May 12
19
Exotic Hedgehogs As Pets
When people consider exotic animals they often consider hedgehogs as pets. It is really quite strange that we may spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars learning to feed and care for, house and maintain animals that may be a nuisance in their own country. Many snake and reptile species are highly regarded as pets and have very elaborate enclosures provided for them by their owners. Wild caught hedgehogs mostly from Africa and Algeria were imported into other parts of the world several years ago. Even before these wild pigmy hedgehogs were properly domesticated, they had already won the heart of the world. Larger European species of hedgehogs are illegal to export and have never become pets as their smaller cousins have. Exportation of wild caught hedgehogs is not legal in most areas today, and owning domesticated hedgehogs is also illegal in some areas.
Part of their appeal is that hedgehog breeders and owners swear each of their hedgehogs has individual personalities unlike hamsters or gerbils that many feel are the same from animal to animal. That appeal of each hedgehog being an individual is also one of the things that make it heartbreaking when a hedgehog is lost. Hedgehogs may be small in size but they are huge in heart and are brave as any ferocious lion.
Their bravery is often most noted as they battle some of the genetic diseases that seem to plague domesticated bloodlines. WHS (Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome) is often associated with multiple sclerosis in humans; it is a disease that even so bravely fought is always fatal. They are also very prone to cancers especially bone cancers and particularly bone cancer in the jaw. Sometimes if caught early in a wellness exam or in the early stages it can be treated or the tumors removed. However, many times it is not detected until it is too late as hedgehogs tend to go about their business, play, exercise, and maintain an outwardly healthy appearance in spite of themselves.
Reliable hedgehog breeders and owners who detect these ailments in their hedgehogs do not use them as breeding stock. They are cared for separately and their ailments are documented in order to help find ways to battle these and similar other diseases in other species including humans. International groups have been formed similar to international groups of dog, cat, livestock, horses, and other animal breeders who wish to improve the bloodlines and maintain specialties within breeds.
Choosing hedgehogs as pets can become a lifelong and very rewarding experience.
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May 12
3
The Law and Hedgehog Breeders
There are many people in addition to hedgehog breeders and hedgehog associations that monitor the captive hedgehog population around the world. Many exotic animals that have been imported from other countries and move to areas where they were not properly monitored have caused problems when they have escaped and affected the natural species of the area. This has made lawmakers take a second look at the legality of breeding, owning, and transporting exotic animals. It is their belief that in addition to a possible contamination of native species that the spread of disease is a valid concern.
The recent bird flu epidemic that spread around the world gained nationwide attention and made people stop and think about the animals around them and the laws that protect them. Even well-meaning people who want to operate animal refugee locations fall victim to domestic violence or other personal issues that affect the containment of the animals such as happened in the state of Ohio USA in 2011. One of the largest confiscations was in Arlington Texas USA at the US Global Exotics in December of 2009. It basically did for the exotic animal community that Enron did with financial security. Hedgehogs are not the only animals who are illegal in some areas but laws are constantly being reviewed and their outlaw status may spread.
In the meantime it is up to responsible hedgehog breeders and other hedgehog owners and enthusiasts to keep good records of their lineage, their health records, and any birth and death records of their hedgehogs. So if their area comes into question they will have a valid response and a reason to keep their exotic pets. Each time there is an attack by an exotic animal, exotic animals found in the wild where they are not supposed to be, or diseases that can be tracked back to exotic animals their existence comes into question. As we continue to fill the world with pollution and overcrowding the ability to home exotic animals may someday come to an end. Illegal exotic animal trade in larger animals is as lucrative as drug trading and garners the same attention from lawmakers and law enforcement.
If a person wishes to own a hedgehog, and they are not available locally, it does not mean they are illegal in that area but it does mean the person should research before attempting a purchase. If a person has hedgehogs and is wishing to breed them, they should contact one of the many online hedgehog associations and welfare societies to find out exactly what they need to do so that their hoglets will be healthy. If they have a hedgehog and no longer want it, they should also contact the same associations by doing a Google search for someone to provide a forever home in a safe legal area. Hedgehog breeders and other exotic animal breeders and caretakers must be aware that health, environmental, and safety issues will always surround the ownership of exotic animals regardless of their size.
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For some hedgehog breeders, travel for their hedgehog started before they actually owned it.
There are many areas where it is illegal to own or breed hedgehogs so finding a hedgehog within driving distance sometimes is not possible. Some hedgehog breeders offer shipping to a location where hedgehogs are legal and help provide routes to avoid states and provinces that do not allow the travel of exotic pets through their boundaries. When considering that the hedgehog community is an international one, sometimes even air shipping is necessary.
One of the most stressful things that can happen to a hedgehog is travel. It is imperative to deal with a hedgehog breeder who has established a good relationship with their shipping lines and other modes of transportation moving the hedgehog from the breeder to its new home.
Some hedgehog breeders will travel half the distance to meet a prospective owner. And in some instances a hedgie “chain” is used to carry a hedgehog from one location to another through a network of people who are happy to give it a day’s rest and accommodations and travel a certain amount of the distance for the breeder and the new owner as a volunteer service. And although the hedgehog may change hands several times, it can still be less stressful than using a commercial shipping service.
Once the hedgehog is home, it is generally a good idea to let it rest and settle in for at least a month. That gives it time to get used to the new smells, new sounds, and new arrangements that the owner has made for them. If the owner wants to change the food, the type of accommodation the hedgehog had with the breeder, or any other major facet of the hedgehog’s life, it is good to make changes slowly to avoid further stressing the hedgehog.
After a settling in period for the new owner and new hedgehog, people often take their hedgehogs with them when they make short jaunts to town or even when they travel for vacations or holidays. Always keep in mind that any travel is stressful for the hedgehog and maintaining a proper temperature to avoid chilling is imperative.
Some hedgehog breeders sell fleece lined bags that the hedgehog can crawl into, giving it the safe feeling of a burrow, as well as added protection from any drafts that it might encounter. Other than providing bedding, food, fresh water, and a warm vehicle, a standard small dog or cat carrier can be used.
Use common sense when traveling with your hedgie and if you have any questions contact hedgehog breeders or other seasoned hedgehog owners to make sure the trip is safe and happy for owner and pet.
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Another valuable resource for online assistance for wannabe hedgehog breeders is the website Hedgehog Central. They strive to bring people together who want to preserve the hedgehog species that are raised as pets today, and assure that the species is healthy, happy, and thrive as well as possible.
Hedgehog Central actually has a lot of online forums, chat room, contact information, and listings for reliable breeders, books and other materials, cage and exercise wheel information, and is rounded out by a large group of people who are very happy to share their knowledge and expertise with new people who want their hedgehogs to be happy and live as long as possible.
They carry links for The International Hedgehog Association, The International Hedgehog Registry, and the Hedgehog Breeder’s Alliance which is a new organization that seeks to secure a place in the world for pet African hedgehogs by promoting and improving breeding practices, creating happier healthier pets, and aiding and supporting activities that will benefit all hedgehogs.
Since these are international websites, there is generally someone somewhere at almost any time day or night that is available in a chat room or on the forum to answer questions. And if by chance there is no one available, reading back through the available information should cover most hedgehog issues until a person can be contacted if needed.
Many times prospective hedgehog breeders buy hedgehogs with good intentions or may have even been given a hedgehog as a pet for a gift. They do not blend in everyone’s household because of their nocturnal nature and sometimes people find they are too busy to give them the daily attention and care that they need.
Hedgehog Central tries to help rescue animals who for whatever reason cannot stay where they are and need to be re-homed with new people in a forever home. It is their goal to help every hedgie find a good home with people who have the time and the resources to properly care for them.
They also encourage people who have obtained rescue hedgehogs to keep them as pets only, and not to use them for any resale or breeding due to their unknown origins and lack of lineage paperwork. One of the most stressful things for a hedgehog is to be moved to multiple locations over an amount of time. The people with Hedgehog Central want to find forever homes where the animals will not be stressed by breeding or moved again unless absolutely necessary.
To contact this valuable resource for hedgehog breeders and those thinking of buying a hedgehog go to www.hedgehogcentral.com
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The best time to acclimatize hedgehogs as pets, is when they are young.
Even though the old adage “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is not exactly true of hedgehogs, because with patience and love even an older rescue can become quite lovable, it is easier to acclimatize them while they are young. It is the responsibility of the hedgehog breeder to make sure they have enough time to properly handle and look after the young they produce into being loving pets. However, if a breeder has too many young at the same time and no one to help them on a daily basis, sometimes this important step is skipped.
Pet store hedgehogs are often sold in bulk to understaffed stores who also lack the time to properly hold and acclimatize each young hedgehog every day. They may also be housed in communal cages where fighting and injuries may occur. All of these dramatic events in the life of a young hedgehog can cause problems for its compatibility as a loving pet.
But knowing this and compensating for it as a hedgehog owner can be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding parts of owning a hedgehog.
As with many novelty pets, hedgehogs are often bought on a whim, and quickly discarded when the owner becomes tired of them. The more time they spend alone, the more their solitary nature comes to the surface. This often results in an antisocial and uncooperative animal that is often resold or sent to a rescue facility. It may take more time and patience in the beginning to become friends but once you do, your heart will be captured for life.
Some ways to help an antisocial or uncooperative hedgehog is to remember it is not their fault; usually they are product of their environment. Realizing that hedgehogs sleep during the day and are most active in the early morning hours and the early evening hours makes scheduling around the job somewhat easier. Waking them in the middle of the day for some quality playtime generally has a poor outcome. However, if they have a full food bowl and freshwater when they wake up in the evening then they are in the best mood possible for training.
Having totally clean hands that do not have any food or food scented lotions is a good place to start. The hedgehog needs to get to know you and your scent to begin trusting you. They are not a fan of quick jerky movements or loud noises. But they can often be spoken to softly, picked up, and will sit with their owners and cuddle while watching television. Having a rocking chair doesn’t hurt because the movement is soft and helps them to feel more comfortable.
Softly stroking them once their quills are down, and even handling a stray foot is a perfect way to build trust and make friends.
Don’t give up if this takes a while; remember there are other pets that are not always your best friend in the very beginning either but if you enter into their confidence zone especially when they are a young age, having hedgehogs as pets is a most rewarding experience.
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Mar 12
21
Hedgehog Facts On Hedgehog Care
If you are delving into what hedgehog facts are available on hedgehog care, then this is a good place to start.
One of the first items to consider for hedgehog care is a smooth transition from their old home to their new home if possible. This includes a time of quarantine if you have other hedgehogs or other pets, and knowledge of the food they were being fed, the temperature they were being kept, and the amount of daylight they were being subjected to either natural or artificial.
Even though your own standards may be different than their prior owners, it is best to make a change slowly in order to properly acclimate them to your lifestyle.
Another reason for quarantine is to make sure your new pet does not have any internal or external parasites such as worms or mites. If a veterinarian who is familiar with exotic animals, especially hedgehogs can be contacted for an initial wellness visit, any problems can be detected and handled quickly.
In order to give your hedgehog proper care it is essential that you make friends with it. A hedgehog will from time to time need a bath for example, and this can be next to impossible for an unfriendly or uncooperative pet. Nail trimming can also be very difficult if not impossible if you are not friends, but it is essential in maintaining their well being. Being able to pick them up and hold them in a relaxed position with their quills down is a way to know the friendship process has begun.
Talking to them when you are in the room close to their cage lets them learn the sound of your voice and understand that you are a friend and not a potential predator.
During cage cleaning is another time to show friendship and love. Depending upon the type of substrate being used, whether it is Aspen wood chips or vellux blanket liners, it is necessary to make this a very low stress part of their existence. Whether they are moved to a play area during cage cleaning or to another cage, it should be a smooth transition with no hissing or biting involved.
When it comes to what hedgehogs eat, the choice of staple food is generally high quality dry cat food supplemented with canned or soft food from pouches and live food such as mealworms or crickets. Dried out or stale food should be removed on a daily basis and replaced with fresh food and fresh water.
Most people prefer to use either ceramic or plastic feeding and water bowls that are heavy enough not to be tipped over easily.
Some people use hanging water bottles but this is discouraged because hedgehog’s tongues are longer than their rodent cousins and can sometimes get hung or injured by the metal ball and metal tubing on a hanging water dispenser.
These are a few hedgehogs facts on hedgehog care to help you get started.
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Please keep in mind that should you wish to consider breeding hedgehogs, responsible hedgehog breeders maintain proper records and avoid random breeding. Line breeding from a male to his daughters is possible but must be documented carefully and the resulting brothers and sisters should never be allowed to interbreed. This can cause unnecessary duplication of recessive traits and taint the entire line from future breeding.
Although hedgehogs can reach sexual maturity as early as eight weeks, it is extremely poor practice to breed them at such an early age. Although males will attempt it at these young ages, they are less likely to produce a pregnant female, and young females are more likely to have complications up to and including death if bred too soon.
A healthy male and female over the age of 6 to 8 months is prime breeding stock and is another reason for keeping birth records and lineage records to ensure optimum timing is taken advantage of. If there have been any internal or external parasite problems, they should be handled prior to mating and pregnancy.
Since hedgehogs are induced ovulators, the female is usually taken to the male for breeding. This causes less stress for the female when she is returned to her cage because there is no sense of the male present. Generally speaking, from the time the female is introduced to the male till the time she gives birth will be 30 to 40 days. The calendar date should be recorded and once the 30 day mark as passed, careful observation of the female is necessary without disturbing her.
Although hedgehogs have been known to produce as many as 10 young in a litter, typically 3 to 6 are much more common.
It is essential that the last total cleaning of the female’s cage be at least five days prior to the expected birth. After that time do only the very basics such as removing waste and adding fresh water and food until at least 2 to 3 weeks after the litter is born.
The new baby hedgehogs should not be touched unless there is a critical problem within the first three weeks of their existence. If they have to be touched to be placed back in the nest box or a nest she may have built outside the box, use a clean sterile spoon to gently lift them and put them back where they belong.
Any actions that upset the female can cause death and cannibalization to the young. If cannibalization happens, the female could have been startled, she may have been under nourished, or maybe unsure what she is supposed to do. hedgehog breeders have learnt that keeping her area as quiet and undisturbed as possible will help ensure healthy hoglets and a happy mother.
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For hedgehog facts on litter training, many look at what they know about the habits of other animals. For example, most people know that cats can be litter trained by simply setting them in the box manually scratching their feet around a little and making sure they remember where it is. Since cats do not want to smell their waste, they will find the litter box and use it to bury their waste unless it becomes so full they cannot find a clean area. In this case they will either urinate or defecate beside the litter box or in some other area to get your attention. So basically if you clean the litter box daily you and your cat will have no problem.
What most people do not realize is that other animals can also be litter trained. It’s a little trickier with the smaller animals because they may not seek out the location of the litter box but they will use it if it is available.
One method is to watch the area of the cage, or exercise area that the animal chooses to urinate and defecate and place the litter box there. It is most often a chosen place that is as far away from the food and water as possible.
Rabbits, ferrets, and hedgehogs can be trained to use a litter box by using this method of placing it in the area they have chosen for their waste.
A consideration for smaller animals that are using a litter box: Never use clumping or clay litter in a small animals litter box or tray. The belly of smaller animals typically drag the ground and clumping litter will stick to damp areas such as natural openings and cause infections or hamper proper urination and defecation. If a cheap clay litter is used, the dust can harm their sensitive respiratory systems, especially in hedgehogs.
A pellet type litter must be used such as Yesterday’s News or other pelleted varieties. This type of litter will allow for the absorption of urine and help to hold down the smell of feces until it can be removed from the cage or exercise area. It also provides another routine that your hedgehog can establish as having a clearly separate area for eating and eliminating waste.
A corner attaching litter box that has a low lip in the front is suitable for many hedgehog cages.
Another method is to place a cookie sheet with an amount of litter to cover the bottom and to make sure their exercise wheel is placed in the cookie sheet. This sort of kills two birds with one stone because waste that drips out of a plastic wheel or falls through a mesh wheel will be contained in the litter and will reinforce the idea to them as being the proper place to eliminate waste during their natural exercise cycle.
Some interesting hedgehog facts include that many hedgehogs will actually learn to urinate and defecate under the wheel before getting inside the wheel and will actually be running in a clean wheel which is best for everyone.
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Many people today confuse hedgehogs as pets with guinea pigs or other rodents based on their size alone. They are actually more closely related to shrews and moles and other insect eating animals. An animal cannot, however, be classified by its size and looks alone but actually is classified by its evolutionary relatives. This is known as the Binomial System of Nomenclature. The Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus believed this was a better identification system for all animals.
We all realize that even though whales live in the ocean they are not fish but actually mammals because they produce a live young. And it is also true that even though bats fly in the sky they are not birds.
The same is true with hedgehogs. They are not rodents simply because they are the size of rodents; they are very different indeed.
Of the 21 orders of mammals, hedgehogs fall into Insectivora (insect eaters). Orders are divided into families and insectivora is divided into seven families with our interest falling into erinaceidae (hedgehogs) and tenrecidae (tenrecs). The families are divided into genera, and the genera is divided into species. Once at the level of genera and species, many different zoologists have differing ideas of exactly how to group species and subspecies levels.
Generally speaking, at the species level the animals are similar and can interbreed in the wild. However, there are times when natural barriers will separate a species and they will evolve until they are no longer able to breed at which time they become a species of their own. This is how evolution works. There are many breakdowns between species and sub species but the main thing to remember is that hedgehogs are not rodents they are insectivores. And while scientific naming is a very exacting process, many people simply go by common names, which have no boundaries or rules at all.
There is a hedgehog that is in Great Britain, France and Germany and is larger than what is generally known to be the pet hedgehogs of today. Of the species that are commonly considered to be pets the African pygmy hedgehog is the most common. It is sometimes called simply the African hedgehog or a dwarf hedgehog.
Other common species of hedgehogs that often become pets are the South African hedgehog and the Algerian hedgehog. There are also species that are called Desert hedgehogs, or long eared hedgehogs, as well as other common names. Most hedgehogs that are considered to be pets are a mix between the African pygmy hedgehog and the Algerian hedgehog. They are no longer allowed to be exported from their natural environments but activists who have studied the bloodlines continue to maintain species for hedgehogs as pets.
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Jan 12
27
Buy A Hedgehog Or Rescue One
If there are no pet stores or breeders available in your area to buy a hedgehog, perhaps you should research rescuing one. But be aware that the possible reason there are no breeders or pet stores that sell hedgehogs in your area is because they are illegal. Some areas have different reasons for not wanting hedgehogs in their state or even crossing their state lines. Penalties for violating local, county, state, provincial and federal laws for owning hedgehogs can be monetary, public service, and in extreme cases euthanasia of the hedgehog.
Once you have determined that hedgehogs are legal in your area then it is time to begin the search for your new hedgehog. Notice postings and local pet stores on message boards and at local veterinarian’s offices. People who grow tired of their hedgehogs often will post a notice in these places for a forever home for their pet. There are also sites that specifically handle hedgehog rescue and can include a hedgie train if the distance is long between you and your prospective hedgehog. Hedgie trains are a network of concerned people along a certain path that will agree to pick up and transport the hedgehog part of the way from the rescue facility to the hedgehog rescuers. This helps to divide the expense of transporting the hedgehog long distances to many caring people.
If it is a multiple rescue, please understand that hedgehogs should not be housed together. They are solitary animals in nature and even two females are prone to fight over food, igloo, or other daytime resting places, or simply for dominance of the cage. They can interact and have supervised playtime but should not be permanently housed together. In the wild they are solitary animals so females do not have a set cycle of going into heat. They will go into heat if a male is introduced. Males and females cannot be housed together for this reason because it can start a cycle of mating, producing young, cannibalism, and a new breeding cycle. For people who wish to breed hedgehogs, they should properly research how to breed qualified stock. Rescues should not be bred due to uncertainty of their bloodlines. There are genetic diseases that qualified responsible breeders and owners are attempting to breed out of the captive population. Hedgehogs of unknown origin and their offspring complicate this endeavor.
So whether you decide to attempt to rescue or to buy hedgehog, please research your decision carefully so it can be a positive experience for you and the hedgehog.
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