 |
||
| The
Basics
Articles on basic care and considerations for new or prospective owners. Articles pertaining to health, nutrition, and veterinary care. Articles and pictures about hedgehog breeding, growth, and development. Articles for people who already own a hedgehog or want to know more than just the basics. Learn more about hedgehog shows and hedgehog colors! Wondering where on earth to buy a hedgehog? Start here! Where to purchase hedgehog supplies and collectibles. Meet the hedgehogs of Hedgehog Valley! Meet the other critters that call Hedgehog Valley
their home! |
Is A Hedgehog For Me?- To have to provide a regular source of appropriate, high quality food and clean water. - To clean the cage once per week, sometimes a little more or less, and that it may or may not litter train. - That it will need to stay warm (above about 70F), or else it may get sick and die. - You will get poked. Even the best hedgehogs have off days. - That there is a strong chance you will need to trim its toenails, even if it gets grumpy and doesn’t want you to. - That it will self-anoint (i.e., spread spit or other things on itself). - That it will do better if handled daily, even for just a few minutes. - That it will be happier if it has a wheel and a place to hide. - That a hedgehog who is not friendly to begin with may never become friendly, although they do often show slow improvement over the years. - That it may bite, though this is unlikely. Anything with teeth may bite. - That two males probably will not enjoy one another’s company, although two females may. - That its life expectancy is 3 to 6 years, with cancer being an extremely common cause of death in older hedgehogs. - That it will enjoy toys that it can climb in or on, and items it can manipulate. - That it may poop on you, especially if it is a baby. Babies don’t seem to have much in the way of manners or bowel control. - That most babies will go through a period of “quilling” and will be very grumpy for a while. You will need to hold it anyway, if you want to keep it from learning that this is a good way to get people to leave it alone. - That it will probably need at least one trip to the vet for mites in its lifetime. The little pests are not species-specific, and can come from such innocuous sources as the bedding or other animals. - That your hedgehog may never actively seek you out for companionship. Some hedgehogs do, but most just think humans are cool terrain to climb on.
Iola, KS Show them you care, Support our Troops
All information on this web site is copyright of Hedgehog Valley®. You may view/print the web pages for your personal use. You may also provide a link to these pages without prior approval. No one is allowed to re-post the information from Hedgehog Valley® Web Site, including pictures, to any other web site, without the approval of Hedgehog Valley®. Copyright 2002
|
