Are hedgehogs high maintenance

Are hedgehogs high maintenance

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The hedgehog – which is an insectivore, not a rodent disappears they are spiny and antisocial. They are also high disease risk.

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hedgehogs as pets?

Q: how much do they cost?are they high maintenance?how long do they live?how big do they get?ive owned 3 hamsters and several fishso if hedgehogs are anything like hamsters i would like it for a pet

A: how much do they cost? around $60are they high maintenance? Not at allhow long do they live? 3-6 yearshow big do they get? They stay about a little bigger than a hamsterThey are fun to have around. My science class in 12th grade had a pet hedgehog. One word of advice: Don’t let it get lost. Ours did, and scared a substitute teacher 2 weeks later half to death. It was hilarious. LOL

Is getting a pet hedgehog a good idea?

Q: I’m thinking about getting a pet hedgehog and I was wondering if it’s a good idea. I was wondering…1. If it’s better to get a male or female hedgehog. Do they hump? menstruate? Are males aggressive? Do females bond easier? Which are more friendly and docile?2. The pros and cons to owning a hedgehog. (Are they high maintenance? Are they troublemakers?)3. Is it a good idea to have a hedgehog in the same house as a bunny? (my roommate has a male 6 year old dwarf dutch bunny that roams around the house)4. Do they get sick? (Any known common medical problems? Will I need to take it to the vet? Can they get sick?) 5. And anything else any of you hedgehog owners know and care to add would be greatly appreciated.10 points to the best and most complete answer, I also thumbs up people to give points! 🙂

A: Hi there! I have hedgies and I just LOVE them! They are super sweet. In my experience, the males have been more aggressive and antisocial. They would always curl up in a ball. My females are much more outgoing and love to come out and explore. They will eat out of my hand. They don’t menstruate and neither sex humps.1)The pros- they are so much fun to watch! Way low maintenance, very easy to care for. Just make sure they have food and water and some toys. (And give them lots of love, of course)2)Cons- they are escape artists. They are nocturnal. Make sure you have a lid and I would highly suggest to put something heavy on top of the lid so they can’t push it off. Until they get to know you and trust you, they may curl up in a ball and prick their quills out. But, the more you handle them, the calmer they will be. The bigger the cage, the better! Hedgies may not be active in the day time, but they are constantly moving at night. In the wild, hedgies travel over 3 miles every night! They love to run and explore.3) As long as the bunny and hedgie don’t meet, you should be fine. If a rabbit were to hop up to a hedgie, the hedgehog could curl up in fear and poke out its quills, which could harm the rabbit4) Health wise, they are pretty healthy little guys. Mites could be a concern, but those are easy to treat. Older ones are prone to getting cancer.For food, don’t waste your time buying hedgehog food. It is expensive and it is full of fillers. This means that the food fills them up, but doesn’t provide enough nutrients. I would go with a high quality cat food. It honestly is much better for them. Science diet light is great. Mine absolutely love it! If you want a different brand, just look for one that has at least 30% protein and about 15% fat. Their life span is about 3-6 years, and all of mine are over the age of eight and in perfect shape on this food. Crickets are also a great food source to give them occasionally. They are very healthy for them and they have a great time trying to catch them. Sexing is super easy. Males have what looks like a belly button and females don’t.They love to play. Mine loved to move his house around everywhere and would also push his ball around his cage with his nose. I’d recommend getting him a little cat ball that he can play with.Just a little note, I work at a vet’s office that specializes in exotic pets (hedgies, reptiles, etc) And the vet’s there advised not to use any cedar products of any kind because it can cause some bad respiratory problems. It is harmful for their lungs because of the strong smell of cedar.Before I got my hedgies, this site really helped me:http://www.pogstarhedgehogs.com/basiccare.html

what are the downsides to hedgehog ownership?

Q: i have been considering a hedgehog and researching them online. i have yet to come across any bad sides to ownership. (ie: bad smell, high maintenance, etc) and i was wondering if any of you have a hedgie and would like to fill me in on anything that could be negative about them. i just hate to get a new pet and discover it has some trait that’s hard to put up with. thanks for any advice.

A: Great question and the answer could totally depend on what you are prepared to deal with.1. Hedgehogs require a minimum temperature of 72F year round. This can be difficult to maintain depending on how hard it is to heat your home, the type of cage you use etc. 2. Dirty wheels. Hedgehogs require a large wheel to exercise. Hedgehogs go to the bathroom while running. This means you will have a nasty poo smeared wheel to clean daily.3. Cancer. This is the biggest downside of hedgehogs. Hedgehogs are highly prone to cancer of all types and locations. If you own a hedgehog chances are you will get to deal with cancer. 4. Along with this comes vet bills. Vet bills for hedgehogs tend to be pricey. Just to see the vet it can cost anywhere from $35-60, add in meds, and any other procedures and it quickly adds up. Plus it can also be difficult to find a vet that treats hedgehogs. Look around for a vet before you get a hedgehog. 5. Life span. These darlings have amazing personalities, if you properly bond with them. Hedgehogs typically live to be about 4 (often cancer starts to show up around 3-4 yrs). Some do live longer, but the majority seem to pass away at 4. For me this is a very short life for the personalities they have.These are just a few downsides. If you haven’t already, join one of the hedgehog web forums and continue your research. You’ll find posts about problems owners are having. Read through them and see if you can deal with those issues. http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com & http://www.hedgehogcentral.com are both excellent sites.