Hedgehog Enclousures
Hedgehogs are prickly little animals, but very fun pets. When they trust you, they are easier to handle. Caring for these little spiky pets, however, is harder than everybody makes it sound. Hedgehogs, like most animals, need food. They eat cat food and a few worms and different kinds of veggies. They also need water, either in a dropper bottle or a bowl. Dropper bottles are tidier, but are a challenge to clean.
The more specific needs of a hedgehog include a wheel to run on and a hide. The wheel must not be wire or mesh. It must be a solid bottomed wheel. If the wheel does not have a solid bottom, your hedgie' s legs can slip through and break, or a claw be ripped off. Some hedgehogs are not used to running on a wheel, but most can be coaxed to learn. My hedgehog, however, has flat refused to ever try.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so they will need to hide during the day. A hide can be anything from a piece of dried bark, or a plastic igloo that you can buy in a pet store, or an ice cream container that you cut a door in. The size of a hide should be large enough for your hedgehog to comfortably move around in, but should be small enough so that it is still cozy. My own hedgehog has a hide made of a Styrofoam tile that I cut and glued together in a hut shape. Inside the hide, a heating pad is used to create heat. This prevents the hedgehog from going into hibernation. If your hedgie lives in a terrarium, a heating lamp can be used to heat the entire enclosure.
Many sites recommend shavings as bedding, but this is not healthy for a hedgehog. It is very easy to change and is affordable, but the fine dust in the shavings irritates their respiratory tracts. A better solution is a bare, clean floor, and a large tray of bathing sand. If you tire of having to clean the cage (I had to clean it daily), you can lay down paper (I use scrap paper or brown paper) over the actual floor surface. The paper can just be thrown away every morning and quickly replaced with fresh paper. That brings the thorough cleaning down to once a week.
The more specific needs of a hedgehog include a wheel to run on and a hide. The wheel must not be wire or mesh. It must be a solid bottomed wheel. If the wheel does not have a solid bottom, your hedgie' s legs can slip through and break, or a claw be ripped off. Some hedgehogs are not used to running on a wheel, but most can be coaxed to learn. My hedgehog, however, has flat refused to ever try.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so they will need to hide during the day. A hide can be anything from a piece of dried bark, or a plastic igloo that you can buy in a pet store, or an ice cream container that you cut a door in. The size of a hide should be large enough for your hedgehog to comfortably move around in, but should be small enough so that it is still cozy. My own hedgehog has a hide made of a Styrofoam tile that I cut and glued together in a hut shape. Inside the hide, a heating pad is used to create heat. This prevents the hedgehog from going into hibernation. If your hedgie lives in a terrarium, a heating lamp can be used to heat the entire enclosure.
Many sites recommend shavings as bedding, but this is not healthy for a hedgehog. It is very easy to change and is affordable, but the fine dust in the shavings irritates their respiratory tracts. A better solution is a bare, clean floor, and a large tray of bathing sand. If you tire of having to clean the cage (I had to clean it daily), you can lay down paper (I use scrap paper or brown paper) over the actual floor surface. The paper can just be thrown away every morning and quickly replaced with fresh paper. That brings the thorough cleaning down to once a week.
Comments
Post a Comment