Ok, so you're interested in buying a hedgehog. What next?
Basic Hedgehog Care. Click here to view our care sheet!
Habitat
The first thing you will need is a habitat for your new pet. For hedgehogs, give them as much room as you can - the more space the better. We recommend an absolute minimum of 2.5 to 3 square feet of floor space for your new pet. We use Ferret Nation Cages, but C&C cages are also well accepted by hedgehog enthusiasts. Hard-bottomed guinea pig or rabbit cages can also make a good choice for your new hedgehog. However, it is crucial that the floor be comprised of a solid material, as hedgies have been known to fall through wire mesh cage floors and break their legs. Make sure the walls are high enough so that your new pet can't climb out. Remove feces and clean urine daily! All bedding should be removed and cage sanitized at least once per week.
Bedding
At Virginia Beach Hedgies, Kaytee Clean and Cozy is our favorite, with Carefresh coming in second. We try to stay far away from wood shavings because they are known to house mites. NEVER USE CEDAR, as the aromatic oils have been known to cause respiratory problems, that over time can become fatal. We also use fleece liners on the bottom of a few of our cages, but with un-potty trained hedgehogs, this can be a pain.
Cage Accessories
Your hedgehog will need an exercise wheel to run on (THIS IS A MUST HAVE). We use 12" bucket wheels‐wheels. Try to avoid mesh or wire wheels, or any other type of wheel that your hedgehog might get their feet or toenails stuck in. It is important that your hedgehog have somewhere to hide and feel safe. Igloos, wooden huts, fleece bags, etc are all great options. We provide a variety of hides for our hogs. Hedgehogs are shy but inquisitive creatures and like checking out new things, so alternating things in their cage like rocks to climb on, pieces of wood to climb under and push around or even tunnels made of PVC pipe to run through or hide in. These are all good choices to help keep your hedgehog active, happy and healthy. We even have play pens with toys and interesting objects for the hedgies to play with. Most hedgehogs are very clean animals: they prefer to go to the bathroom in one corner of their cage. This makes liter box training very easy! We recommend putting a small animal litter box in the cage- this allows for a very simple clean up. If you plan on litter training, we recommend a newspaper based litter.
Food
Hedgehog nutrition is a much debated subject‐ there are only a few things that most breeders agree on: 1)Hedgehogs require a diet fairly low in fat, and some‐what high in protein and 2) Baby hedgehogs (up to 6 months of age) require more fat in their diet because their growing bodies burn more calories.
We feed our baby hedgies Purina One Kitten, and our adults Purina One Indoor. We also like to give lots of healthy snacks like boiled chicken, baby food, Gerber meat sticks, mild flavored veggies, and of‐course LIVE MEAL WORMS. Whichever brand you decide to feed, you must make sure the crude protien content is between 20% and 30%, but the crude fat content must not exceed 10%. Fruits and vegetables can be added to your hedgies diet, if they will eat it. Beans, peas, corn, apples, grapes, and carrots are some of the foods you can feed your hedgehog in small amounts. Other sources of protein that we feed are mealworms, crickets, lean cooked chicken, and occasionally eggs. It is important that food and fresh water be available at all times. We have found that water-bottles are much cleaner and practical to use than bowls (some hedgies enjoy using their water bowls as a toilet, and putting their bedding in it).
The first thing you will need is a habitat for your new pet. For hedgehogs, give them as much room as you can - the more space the better. We recommend an absolute minimum of 2.5 to 3 square feet of floor space for your new pet. We use Ferret Nation Cages, but C&C cages are also well accepted by hedgehog enthusiasts. Hard-bottomed guinea pig or rabbit cages can also make a good choice for your new hedgehog. However, it is crucial that the floor be comprised of a solid material, as hedgies have been known to fall through wire mesh cage floors and break their legs. Make sure the walls are high enough so that your new pet can't climb out. Remove feces and clean urine daily! All bedding should be removed and cage sanitized at least once per week.
Bedding
At Virginia Beach Hedgies, Kaytee Clean and Cozy is our favorite, with Carefresh coming in second. We try to stay far away from wood shavings because they are known to house mites. NEVER USE CEDAR, as the aromatic oils have been known to cause respiratory problems, that over time can become fatal. We also use fleece liners on the bottom of a few of our cages, but with un-potty trained hedgehogs, this can be a pain.
Cage Accessories
Your hedgehog will need an exercise wheel to run on (THIS IS A MUST HAVE). We use 12" bucket wheels‐wheels. Try to avoid mesh or wire wheels, or any other type of wheel that your hedgehog might get their feet or toenails stuck in. It is important that your hedgehog have somewhere to hide and feel safe. Igloos, wooden huts, fleece bags, etc are all great options. We provide a variety of hides for our hogs. Hedgehogs are shy but inquisitive creatures and like checking out new things, so alternating things in their cage like rocks to climb on, pieces of wood to climb under and push around or even tunnels made of PVC pipe to run through or hide in. These are all good choices to help keep your hedgehog active, happy and healthy. We even have play pens with toys and interesting objects for the hedgies to play with. Most hedgehogs are very clean animals: they prefer to go to the bathroom in one corner of their cage. This makes liter box training very easy! We recommend putting a small animal litter box in the cage- this allows for a very simple clean up. If you plan on litter training, we recommend a newspaper based litter.
Food
Hedgehog nutrition is a much debated subject‐ there are only a few things that most breeders agree on: 1)Hedgehogs require a diet fairly low in fat, and some‐what high in protein and 2) Baby hedgehogs (up to 6 months of age) require more fat in their diet because their growing bodies burn more calories.
We feed our baby hedgies Purina One Kitten, and our adults Purina One Indoor. We also like to give lots of healthy snacks like boiled chicken, baby food, Gerber meat sticks, mild flavored veggies, and of‐course LIVE MEAL WORMS. Whichever brand you decide to feed, you must make sure the crude protien content is between 20% and 30%, but the crude fat content must not exceed 10%. Fruits and vegetables can be added to your hedgies diet, if they will eat it. Beans, peas, corn, apples, grapes, and carrots are some of the foods you can feed your hedgehog in small amounts. Other sources of protein that we feed are mealworms, crickets, lean cooked chicken, and occasionally eggs. It is important that food and fresh water be available at all times. We have found that water-bottles are much cleaner and practical to use than bowls (some hedgies enjoy using their water bowls as a toilet, and putting their bedding in it).