|
Hedgehog Care Sheet |
| |
 |
| |
|
 A hedgehog needs the correct food and a proper
habitat to live a long happy and healthy life.
Before bringing your hedgehog home you should
have his cage set up and ready and food
available. Below is a list of items you will
need to care for your pet. |
| |
|
Habitat
-
Cage Placement - Place your hedgehogs new home in a comfortable,
warm, well lit area that is free of drafts and
direct sunlight. They are most comfortable at
temperatures of between 65-80 degrees
Fahrenheit. (18-27 degrees Celsius) The basic
rule of thumb is, if you are comfortable without
a sweater, they will do just fine. |
| |
|
A
cage
that is at least 4 feet long and 2 feet wide.
That is the minimum size so go with the biggest
cage possible. Multi-level cages are a good way
to increase your pet’s space. The basic cage for
a Guinea Pig. Plastic bottom covered wired slot
tops are perfect. |
| |
|
Bedding
for the bottom of the cage. Bedding made from
recycled paper types, or Aspen wood shavings is
a good choice. |
| |
|
A
hide area
where you pet can go to feel safe and secure. A
Plastic big Cave for small animals work well and
wash easy. |
| |
|
A small animal
litter box |
| |
|
Litter
for the litter box. Litter that is basic clay
litter, no fragrance’s, no fresh steps. No
chemicals. Basic plain cheap litter. |
| |
|
A stoppered
water bottle.
A good water bottle they can’t chew on. A heavy
bowl can be used as an alternative if your
hedgehog doesn’t like a water bottle. |
| |
|
A couple of
bowls
for dry and moist food. The bowls should be
attachable to the cage or heavy enough to
prevent spilling. |
| |
|
An
exercise wheel,
preferably one with a solid wheel to prevent
possible injury. Use a silent spinner if you
intend to sleep at night!
|
| |
|
A variety of
toys
and decor to keep your pet entertained. Examples
are pipes, tubes, tunnels, ramps, ledges, balls,
and bells. Bird Toys, Cat toys work well. |
| |
|
A small animal
playpen
for when your hedgehog is out of his cage keeps
him safe. |
| |
|
Food -
A dry hedgehog food or cat food that is high in
protein and made from meat or chicken. An adult
is offered about 1/4 cup a day. |
| |
|
I feed Hedgehog Diet from Exotic Nutrition. This
is what I recommend. People do use cat food. The
food should be high in protein and made from
meat or chicken. I do NOT recommend this. But in
a pinch I would use it if there is no other
choice. |
| |
|
Fruits and vegetables that can be added to your
pet’s diet. beans, peas, cilantro, parsley,
basil, apples, grapes, and carrots are some of
the foods you can feed your hedgehog in small
amounts. Every hedgie has a treat they go gaga
for, find yours! Try things. About a teaspoon a
day. |
| |
|
Adding Protein to their diet like treats of
insects - mealworms, small super worms,
crickets, and cooked food like turkey burger,
chicken, or eggs. Cut into small pieces and feed
cold. About 6 mealworms, 3 supers, 4 crickets, a
teaspoon on meat a day. |
| |
|
Obesity -
Since a healthy hedgehog is a bit on the plump
side naturally, determining the difference
between a healthy animal's "chubby" condition
and obesity can be somewhat difficult. Since
there is such a wide variety of size in domestic
stock these days, an obese hedgehog can be as
little as 8 ounces to as much as 2 pounds in
weight, so weight guidelines are of little use
in identifying a fat hedgehog! |
| |
|
Of far more use to you than a set of scales is a
weekly or monthly visual inspection of your
pet's front legs and chin. While a hedgehog in
its normal trim will be a bit chubby in these
two locations, an obese specimen will have a
double chin and "ham-hocks" for legs and
sometimes even rolls of fat under the arm-pits.
Such animals will be so fat that they will even
be incapable of rolling themselves into a ball! |
| |
|
If your pet should become this fat eliminate all
treats from its diet but do not reduce the
amount of dry food - the primary source of
necessary proteins, vitamins and minerals. If
after a month you see no evidence of weight
loss, change the type of dry food that you are
feeding to one that has a fat content of at
least 20 percent. The theory is that the added
fat will cause your pet to "bulk-up" and eat
less and will actually help it to lose weight. |
| |
|
Grooming
- Hedgehogs do a fairly good job of grooming
themselves but sometimes, there are things they
need help with. If you wish, you can bath your
hedgehog a couple times a year. Here is what you
will need. |
| |
|
Assemble the following items at your bathroom
sink: |
| |
- cat
shampoo- I use oatmeal sensitive skin
|
- a
cup (unless you have a sink with sprayer hose)
|
|
|
- a towel
at the sink or bathtub
|
| |
|
Run an inch (no more!) of lukewarm water into
the bathroom sink. Next, place a drop or two of
the cat shampoo into the water. Now, place your
hedgehog gently into the water and wet him
thoroughly by scooping water from the sink with
the cup onto his back. Using the toothbrush,
gently and slowly scrub his spines from front to
back and in small circles, making sure not to
get any of the soapy water in his eyes. Once his
back is clean, reach underneath and wash his
tummy by gently running your fingers over the
fur, but do not flip him over. After he has been
thoroughly scrubbed, remove him from the sink,
drain the dirty water and once again refill the
sink with an inch of lukewarm water. Then, place
him back in, thoroughly rinse him off, remove
him from the sink and then gently towel him dry.
If the room is cool, you can use a hairdryer to
dry him off, but do not use it above its lowest
setting. |
| |
|
After he has dried off, check his toenails to
see if they need trimming. If you are not
familiar with how to trim toenails, I strongly
recommend that you take your hedgehog to the vet
to have him do this for you. Each toenail has a
large blood vein running through it and, by
cutting too much of the nail off, you can easily
cause your pet to bleed. This bleeding can
quickly be stopped by using a commercially
available blood-stop powder or caustic stick
(available from your vet) or by dipping the
affected toenail in corn starch. If not treated,
the bleeding will eventually stop, but not
before the animal has lost a considerable amount
of blood. To make matters worse, your hedgehog
may protest against having his nails trimmed and
will make the task difficult, if not impossible
for you to perform on your own. Again, if you
are unsure about doing this, have a professional
do it for you! |
| |
|
For those already familiar with the task, a pair
of ordinary fingernail clippers will do the job.
If he protests, which he very well may, you will
have to be very patient with him. First, try to
firmly but gently grab hold of one foot and
maintain that hold until he relaxes a bit. Then,
quickly trim the toenails making sure to avoid
cutting into the quick. After finishing, give
him a bit of a break or a nice treat as a reward
and proceed with the next foot. In most cases,
you will be unable to do more than one or two of
his feet at a setting before he says enough is
enough, so it may take two or three days to do
all four feet. The toenails need to be checked
for over-growth every couple of months. There
are some hedgehogs that never need them trimmed,
however, so don't automatically assume that they
need doing. |
| |
| |
