Hedgehog delema!!!?

Question

I really want a hedgehog. There is one breeder where I'm from that is close enough to drive to. I haven't called any local pet shops yet. I'm pretty sure that I'm not gong to have a problem getting one, but I still have some questions. How old should I buy one? Should I get male or female (pros and cons?) what should they REALLY be eating. ( veges fruit brand of cat food if they should be eating cat food.) what kind of inexpensive toys should I buy. Can I make toys for it out of household things? (toilet paper rolls, newspaper...) what shouldn't I give it, what is unhealthy/ will kill it?

Please help!!!!

Answer 1

I have a hedgehog that I adopted from a person who wasn't taking care of it as she should have been.

It's more of a challenge to get them calmed down around you when they are older, but even a baby must be handled with gloves daily for months before getting used to human contact.

They should eat a hedgehog formula (mines by sunseed) mixed with cat food. You want to feed a medium grade cat food too rich will be bad too cheap (meow mix) will be bad. I feed Purina Naturals.

They also need fresh insects. i feed mine mealworms and crickets maybe once a week as treats. Veggies are good too, Kale, apple, romaine lettuce. Don't give too often, this can cause upset stomach.

Males and females really do not act much different. There are different coloration patterns that are neat.

They do not really like toys. i give mine small cat toys and toilet paper rolls. Every once in a blue moon she will scoot it across the floor.

Litter training is a MUST. Mine is completely litter trained. She only goes in her litter box. Use a rabbit box, and use feline pine litter or yesterdays news litter. Plant a p**p in the box and continue doing so until she/he gets the idea that is where they should "go".

Make sure they have something to hide in or under. Mine has a cat sleeping bag that she loves.

Also they are nocturnal. So if they are in your room, most likely they will be active at night.

Look into adopting. petfinder.com can show you exotic animals in your area that need homes.  

Hope this helps! good luck!

Answer 2

I had one years ago and got it from a local pet shop.  Most pet shops don't have them so make sure to call around.  I fed mine Iams brand kitten food and it did really well on that. I also gave it fresh fruit and veggies and it loved cottage cheese!  The pet store sold me mine as a female but I later found out that she was a male!  I was very happy with a boy.  I really didn't have too may toys for him.  I had something for him to climb on and sleep under.  Other than that I just let him out of the cage to walk around quite a bit and held him a lot!  Good luck!  He was quite a sweetheart!

Answer 3

Well, first thing you should do is see if there are any exotic or small animal Veterinarians in your area.  This way, if you have any problems, you can take your hedgie to them asap (and you have the information off-hand).

For basic nutritional information: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?...

Other links:

http://www.hedgies.com/

http://hedgehogcentral.com/introduction....

http://hedgehogclub.com/

Also keep in mind that you should ask any breeder as many questions as you possibly can.  You want to be sure that the animals are in good condition, and are well cared for.