My Hedgehogs

[Lil Miss]

housing wise, you need either a vivarium or a ZZ2, they can not be kept in wire bar rabbit cags as they will climb up them and can break their legs in the process
they also need a large (12") wheel to run on, mine have wodent wheels, but you can use SS or CSW's
the flying saucer wheels arent good for hoggies as they encourgae a bent running position which can lead to spinal problems

diet wise, the staple part of their daily diet is a mix of atleast 3 - 4 different chicken based cat foods (they can not have fish) and should add up to no more then 10% fat and should be over 30% protein
they also enjoy meal worms, crickets, grasshopper, locusts ect
scrambled eggs
boiled chicken
a bit of lean fried mince
and a bit of wet cat food every so often (again no fish)
they can also have some fruit as treats

they also need a heat source as they need to be kept above 18C (some need to be kept above 20C my jack is a begger if he drops below 21C he will try and hibernate)

[KitchenZoo]

Thanks Lil Miss, that's interesting about the housing and the fact they need a wheel, wiuld never have thought that. My neighbour feeds a wild hedgehog who lives in her garden, she gives it some if her cat's food every night. I'll tell her to leave some scrambled eggs out to give it a bit of variety, lol. That's a really unusual pet are they becoming more popular?.

[Biscuit]

Aww! They're so cute! I've always wanted a hedgehog but my mum said no. You're so lucky. xxx

[fluffymunchkins]

They look so happy
I just love Jack especially, his feet and his button nose <3 x

[Lil Miss]

Sadly they are becoming very popular as pets, which is encouraging a lot of BYBs to start as they can make some serious money by doing so, sadly with hedgehogs there is a dreadful genetic condition known as WHS, which is likened to MS in people.
I lost my very first girlie to WHS, there is no cure for it, and sadly it is only actually confirmable by necropsy upon death.

Huffy shortly before we had to let her go



video of her


if you want a hedgehog you need to make sure you do a lot of research and go to one of the recommended breeders.

or failing that, rescue.

[Biscuit]

I have heard that a lot of people have hedgehogs but don't treat them right and it makes me so sad. Glad to know that there are caring people like you and all the other members on here.
I'm so sorry to hear about Huffy too. xxx

[Charley101]

Aww Huffy was an adorable little hoggy x

[Gizmodo ^_^]

What lovely Hoggies
So sorry to hear about Huffy she looked so cute

[racinghamster]

They are a credit to you Lil Miss. That was so sad that you lost little Huffy to a condition like that. So very, very heartbreaking. I know near to nothing about captive bred hedgehogs but I imagine they would be a total commitment, as any exotic pet would be, requiring the proper housing, diet and veterinary care, which sadly not everyone who keeps them has. The mind boggles when pet websites advertise pets nowadays like monkeys, skunks and even meerkats!

Well done to you for helping the wee ones you have. x

[Lil Miss]

oh yes they are very much so a commitment, you need to make sure your temps are right, and you need to make sure the diet is right, theres no actual suitable hegehog mix avaliable, so you need to make your own mix using atleast 3 - 4 different chicken based cat foods making sure it adds up to atleast 30% protein and no more then 10% fat, although some smaller hoggies do better on a tiny bit more fat, my mix is around 12% fat as harry doesnt do as well on a lower fat count

meerkats and monkeys really shouldnt be avaliable on the pet market, its just imposiable for most people to provide them with suitable accomidation and to meet their needs, skunks when kept as pets though are sort of like cats, and can be litter trained and do well with free run of the house, however they are still a very big commitment and shouldnt be freely available.
i know i couldnt provide any of them with the correct care that they need