Hedgehog — care sheet

Intermediate. Quietly charming, but genuinely temperature-critical and a little medically demanding. African pygmy hedgehogs must be kept warm (a cold hedgehog can slip into a dangerous state), are solitary and nocturnal, take patience to tame, and are prone to specific illnesses like Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome. They’re also illegal or permit-only in some places. Not a beginner impulse pet.

Feed a commercial hedgehog or insectivore food as the base; if you can’t get one, a high-quality weight-management cat or dog food is an acceptable alternative — ration it (roughly 3–4 tsp a day) because hedgehogs get obese easily. Add a little varied moist/protein food and insects daily (mealworms, gut-loaded crickets, cooked meat or egg, low-fat cottage cheese, a little canned cat/dog food) plus a small amount of vegetables/fruit. Hide insects in the bedding to encourage foraging. Never feed raw meat or raw egg (salmonella risk) or milk (it causes diarrhoea). Fresh water at all times; introduce any new food slowly, as they’re fussy about change.

A single hedgehog needs its own secure, well-ventilated cage with a solid, escape-proof design — minimum floor space about 0.6 × 0.9 m (2 × 3 ft), and bigger is better. A large plastic storage bin or a single-level cage with a solid plastic base works; avoid glass aquariums (poor ventilation) and widely-spaced wire (legs can get trapped). A hide is essential, and the bedding should be deep enough (about 8–10 cm) in places for burrowing. They climb and squeeze out of small gaps, so a secure lid matters.

Hedgehogs are solitary and are kept one to a cage — they don’t need or generally want the company of other hedgehogs, and housing them together risks stress and fighting.

This is the make-or-break factor. Keep the ambient temperature at 22–32°C, with 24–29°C ideal, using a thermostatically-controlled heat source such as an under-tank heat pad or a ceramic heater. Both too cold and too warm can push a hedgehog into an unhealthy torpor (a dangerous attempted “hibernation”). Keep humidity low (under ~40%), avoid bright light, and give a regular 12 hours light / 12 hours dark cycle.

A soft, absorbent bedding such as recycled-paper bedding, aspen shavings, alfalfa pellets or hay, deep enough (8–10 cm) in some areas to burrow. Avoid rough, dusty or scented substrates, and never use loose string or fluffy cloth fibres — hedgehog toes and legs get tangled in them.

Healthy hedgehogs are very active and travel a long way at night, so a solid-surface exercise wheel (never an open-rung wire wheel — legs get caught) is strongly recommended. Add tunnels, safe climbing, hides and toys, hide food for them to forage, and let them out for supervised floor time in a safe, warm space.

Hedgehogs need little grooming, but they’re slow to trust and roll into a tight ball when nervous, so calm, daily, gentle handling from the start is what tames them. “Self-anointing” (frothing and smearing saliva on their spines when they meet a new smell) looks alarming but is completely normal. An occasional warm foot bath helps if their feet get soiled; check nails.

Not necessary for a hedgehog on a balanced commercial diet — don’t add vitamin or mineral supplements unless a vet advises it.

Small — males weigh about 400–600 g and females about 300–400 g, a body that curls into a spiny ball a little bigger than a large orange.

Averages 4–6 years, and some reach 8 — longer than most people expect from such a small animal.

See a small-animal or exotics vet if you notice: Wobbliness, an unsteady or falling gait, or progressive weakness of the limbs — possible Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome; see an exotic vet; A cold, curled, unresponsive hedgehog (torpor) — warm it gradually and get advice urgently; Lethargy, weakness, loss of appetite or weight loss — vague but often the only early signs of serious illness in hedgehogs; Laboured or open-mouthed breathing (possible heart disease or pneumonia); Not eating with collapse or vomiting — a gut blockage from swallowed carpet, fibres or rubber; Excessive quill loss, crusting, or red, flaky skin (mites are very common); Yellow tinge to the skin/eyes or a swollen belly, especially in an overweight hedgehog (liver disease).