Simple Rules on Looking After African Pygmy Hedgehogs by Joanna Malton

African Pygmy Hedgehogs

Alot of people ask how you look after a hedgehog so I hope this will help;-

First what do they need -

-They need to be kept reasonably warm around 72 degrees Farenheit is ideal though i read somewhere if it is warm enough for us to wear just a t shirt and not be cold then it is warm enough for them.

-Unlike our European hedgehogs African Pygmy hedgehogs don´t hibernate though if they get too cold they may try to, in which case they need to be warmed up quickly.

-They eat dry cat food as their main diet (this needs to have as near to a 10% fat/oil content as possible (5%is preferable) to prevent them becoming overweight as they can suffer from fattly liver disease. They require a high protien low fat diet, no body knows for sure what is best for them so i feed a mix of dry cat food, dry ferret food and dry hedgehog food that i can get from my local pet shop. As a treat they have insects (various types), chicken, cat meat and they can have cooked vegetables and fruit though Bramble and Bracken don´t seem interested in the healthy stuff!

-They are nocturnal though will sometimes come out during the day for a snack or just a bit of a wander round before returning to bed.

-They require a cage that is at least 4ft by 4ft in size. Indoor guinea pig cages are ideal. They need to be single level as hedgies are prone to walking over the edge of things and landing in a heap on the floor if you are not careful, not the brightest creatures in the box!

-Wheels are almost essential for hedgies as they will spend hours running in the each night to the point where u will get up to find a hedgie poop trail round the inside of the wheel as they won´t stop for anything, well other than food.

-They can be litter trained as they tend to use one area in their cage to poop.
Contact me for more info - Joanna Malton. (And there are other hedgehog-keepers on PetStreet too!).