface (table, sofa) if not supervised.
-The hedgehog moves silently and is capable of squeezing through small cracks. This makes it an excellent escape artist.
-I am severely allergic to cats but am not allergic to this hedgehog.
-The hedgehog produces copious amounts of stinky poop. Its environment will need to be cleaned out each day. This involves wiping down the running wheel, which becomes caked with poop. (Hedgehogs poop as they run, and then continue running... in the poop if they are in a wheel). Its feet also require washing from time to time if they get poopy.
-The poop is also an issue when handling the hedgehog. We have learned to detect signs of imminent pooping and peeing and put the hog back in its environment when that's about to commence, but there is a learning curve and there will be accidents. The pooping also limits the amount of time we can spend handling the hedgehog.
-Speaking of running wheels, they are a must-have. The hog is a tiny marathoner and explorer with a ton of energy to release at night. Carolina storm-bucket wheels are pretty quiet and don't have cracks that the hog's legs can fall through.
-My understanding from a reading of a library book on hedgehogs is that they prefer to be solitary (not have another hedgehog in the same environment)
-Our hog is prone to bouts of grumpiness. He may be ok with us handling him one week, and the next week curl into a ball and adamantly refuse to uncurl whenever we pick him up.
-Our hog doesn't like change. If we give him a different brand of food, he refuses to eat it for a couple of days.
posted by scrambles at 7:59 AM on January 7, 2016 [7 favorites]
I've owned a wide variety of exotic animals but not this exotic animal, but two things:
It should never be allowed near a dog or cat. Dogs and cats do not mix with exotic animals. It isn't cute; it's a bad story waiting to happen (and for some reason people LOVE to tell crazy animal people like me stories like this... yay). Your dog may be gentle; your dog may have no prey drive; your dog may be the most submissive, tame dog ever; it doesn't matter. Animals trigger other animals in ways human beings don't, and that's all there is to it. So having a dog is a moot point - because they will never interact.
The other thing is that animal allergies can sometimes be across the board with mammals (because it's the dander - skin cells - not the fur), so yes, it may trigger allergies. Keeping the animal's cage scrupulously clean will really cut down in how it affects people coming into your home (and is a good idea anyhow).
As for getting one, consider looking at local shelters or rescues. They may have adults or young adults and could give you an idea of what your new hog's personality will be like.
posted by Nyx at 9:23 AM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
It should never be allowed near a dog or cat. Dogs and cats do not mix with exotic animals. It isn't cute; it's a bad story waiting to happen (and for some reason people LOVE to tell crazy animal people like me stories like this... yay). Your dog may be gentle; your dog may have no prey drive; your dog may be the most submissive, tame dog ever; it doesn't matter. Animals trigger other animals in ways human beings don't, and that's all there is to it. So having a dog is a moot point - because they will never interact.
The other thing is that animal allergies can sometimes be across the board with mammals (because it's the dander - skin cells - not the fur), so yes, it may trigger allergies. Keeping the animal's cage scrupulously clean will really cut down in how it affects people coming into your home (and is a good idea anyhow).
As for getting one, consider looking at local shelters or rescues. They may have adults or young adults and could give you an idea of what your new hog's personality will be like.
posted by Nyx at 9:23 AM on January 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Other posters have covered a lot of the basics—nocturnal, solitary, can be grumpy, OK to leave alone for a couple of days as long as they have food/water/heat, the importance of keeping them warm and cozy at all times, legal issues with exotic pets—all worth considering and advice I agree with. Some other points to consider:
Cleaning poop out of the wheel: Scrambles is absolutely right that there will be a lot of poop for such a tiny animal and that you really need to keep on top of your cleaning to prevent the wheel/bedding/play-areas from getting gross. I highly recommend "Wodent Wheels" brand wheels (the 12") for ease of cleanup. Wodent Wheels are designed so that the inner part of the wheel (the part where your hedgie will be running) is a removable plastic sheet that can be flattened out and cleaned separately. This alone makes cleanup much easier but I found that I could make the process even easier by wrapping the plastic in a layer of newspaper. This meant that to clean the wheel I would take apart the wheel, tear off the paper, which had 99% of the poop stuck to it and just give everything else a quick scrub down and then drying and adding new paper. Compared to the scrubbing dried/caked feces out of the plastic ridges it was amazing—maybe 5-10 minutes which meant I was more willing to do it every day rather than letting it slip and things getting nasty. Not to sound like a commercial but after using the Wodent Wheel I will never go back.
Food: There are some people who will tell you that you can feed a hedgehog on cat kibble. These people are WRONG. Hedgehogs are insectivores and need a specially formulated dry food diet supplemented with insects and fruit (try softer fruits like avocado and banana). Freeze dried meal worms can be a good option for insects if you're squicked out by live ones. Small amounts of wet cat food are OK as treats but not for everyday feeding.
Fleas: There is no way that I have found to effectively treat a hedgehog for fleas. Hedgehogs can reach their tongue to literally any part of their body so the back-of-the-neck treatments are dangerous for them even apart from there being no way to calculate dosage for such a tiny creature. Diatomaceous Earth might help and be safe (haven't asked our vet about it) but your main focus should be on prevention. Since you mention other pets it is very important that you do not allow them to bring fleas into the house and keep their flea treatments current.
Handling: Hedgehogs are very easily startled and like other animals they pick up on how you act around them. People who are afraid of getting poked or get startled and jerk away when the hedgehog tenses up will create a feedback loop that leads to a grumpy hedgehog who rolls up and wont come out. Get comfortable holding your hog without gloves/towel—the spines shouldn't break the skin even when the hog is puffed up and mad. Practice scooping them up in a fluid motion with no hesitation. Instead of trying to pry to unroll a curled up angry hog hold them at a 45° angle with the head facing down and they will usually uncurl on their own and start climbing down. Hedgehogs get spooked by all kinds of little noises and movements so you need to get used to it and let the hedgie take their time getting comfortable in new places and avoid putting them in loud or very active areas.
Self anointing: this is one of the weirdest and cutest things hedgehogs do. Hedgehogs love to find new/interesting smells, lick and bite the smelly thing into a lather of frothy spit, and then put that spit on their backs. It's a bizarre kind of contortion to watch but so cute in it's own odd way. Some hogs love leather, old socks, hair, give them lots of options and see what they like best.
Young Children: I think for the ages you mention it might be best to start out with a no-touching rule. You can have lots of fun with a hedgehog without directly handling them (and unless they are well socialized the hogs may prefer this) all of our hedgehogs have been OK, to varying degrees, with being handled but only one would actually let us 'pet' her and she was a special case (we think it's because her pregnancy made her especially cuddly and friendly). Get a portable pen and set it up with lots of boxes/tubes/shoes/whatever for the hedgie to explore with the kids watching only or interacting by trying to figure out what might be a fun thing to burrow in or that might smell nice to a hedgehog. When the hog burrows under a blanket and doesn't come out they are probably tired and it's time for bed. Once the kids have learned to respect the hedgehog and give it space you can let them let them interact on the hedgehogs terms by sitting or laying down in the space and letting the hedgehog climb on their stomach/lap/legs but without touching with their hands—this also lets the hedgehog get comfortable with their scent.
Good luck and feel free to mefimail me if you have other questions!
posted by metaphorever at 12:12 PM on January 7, 2016 [3 favorites]
Cleaning poop out of the wheel: Scrambles is absolutely right that there will be a lot of poop for such a tiny animal and that you really need to keep on top of your cleaning to prevent the wheel/bedding/play-areas from getting gross. I highly recommend "Wodent Wheels" brand wheels (the 12") for ease of cleanup. Wodent Wheels are designed so that the inner part of the wheel (the part where your hedgie will be running) is a removable plastic sheet that can be flattened out and cleaned separately. This alone makes cleanup much easier but I found that I could make the process even easier by wrapping the plastic in a layer of newspaper. This meant that to clean the wheel I would take apart the wheel, tear off the paper, which had 99% of the poop stuck to it and just give everything else a quick scrub down and then drying and adding new paper. Compared to the scrubbing dried/caked feces out of the plastic ridges it was amazing—maybe 5-10 minutes which meant I was more willing to do it every day rather than letting it slip and things getting nasty. Not to sound like a commercial but after using the Wodent Wheel I will never go back.
Food: There are some people who will tell you that you can feed a hedgehog on cat kibble. These people are WRONG. Hedgehogs are insectivores and need a specially formulated dry food diet supplemented with insects and fruit (try softer fruits like avocado and banana). Freeze dried meal worms can be a good option for insects if you're squicked out by live ones. Small amounts of wet cat food are OK as treats but not for everyday feeding.
Fleas: There is no way that I have found to effectively treat a hedgehog for fleas. Hedgehogs can reach their tongue to literally any part of their body so the back-of-the-neck treatments are dangerous for them even apart from there being no way to calculate dosage for such a tiny creature. Diatomaceous Earth might help and be safe (haven't asked our vet about it) but your main focus should be on prevention. Since you mention other pets it is very important that you do not allow them to bring fleas into the house and keep their flea treatments current.
Handling: Hedgehogs are very easily startled and like other animals they pick up on how you act around them. People who are afraid of getting poked or get startled and jerk away when the hedgehog tenses up will create a feedback loop that leads to a grumpy hedgehog who rolls up and wont come out. Get comfortable holding your hog without gloves/towel—the spines shouldn't break the skin even when the hog is puffed up and mad. Practice scooping them up in a fluid motion with no hesitation. Instead of trying to pry to unroll a curled up angry hog hold them at a 45° angle with the head facing down and they will usually uncurl on their own and start climbing down. Hedgehogs get spooked by all kinds of little noises and movements so you need to get used to it and let the hedgie take their time getting comfortable in new places and avoid putting them in loud or very active areas.
Self anointing: this is one of the weirdest and cutest things hedgehogs do. Hedgehogs love to find new/interesting smells, lick and bite the smelly thing into a lather of frothy spit, and then put that spit on their backs. It's a bizarre kind of contortion to watch but so cute in it's own odd way. Some hogs love leather, old socks, hair, give them lots of options and see what they like best.
Young Children: I think for the ages you mention it might be best to start out with a no-touching rule. You can have lots of fun with a hedgehog without directly handling them (and unless they are well socialized the hogs may prefer this) all of our hedgehogs have been OK, to varying degrees, with being handled but only one would actually let us 'pet' her and she was a special case (we think it's because her pregnancy made her especially cuddly and friendly). Get a portable pen and set it up with lots of boxes/tubes/shoes/whatever for the hedgie to explore with the kids watching only or interacting by trying to figure out what might be a fun thing to burrow in or that might smell nice to a hedgehog. When the hog burrows under a blanket and doesn't come out they are probably tired and it's time for bed. Once the kids have learned to respect the hedgehog and give it space you can let them let them interact on the hedgehogs terms by sitting or laying down in the space and letting the hedgehog climb on their stomach/lap/legs but without touching with their hands—this also lets the hedgehog get comfortable with their scent.
Good luck and feel free to mefimail me if you have other questions!
posted by metaphorever at 12:12 PM on January 7, 2016 [3 favorites]
This is a very helpful forum with a hedgehog section of all kinds of questions and answers: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/
posted by sweetmarie at 11:46 AM on January 8, 2016
posted by sweetmarie at 11:46 AM on January 8, 2016
We had hedgies when I was a kid. They love love love eating mealworms.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 7:42 AM on January 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 7:42 AM on January 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
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There's no question they're adorable but they're not for everyone.
Here are a few off the top of my head comments:
- hedgehogs are by nature nocturnal. I'm not saying you'd never see one during the day, but it's not automatic
- hedgehogs are by nature shy. They may be socialised when they come from the pet store or breeder, but you need to make sure that you handle them a lot (daily, for a good stretch of time) to maintain that socialisation or you won't be able to get them to uncurl at times when you need to check them to make sure that their foot isn't hurt or those times when you need to trim their nails
- hedgehogs don't generally like noise or bright lights. They might endure it, but they won't be happy
Here are some answers to your specific questions:
- good websites: Hedgehog FAQ
- taking the hedgehog vs. leaving it at home: I've always left mine at home because they're very independent, but on the other hand I know a couple who took their hedgehog everywhere. I think it depends on the nature of your particular hedgehog plus how much you've worked with it to socialise it
- one versus two: hedgehogs are not pack animals the way dogs are. I've had two at a time and one at a time and when I had two they didn't interact at all. Just make sure you don't get a male and a female or you could wake up with baby hedgehogs some day
- hedgehogs and kids: if you work hard with your children to teach them to be gentle with the hedgehog, it's fine if they're that young. Just remember that if your hedgehog is scared it will stick its quills straight out and the children can hurt themselves if they try to pick it up
- hedgehogs and dogs: I've had dogs with hedgehogs and there was no problem as the hedgehog rolled up in a ball when the dog approached her and the dog left her alone. It would depend on the breed of dog and the dog's personality, though.
I can't help you with the allergy question, I'm afraid.
Hope that helps. If you have any specific questions, feel free to follow up here with or through MeFi Mail
posted by Amy NM at 5:39 AM on January 7, 2016 [10 favorites]