My fiance is getting a pet hedgehog next week. His name is Ezra, i will try to post a pic when i get one later. But i was wondering if anyone has ever owned one? And have any tips on types of cages? Or other items she will need?

Not the greatest pic, only one we have right now though. I think he 11 weeks old.

I have never owned a pet hedgehog, but that photo is pretty cute.

I'd be scared of Kai trying to "play" with the hedgehog, how's your husky with small animals?

I wanted a hedgehog but ended up with a chinchilla. I would recommend a cage that has a solid bottom/shelves. The ones that have wire grates can cause issues with feet (their feet can get stuck). Ferret.com is a decent place for cages.

I've actually been looking at some on Craigslist. People are so expensive with their "re-homing fee" its ridiculous. I think that is the only reason I haven't owned one yet.

But they look like fun!!

My cousin had one for years and kept it in a 55 gallon fish aquarium with a screen top. More like what you would get for lizards. They're pretty active from what I've experienced and need space. They would put her in a large plastic hamster ball to let her run around in a back room for more exercise but away from their dogs. Theirs was litter box trained so they just had a section of cat litter the hedgehog used and it made cleaning easy. Shredded paper covered the rest of the bottom.

I had one for YEARS!!!!!

Omg I loved my hedgie. She was such a sweet little monster, she loved to snuggle with me but bit Chris all the time.

Tip 1, get a cage that you can have multiple levels on. it doesnt have to be huge, I think we had a cage that was a rabbit cage in store. We lined the bottom in microfiber blankets to make it all soft.
2. They love soft things. We had a fleece hat that she would snuggle in. They love to be wrapped up and in little dens. they make igloos just for them, ours loved hers.
3. look up the food, we fed a dry cat food and supplemented with crickets and mealworms.
4. he will need to be warm. I had a lizard heat lamp that sat above her cage to keep it a consistant temperature (I am assuming he is an african pygmy)
5. monitor the temps, he can go into hibernation if you arent careful and if that happens he risks not waking up.
6. They are nocturnal.....fair warning.
7. they can run miles so invest in a decent hamster wheel that is big enough to fit him.
8. Some of them love to swim. I would fill up the bath with a few inches of water and let her swim around, she wasnt the biggest fan, but it got her clean.
9. The more you take it out, the more social it will be, so try not to leave him alone in the cage without some sort of petting or snuggles daily. Ours LOVED to be put on the bed and run around under the covers.
10. you can litter train it. it will make it loads easier to clean the cage (which you should do weekly) We used Yesterday's News as litter and she went in it all the time.


They live to 3-5 years. Beware of lumps, they are prone to tumors. That is what ended ours, she had 2 lumps the size of robins eggs and we had to put her down.

Let Loki meet him, obviously in a controlled setting, he will learn that the quills HURT (incidentally, you will too when you step on one)

Good Luck!!!! I am so excited for you! If life wasnt already so full of dogs and cats, I would get another. But I know that I dont have the time for it right now, but I am glad we gave her a good home when she was with us. I wish I had a photo with me, but I'll try to upload one when I can.

Oh, and use a toothbrush to wash him, it makes it a lot easier. You can use the sink, when its bathtime (you'll know.....they will start to smell) use a very mild soap like dove or a baby shampoo and put it on a toothbrush and just go with the quills to wash him.

Kelly thank you sooo much for the info!!! Sooo helpful!! Im sorry yours had tumors and you had to put it down. Did you take it to your reg vet? Or is there a special kind?

we had to find an exotic animal vet to take care of her. She had mites a few times, which will cause their quills to fall out. They are pron e to dry skin as well, a few drops of light olive oil right behind the head will spread out nicely and help that particular problem.
Call around to vets before you get him, just to see if they treat them. We never brought ours unless it was something drastic like mites or when she was really sick. We would bring her in a cat carry case that we padded with towels and her favourite hat.

So you would drop a little olive oil to prevent dry skin? Or fix it? If it was to prevent how often did you do that?

We would do it only really when we noticed she was getting dry, every few weeks I think. We didnt overdo it.