COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Here are some commonly asked questions.
If you can't find the answers you are looking for, please email us and we will do our best to answer them for you.
Email: [email protected]
If you can't find the answers you are looking for, please email us and we will do our best to answer them for you.
Email: [email protected]
IS MY HEDGEHOG A MALE OR FEMALE???
To determine the gender of a hedgehog, simply take a peek.
A male hedgehog's penis will be located in the middle of his belly and resembles a belly button.The female hedgehog's genitalia will be located next to her anal opening.
In the picture above, the male is located on the left and the female to the right.
A male hedgehog's penis will be located in the middle of his belly and resembles a belly button.The female hedgehog's genitalia will be located next to her anal opening.
In the picture above, the male is located on the left and the female to the right.
HELP!! MY HEDGEHOG BITES !!!
There are 2 types of hedgehog bites:
PLAYFUL BITE
Many baby animals such as hedgehogs will nip as part of their learning process of getting food. This lasts for a very short period and once the hedgehog realizes you are not food, it will stop.
Older hedgehogs can algo give a playful bite. The hedgehog will start to lick one stop continuously, then might try to bite the spot he is licking. This is usually due to a strong scent of sweat, lotion, leather and salt are some of the things that can cause a hedgehog to bite.
It is not an agressive bite and usually does not break the skin. It feels more like a pinch. This behaviour should still be discouraged.
AGGRESSIVE/DEFENSIVE BITE.
Female hedgehogs nursing babies may bite if disturbed. Hedgehogs that are scared or hurt will bite to defend themselves.
If your hedgehog develops a biting problem when it is handled, you must try to break the habit. Please check to make sure they have no injuries first. Handle it gently. There is usually a reason for this type of behaviour (whether being dropped or mishandled).
If you are bitten by this kind of bite, the hedgehog will lock its jaws. When catching insects in the wild, a hedgehog does this to hold onto the prey until it can kill it by crushing.
RELEASING A BITE
The fastest way to get a hedgehog to release a bite is to push your hand toward the back of the hedgehog's jaw. This works most of the time.Wash the wound if it breaks skin.
BREAKING THE HABIT
Everyone has their own method but some that are reported to work are blowing into the hedgehog's nose and face. Change your tone of voice to let your hedgehog know this is wrong. For serious cases, placing a tiny drop of rubbing alcohol on it's nose right after a bite may lessen or stop the bites. It is not harmful to the hedgehog.
PLAYFUL BITE
Many baby animals such as hedgehogs will nip as part of their learning process of getting food. This lasts for a very short period and once the hedgehog realizes you are not food, it will stop.
Older hedgehogs can algo give a playful bite. The hedgehog will start to lick one stop continuously, then might try to bite the spot he is licking. This is usually due to a strong scent of sweat, lotion, leather and salt are some of the things that can cause a hedgehog to bite.
It is not an agressive bite and usually does not break the skin. It feels more like a pinch. This behaviour should still be discouraged.
AGGRESSIVE/DEFENSIVE BITE.
Female hedgehogs nursing babies may bite if disturbed. Hedgehogs that are scared or hurt will bite to defend themselves.
If your hedgehog develops a biting problem when it is handled, you must try to break the habit. Please check to make sure they have no injuries first. Handle it gently. There is usually a reason for this type of behaviour (whether being dropped or mishandled).
If you are bitten by this kind of bite, the hedgehog will lock its jaws. When catching insects in the wild, a hedgehog does this to hold onto the prey until it can kill it by crushing.
RELEASING A BITE
The fastest way to get a hedgehog to release a bite is to push your hand toward the back of the hedgehog's jaw. This works most of the time.Wash the wound if it breaks skin.
BREAKING THE HABIT
Everyone has their own method but some that are reported to work are blowing into the hedgehog's nose and face. Change your tone of voice to let your hedgehog know this is wrong. For serious cases, placing a tiny drop of rubbing alcohol on it's nose right after a bite may lessen or stop the bites. It is not harmful to the hedgehog.
HOW DO I LITTER TRAIN MY HEDGEHOG
Due to the growing interest in hedgehogs being kept as pets, we have found that most hedgehogs can be litter trained.
Provide a shallow box or tray that is low enough to the floor for you hedgehogs to climb in with no effort required. We find medium-large plastic tupperware containers seem to work very well. They must be larger than your hedgehog with some room to spare. Fill the container with cat litter. Clean and maintain it just like you would for a cat.Any cat litter is ok. If you wish to use clumping litter please make sure it is not getting stuck to the feet/body of the hedgehog.
First thing to remember when training a hedgehog is that they are highly trainable if they want to be. If they want to be trained to use a litter box, they will use it. Most hedgehogs kept as pets are highly trainable, but no amount of training will convince some less "civilized" hedgies out there. Some hedgehogs catch on rather quickly, while others take more time. Please be patient as there are no fast rules when it comes to hedgie potty training.
In most cases, hedgehogs can be potty trained in less time than it takes for a kitten or puppy. Some will even want to use the box naturally, but most can be trained in just a few days.
Please follow the guidelines below for Potty Training your hedgehog:
The best way to teach them to use the litter box, is to place the fecal matter into the litter box if it was done elsewhere. This is fairly simple. This will show them and eventually they will catch on. Hedgehog poop is really easy to pick up. Just catch it on a kleenex lightly -don’t smear- and it’ll catch onto it just like toothpaste. Then you can just drop it in the litter box.
Potty training is very helpful if you like to let our your hedgehog for free-roaming around the home.
Potty Training for Free-Roaming:
At first, it might be a good idea to confine your pet to the bathroom or a similar room, preferably where the litter box will be situated. If he makes a mistake, do not discipline your hedgehog. It will likely have a negative effect, rather than a positive. Follow the same potty training steps as you normally would. If he hedgehog continues to miss the box, but picks a spot elsewhere, move the box to that spot until he is trained to use it.
After your hedgehog has used to litter box for a few days, it should be safe for them to be able to explore the rest of your home. They should return to their little bathroom every time nature calls,allowing you to walk around the house worry and poop free.
Provide a shallow box or tray that is low enough to the floor for you hedgehogs to climb in with no effort required. We find medium-large plastic tupperware containers seem to work very well. They must be larger than your hedgehog with some room to spare. Fill the container with cat litter. Clean and maintain it just like you would for a cat.Any cat litter is ok. If you wish to use clumping litter please make sure it is not getting stuck to the feet/body of the hedgehog.
First thing to remember when training a hedgehog is that they are highly trainable if they want to be. If they want to be trained to use a litter box, they will use it. Most hedgehogs kept as pets are highly trainable, but no amount of training will convince some less "civilized" hedgies out there. Some hedgehogs catch on rather quickly, while others take more time. Please be patient as there are no fast rules when it comes to hedgie potty training.
In most cases, hedgehogs can be potty trained in less time than it takes for a kitten or puppy. Some will even want to use the box naturally, but most can be trained in just a few days.
Please follow the guidelines below for Potty Training your hedgehog:
The best way to teach them to use the litter box, is to place the fecal matter into the litter box if it was done elsewhere. This is fairly simple. This will show them and eventually they will catch on. Hedgehog poop is really easy to pick up. Just catch it on a kleenex lightly -don’t smear- and it’ll catch onto it just like toothpaste. Then you can just drop it in the litter box.
Potty training is very helpful if you like to let our your hedgehog for free-roaming around the home.
Potty Training for Free-Roaming:
At first, it might be a good idea to confine your pet to the bathroom or a similar room, preferably where the litter box will be situated. If he makes a mistake, do not discipline your hedgehog. It will likely have a negative effect, rather than a positive. Follow the same potty training steps as you normally would. If he hedgehog continues to miss the box, but picks a spot elsewhere, move the box to that spot until he is trained to use it.
After your hedgehog has used to litter box for a few days, it should be safe for them to be able to explore the rest of your home. They should return to their little bathroom every time nature calls,allowing you to walk around the house worry and poop free.
HOW ARE HEDGEHOGS WITH OTHER PETS?
In most cases hedgehogs are safe to have with other pets in the house. They get along with many different creatures and do not mind running around after another pet. Below are some things we have encountered while introducting hedgehogs to other animals. Please note that every animal is different so please supervise your pets, especially in the initial meeting stages.
DOGS
Most dogs will notice the quills on a hedgehog and while they may be fascinated by their new friend, they will not try to grab a hedgehog. All dogs must be watched in the first encounters with a hedgie to make sure it does not try to pick it up like a ball or paw at it. After a while, it will just become another pet in the house.
CATS
Cats usually will not attack a hedgehog. They may stare at it for hours, but they are pretty harmless to a hedgehog. Some might try to use their paws to touch the quills, but will back up when they come in contact with them. Cats and hedgehogs tend to get along, and some hedgehogs run along with the cats at play time.
FERRETS
Ferrets are not recommended for interaction with hedgehogs and can cause some serious damage.
RATS
Pet Rats and Hedgehogs tend to get along very well. They both love to run and explore and occassionally bump heads during their journey. I would not recommend keeping both in the same cage.
RABBITS
Rabbits and Hedgehogs tend to get along well with one another, and do not mind each others company. I would not recomment keeping both in the same cage.
DOGS
Most dogs will notice the quills on a hedgehog and while they may be fascinated by their new friend, they will not try to grab a hedgehog. All dogs must be watched in the first encounters with a hedgie to make sure it does not try to pick it up like a ball or paw at it. After a while, it will just become another pet in the house.
CATS
Cats usually will not attack a hedgehog. They may stare at it for hours, but they are pretty harmless to a hedgehog. Some might try to use their paws to touch the quills, but will back up when they come in contact with them. Cats and hedgehogs tend to get along, and some hedgehogs run along with the cats at play time.
FERRETS
Ferrets are not recommended for interaction with hedgehogs and can cause some serious damage.
RATS
Pet Rats and Hedgehogs tend to get along very well. They both love to run and explore and occassionally bump heads during their journey. I would not recommend keeping both in the same cage.
RABBITS
Rabbits and Hedgehogs tend to get along well with one another, and do not mind each others company. I would not recomment keeping both in the same cage.
AM I ALLERGIC TO MY HEDGEHOG?
Many times people feel like they develop an allergy to their hedgehog. It will not occur at first, but over a period of time, they will experience itching, red bumps and irritation on their skin upon contact with a hedgehog. This does not necessarily mean you have allergies to your pet. Most times it is due to 2 reasons: a dirty hedgehog or some sort of parasite.
Hedgehogs who annoint a lot will make your skin itchy due to their saliva. If a hedgehog is dirty it will cause your hands to itch as well. By giving them a simple bath, you can fix the problem. Your hedgehog will itch as well and use his back feet to scratch (like a dog).
If you develop red bumps while handling your hedgehog, it may be due to mites. Please do a mite test to see if your hedgehog has mites. Simply put your hedgehog on a black piece of material, and pet them. Then look closely on the material which fell onto the blanket and see if you see little white moving dots. If you do, you have mites. A Revolution treatment for puppies/kitten will fix the job. Mites are best seen around the face and behind the ears. A heavy mites infestation can resemble pollen looking dust on the nose and snout.
There is a home-remedy prevention you can do to try to prevent mites. Even if your hedgehog is healthy, it helps them not to become a target of parasites. After you give your hedgehog a bath, rub some olive oil on their quills and fur. It doesnt have to be a lot, just like a human would with lotion. Parasites cannot hang on or survive in the olive oil and it is great for their skin as well.
Most people do not experience allergies to hedgehogs. If you are a SEVERE allergy sufferer, you may experience allergies, but I have only met one person so far.
Hedgehogs who annoint a lot will make your skin itchy due to their saliva. If a hedgehog is dirty it will cause your hands to itch as well. By giving them a simple bath, you can fix the problem. Your hedgehog will itch as well and use his back feet to scratch (like a dog).
If you develop red bumps while handling your hedgehog, it may be due to mites. Please do a mite test to see if your hedgehog has mites. Simply put your hedgehog on a black piece of material, and pet them. Then look closely on the material which fell onto the blanket and see if you see little white moving dots. If you do, you have mites. A Revolution treatment for puppies/kitten will fix the job. Mites are best seen around the face and behind the ears. A heavy mites infestation can resemble pollen looking dust on the nose and snout.
There is a home-remedy prevention you can do to try to prevent mites. Even if your hedgehog is healthy, it helps them not to become a target of parasites. After you give your hedgehog a bath, rub some olive oil on their quills and fur. It doesnt have to be a lot, just like a human would with lotion. Parasites cannot hang on or survive in the olive oil and it is great for their skin as well.
Most people do not experience allergies to hedgehogs. If you are a SEVERE allergy sufferer, you may experience allergies, but I have only met one person so far.