Hedgehogs are fascinating, gentle animals. They have a beautiful, bright, and intelligent sportingly nature.
They are wild and belong in the wild, except of course if they have been rescued as an abandoned or injured animal.
For those who want to try and keep household pets away without using toxic chemicals, they may consider keeping a hedgehog as a more humane way of doing it.
But as it goes with any new pet, there is a lot more than just food and water to consider when setting up your new pet’s home.
In this article: We will provide you with a complete guide to setting your hedgehog bedding to ensure your little furry friend has a complete and loveable experience in his/her tiny hedgehog house!
What Is a Hedgehog and Where Do They Live?
Hedgehogs are small-to-medium-sized mammals inhabiting Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Their name originates from the quills or spines that cover their entire body, including their pointy snouts.
If you’re considering adopting your pet hedgehog, you probably want to learn how to properly care for them.
Important Hedgehog Facts to Know
When it comes to having a hedgehog as a pet, it is essential to grasp these critical facts:
- Hedgehogs are naturally nocturnal animals, so they should be at their most active at night. During the day, they sleep, and then they will come out to forage for insects at dusk or dawn while in the wild. If you want to have any meaningful interaction with your pet, you will need to understand its sleep patterns.
- Hedgehogs are not related to porcupines, although they use quils in similar ways for self-defense. If a hedgehog feels threatened, it can raise its spines and point them in any direction it deems necessary. If the spines are mishandled they’re very sharp and could break off into your skin or mouth, so be sure to be cautious whenever you’re holding your new pet or playing with them.
- Hedgehogs are solitary animals by nature, meaning they live alone in the wild, and your pet hedgehog will be the happiest in captivity living alone as well. However, if you want to have a companion for your pet hedgehog, you can buy a suitable friend to play with them at your local exotic animal store.
- Hedgehogs prefer to eat insects (these simply can be earthworms, mealworms or crickets), fruits and vegetables. However, the diet of hedgehogs should be supplemented with a high-quality hedgehog food to ensure that they are getting proper nutrition for a happy and healthy lifestyle.
Hedgehog Housing
Now that you’ve learned everything about caring for a pet hedgehog, let’s talk about where they will be living in your home!
As a given, appropriate housing is paramount for your hedgehog’s survival.
The best types of homes for a hedgehog are wire dog cages or aquariums. However, you can also use larger glass enclosures that are sufficiently ventilated and easy to clean.
You want to ensure that your hedgehog’s habitat permits them to go in and out quickly and that there is ample space for your pet to stand up on their back legs without hitting their head.
One important concept to think about is that hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, which means that they prefer to sleep during the day and be active at night.
Therefore, ideally, you will want to have a cover on the top of your enclosure so they do not get cold while sleeping at night.
When thinking about housing requirements for a hedgehog, there are some general structural requirements:
- If they do not share a living space well with others, you should prepare them to live alone. You can provide company if you wish, as long as you have a designated area for the hedgehog to live privately.
- When designing a sleeping space for your hedgehog, they should clear the top and sides of their enclosure as they enter the house. It is better for the home to be taller as hedgehogs are good climbers by nature.
- Make sure you have a free zone around your pet’s sleep area so they can feel snug and safe in their own space.
- Position the house in a quiet area–without a lot of foot traffic from humans or pets. Don’t put the house out in a place like a hall or doorway, where it can be nearly missed and kicked or stepped on by accident. You also don’t want to put the house too close to loud areas, such as a washing machine or furnace.
- It is also important to keep the area dark, so try to avoid sunlight if you can. If you must place the house/fence/sleeping area some place sunny you should provide some sort of zen den or box to give the hedgehog a place to hide/rest.
- Having food and water next to the sleep area can help you keep the enclosure tidy while avoiding odor from the house.
Hedgehog Bedding and Litter Boxes
We have mentioned hedgehogs are solitary animals, but this information is particularly relevant when it pertains to their habitat.
As a pet owner, you must provide lots of hiding spots for your hedgehog to huddle, escape or feel “safe” in.
Providing this type of security is as easy as filling your pet’s cage with bedding appropriate to the hedgehog’s size.
Hedgehogs are small animals, but still require a proper sleeping place in their home.
Hedgehog beds should be at least 6 inches deep and hygienic, made of non-toxic bedding, such as shredded paper or wood chips.
You will also want to include an additional bedding material for the litter box of your hedgehog.
From Experience: We recommend recycled paper bedding, such as Carefresh product. This material is soft and absorbent and will soak up all of the waste without a smell!
Cleaning up After Your Hedgehog
To keep your hedgehogs healthy and happy, you’ll need to provide a clean and sanitary home. This means investing in some sort of cleaning supplies and having to change out things like bedding and litter box material on a regular basis.
When it comes time to clean your hedgehog home, make sure you wear disposable gloves to protect you from any waste and to prevent transferring it onto your skin.
You never want to get any waste matter on your skin for your own safety and protection.
As far as bedding goes, be prepared to replace bedding and change bedding material at least once per week.)
After all, hedgehogs are not the tidiest of pets, and no matter how often you change the bedding and litter, they will always leave you a big mess!
Changing litter is a bit more difficult.
When changing litter, you must remember to provide your pet with a new litter box every day that you change the old one, meaning you will need to prepare to clean and change your hedgehog litter box at least once a day.
Hedgehog Care and Feeding
Feeding and cleaning up after your hedgehog will take much time and energy.
If you don’t want to spend so much time and money on the pet care aspect of owning hedgehogs, you may consider getting two!
You will increase the socialization of your hedgehogs while also making it easier for yourself to keep these critters and their living areas clean.
It is important we stress how to provide the correct type of feeding for your hedgehog.
What I mean by this is, if your hedgehog is an adult, you will want to be feeding them food specific to hedgehogs for their health and wellness.
However, if your hedgehog is still a baby (under 6 months old), you will want to start them on kitten food while they wean off their mother or mother’s milk.
The reason we stress kitten food for baby hedgehogs is that they are made with finer ingredients that are easier for their immature digestive systems to handle.
One last thing your hedgehog will need to survive is a fresh source of water.
You can get them a dish for the water, but some experts recommend adding a drip system so you don’t spill it or have to clean it out as frequently.
Hedgehog-Proofing Your Home
Hedgehogs love to climb and play with sticks, which means they should live in a home where it is safe for them to climb and explore.
You will want to remove anything from your hedgehog proof home that is a strangulation hazard, such as strings, loose wires, and anything that they might get caught and hurt in or on.
You will also need to ensure that you keep your pet away from any heat source, such as a fireplace or radiator.
Pet Hedgehogs and Other Pets
When compared to other pets like rabbits and hamsters, a hedgehog is much more likely to bite, so it is very important that you pay attention to how your hedgehog interacts with your other pets.
Specifically, cats and dogs can be big threats for little pets like a hedgehog. A dog will likely play too rough, while a cat is likely trying to eat them!
Hedgehogs are also known to go missing when left unattended in a room with a different pet.
If you notice your hedgehog is missing, try searching in closets or other places that might entice interesting behaviors.
Tips for a Happy and Healthy Hedgehog
In order for your hedgehog to have a happy, full of love, and healthy life, you need to continually provide them with a clean living situation, quality food, and plenty of love.
It is vital that we emphasize and stress the importance of offering your hedgehog a stimulating living environment.
Hedgehogs like to climb and play with toys (specifically sticks), so it is a good idea to have things like large paper bags, tubes, and boxes in their living environment.
Make Your House a Home for Your Hedgehog Today!
Hedgehogs are also quite friendly animals. They enjoy playing with their humans.
When your hedgehog is still young and adjusting to their new home, it’s important to introduce them to other hedgehogs or pets so they can start to become comfortable with the outside world.
Once they are older, you can also introduce them to the outside world!
Final Thougths
You should now have all the information you need in this guide to give your pet hedgehog everything they need to thrive.
If you follow this guide you should be on your way to a happy healthy life for you and your new friend!