First, realize that this thought just crossed my mind... 20 minutes ago? haha so there is still a chance I won't be getting one. I'm just wondering what you would do to care for a pet hedgehog and if they really are good pets.
When I say good pets, I don't mean being hard to care for. I've grown up with tons of pets so far, and my mom has had even more! I may not be responsible in school but as far as pets go I'm pretty dang responsible since I always feed, clean, and play with them. I also have to pay for most of their supplies
What I mean is, should they actually be pets. As in, a lot of people get monkeys for pets but they're actually NOT supposed to be pets. I've never actually met anyone with a pet hedgehog but I think they're soo cool!
So what special care would you give a hedgehog? Would you need to care for their little spines? (I aready help my bird when he's molting) And how big a cage would they be happy with? I have limited space...
Also, anyone have one? :D The Great Toucher, (ignoring how self-centered your name sounds)
Whats your problem? If you're refering to that person earlier I answered telling him not to spam Yahoo answers, you're telling me not to spam because...why? That guy was obviously going for cheap laughs, and if you took his question (which was only half readable anyway) seriously, thats just plain sad. My question pretty much made sence, and is a genuine question. Please don't be rude for stupid and pointless reasons.
Anyone else reading can ignore that lol. I dont think he'll read that, but I just have to respond. (I don't really want to start a whole email conversation though) lol The Hedgehog Welfare Society has a hedgehog care brochure at http://www.hedgehogwelfare.org/HWScarebr... that provides a good overview of what's involved with caring for hedgehogs. You may want to read that, along with other information on the Hedgehog Welfare Society's web site: http://www.hedgehogwelfare.org/ .
I'd have serious qualms about keeping a hedgehog as a pet, for two main reasons. First, they're banned in many places, so even if you currently live in a place where they're permitted, there's a chance you'll later find yourself wanting to move somewhere that prohibits hedgehogs. What do you do if, for example, you have your heart set on attending a college in California? Hedgehogs are banned in California, so you have to decide between abandoning your pet (not an option I'd consider) or not going to California until your hedgehog has died of old age. Information on the legal status of hedgehogs in various US states is at http://www.hedgehogworld.com/content/vie... .
My second serious concern about hedgehogs as pets is that it's almost impossible to find veterinarians who know how to treat them. Many don't even know how to euthanize them. I find it hard enough to find veterinarians who have a clue about guinea pigs, and can only imagine how much harder it is to find vets for hedgehogs. I live in one of the places where hedgehogs are banned, so here it's completely impossible.
For me, personally, another big strike against hedgehogs is that they require warm temperatures, and I don't want to consume lots of electricity in winter keeping my apartment as warm as they need. That may not be a concern for someone who lives in a warmer climate or always heats their home anyway.
Another thing that concerns me about keeping hedgehogs in captivity is that we don't yet have a full grasp of their dietary needs. Hedgehogs in the wild can forage and find the foods they need, whereas those in captivity are stuck eating whatever inadequate foods we give them.
What I'm saying is that although I don't think hedgehogs are necessarily fundamentally unsuited to being kept as pets, I think it's very hard for the average person to provide them with proper care. In your case, it sounds like space may be one of the things you'd struggle to provide. The Hedgehog Welfare Society suggests a cage with four square feet of floor space as an absolute minimum.
If you do decide to get a hedgehog, please consider adopting from your local animal shelter or the Hedgehog Welfare Society. A surprising number of hedgehogs end up dumped at animal shelters, and very few people apply to adopt them. You could save a life by adopting a hedgehog from a shelter. Of course, you could also save a life by adopting a hamster or other pet, and they might be easier to care for. :-) How cute, sorry but I don't have a clue, all I can suggest is to go on Wikipedia, I'm sure that they'll be able to tell you everything that you need to know about the care of Hedgehogs.....so give that a try !!!!! http://www.wikipedia.com/ Good luck to you !!!!!!! I had a hedgehog for about 4 months. She was ADORABLE and so fun, but there were several reasons I parted with her (I gave her to a very responsible friend of mine and she is doing VERY well...)
First of all lots of hedgehogs live in captivity so it's not a problem. I got a cage that was marketed for rabbits, but it was tall enough to put the wheel in there. I used carefresh litter (which is recycled paper I believe) and put a litter box in the corner lined with paper towels (which she used, because she was a little rock star.) Hedgehogs are great pets if you can deal with the one thing I couldn't......
The poop. Everytime I held her she pooped on me. (She actually had explosive diarrhea on my boyfriend, which I thought was hilarious.) It was crazy, because her poop was teeny, but the smell overpowered my entire apartment.
And another thing that a lot of people don't tell you is that they run on their wheels a lot at night, and they go to the bathroom while they run. (Which actually makes sense in the wild.) But this equates waking up to a wheel with poop all over it and...yeah it's just nasty. (You have to get a solid plastic wheel bc their feet can get caught in wire.)
You don't really have to care for their spines, although if you get a baby they will "quill," or lose their baby spines which you will poke yourself with when you change their litter. (And you will find them on yourself after you hold it...they're very fine tiny white quills.)
Hedgehogs are lots of fun and they are adorable, as long as you can deal with the poop and the fact that they can take a while to warm up to you. (AKA come out a ball for longer than 10 seconds...) |
