Do you think hedgehogs are good pets?

Question

I am thinking about getting one! what are some pros and cons?

I am looking for a small pet, i tried guinea pigs but they were too loud, and my chinchilla didnt interact that much, except for at night but even then he didnt want to be held long.

Answer 1

You should really research a pet before adopting one. Like, not just here on Y!A, but at the library, online, etc. Too many people make the mistake of not doing that and can't take good care of their pet because they don't know how.

Answer 2

No - they belong in the wild and would probably die in captivity.  You certainly would not be able to hold one without getting spiked and scratched.  

Answer 3

probably not..

Answer 4

i dont think so...it might be hard finding their needs.

Answer 5

They can be, but you need to know a few things first:

• They are nocturnal.  They sleep most of the day unless you take them out of their cage.  I had one (named her Velcro) and she had an exercise wheel and I could hear her on it at night cuz the wheel squeaked.

• They are solitary animals.  You can't have more than one in a cage.

• They love mealworms.  Are you prepared to kill the mealworms for your hedgehog?

I loved my Velcro, but she wasn't especially sociable.  She ate kitten food (I fed her Iams brand) and she loved her mealworms!  I would put a few in a little dish and run them under steaming hot water until they were immobalized?/dead?; then she would devour them.  She wouldn't touch them if they were moving.

I also would let her out to run around and get some exercise, but you have to keep a close eye on her at all times.  She could get stuck under furniture you didn't think she could even fit under.  And they're fast, too.

Also be forewarned:  when Velcro was 4 yrs old, she started having trouble walking up the ramp to the food level of her cage.  We took her to the vet who did x-rays and found she had tumors throughout her body; I guess they are prone to tumors.  So we had to have her put to sleep.

Oh yeah, that's another issue: make sure you can find a vet that treats exotic animals (as opposed to just dogs & cats) before you get a hedgehog.

Do your homework; get a good book about hedgehogs and do a lot of research about them before you actually get one, so you're well-informed.  (Sorry this got so long!)

Answer 6

In the US and Canada hedgehogs are seen as exotic pets and people keep them and play with them and cuddle them.

In the UK the things are running about all over the countryside and nobody would ever consider keeping one as a pet.

Go to a good pet shop and see what they say.

Answer 7

guinea pigs aren't THAT loud, you have gotta be joking me. i have them at home, and they only make noises when they want food. what about a rabbit then? chinchillas have such soft fur but yeah they don't really interact during the daytime unless you train your pet to. hedgehogs... i didn't even KNOW you can have hedgehogs as pets. but my advice, it's not hard unless you use the internet as a resource. such as going on google and typing in "hedgehog forums". there's tons of information there, with people that need help and you could register too to submit your questions.

Answer 8

No, I had a hedgehog as a pet and he poked my eye out with his spines.

Answer 9

Cons:

*Their Expensive

*Their illegal in a few states California,Georgia,Hawaii,Pennsylvania, and Maine two different permits are required to own a hedgehog.

Also a few counties such as The 5 Boroughs of New York City & Douglas County, Nebraska.

*Their consider to be exotic which means you might have some trouble finding a vet that takes them.

*Hedgehogs are nocturnal. 0_o

*When they roll in a ball their quills feel like needles.

* They have short life spans. 8/

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Pros: Their adorable & unique.

Answer 10

They are not supposed to be kept as pets.

Chinchillas are known for not liking being touched, and getting on with their own things.

Of course Guinea Pigs are loud, they are known for this.

Do you just move onto new pets when you get bored with your old ones?

I'm a sob?

You are the one that doesn't understand capitailzation and punctuation.

Answer 11

No i don't think they would make good pets, and you couldn't cuddle a hedgehog. They are naturally wild creatures, and nocturnal that roam a large area throughout the night, foraging on slugs, insects berries etc.. If you like the idea of hedgehogs in your garden, why don't you invest in a habitat box for hedgehogs, and leave food out nightly for them. You can now buy proper hedgehog food from alot of pet shops, and as they are decreasing in numbers (due to traffic,lack of natural habitats being destroyed etc..) you would be helping these lovely inoffensive creatures survive. Don't feed them bread and milk, they love cat food, but not the fish varietys. I now have 3 that visit my garden nightly, and they bought their babies with them too...so cute.  

Answer 12

Ignore everyone.  Opinions are like Aholes and everyone has one but they usually stink.

Go to http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/

The people on this board specialize in both hedgehogs and chinchillas they maybe able to answer your questions.