Right before Parker and I moved for medical school we decided to do something we had been planning for a long time and get a pet hedgehog. We loved the idea of a cute, low maintenance pet. We got our little boy, Prickles, when he was 6 weeks old and have learned a lot since then about taking care of him.
They are not all fun and games, while hedgehogs are adorable and do not need a lot of attention, they do require knowing some things about their care.
Hedgehog Diet
Hedgehogs are carnivorous animals. Domesticated hedgehogs need a diet of high protein cat food and insects. They also can eat most fresh fruits and vegetables.
Hedgehogcare.org suggests adding a small amount of fruit and vegetables and treating fresh or freeze-dried insects like junk food that should be given in moderation.
We learned from hedgehog registry that it is really important to never let a hedgehog have dairy.
We feed Prickles a few tablespoons of chicken cat food every day, give him a dried cricket or mealworm every other night and try to give him a fresh fruit or vegetable at least 3 times a week.
He loves crickets and enjoys worms and salad, but he isn't a huge fan of watermelon.
Water is very important for a hedgehog's diet and so you should always make sure they have a full bowl or springless bottle full. We use a bowl, but he does sometimes knock his water out into his cage.
The Ideal Hedgehog Habitat
Hedgehogs are very exploratory, so the need lots of room to play in their cage. They also need something soft for the bottom and a heating lamp to keep them from going into hibernation.
We use a large storage tote for his cage and use pine bedding on the bottom. We got this reptile lamp on Amazon to keep him warm and it works really well.
Cages shouldn't have wire bottoms, because that can hurt a hedgehog's feet. This site has some really great information on cages and bedding.
Here is a good guide for example of hedgehog cages.
Hedgehog Toys or Cage Clutter
Hedgehogs can be very active and playful pets; they enjoy running and climbing. A large exercise wheel is an absolute necessity for a pet hedgehog. Make sure you get a large one though, when we first bought one on Amazon, we accidentally got one for a hamster and it was far too small for our Prickles.
Here is the wheel we now have that works great. Any wheel that is large enough and not made of wire that can hurt feet works great though.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and so they like to have a hideout to sleep in during the day. You can get specific pet hideouts or fleece pouches, or just use a spare t-shirt.
We use an old t-shirt of mine for Prickles and he loves it.
Some more ideas for toys or cage clutter are toilet paper or paper towel rolls, PVC pipe, and a dog or cat toys.
We gave Prickles an old toilet paper roll that he really liked until he let it fall into his water and it got so soggy I had to throw it away. We also have some play mice, fuzzy balls, and balls with bells in them in his cage that Prickles can play with.
Quillberry has a great guide for cage clutter.
Hedgehog Hygiene
Hedgehogs are typically pretty clean, but to keep them and their habitat smelling good you do need to do a few things.
Sometimes hedgehogs will poop on their wheel as they run and get "poop boots" on their feet and require to be washed. This can be done by filling a sink with a bit of water and scrubbing their feet with a toothbrush.
Bathing regularly with warm water and a soft toothbrush to brush feet and quills is a good idea. If they are quilling (losing quills) you can also give them an oatmeal bath. Quillberry has a good guide for those as well.
You can then pat your little hedgehog dry with a towel.
Cages should be cleaned regularly. We typically scoop out poop we can see daily and biweekly clean out his entire cage and replace the bedding with new bedding.
You will also want to make sure their nails are trimmed regularly; you can do it yourself or do what we do and get the vet to do it for you at checkups.
Bonding With Your New Hedgehog
Bonding with a new hedgehog is a very hard but rewarding experience. When you first get a new hedgehog, you should try to bond with them for 30-60 minutes every night. After dinner is best because your hedgehog will be more active since it is nighttime.
You will want to pick up and hold your hedgehog. For the first little bit holding them in your bare hands is best so they can get used to your scent is best, but you can also use a towel, bonding pouch, or even hood or pocket of a jacket as well.
Your hedgehog will probably quill up a little and it might hurt but pushing through it is how you will best bond.
When we bond with Prickles, we like to hold him with our hands and rock him back and forth until he calms down, then we let him climb on us. When he seems curious, we put him on the floor and let him run around a little.
Quill Berry's bonding guide has been huge for teaching us about how to make the most of our bonding time.
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