I need to know everything about hedgehogs.?

Question

Ok, i know NOTHING about hedgehogs.

The only thing i know is that owning hedgehogs are illegal in some states. Are they illegal in Texas?

What they eat

If they need a friend in the cage

What type of cage

How big the cage can be

Can they live in a cube and coroplast cage

What they need to eat

What illnesses they can get easily

That type of stuff

Please type as much as you need yo.

I'm thinking of getting one, or two if needed, over the years but i want to know my stuff before i actually get one.

IM FOR SURE GOING TO A SHELTER THOUGH!!

Answer 1

Here ya go: http://www.petinfopackets.com/hedgehogs/...

Answer 2

No, hedgehogs are not illegal in Texas. I live in Houston and right now I have 4. I am actually an official Hedgehog Rescue Station for the Hedgehog Welfare Society. If you are anywhere near Houston and you are interested in adopting, I have a male cinnamon hedgehog that I recently rescued who is now available. His name is Chaos and he is very friendly.

In the wild, hedgehogs eat mostly insects and small animals like mice. In captivity, they do best if you feed them a variety of a few really good cat foods (none of those store-bought hedgehog foods are any good) and some insects like mealworms and crickets. They also eat fruits occasionally, and even cottage cheese. Different hedgehogs like different things, but for the most part, they eat a combination of different cat foods like Wellness Indoor Health, Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck, etc.

Hedgehogs are usually solitary animals. Some of them will get along with a same-s*x friend, but they don't really HAVE to have one like other animals do. You will need to spend a few hours a day with your hedgie and provide him or her with lots of things to do.

The best kind of cage for a hedgie is one with lots of floor space. They aren't the best climbers. The C&C cages for guinea pigs work really well (that's what I have). Most of the guinea pig style cages you can buy are way too small for guinea pigs, but some of them (the biggest ones) can be good for hedgies. The minimum size required is a 24"x24" or something similar. Anything bigger is fantastic. I have 4 hedgies in a 18 square foot cage. Here are some pics of it:

http://tinyurl.com/3zw93b

http://tinyurl.com/4cv6up

The most common hedgie health problems are severe weight gain/loss. It's a good idea to get a small food scale and weigh your hedgie about once a week or so to make sure they aren't getting ill.

Mites are also a big issue. They can get these little bugs easily. They have to be treated by the vet for this.

They also need their nails clipped frequently.

There is a ton of information out there on hedgies, way more than I could post here. Please take a look at these great  hedgie websites:

http://hedgehogwelfare.org/

http://hedgieflash.org/

And join these groups, you can tell them Rebecca K sent you:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/hedge...

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/hedge...

http://hedgehogcentral.com/forum/

If you have any questions, feel free to IM/email me any time.

Answer 3

~ legal in TX

~ they can eat a commercial hedgehog formula or high quality low

fat dry cat food

~hedgies are solitary and will most likely fight with cage-mates

~the cage should always be as big as possible for play room, but a

20 gallon aquarium or larger will be best suited for your hedgie. wire cages hurt their feet and are cold so should be avoided.

~ from what i have read, cubes and coroplast cages are second to aquariums...

~ they need protein, and a balanced diet. they will eat crickets/mealworms in addition to the food formula/cat food

good luck with your hedgie, and you should probably do some more research before going out and getting one :)

hope i helped!!!!!