Setting up a hedgehog cage involves choosing a large, solid-bottom enclosure (minimum 2x3 ft), ensuring good ventilation, and creating a warm, stimulating environment with fleece liners or safe bedding, a silent wheel, hideouts (like fleece tunnels), food/water dishes, and toys, while maintaining a warm temperature (70°F+) to prevent dangerous hibernation.
The cage should be large enough to allow the hedgehog to move around. At least 2 x 3 feet (61 x 91cm) should be the minimum floor space provided. Walls must be high enough to prevent escape, as hedgehogs are good climbers. A glass aquarium or smooth-sided cage is a reasonable choice for many owners.
We recommend using dish soap and water with a good non-scratch sponge on the cage liner or cage bottom. Dry the liner or bottom of the enclosure well before re-covering with anti-pill fleece.
This decline is partly due to a loss of natural habitat, which provides both shelter and food for hedgehogs. Fencing, pesticides, garden hazards (like ponds, strimmers and netting) and development and construction also have an impact. And of course, cars are a major threat to hedgehogs, killing thousands each year.
Only solid bottom cages are suitable for hedgehogs, any wire bottom cages could trap their legs or rip off toenails. Provide a soft bedding free of dust, such as recycled paper pellets or if you use wood shavings use only kiln dried pine or aspen. Do not use cedar shavings as they could irritate your hedgehog's lungs.
You can also put bedding inside the box to give them a head start, such as leaves, straw or hay.
Hedgehogs are solitary animals in the wild, so they may be shy and wary of people. Building trust with a pet hedgehog takes time, patience, and a gentle approach. If you get a hedgehog when it's young and slowly acclimate it to being handled, they can be playful, but they may never become cuddly.
Not all hedgehogs instantly use the litter pan but don't give up because with a little coaching on your part it may be persuaded. Place droppings inside the pan to help clue in the hedgehog where it should go. Litter box training hedgehogs is very similar to cats.
Hedgehogs need plenty of space to explore. We recommend a minimum of 4 square feet of floor space (24" x 24"), though bigger is always better. Look for cages with solid floors and proper ventilation. Our Two-Level Mansion Cage and Sahara Cage are great options designed with hedgehog safety and comfort in mind.
Since hedgehogs can carry Salmonella bacteria, with or without signs of disease, sensible hygiene precautions are advised as a routine measure when handling these animals (see Prevention below). People with salmonellosis most typically develop signs of gastroenteritis.
Best Toys for Hedgehogs
Adult Hedgehog Looking Busy - Leave Alone
And nursing mothers may take a break from the nest during the day to go and look for food and water. So, if you see a decent-sized adult out and about looking busy during the day it is probably fine and you should leave it to go about its business.
Insects are a favorite for hedgehogs. You can offer live bugs, which will also give your tiny buddy the chance to 'hunt' his dinner. Frozen ones are fine as well. Mealworms, wax worms, silk worms and crickets are all good options.
Despite their preference for limited physical affection, once your pet hedgehog has adapted to being handled and settled into its environment, you can gently stroke their quills and allow them to climb up your arms and explore various areas under supervision.
Multi-Level Cages: Multi-level cages offer more space for exploration without taking up extra floor space. However, because hedgehogs have poor eyesight and may not understand heights, it's crucial to ensure all ramps and levels are either close to the floor with bedding, or completely enclosed to prevent falls.
Hedgehogs need to have cage temperatures that stay around 75-80 F. We recommend a 100 or 150 watt ceramic heat emitter bulb with a dome clamp lamp. It can't be a basking bulb as those can actually get too hot. The red or blue bulbs are also not recommended because the light can disrupt their day/night cycle.
Hedgehogs tend to bond with their owners. They will remember your voice, your smell, and even your appearance.
“Bedding will need to be changed frequently. I recommend daily spot cleaning to remove feces, a midweek change of bedding, and a thorough cage cleaning (everything removed and the cage washed) at the end of each week,” says Dr. Kehoe. Their cage should offer a place to hide and sleep during the day.
Cages should be emptied and cleaned at least once a week with soap and water. Bedding should be replaced weekly. Food and water bowls should be cleaned daily with soap and water. Your hedgehog's cage should be spot cleaned once a day to remove and feces, wet/soiled bedding, and leftover food.
Signs of stress
Many hedgehogs are busy and want to try to explore but a stressed hedgehog will be much more persistent and not easily distracted. The stressed hedgehog may also twitch or shake its head nervously. It is almost as if the hedgehog is saying “Sensory overload. I can't take it anymore.”
What not to feed hedgehogs. Hedgehogs need a balanced diet with a calcium to phosphorus ratio between 1:1 and 2:1. Foods outside this range can lead to serious health problems like Metabolic Bone Disease. Avoid giving mealworms, sunflower hearts, peanuts, crickets, and beetles.
They Poop a Lot
Every pet has to do their business, but hedgehogs poop quite often—and usually when they're moving around. This can make cleanup an ongoing project (not at all like a once-a-day sweep of the litter box). Their poop is also more like a dog's than a hamster's.
Although hedgehogs do bite, their tiny teeth are unlikely to cause you very much pain. The force of a hedgehog bite is typically linked to what your pet is feeling. An angry hedgehog could cause a bite that hurts a bit.
Typing "pet hedgehog prices" into your favorite search engine will likely yield a wide range of estimates, but most agree the average cost of a hedgehog is somewhere between $100 and $300 in the United States, depending on the specific animal's age, color, and friendliness.