HEDGEHOG INFORMATION:
Personally, I recommend that you read everything you can get your hands on, and don't be afraid to ask
questions. I know from experience! I want to thank Deneen Foelker of www.hedgiepets.com for
allowing me to bug the bugs out of her, and she does know she created another hedgie monster. No
matter how many questions you ask or how many articles you read, it will never fully prepare you for
that one little emergency. I can think of one off hand: the hedgehog getting a piece of food
caught in it's mouth, I thought I had a hedgie with a broken or dislocated jaw.) Your new hedgehog
depends on you for love and care.
HANDLING:
I handle the babies at least twice a day from the time mom will allow me to touch them. Some hedgehogs like to be
handled a lot, some love to be kissed from the start. However some do not! If you have one that
does not like being handled, don't give up. When you first take them home, give them something of
yours to sleep and cuddle in. The new mommy/daddy smell. Hedgehog's are very scent oriented. It is
suggested to not take them on outings for the first few days, give them time to adjust being in
their new home. Handle them on a daily basis, on your lap, under a towel, or in a hedgie bag. Try
handling them 2 times daily for about 30 minutes. This helps them to learn your scent and they also
feel safe and secure. The more you handle your hedgehog, the more loving it will be.
After handling your hedgehog always wash your hands. Ecoli, Coccidosis, and Salmonella can be passed from animal
to human, and human to animal. All animals can be carriers without any signs of being ill. It is rare however.
If you have children under the age of 10 be extra careful to make sure they wash their hands.
FEEDING:
I use several different kinds of cat foods, and prepared hedgehog foods. I usually feed 1 Tablespoon at night, but
will top off my food and water in the morning. I offer some fruits and vegetables,
cooked chicken, freeze dried or live crickets and
mealworms.
*** Make sure to give your hedgehog clean water every day and to keep their
water bowls/bottles sparkling clean. Bacteria builds up rapidly these, especially in
warmer weather.
THE FOLLOWING MIXTURE IS WHAT I FEED DAILY-ADULTS:
Spikes Delight Premium, Spikes Delight Lite, & Spikes Delight Ultra
I mix equal parts of each, and crush, I also add Blue Buffalo
3 way mixture of adult food can be purchased from me. $11./per lb.
I feed 1 Tab. spoon of food per day, every 3rd or 4th days I feed, 2 Tabs. Meal worms should be fed as a
treat only, they should be fed along with the regular diet. Do not purchase meal worm from anywhere except
Petsmart or Petco, myself, or a commercial meal worm farm. We do not know what others have been fed and can
make your hedgehog sick.
THE FOLLOWING MIXTURE IS WHAT I FEED DAILY-Babies:
Spikes Delight 1st. Crumbs and Royal Canin Babycat
1st. Crumbs can be purchased from me. $11./per 1 lb.
TREATS
Cooked Chicken
Cooked Turkey
Cooked Salmon
Mealworms
Fruits
Yogurt bits
THINGS NOT TO FEED Your Hedgehog
Avacodo
Nuts
Grapes
Raisins
Leafy green vegetables
DO NOT use tap water when watering your hedgehog. I use filtered or bottled water. Floride and chlorine
are cancer causing especially to babies.
HOUSING:
There are many different types of housing, make sure it does not have a wire bottom. I use the Living World Cages and
I also use a 105qt. container, it is a plastic storage bin and retails for appx $15.00. It is
lightweight, and easily cleaned. Wash with hot water and soap at least once a week. Spot clean
daily. Make sure it is located in a spot where it is not in direct sunlight, air conditioning, or
drafts. Room temp should be kept between 72-78.
BEDDING:
There are several different kinds of bedding. Pine, Aspen, Care Fresh and Fleece. I myself prefer
home made cage liners. This is a thick cotton bedding with a water proof backing. Bedding is the personal choice of the animal owner.
Aspen has NO dangerous oils in it at all, making it the safest wood shaving to use.
DO NOT USE CEDAR! Cedar has oils in it that are toxic to animals.
The Igloo domes I use for them to sleep in can be purchased at many different pet stores. They are
$7.99 at Petsmart or Petco. I line the igloo with a receiving blanket that has been quartered and sewn on 2 sides
to make an open pocket that they can burrow in to keep them nice and warm.
POTTY BOXES: 
You can train your hedgehog to use a potty box. I start my babies out by using an aluminum cake pan,
(8 1/2 X 12), with Critter Litter for potty box material. Critter Litter can be purchased in 4 lb. bags from Petsmart or Petco.
When the babies are old enough to climb onto a wheel, I put the wheel into the pie pan.
Urine and fecal matter falls into the pie pan, hence leaving their marks where I want it.
When I am not using the wheel I use a corner potty box. As the babies get
older I add potty box material, (Crown Animal Bedding). I use a mixture of Critter Litter, Crown Animal Bedding
and Exquistive Pine Pellet Cat Litter (Petsmart), when they are totally potty box trained I use 1/2 Crown Animal
Bedding to 1/4 Critter Litter and 1/4 Exquistive Paper Pellets.
TOYS AND WHEELS:
I have solid hard cat balls that make noise in my cages. A ping pong ball works great also.
A wheel is a needed item, there are several different kinds. I use a metal powder coated it is a solid metal, not a wire wheel,
(made by Quality Cages.) PVC pipe (4" dia.) is nice to hide in. Most hedgehogs love playing
with toilet paper tubes.
BATHEING YOUR HEDGEHOG:
I use Aveeno Oatmeal baby shampoo, I fill the sink about 1/2 full of lukewarm water.
Put the hedgehog into the water, put a small amount onto my hands and rub together,
I them put it all over the hedgehog and bathe him. I use a old toothbrush to scrub
the dirty spots off. I then drain the sink, and turn on fresh lukewarm water
and rinse the hedgehog very well, making sure to get all the shampoo of the animal.
I then dry the hedgehog with a soft cotton blankets until it is dry.
Johnson's Baby Shampoo sold in the United States contain a hazardous ingredient even though safer
alternatives are being sold in other countries. But together, we're pushing Johnson & Johnson to change that.
A new analysis by the Breast Cancer Fund's Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has found a
formaldehyde-releasing preservative in the iconic "No More Tears" shampoo in the U.S.,
and other countries.
Safer alternatives are in use in those countries, as well as in the U.S. in Johnson's
Natural Baby Shampoo?which costs twice as much as the classic formula.
http://www.breastcancerfund.org/big-picture-solutions/campaign-for-safe-cosmetics.html
SET UP'S:
I do sell complete set-ups to make things easier for you. That way the day you
pick up your new baby, you can also take him or her home completely ready to go!
I sell these at cost ($110.00) or ($85.00 without the wheel) and they include:
106 quart container
Comfort Wheel
Igloo sleep hut
2 dishes
Water bottle
EzWhelp Bedding
Aluminum potty pan
8lb bag of critter litter
Small bag of food
2 toy balls
Common Ilnesses To Hedgehogs:
Cancers
Mites: this is the most common illness you may run into.
Bacterial & Viral Infections: Hedgehogs can contract various infections such as pasturella, bordetella
and salmonella. Salmonella is usually the result of stress, coldness or dampness.
Always wash your hands after handling any animal.
Ecoli, Coccidosis, salmonella can be pasted through fecal contact.
WHS (Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome): Though not extremely common, this illness bears mentioning. WHS
(wobbly hedgehog syndrome)is a progressive, degenerative, neurological disease, the cause of which is still
uncertain. There are no known cures, but there are treatments and supportive care you can give that may
extend their life and certainly add quality to it. This disease acts much like Multiple Sclerosis does in humans,
and may have a rapid onset, though more often the onset is gradual. The hind legs are often affected
first, and then the paralysis spreads to the front legs and other parts of the body. Sometimes the paralysis
affects one side of the body, and your hedgehog will begin tipping over and unable to stay upright.
A series of case studies was done and they revealed that the onset of symptoms in most cases occurs
between the ages of 18 and 24 months, although this disease has also been known to strike both younger and
older hedgehogs. Hedgehogs with WHS will often experience weight loss, due in part to their inability to get
to their food dishes (much can be done to help this) and in the advance stages of this disease, they
become completely immobilized. In the cases that were studied, death occurred between 6 weeks and 19
months after the onset of symptoms.
Please go to Laura Ledet's website to learn about this illness:
Wobbly Hedgehog SyndromeWord of Caution: You should never wash cages and hedgehog equipment in the kitchen or bathroom sinks,
as this can cause the spread of illness. Bowls, and water bottles and some wheels can be put
through the dishwasher.
WASHINGTON VET LIST