Hedgehog FAQ [2/7] - Finding more information

[Brian MacNamara]

Archive-name: hedgehog-faq/part2
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Keywords: faq pet hedgehogs

Last-modified: 30 March 2014
Version: 3.180

HEDGEHOG FAQ (part 2 of 7) -- FINDING MORE INFORMATION
Compiled and edited by Brian MacNamara (***@hedgehoghollow.com)
Additions, corrections, and suggestions for this file are welcomed.

This document is copyright 2014 by Brian MacNamara. See section [0.6]
for authorship information and redistribution rights. In short, you
can give it away, but you can't charge for it.

The basic Hedgehog FAQ has seven parts, all of which should be available
from wherever you obtained this one. A complete table of contents for
all seven parts is given in part I.

Please note: While my knowledge of hedgehogs has grown (far beyond my
wildest expectations when I began the FAQ), my knowledge is still quite
limited, especially in areas of health care. I did not write, or verify,
all the information in this FAQ. I have done my best to include only
accurate and useful information, but I cannot guarantee the correctness
of what is contained in this FAQ, regardless of the source, or even that
it will not be harmful to you or your hedgehog in some way. For advice
from an expert, I recommend you consult the books listed in part 2 [2.1],
or, especially in the case of a suspected medical problem, a veterinarian
who is familiar with hedgehogs.

------------------------------

Subject: CONTENTS OF THIS FILE

2. *** Where to get more information ***

<2.1> What books are there on pet hedgehogs?
<2.2> Is there any other information available on-line?
<2.3> International Hedgehog Registry
<2.4> Hedgehogs Welfare Society
<2.5> International Hedgehog Association
<2.6> Canadian Hedgehog Association
<2.7> Other hedgehog organizations
<2.8> Miscellaneous hedgehog stuff and sources

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2. *** Where to get more information ***

------------------------------

Subject: <2.1> What books are there on pet hedgehogs?

For a long time there was only a single tome available on our prickly little
friends, which was often referred to as ``The Hedgehog Book.'' With the
increasing popularity of hedgehogs, a number of books are now available.
There still seems to be little information on hedgehogs in print, especially
compared to most other animals, but this, fortunately, appears to be rapidly
changing. Also, many, but not all, of the books that are commonly available
contain outdated information.

As of spring 1997 there are two new complementary books now out that have
virtually made all the previous offerings obsolete.

The first of these additions, is _The Hedgehog: An Owner's Guide to a Happy,
Healthy Pet_ by Dawn Wrobel and Dr. Susan Brown, DVM. It is published by the
Howell Book House, and is available in pet stores that carry their Happy,
Healthy Pet series. It is also available through the Spike and Friends
Catalog [2.8]. For those of you who want to order it, the ISBN number is
0-87605-501-3, and it is listed as having a price of $12.95 USD, or $17.95
CDN.

Having had the luxury of seeing some of the preliminary text (thanks Dawn!),
I had high expectations for the book, and when I got to see it, I was quite
amazed at how far it exceeded my imagination. Simply put, this is a great
book, and one that no hedgehog owner should be without. It is full of great
tips, ideas and great knowledge, accompanied by some fantastic pictures. The
medical chapter by Dr. Susan Brown is more than worth the price in itself,
not that the rest of the book wouldn't be a bargain even without it.

Dawn's book is targeted at the pet owner, rather than the breeder, as has
been the case all too often in the past, and in this respect it succeeds
brilliantly.

The other great tome that was published about the same time as the one above,
is _The Pygmy Hedgehog a Perfect Pet_ by Sharon Massena with Bryan Smith.
Having now had the chance to see this book, I can attest that it is more than
worthwhile as well. The best part about it, is that rather than being
another great hedgehog book, it is complementary to books like Dawn Wrobel's,
by addressing many different areas. Here is the information I have on it:

The ISBN # is 0-9655629-1-3
The list price is $16.00 US and $19.00 CDN + post.

80 pages, soft cover, gloss pages with b/w and full colour photos.
Contains limited standard info and full colour pics many of the
standardized colours. Also has club and show information.
-- Bryan Smith

I should probably add a disclaimer here -- I have had numerous conversations
with Dawn and Bryan, and a bias in favour of either book could easily be
assigned to this. In the case of Dawn's book, I read the advance text she
sent with the intent to essentially critique it -- expecting it to already be
dated in many ways (as most books have been by the time they get to print) or
just a rehash of what has gone before, and I came away honestly impressed.
Having now seen Sharon's and Bryan's book, the same feelings apply. I'm sure
that I could nit-pick in minor places, but at most that's what it would be,
nit-picking about things that don't matter. We finally have very good,
up-to-date books that can go a very long ways towards giving people the
information they need about keeping hedgehogs as pets, and providing them
happy healthy lives.


Going back a bit now, the book, often called ``The Hedgehog Book,'' is
actually titled _Everything You Wanted to Know About Hedgehogs But you didn't
know who to ask_ by Pat Storer. This was one of the first books available on
pet hedgehogs.

Pat Storer has two books available on hedgehogs, and while there is
considerable crossover between the two, her newer book _Hedgehogs As Pets_
(my thanks to John Ofner for my copy) is targeted more at pet owners, while
the original ``Everything...'' is more oriented towards breeders. These
books are, for all intents and purposes, the original formal tomes on pet
hedgehogs, and having one or the other was virtually a must for any hedgehog
keeper (keepee?). While they don't cover absolutely everything, and they are
becoming a bit dated, now, they do provide a lot of very good information.
Both books cover areas of the other to some extent, so a pet owner looking
for basics on breeding will find it in _Hedgehogs As Pets_, while a breeder
can also find pet level information in ``Everything...''

Probably the most essential thing both offer is a reference section on
hedgehog health, body chemistry norms, and drugs (including quantities) that
have been safely used to treat hedgehog maladies. Given that relatively few
veterinarians in North America have even heard of hedgehogs as pets, let
alone ever treated them, taking one of these books with you to a vet in time
of emergency could easily be a life saving act.

That's the good news; the problem is that these books are generally only
available directly from Pat Storer herself, although the Ain't No Creek Ranch
[2.8] also carries them. In any case, here are the details:

Everything You Wanted to Know About Hedgehogs
But you didn't know who to ask
Third Edition

Written and Compiled by Pat Storer
Country Storer Enterprises, Publisher
P.O. Box 160
Columbus, Texas 78934
USA

Fax: [phone]
email: ***@intertex.net
www: http://www.rzu2u.com/

Single Copies (In U.S.): $29.00 US dollars + shipping
by 4th Class Mail

Please note that Pat Storer no longer takes orders by telephone,
but she does by fax, and now has email access.

And,

Hedgehogs As Pets
First Edition

By Pat Storer
Country Storer Enterprises, Publisher
P.O. Box 160
Columbus, Texas 78934
USA

Fax: [phone]
email: ***@intertex.net
www: http://www.rzu2u.com/

Single Copies (In U.S.): $22.00 US dollars + shipping
by 4th Class Mail

Pat Storer now takes credit cards, but money orders are fine too. The prices
and info above is up to date as of July 1997, thanks to Pat Storer herself.

There is one minor correction to ``Everything...'' that should be noted:

The correct number for Rainbow Mealworms (mentioned in Storer's
book) is 310-635-1494.
-- Katherine Long


Other books on pet hedgehogs are also available and can be found at some book
stores, or by contacting the publishers directly. I've listed the
information I have on them below. The first is with thanks to Elizabeth Jane
Monroe and Znofyl.

African Pygmy Hedgehogs as your New Pet
Dennis Kelsey-Wood, pics. by Ralph Lermayer
copyright 1995
distributed by T.F.H. Publications, Inc.,
One T.F.H. Plaza, Neptune City, NJ 07753

or National Book Network, Inc.
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706

or in Canada, H & L Pet Supplies Inc.,
27 Kingston Crescent, Kitchener, Ontario N2B 2T6

and other places. ISBN # is 079380192-3

Abstract: ``This book represents the culmination of years of research by
dedicated hedgehog breeders. Dennis Kelsey-Wood has compiled, through
intense research, interviews, and study, what I feel is the finest, most
accurate, and complete gathering of hedgehog facts on husbandry,
breeding, and care that has ever been assembled in one book. From its
accurate text to its superb photos, it is destined to become a classic
and will no doubt be the standard for anyone interested in these
fascinating animals. Enjoy it and Happy Hedgehoggin!''

Ralph M. Lermayer, [former - ed.] President, North American Hedgehog
Association [now defunct - ed.]

For anyone having a hard time finding it, you can call TFH directly
at 1-908-988-8400, ext. 117 and order it from their customer service
department.

This is a good book, especially for beginners (which is really where it is
directed). It does not contain the health standards, and medicine usage
that are in other books, listed above, and is to my mind a good supplement,
but not a replacement for them -- especially if your veterinarian is not
well acquainted with hedgehogs. I found it to be good reading, but it
always seemed to avoid a direct answer to most questions, lacking in real
detail. I must admit, however, that the pictures alone were both great
entertainment, and very useful, giving an excellent glimpse of what a
healthy hedgehog should look like. I'm still trying to figure out how the
photographers managed to avoid getting blurred pictures of all those busy
noses.

Dennis Kelsey-Wood has also released a second book (1996) called _Hedgehogs
Today_. It can be ordered from TFH, etc., as with his earlier book.

Hedgehogs Today
Dennis Kelsey-Wood
copyright 1996
distributed by T.F.H. Publications, Inc.,
One T.F.H. Plaza, Neptune City, NJ 07753

ISBN # is 0-7938-0103-6

The information above came to me by way of Brenda Basinger.

Having had a chance to look at this book, I have to say the quality of the
photos is excellent. That, however, is about the only good thing I can say.
The book is full of contradictions, and just plain bad advice. It goes on to
suggest that you should ``always use a glove'' to hold a hedgehog (which
captions a picture of a person holding one in bare hands). It also suggests
that a temperature range of from 60-75 degrees F, or 16-24 degrees C is okay,
when many hedgehogs will become unhealthy or even go into semi hibernation at
anything much below 70F/22C. It shows multiple hedgehogs being kept in a
Tupperware container barely big enough to squeeze them into (although it says
it's not big enough for a ``long term home'' -- it's clearly not big enough
for anything more than carrying them across the room. Finally, its listing
of states where hedgehogs are not allowed is totally misleading, and was
clearly the result of only the briefest research. The book even shows
feeding of raw eggs to hedgehogs -- something that can all too easily result
in salmonella [6.2].

While there certainly are good points to this book, including excellent photos
showing how a healthy hedgehog should appear, the sheer weight of bad
information means I cannot recommend this as much beyond a photo album, and
definitely not as a starting point for beginners.


Information on another book, which is now widely available, was sent to me by
Tirya:

Hedgehogs: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual

by Matthew M. Vriends, Ph.D.
pub: Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
ISBN: 0-8120-1141-4
Barron's Price: $5.95 US

Barron's has published numerous other pet books in their series, and
they all seem to be well-received and easily available in pet shops.

It's geared primarily towards the African, though it has a chapter on
the European as kind of a compare/contrast thing. It also has a
chapter on breeding by Pat Storer. A lot of good pictures and
information, in an easy-to-read style, plus a chapter on ``Understanding
Hedgehogs'' covering body language and sounds. While it's by no means
all-inclusive (is there a hedgie book yet that is?) it's a good read.
-- Tirya

The book contains some medical information that complements other books quite
well, but, does not replace them. However, some of the information is
seriously outdated, and other parts contradict statements made elsewhere in
the book. The chapter by Pat Storer is taken almost verbatim out of her
books, but is a worthwhile addition to any hedgehog library, and if taken as
a whole, the book is quite good, and is, at the price, probably where most
new hedgehog keepers will start.


For people seeking more in depth information on hedgehogs in general,
including species, natural habitats, and research, another book, which came
out in 1994, thoroughly addresses many of these issues.

Hedgehogs
by Nigel Reeve
ISBN 0-85661-081-X
T & A D Poyser Ltd.
24-28 Oval Road
London NW1 7DX

In published form, this book is probably the best source of true, scientific
information on all types of hedgehogs. Beyond this point, you probably need
to read scientific papers (30 pages of references to which are at the back of
this book, which gives you some clue to Dr. Reeve's efforts at research).
While it does focus primarily on hedgehogs in the wild, it does provide some
very useful insights into what makes our little friends tick. I find myself
turning more and more to this book, all the time -- especially when someone
asks me a detailed question. Unlike many scientific books, this one shows
the author had a real interest and excitement in his chosen topic of
research, rather than limiting himself to dry phrasing, an entertaining sense
of humour and wit shows through.

The book can be hard to come by in North America (the publisher does not
import it here), but it is available through the Exclusively Hedgehogs
catalog [2.8], and the Spike and Friends Collection [2.8].


While I am at it, Richard Saunders passed along word of another book that he
found. This one appears to possibly be a local effort by a hedgehog breeder
on the west coast of Canada, but just in case, here is the information that
is available:

Hedgehogs
Hedgehog Handbook
- Everything You Need To Know To Raise Happy Healthy Hedgehogs

Written & Illustrated by Joan Baydala (Copyright, 1994)

The small paperback book (64 pages) indicated Joan Baydala is located in
Kelowna, B.C. The book doesn't indicate a publisher or any ISBN
reference.

Outline of the book is:
A Brief History (page 1-10)
Survival In The Wild (11-18)
Selecting Your Hedgehog (20-26)
Housing (27-34)
Care and Management (35-46)
Breeding (47-56)
Allergies (57)
A Few Last Words (58-59)
References (60)
Index (61-64)


Another resource for hedgehog information is the ``Exotic Market Review.''
This is a journal about exotic animals and pets, and is primarily intended for
breeders. It contains articles on innumerable different animals that most of
us will never have heard of, but also contains an abundance of info on
hedgehogs. Subscription rates are $10.00/yr. in the U.S., $30.00/US/yr. for
Canada, and $60.00/US/yr. foreign. They can be contacted at:

EXOTIC Market Review
P.O. Box 1203
Bowie, Texas 76230
USA

phone: [phone]


In addition to the books and journal, above, which are directly aimed at pet
hedgehogs, there are a number of books on European (or all types of)
hedgehogs which can be useful for pet owners and hedgehog lovers of all
types. I would suggest looking at the listings in section [11.2] for other
books which might be of interest.


One final tidbit I can't resist adding. I have heard of a number of new
hedgehog books that are in the works and (hopefully) due out over the coming
year or two. Information on hedgehogs promises to continue to be
forthcoming.


------------------------------

Subject: <2.2> Is there any other information available on-line?

Discussions of hedgehogs often come up in the rec.pets and on the
alt.fan.hedgehogs and alt.pets.hedgehogs Usenet newsgroups. The FAQ ``Fleas,
Ticks and Your Pet'' is distributed on rec.pets, as well as listed in [9.4].
Several bulletin board systems keep pet FAQs and discussions, as does the
CompuServe Small Mammals forum.

I maintain a set of Hedgehog WWW pages that can be accessed at:
http://HedgehogHollow.COM/

(Please Note: most my site is currently closed while under reconstruction --
I hope to have it reopened shortly, with the many out of date entries brought
up to date.)

Among the things available off my pages are links to all other hedgehog pages
I have found, and an HTMLized version of the FAQ.

Here are a couple of hedgehog sites to get you started searching through
the Web. These are not the only sites, nor are they definitive, but are
meant as a starting point to get you going:

http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/
http://www.hedgehogworld.com/

Thanks to Rachel Markley for suggesting I add these here. I expect to add
additional sites to the list as time goes on. I would also suggest you
make good use of your favorite search engine to find hedgehog sites as the
web changes too rapidly for FAQ published monthly to try to keep abrest of
what's happening.

The list of hedgehog web pages is growing rapidly -- I've been trying to keep
pointers to many of them off my own web page, but by now I'm starting to miss
many, I'm sure. Feel free to email me if you have one to add to my list of
pointers, or if you find one of my links doesn't work -- I am running way
behind on checking, lately. :-}


After several changes in location over the years, the original Hedgehog
Mailing List has, unfortunately, closed down. Many thanks to all the folks
who looked after it through the years.

There are, however, a couple of hedgehog mailing lists that are up and
active. Fist, is the Hedgehog Help list, and as the name implies is meant
for hedgehog help topics. Both an individual message version and a digest
version of this list, are available. One caution: this list is subject to
censorship by the list moderator, and not everyone can freely post to it.

You can join the regular (individual message) version by sending email to
the address:
hedgehog_help-***@onelist.com

Or for the digest version, subscribe as above then send email to the
following address to switch to the digest:
hedgehog_help-***@onelist.com

You can switch back to the individual (normal) version, by sending email to:
hedgehog_help-***@onelist.com

And, of course, to unsubscribe, use the address:
hedgehog_help-***@onelist.com

Last, and far from least, to send a message to the list, simply send it to:
***@onelist.com

Alternately, there is the PigPogLives mailing list. I have heard that the
PogPogLives list may have closed, but I have not confirmed this as yet. The
instructions for accessing PigPogLives are almost identical to the Hedgehog
Help list:

You can join the regular (individual message) version by sending email to
the address:
pigpoglives-***@onelist.com

Or for the digest version, subscribe as above then send email to the
following address to switch to the digest:
pigpoglives-***@onelist.com

You can switch back to the individual (normal) version, by sending email to:
pigpoglives-***@onelist.com

And, of course, to unsubscribe, use the address:
pigpoglives-***@onelist.com

Last, and far from least, to send a message to the list, I believe the
address is:
***@onelist.com


Next, another new list that looks very promising is the Hedgehogfun group.
Joining this list is probably most easily done through the web at:
http://www.egroups.com/invite/Hedgehogfun
and click the ``JOIN'' button. One caveat -- this appears to be a very busy
webserver, as I've had trouble connecting, although the list, itself seems to
be fine.

I believe you can also subscribe to this list by sending an email to:
Hedgehogfun-***@egroups.com
Probably with the word ``subscribe'' as the text of the message.

The list will send you a confirmation message, which you need to reply to.

To post messages to the list, send them to:
***@egroups.com

To unsubscribe, send a message to:
Hedgehogfun-***@egroups.com
likely with the word ``unsubscribe'' as the text of the message.


My thanks to Pam (Russo) Powers for keeping me up on the info for the AOL
hedgehog chat session.

The AOL hedgehog chat is on Thursday's at 7:00 P.M. EST
We love to have new people stopping by.

The chat is located in the Critter Chat room, located in the Pet Care
Forum, keyword-Pet Care.


Dick Brisky of Brisky Pet Products is setting up yet another web based chat
off the YAHOO site.

I wanted to let everyone know that I will be setting up a chat area at
YAHOO ( http://chat.yahoo.com/ ) the first Wednesday of each month, from
7PM to 8PM Eastern. If you're interested in learning more about our pet
food products or in sharing any ideas or thoughts, stop in.

To log-in you need to set-up an account there first (free), so stop by a
couple of hours early if you don't have an account. After that all you
have to do is search the ROOMS list for a room labeled BRISKY PET
PRODUCTS and click in.
- Dick Brisky

I know from my own dealings with Dick Brisky, that he is honestly interested
in things which will improve pet foods and products, and has always been very
open with any information he has had. This should prove to be a good
variation on the other forums.

For those of you with ICQ access, Lisa Rowe, has set up an ICQ Hedgehog chat
room. You can get more information about it at:

http://www.webvoodoo.com/hedgies/

I've been given a pointer to a new forum that deals with hedgehogs (and
chinchillas) at:

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

Thanks to Rachel Markey for this pointer.


------------------------------

Subject: <2.3> International Hedgehog Registry

Jennifer Young-Watson, with help from Antigone Means, has set up the
International Hedgehog Registry, to try and help track all pet hedgehogs.
Here's an excerpt from the registry information:

This registry is setting out to register all the [pet] African Pygmy
Hedgehogs. We want to do this to a) take a census of all the Hedgehogs
that are out there b) to cut down on unwanted inbreeding by unknowing
breeders and c) to help track behavoral and genetic traits.

This is a great chance for your pets to help add to our knowledge about
hedgehogs, so please do register. Registration is free, although for $10.00
U.S. they do provide a really nice registration certificate, should you want
one.

You can get more information, and register online at their web page:
(Note: new address as of June 2000 -- thanks to Jeffery Allen)
http://www.hedgehogregistry.com/

or by mail to:

IHR Headquarters
Jennifer Young-Watson
P.O. Box 9880
Canoga Park, CA 91309-0880
USA

email: ***@earthlink.net (new as of Oct. 1998)

Other branches exist at:

IHR Southern Branch
Antigone (Tig) Means
Littlerock, AR
USA

email: ***@mailcity.com

IHR Eastern Branch
Vera C. Rhoades
Trenton, NJ
USA

email: ***@erols.com

------------------------------

Subject: <2.4> Hedgehogs Welfare Society

The Hedgehog Welfare Society is a relatively new, and active group that has
come about. Unlike many of the earlier organizations, this one seems to be
focused more on proper care, and welfare. You can contact them at:

The Hedgehog Welfare Society
5308 21st Ave SW
Seattle, WA, 98106
USA

email: ***@hedgehogwelfare.org
www: http://www.hedgehogwelfare.org/

From what I can gather, HWS is affiliated with the Carolina Hedgehog Society
(or vice versa) which also appears to be a very interesting group. The CWH
website contains a wealth of excellent information.

www: http://hedgies.com/

My thanks to Dawn Wrobel for putting me onto these organizations.


------------------------------

Subject: <2.5> International Hedgehog Association

The IHA is a registered charitable non-profit organization established with
the purpose of educating the public in the care and betterment of hedgehogs
and to facilitate the rescue, welfare, promotion and care of hedgehogs
everywhere.

The IHA is active in the promotion of hedgehog shows as a means of bringing
together and educating hedgehog lovers and fanciers and encourages and
supports rescue and research activities.

International Hedgehog Association
PO Box 122
Yates Center, KS
USA 66783

Canada and International:
International Hedgehog Association
1070 Lilly Dale RR#1
Belle River, Ontario
Canada
N0R 1A0

email: ***@hedgehogclub.com
www: http://hedgehogclub.com/

Individual:............$20.00/year
Family:................$30.00/year
Junior:................$12.00/year (up to 18 years of age)
Breeder:,,,,,,,,,,,,...$40.00/year
Veterinarian/Clinic:...$15.00/year
Lifetime individual....$250.00/lifetime
Lifetime family:.......$350.00/lifetime
Lifetime Breeder:......$450.00/lifetime


------------------------------

Subject: <2.6> Canadian Hedgehog Association

This came as a pleasant surprise to me when I received information about this
organization from Sophie Hannan, the founder and President.


Canadian Hedgehog Associationm Inc.
542 South Black River Road
Black River Bridge, NB
Canada E1N 5T2

email: ***@canadianhedgehogassociation.com
www: http://www.canadianhedgehogassociation.com

Individual.............$18.00 CAD/year (over 18 years of age)
Family:................$25.00 CAD/year (2 adults + 4 children)
Youth:.................$12.00 CAD/year (up to 18 years of age)
Breeder:...............$35.00/year (>18months experience breeding)

Aside from this, I know all too little about the CHA, as yet.


------------------------------

Subject: <2.7> Other Hedgehog Organizations

Aside from the IHA [2.5], and the now defunct HI and N.A.H.A. (North American
Hedgehog Association), there exist a number of other organizations dedicated
to hedgehogs. Many of these organizations discussed in this section are
generally involved with wild European hedgehogs, rather than pet hedgehogs.


Within North America, until recently there has been no problem with hedgehogs
not having homes. They were rare enough, that few would wind up at the pound
or unwanted. Unfortunately that is now changing, and Kyrstin Westwind has
started the Hedgehog Rescue organization to help out unwanted, or illegal
hedgehogs. At the present time, it is located in the Northwest United
States, specifically in Oregon, but she hopes that it will become more wide
spread and organized over the coming months.

You can contact Hedgehog Rescue at:

Hedgehog Rescue
11575 SW Pacific Hwy. Box 148
Tigard, OR
97223
USA

phone: [phone]
email: ***@aracnet.com

Rescued hedgies are given a complete health check by a vet, any needed
treatments are given and they are put on a balanced diet (most of the
hedgies, we see, have been eating store-brand kitten food!) In most cases
the hedgies have not been socialized at all and need to be worked with one
on one for a while. We try to determine if they CAN be socialized or
will always be grumps -- happily, in most cases they DO come around.

On the advice of other rescue groups we have an adoption fee. I had been
resistant to this idea, but it is true that people rarely value ``free
pets'' -- some groups had real horror stories to this affect -- and there
are a LOT of expenses involved in this effort! So for $50 the adoptive
person/family gets a healthy hedgehog that will unball, a list of
resources including how to reach the hedgehog list, FAQ, and other web
pages as well as local vets. We waive all or part of the fee for people
who have experience with hedgehogs, or in cases where they need to pay for
a Delta Dash.

We do screen perspective adoptive homes: making sure they are well
informed about all the pros and cons of life as a hedgie slave and that
there have been no abuse complaints against them in the past. We avoid
giving a female from a ``breeding mill'' to someone who wants to breed
hedgies, because these females tend to have been ``over- bred'' We provide
on-going support and, if at some point the person/family decides hedgies
are not for them -- hasn't happened yet -- we take the hedgie back and find
a new home.
-- Kyrstin Westwind

I've been told by Sharon Massena that ``the 4H group of Hedgehogs Northwest
is doing rescue work. I'm not entirely sure what area this covers, but it
sounds like something that has merit well beyond the nominal Northwest US.


There are also a number of regional and local hedgehog clubs and
organizations appearing throughout North America. One of the largest,
and oldest is Hedgehogs Northwest:

Hedgehogs Northwest is composed of pet lovers, owners, hobbyists and
breeders who are interested in expanding the understanding and knowledge
of hedgehogs. The club sponsored the first hedgehog confirmation show in
the world. We sponsored our first show on October 22, 1995 which was
such a success that we sponsored another March 24, 1996. (These were both
held in Tacoma, Washington). We also do the Puyallup (Washington).
Spring and Fall Fairs as well as other shows to acquaint people with the
specialness of our little friends.

Note: I don't have a current address for Hedeghogs Northwest, although
there is a website to be at:

www: http://www.hedgehogsnw.com/

My thanks to Janet Martin for sending me the info above, and to Sharon
Massena for updates.

More local and regional hedgehog clubs/organizations are forming, some under
the auspices of the IHA [2.5]. You should contact or the IHA for information
about any known clubs or organizations in your area.


In the Netherlands, the organization VEZ is involved with numerous types of
exotic mammals, including hedgehogs:

The VEZ is a Dutch organization of keepers and lovers of exotic mammals.
The main goal of the organization is gathering and spreading information
about these animals and how to take care of them. We coordinate
breeding programs for different kinds of mammals. Members are not only
vets, zoos, breeders with a large stock of animals, genetic experts and
so on, but people with a pair of chinchilla's, a hamster or gerbils are
as important to us.

We publish a magazine, four times a year, in Dutch. In the future we'll
try to add a summary in English at the end of the articles. Members meet
regularly to exchange animals an experience, and to visit zoos in the
Netherlands and abroad.

For some animals, like hedgehogs, sugar gliders and others, we have a
contact person who coordinates the breeding program, can give you basic
information and show you the way in case you need more than that.

Costs:
Membership costs Hfl 50,- excl. bankcosts for foreign countries.
For more information write to:

VEZ
Beetslaan 73
2281 TG Rijswijk
The Netherlands

Contact person for different species of hedgehogs is:

Anja van der Werf
Siriusstraat 16
1622 ZH Hoorn
Tel. [phone]
The Netherlands

E-mail address: ***@CompuServe.COM

-- Anja van der Werf


------------------------------

Subject: <2.8> Miscellaneous Hedgehog stuff and sources

This section contains information on various hedgehog things and places to
get hedgehog stuff that just doesn't easily fit into any of the more
organized categories.

The first item on our list of interesting stuff is the Spike and Friends
Collection, a catalog of miscellaneous hedgehoggery, and stuff relating to
other exotic pets put out by the ``Ain't No Creek Ranch:''

Ain't No Creek Ranch
2553 W. Offner Road
Beecher, IL
USA 60401-3347

email: ***@aol.com

www: http://www.aintnocreek.com/

Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

The Ain't No Creek Ranch accepts MasterCard and Visa to make feeding your
hedgehog habit just that much easier.

If you are into pet hedgehogs or just like hedgehogs in general, their
catalog is really neat! As a quick overview, it contains most of the books
available for pet hedgehogs, T-shirts and sweatshirts, hedgehog toys, and
toy-hedgehogs, hedgehog homes, and numerous other hedgehog novelties and
gifts. They are primarily hedgehog oriented (in fact they breed hedgehogs --
a good sign :-) ), but the catalog also has items that are related to other
exotic pets like ferrets, sugar gliders, rheas, goats, etc.

Here's part of the welcome message from the first catalog to give you a
feeling of what they are all about:

Welcome to the first edition of the Spike and Friends Collection.
This brochure is an outgrowth of our hedgehog mania here at Ain't No
Creek Ranch. In attempting to locate hedgehogabilia for ourselves --
we found a lot of other hedgehog lovers looking for the same things. So
we began accumulating items as well as designing our own. And we've even
included books, toys, and T-shirts for a few other exotic/alternative
animals as well.

Dawn Wrobel
Ain't No Creek Ranch


A second hedgehog catalog is also available, called Exclusively Hedgehogs.
The wonder of this is that there is virtually no overlap in what they carry
with what is in the above catalog. It is indeed a good time for hedgehog
lovers! Like the Spike and Friends Collection, Exclusively Hedgehogs carries
both hedgehog pet supplies and hedgehogabilia, and is available from:

Exclusively Hedgehogs
145 S.E. Ankeny Circle
Portland OR 97233-3121
USA

[phone]
[phone]

Among the items carried for pet hedgehogs are hedgehog food and treats, and
Roadrunner Play Safe wheels [I would recommend at least the 11'' and
preferably the 14-inch model for hedgehogs - ed.]. They also carry a large
selection of hedgehog figurines.

As mentioned above, there is virtually no overlap in what is carried by
Exclusively Hedgehogs, and the Ain't No Creek Ranch, which I find quite
amazing, and an incredible bonus to ``hedgehogians'' like myself. If you
already have either catalog, the other it worth getting too.

Here's part of the introduction from their catalog:

Welcome to our updated catalog. We have recently traveled to
England, France and Canada, as well as parts of the United States
in search of new hedgehog items. We are proud to bring you two
new items carried exclusively by us, the Roadrunner wheel and the
hedgehog food. We also found some great gift items imported
directly from England. It would be remiss not to mention the book
by Nigel Reeve. It is also imported directly to Exclusively
Hedgehogs from England.

Happy heggie shopping
Val and Julie

Please note: My earlier suggestion that Exclusively Hedgehogs may have
temporarily put their catalog business `on hold' was an error -- they are
open and active as ever. This was due entirely to my misinterpreting a
message, and not due in any actions or lack of actions on the part of
Exclusively Hedgehogs. My sincere apologies for any confusion this may have
caused.


Susan & Chia sent along the following site as being a great source for
accessories for your hedgie:
http://theferretstore.com/

While nominally for ferrets, the site acknowledges right up front that what
they carry isn't just for ferrets, and a search through their site does
quickly turn up explicit ``Hedgehog'' items, as well as wheels, and other
useful items.


I would also suggest taking a look at section [11.5] for sources of
hedgehogabilia that are more oriented to wild, or European hedgehogs.


Disclaimer: I've had the wonderful opportunity to meet and get to know many
of the people behind the catalogs above, although I have no other connection
with them, as far as the catalogs go, aside from being a very happy customer
in several cases (yes, I admit to being a certifiable hedgehog addict). I
have endevoured to provide an unbiased opinion of their products and
services.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[Brian MacNamara]

Archive-name: hedgehog-faq/part3
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Keywords: faq pet hedgehogs

Last-modified: 30 March 2014
Version: 3.180

HEDGEHOG FAQ (part 3 of 7) -- INTRO TO HEDGEHOGS AS PETS
Compiled and edited by Brian MacNamara (***@hedgehoghollow.com)
Additions, corrections, and suggestions for this file are welcomed.

This document is copyright 2014 by Brian MacNamara. See section [0.6]
for authorship information and redistribution rights. In short, you
can give it away, but you can't charge for it.

The basic Hedgehog FAQ has seven parts, all of which should be available
from wherever you obtained this one. A complete table of contents for
all seven parts is given in part I.

Please note: While my knowledge of hedgehogs has grown (far beyond my
wildest expectations when I began the FAQ), my knowledge is still quite
limited, especially in areas of health care. I did not write, or verify,
all the information in this FAQ. I have done my best to include only
accurate and useful information, but I cannot guarantee the correctness
of what is contained in this FAQ, regardless of the source, or even that
it will not be harmful to you or your hedgehog in some way. For advice
from an expert, I recommend you consult the books listed in part 2 [2.1],
or, especially in the case of a suspected medical problem, a veterinarian
who is familiar with hedgehogs.

------------------------------

Subject: CONTENTS OF THIS FILE

3. *** Introduction to pet hedgehogs ***

<3.1> What are hedgehogs? Should I get one? What's good and bad
about them as pets?
<3.2> Where are pet hedgehogs illegal?
<3.3> Are hedgehogs wild animals?
<3.4> What's the average hedgehog lifespan?
<3.5> I'm allergic to cats. Will I be allergic to hedgehogs?
<3.6> Do hedgehogs smell?
<3.7> Do hedgehogs have tails?
<3.8> Hedgehog monikers -- what do I call a hedgehog?
<3.9> Her-hog or Him-hog? What sex is Prickles?

4. *** Getting a pet hedgehog ***

<4.1> Which types/colours are there? Male or female? What age?
<4.2> How many should I get?
<4.3> What to look for in a hedgehog / How to choose a hedgehog
<4.4> How can I find a hedgehog breeder/contact in my area?
<4.5> When Hedgie comes home
<4.6> Hedgehog handling / socializing
<4.7> How can I introduce my hedgehog to my (dog/cat/bird/fish/
rabbit/etc.) with the least trouble?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

3. *** Introduction to hedgehogs ***

------------------------------

Subject: <3.1> What are hedgehogs? Should I get one? What's good and bad
about them as pets?

Hedgehogs are small insectivores, looking much like an upside-down oval bowl,
that is covered with sharp quills, which feel much like a bristly brush, with
an adorable little face and ears peeking out from one end. Neither legs nor
tail are very visible during normal movement. Hedgehogs roll into a ball of
interlocking spines when threatened, leaving themselves all but invulnerable
to any natural predator.

Hedgehogs do have soft fur on their faces and bellies, and so are not
entirely prickly. Their spines or quills have no barbs on them, and feel
much like a stiff brush, rather than bunch of needles, unless the hedgehog is
very upset.

Some hedgehogs have what appears to be a narrow reverse Mohawk hairdo (a
narrow furrow that runs lengthwise), though this is not present in all
species (e.g., the Egyptian hedgehog doesn't have this).

It isn't a scar, they haven't lost quills. It is natural and helps
the quills point forward without getting crossed when they bristle.
-- Katherine Long

Ranging in size from approximately 4 to 9 inches, or 10 to 22 cm, in length,
mature African Pigmy hedgehogs look for all the world to be little armoured
tanks being led around by one of the busiest noses in the animal kingdom.

Hedgehogs tend to be quite nervous in their temperament, and will generally
duck their head down, accompanied by rapid snuffling or snorting. This
presents a very prickly forehead to any possible enemies. The more used to
you (and awake) a hedgehog is, the less they will duck down and snuffle, and
the more their quills will be flat.

The hedgehogs that we keep as pets, throughout North and South America [4.1],
and I believe many other parts of the world, have managed to muddy the
already very clouded waters of hedgehog taxonomy. What we call ``African
Pigmy'' hedgehogs, are actually a hybrid of a couple of species from northern
and central Africa. Specifically, they are a combination of the Algerian
(Atelerix algirus) and the White-bellied (A. albiventris). The Southern
African or Cape hedgehog (A. frontalis) is not really part of the mixture,
although they do seem to be sporatically kept as pets in their native
regions. The status or categorization of the Pruner's hedgehog (A. pruneri)
is up in the air, and this may actually be an alternate name for the Cape
hedgehog (A. frontalis).

Just to add to the mess, there is more than a little uncertainty which
species actually makes up what we call the long-eared, or Egyptian hedgehog,
in the pet world. You see, there are Long-eared hedgehogs (Hemiechinus
auritus), and there are Egyptian hedgehogs (not an official name from what I
can tell, most likely these being Ethiopian hedgehogs) (Paraechinus
aethiopicus). Both of these, as you can tell by their taxonomic names, are
of quite different genera let alone species.

So, as you can see, things are a more than a bit muddled when it comes to
deciding which hedgehog is what. I must extend my regards to Nigel Reeve,
whose research helped provide some sense of consistency to all of this, at
last.

To add to the fray, here are some comments from Nathan Tenny:

Hedgehog taxonomy is kind of a mess, and they have multiple Latin names;
the leader now seems to be Erinaceus albiventris, but one also sees
Atelerix albiventris and Atelerix pruneri. (I think that Pruner's
hedgehog is now considered to be a separate species, but it hasn't
always been.) [this remains pretty uncertain and iffy in most research
that I've found - ed.] There may be some overlap with Erinaceus
frontalis [Atelerix does seem to have become the accepted genus name
for A. frontalis - ed.] as well, and just to complicate matters, older
works refer to the genus Atelerix as Aethechinus.

Grzimek's Animal Encyclopedia says that they weigh about 200-220 grams
(about seven ounces); this is for wild animals. Captives seem to be
much larger; the smallest of our three hedgehogs is 250 g and growing,
and our large male weighs about 400-450 g when he isn't overweight.
(However, all our animals have come from exceptionally large bloodlines.)
Adults are about six to eight inches long, depending on how far they're
stretching when you measure.

Hedgehogs are basically nocturnal; they may wake up a couple of times
during the day to wander around their enclosures, get a snack or a drink
of water, and so on, but they really get active late at night (ours wake
up between 10 PM and midnight, but that may be because that's when we
turn the lights off).

Whether they have wonderful personalities depends on your taste. Your
prospective hedgehog will sleep all day, and, while it may well become
quite sociable when awake, it probably will not let you pick it up when
it wants to sleep. (Can you blame it? More to the point, can you argue
with it?) We've never met an African hedgehog that would bite
aggressively, though there are rumours of such. (Note that all the
Africans we've known have been not only captive-bred but hand-raised
from infancy; we make no guarantees about imports or non-socialized
animals.) They do explore with their mouths, so if you smell
interesting, you may get licked or nipped; they have fairly sharp teeth
(a row of short pegs with points, but nothing drastic).

As pets go, hedgehogs are generally not cuddly lap-fungus type pets, but if
you want something that's a little different, not too big, and definitely
adorable, then maybe a hedgehog is for you. If, however, you have been
fascinated by hedgehogs for about twenty years, like I have, there is just no
question.

Among their pros and cons, you should keep in mind the nocturnal nature of
hedgehogs. If you are a night-owl, or often find yourself up and around
during the dark hours, a hedgehog can be a very welcome companion. On the
other hand, if you jump out of bed early in the morning and fade with the
sun, you and your hedgehog may never see one another.

Although most hedgehogs rarely, if ever, bite or nip, it does happen, as can
occur with any animal. For information on biting see section [6.6]

Hedgehogs are also relatively low maintenance (though not ``no
maintenance''). There's no need to take them out for a walk around the block
in the middle of a raging blizzard, or head off to the park, pooper-scooper
in hand, during a heat wave, with a hedgehog. Their small, but not too
small, size also makes for a good compromise. They do prefer regular
attention, but it doesn't need to be long at a time.

Then there's always the one really effective decision factor: hedgehogs are
irresistibly CUTE!

------------------------------

Subject: <3.2> Where are hedgehogs illegal?

Unfortunately, there are some locations that do not yet allow pet hedgehogs.
The IHA [2.5] can possibly help provide guidance on how you can enlighten
any backward bureaucracies you run into. The list below started as a very
stripped down version of the last list published by the N.A.H.A. to which I
have also included additional notes thanks to people sending me information.

At the moment hedgehogs are not permitted in the U.S. in the states of
Alabama, California, Georgia, Hawaii and Utah, although I've been told that
hedgehogs are quite available in both Alabama (where they are quite available
in pet stores, according to Tim Pearson), and Utah (the official word there
seems to be somewhat uncertain -- possibly the same situation as existed in
Idaho).

To start this off, I have some good news to add for a change. I have
received word from Julihana, in Alaska, that:

The Alaska Board of Fish and Game called off the ban on hedgehogs on
July 1, 1998. There is still a little talk over having to have permits,
but after talking to them today, Game and Fish assured me that they are
99% sure that no permit will be required.
-- Julihana

This is indeed good news, and even if permits are required, that makes it
much better than before. Banning hedgehogs in Alaska is one of the few cases
which made no sense, from any environmental perspective, as there is
essentially no chance of feral hedgehogs surviving through the winter. Kudos
to the Alaska Board of Fish and Game for showing a healthy dose of common
sense.

Arizona is somewhat open to doubt as to its status. It appears that given
the right forms of registration, keeping hedgehogs is possible, though this
level of registration may be very difficult to obtain. Here are some
`clarifications' on the situation:

The restrictions in AZ are rather bizarre. A.P. hedgehogs are
``officially'' legal, but F&G doesn't want them there. So, to get
around the rules, they say that hedgehogs ``are'' legal if you can
first meet certain housing and other requirements. The requirements
that they stipulate are virtually impossible for even large, accredited
zoos to meet, so the chances of the average Joe being able to keep
hedgehogs as pets in AZ are virtually nil.
-- Bryan Smith

California is well known for being closed to most `exotic' pets. This,
unfortunately, appears to be cast in concrete, with essentially no chance for
change. At present the Ferret people have been working hard to get ferrets
legalized, but even this (ferrets are officially domesticated), is being
blocked at every turn, with laws in the works that are intended to all but
permanently block any future attempts.

The reasons given are `environmental,' with the claimed fear that any such
animals being introduced might escape and survive in feral conditions, and
possibly upset some part of the existing ecosystem. There are endless
further `political' opinions as to further reasons, but this is not an
appropriate place to delve into such suggestions.

I do know that entering California, you are basically subject to inspection,
and if found to be with hedgehog(s), you will be politely, but firmly turned
back.

A couple of years ago, Georgia clarified their position on hedgehogs, making
them officially illegal. Thanks to Jerry in Atlanta for this unfortunate bit
of news.

My thanks to Alicia Look for letting me know the official word for Hawaii --
hedgehogs are not allowed.

The N.A.H.A. had Idaho listed as not allowing hedgehogs, but courtesy of some
checking by Wendi Smit, it appears the law is against allowing European
hedgehogs as pets, African Pigmy hedgehogs are allowed, and are available in
Idaho.

Regarding Maine, I've received information from Jazmyn Concolor that
indicates there is no actual law which prevents sale of hedgehogs in pet
stores. Prior to this the information I had (from Jesse and Kris Welsh)
suggested that it was apparently legal to own them, and to sell them
privately, but not for pet stores to sell them. Whether this is because of
a happy change in the laws, or from the previous situation being either an
odd interpretation of obscure statutes, or even a case of it being a
municipal regulation, I'm not sure, at least it seems to be a move in the
right direction.

Maryland has seen the light (in November of 1994 -- Woobie), and is now legit
for hedgehogs.

New Jersey requires a permit from the State Fish and Game. The permit is $10
no matter how many you have. My thanks to Pam Powers for clearing this up.

In early 1997 there was a scare that hedgehogs had been banned in Oregon, but
on further investigation it turned out that the ban only really applied to
European hedgehogs, and that African Pigmy hedgehogs were legit, no permit
required.

Pennsylvania apparently has a law to protect its own animal breeders, making
it illegal to import hedgehogs into PA (which thereby manages to make it
impossible for PA breeders to legally get new stock), although PA-bred
hedgehogs are legal. Please note that I've recently (Feb/2002) seen some
indications that hedgehogs in general might be being considered illegal in
Pennsylvania, and to be very careful of this. I'm sorry that I haven't had
the time to look into this futher at present.

Wyoming's statutes clearly allow for pet hedgehogs, which is good news:

(E) Mammals: [...] hedgehogs (Erinaceus spp.); [...]; certificate of
veterinary inspection is not required.
-- Courtesy of Steph Hyne

Some states also require you to go through their local Fish and Game
department (or the equivalent) to get a permit. For example Wyoming and New
Jersey require this, as pointed out to me by Marcia Kautz and Pam Powers,
resp.

In addition to all the above information, anyone breeding hedgehogs in the
U.S. for sale or trade, must be USDA registered. This has changed from the
previous exemption for ``Pocket Pets'' which allowed small breeders to go
without registration and inspections. My thanks to Sharon Massena for
passing along the change.

In Canada most of the information I have been able to find (courtesy of John
Ofner) is that hedgehogs are permitted in all provinces. Until recently, they
were not permitted in Quebec, but thanks to Michael Simla, for passing along
the following response he received after looking into the matter, it's now
clear that they allowed:

``since November 14th, 2002, it is allowed to keep hedgehogs in captivity
in Quebec, except the ones from Europe because of the risk of accidental
introduction in Quebec's nature.''

There had been conflicting reports that hedgehogs are illegal in the province
of Alberta, but it appears that this is now something for the history books.
At the very least, there are an abundance of breeders there.

Courtesy of Linda Wheatley, I finally have accurate information on the status
of hedgehogs in the province of Alberta:

Hedgehogs are legal in Alberta but our Fish and Wildlife people are still
requiring us to have a temporary shelter permit. Some Fish & Wildlife
offices are telling people that it is not necessary to get them and some
are saying it is necessary.

In short, the letter of the law appears to be that you still need a permit,
but some jurisdictions, are simply acknowledging the reality of hedgehogs
being pets, and waiving the obvious extra workload it would cause them.

Prince Edward Island is that allows Hedgehogs to be bought and sold privatly
but Pet stores are not allowed to sell them. Thanks to Shirley Ann Blakeney
(and Wesley), for this information on the situation in PEI.

There are also some municipalities which have passed laws banning hedgehogs.
Here is a brief list of the ones that I am aware of:

New York City, NY, USA
Windsor, ON, Canada

A recent attempt to ban hedgehogs and other exotics, in Toronto, was narrowly
averted. I'm still not sure who managed to get thing changed, but they have
my personal gratitude!


In the U.K. it appears that African Pigmy hedgehogs are allowed as pets:

European hedgehogs are partially protected in the U.K. Trapping them
requires permission from the proper authorities. However, African
hedgehogs are commercially available.
-- Travis Carter


It also appears that they are allowed as pets in the Netherlands, and
possibly throughout other European countries as well.

Here in the Netherlands (and other European countries as for as I know of)
you're allowed to keep hedgehogs. In the Netherlands the only species
that is not allowed to be kept, is the European hedgehog (!?). I know
that you are permitted to keep the European kind in Germany. Therefore
it's no coincidence that a lot of books about European hedgehogs are of
German origin. I'm not sure about regulations in other countries
according to the E. europaeus. I think that you can keep them there,
except for the U.K.

(I know that they are considered to be a delicacy in Portugal and in some
East-European countries.)
-- Anja van der Werf

I should point out here that in spite of Anja's claim about being on the
menu, I've been informed that due to their name in Portuguese this seems
somewhat unlikely (at least in relatively modern times). Thanks to Teresa
Claudino for this information, and as almost every hedgie lover out there
probably feels, I can only hope this is true! ;-}


It appears that Finland (now) allows African Pigmy hedgehogs as pets:

We (yes, here in Finland) now have pet hedgehogs, and its all legal too!

(1) it is illegal to hold "European Hedgehogs" as pets in Finland.
They are a "protected" spieces, but there are some things you can do:

o It is legal to feed the hedgehogs on your yard, as long as you don't
take them home

o It is legal to build them shelters on your yard, as long as you don't
take them home

o And (this should be ok) you can take hurt hedgehogs to see a veterinarian

(2) apparenlty this protection law doesn't apply to other spieces of
hedghogs such as the African Pigmy Hedgehog. Hence they can be freely
kept as pets. There are several rules you need to obey when bringing
a pet hedgehog from abroad to Finland, but they are mostly quarantine
and paperwork related.

(3) you can now find pigmy hedgies in at least one pet store (sorry,
can't really say much more about this). As far as I can tell, there
is now somewhere between 10 and 20 pet hedgehogs in Finland. I know
one other owner personally, and know that one couple purchased one from
the same petstore we got Noa from. These hedgies arrived from the USA
during summer 2001. There should also be at least one breeding couple,
but I don't have much info on that.
-- Marcin Dobrucki


It also appears that African Pigmy hedgehogs (both the white bellied and
especially the Egyptian long-eared varieties) are quite popular as pets in
Japan, and are legal there. My thanks to Tetsuro Oka, DVM for this
information.


There is also a growing interest in hedgehogs as pets coming from other parts
of Southeast Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.), and from South America
(Brazil, in particular). I am presuming that they are legal as pets in these
locations (or that there are no laws limiting pets in place), but that `is'
an assumption on my part, only.


Again, I have no official confirmation of most of these (although the bans
listed at the beginning, of this list, are pretty certain), and you should
probably check first. There are a number of U.S. states that require
permits, and various localities, and individual municipalities may also
require special permits.

While keeping European hedgehogs as pets is not permitted throughout much of
Europe, there are exceptions. I believe it is quite common in Russia, and
there is an interesting situation in Germany, as related by Jan Micheel:

It is generally illegal to keep pet (European) hedgehogs in Germany since
they are an endangered species and therefore protected.

There is a notable exception: if you happen to find a specimen in the
autumn months which does not appear to be fit for winter (there is also
a weight limit), you may keep it until the end of winter.

In this case, hedgehogs get free medical treatment.

To my mind, at least, this is a policy worthy of some real commendation, and
one that should probably be a model for other countries and animals as well.
Is my pro-hedgehog bias showing again? ;-}

------------------------------

Subject: <3.3> Are hedgehogs wild animals?

This depends on whether or not you are talking about African Pigmy hedgehogs
or European hedgehogs. In the case of European hedgehogs, the answer is, of
course, yes. In the case of the African Pigmy variety, the ones being
offered and kept as pets are now far removed from their wild ancestors. In
parts of Europe, some African pigmy hedgehogs are still being imported, which
results in this being a more grey area.

As Nathan Tenny pointed out [3.1], the hedgehogs available as pets are a
captive-bred African species. These have been bred in captivity for roughly
twenty years. As such, they should not be confused with the European variety
that are wild animals (and are protected in most European countries). It is
unlikely that a pet hedgehog could survive very long in the wild, especially
in the colder parts of North America, which seems to be where they are most
popular. However, the chance does exist, at least in the warmer climates,
and needless to say, finding out whether or not they can is an experiment
best left to theory, rather than practice.

------------------------------

Subject: <3.4> What's the average hedgehog lifespan?

The absolute answer to the question of how long hedgehogs can live is that
nobody is really certain.

The average lifespan for African pigmy hedgehogs in captivity runs from 4-6
years, with some living as long as 8 years. From what I have read, this is
already far better than the average of 1-3 years in the wild (though this is
due more to predation, disease, and other environmental factors than to old
age).

African pigmy hedgehogs have not been kept in captivity for many years
as yet -- that along with the fact that we are still in the early stages
of learning how best to care for them, is likely to allow their longevity
to continue to increase over the upcoming years.

In addition to the good care aiding this, the fact that hedgies are starting
to settle down and become much less nervous will likely also help
considerably.

All in all, their lifespan is quite long compared to many smaller mammals,
which means that there's a good chance you can continue to get along with
your prickly little pal for many happy years.

------------------------------

Subject: <3.5> I'm allergic to cats. Will I be allergic to hedgehogs?

The short answer here is, probably not.

The main reason for being allergic to cats is because of the dander, not the
hair. When a cat 'bathes' itself, it deposits a coating of saliva over its
fur. It is this coating turned to an extremely fine dust that is the cause
of most allergies to cats. While hedgehogs do not generally do this (other
than when self-anointing [7.1]), it is not inconceivable that a person could
be allergic to almost any animal.

I would suggest that if you have severe allergies to cats (or any other
animal), you find a friend who has hedgehogs and visit them where they keep
their hedgehogs to see whether any reaction occurs. Note: if your allergic
reactions are serious enough, you may want to discuss it with a doctor first,
and/or take precautions in case a reaction occurs.

In almost every case I have heard of where a person appears to be allergic to
a hedgehog, the actual culprit is often the bedding, rather than the animal.
Most forms of bedding are dusty to some degree or other, and are much more
prone to causing problems than the hedgehogs themselves are. If you suspect
this might be a problem to you, there are various forms of bedding you can
experiment with (such as products like CareFRESH, astroturf, or even good old
fashioned dirt or gravel) that have much lower levels of dust than most wood
fibre bedding products.

------------------------------

Subject: <3.6> Do hedgehogs smell?

They have VERY busy noses; they smell everything they can!

People who have had experience with small pet rodents, or with ferrets seem
to ask this question most often. Hedgehogs do not have scent glands like
ferrets, and as long as their cage or pen is kept reasonably clean there is
generally very little odour. Most (some?) hedgehogs can be trained to use a
litter box, making the task of keeping the cage clean that much easier. Even
those that don't adapt to using a litter box will often use one area of their
cage or pen for this which assists in cleaning.

While hedgehogs do generally have little in the way of odour, what you feed
them can affect whether or not their droppings smell. Generally the more
``wet'' food you feed a hedgehog, the more their droppings, and their
environment, will smell, although brands and types of food can have as great
an effect as just wet versus dry foods. Also, Pretty Pets hedgehog food is
has been reported to result in smellier than average droppings [6.3].

Younger hedgehogs and pregnant/nursing females also tend to have much
stronger scented urine and droppings. If your hedgie is still in his or her
`teens' just be patient, and keep cleaning the cage, often. They will almost
certainly grow out of it.

If you are finding your hedgehog pen tends to smell, try changing the blend
of food he is getting, or just clean house on him a bit more often.

------------------------------

Subject: <3.7> Do hedgehogs have tails?

Yes, but barely. There really is a tail under there. Most hedgehogs have
only a pointed little nub of tail that spends almost all of its time hidden
under the quills. This leaves the poor hedgehog looking for all the world
like he doesn't have a tail.

Here are a few interesting words from Katherine Long on hedgehog tails:

My hhog, Ambergris, uses her tail - it isn't a useless appendage.
She uses it as a pusher when she is trying to go underneath stuff.
Strange and wondrous.

------------------------------

Subject: <3.8> Hedgehog monikers -- what do I call a hedgehog?

I can think of a lot of things here -- especially when I remember the times
that Velcro closed up on my fingers! However I will try to keep this civil.

This section is more for amusement than much else, and to keep track of some
of the ways people refer to our prickly little friends. Probably the most
popular one I've seen is ``hedgies'' with ``hhog'' running a close second. I
would argue that the first is probably more pronounceable but they both pale
in comparison to the following from Cathy Johnson-Delaney who contentedly
referred to her FussGus as a ``Tribble from Hell.''

With the media's love of ridiculous catchy names, it probably comes as no
surprise that the term ``Yuppie Puppy'' has appeared in some places
(including the N.A.H.A.?!?!) applied to hedgehogs.

While I'm on the subject, baby hedgehogs are usually referred to as
``hoglets'' or ``hedgehoglets'', or more frequently as ``aren't they so
CUTE!'' The term piglet seems to be used quite frequently in Europe, and
sometimes elsewhere as well.

I don't know if an official term exists for a group of hedgehogs (other than
maybe a ``contradiction-in-terms'' since hedgehogs often don't tend to live
in what we would consider groups. The official name for a group of hogs is a
``drift'' but I question if that applies to hedgehogs. Most breeders appear
to refer to their hedgehogs as a ``herd'' but I have to admit the thought of
trying to ``herd'' hedgehogs strikes me as somewhat ridiculous to say the
least!

------------------------------

Subject: <3.9> Her-hog or Him-hog? What sex is Prickles?

One question I get asked a lot, and I haven't the slightest clue why I didn't
add the answer here earlier, is how do you tell what sex a hedgehog is.

Unfortunately, hedgehogs don't come with blue or pink tipped quills to make
the job easy (at least most don't). Some breeders add a spot of non-toxic
paint, etc., but even that's no guarantee. There have been more than a few
people who brought home ``male'' hedgies, only to have them give birth to a
litter, only a short time later. In fact, it can be downright difficult, to
figure out the sex, unless your hedgehog is willing to let you hold him or
her on their back long enough for a look. The idea is to get a good look at
their tummy.

If you can't get your prickly little friend to unroll enough while being held
in your hands, you might try a piece of glass or clear plastic and look up at
them while they are wandering (hopefully not too far) on it.

Anyway, enough beating about the quills, on to how to tell if you have a
her-hog, or a him-hog.

For male hedgehogs, the sex organ, or penal sheath, is located about 2/3 of
the way from the nose to the tail (along the tummy), and looks like a large
belly-button.

In the female, the sex organ is located all the way down the tummy, directly
adjacent to the anus. The female will also have a row of nipples along each
side, below the quill line, within the soft tummy fur. These are often hard
to see, but do show as small pink spots, if you have the chance to look
carefully.

In babies, it can be difficult to tell sexes, without experience, due to the
small size causing everything to be together. Beyond the baby stage, the
rule of thumb is that if you look, and can't tell for certain, it's probably
a female, as males are usually pretty unmistakable.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

4. *** Getting a pet hedgehog ***

------------------------------

Subject: <4.1> Which types/colours are there? Male or female? What age?

What are referred to as African Pigmy hedgehogs that are available as pets,
throughout North America [3.1], and most of the world, are generally a blend
of a couple of species of hedgehogs: Four-toed or White-bellied hedgehogs
(Atelerix albiventris) and Algerian hedgehogs (A. algirus), though there has
been some speculation that that there is some Pruner's (Cape) hedgehog
(A. frontalis / A. pruneri) added as well. My thanks to Sharon Massena, for
reminding me that most of our pet hedgies are actually hybrid varieties, and
again to Nigel Reeve for helping straighten the whole mess out. This is not
necessarily the case elsewhere, such as in Europe, however, even with African
pigmy type hedgehogs. In addition, Egyptian (? long-eared) hedgehogs, are
kept as pets in some places.

Of these, the first group are similar in appearance and temperament. These
tend to be very well behaved, and will rarely, if ever, nip an owner, but
like with any animal, given the right (or wrong) circumstances, it can happen
(see [6.6] for advice on biting).

Four-toed or white-bellied, and Algerian hedgehogs tend to have a whitish or
light coloured face, while Pruner's hedgehogs have a darker or masked face.
The real difference, though is in the number of toes on the hind feet:
Pruner's and Algerian hedgehogs have five like most hedgehogs, while the
White-Bellied hedgehog is also known as the Four-toed hedgehog for obvious
reasons (but only the hind feet).

Egyptian or long-eared hedgehogs (the ears being the most obvious
differentiating factor) are, however, known for having a somewhat more
aggressive personality, and will frequently nip or bite, as suggested here by
Nathan Tenny:

[Cerebus] (one of Nathan's former troupe -- ed.) is an Egyptian hedgehog
(_Hemiechinus auritus_). The [care instructions in this FAQ also]
apply to him, but his personality is rather different. There aren't
many on the market as yet, but they're distinguishable by their
loooong ears. They are extremely cute animals, very active and
seemingly rather intelligent, but they *really* bite, and are not
recommended as cuddly pets! We hand-raised Cerebus from a very young
age, playing with him a lot in hopes of making him comfortable with
us, but to no avail; as he's reached adulthood, being comfortable has
come to mean that he's not scared to bite us. Oops.

This behaviour has been confirmed by Anja van der Werf, who has also pointed
out that in spite of this, they are generally more popular as pets in Europe
than are White-Bellied or Pruner's hedgehogs.

Regarding colour, most hedgehogs are covered with white and grey or brown
ticked quills, sometimes called salt and pepper coloured, or agouti (though
I'm told this term is now `out of favour' as it largely implies all such
`banded' appearing hedgehogs are the same, which is incorrect).

As colour research has progressed, one of the things that has come to light
is that there is no such thing as a `basic' hedgehog colour. Each hedgehog
is a specific colour, even though many of the grey or brown ticked ones will
look `similar' to an observer who is unaware of the (sometimes subtle
differences).

Some of the more dramatic appearing colour variations are the ``snowflakes.''
These are often all white, or almost all white, but do not possess the albino
gene. Albino hedgehogs also exist, and apparently the early problems with
them being unhealthy and not terribly robust, are now largely a thing of the
past (if, indeed, there ever were problems).

The list of known colours seems to be ever expanding with new variations
appearing every time I turn around. For details on colours, see the Advanced
Topics part of the FAQ, in section [10.4].

As far as personality goes, it has historically been thought that females are
generally friendlier than males, and will become familiar with a new owner
more quickly. This, however, appears to be primarily a result of how a lot
of breeders handle their animals -- males are usually not handled as much,
and hence are not as gentled down. Properly handled when they are young,
there is little or no personality difference between sexes. Being friendly
generally means their quills will be laid back smoother, and they will have
less of a tendency to roll into a ball.

Females tend to be more expensive, both because of their perceived
friendliness, and because of their ability to produce more hedgehogs.
Breeders usually keep a ratio of several females for each male, which makes
for a higher quantity of males available as pets, and hence another reason
for the usually cheaper selling price of males. Males on the other hand, do
tend to self-anoint [7.1] more often than females, and this amazing feat of
dexterity is something not to be missed!

The unusual colour varieties, such as snowflakes, were originally considered
to be somewhat more high-strung in temperament than the more common salt and
pepper hedgehogs. From what I have been able to determine, this is not
directly related to the colour, but is more a side-effect of the inbreeding
done to try and propagate the special colouring. In any case, temperament is
going to depend largely on both the breeding, and on the type and amount of
handling, rather than the exact colouration.

It appears there is another way to create a different colour hedgehog ...
while not quite in the same genre as the colourations above, one of the
people I've been in touch with on the net (whose name I will withhold to
avoid potential embarrassment) passed along a story to me. This kind hearted
hedgehog addict once fed her little herd of hedgies a treat of strained
carrots (baby food) one night along with their normal food. The hedgehogs
seemed to find this new item interesting and proceeded to munch on it, then,
as hedgehogs will do, they all self-anointed. My friend thought nothing of
it, other than that hedgehogs don't really like strained carrots. In the
morning, however, when the light wasn't quite so dim, my friend (who is
probably a lifelong enemy by now) discovered an entire small herd of very
``orange'' hedgehogs! There it is folks -- the latest in hedgehog fashion --
the Orange Hedgehog. I have since learned from friends and relatives with
small children, that few things come close to strained carrots in staining
ability, so I can well imagine that the effect of this was pretty amazing. I
know I'll probably be blacklisted for life for adding this, but it was much
too good to resist! ;-)

To compound the trouble I've gotten into above, I have also heard of another
kind hearted hedgie addict who offered her hedgehogs a treat of raspberries.
Come morning, once she realized they weren't showing the results of a vicious
fight and that the `blood' was nothing more than two seriously
raspberry-anoited hedgies, it too, became time for a hogwash. It seems you
can create an amazing variety of impromptu colours (and flavours) of
hedgehogs! ;-)


The best age to acquire a pet hedgehog is shortly after they have been weaned
(after about 6-8 weeks of age). Hedgehogs are completely independent by this
stage, and adapt to new owners much more readily when young. This doesn't
mean that an older hedgehog won't become used to you and friendly towards
you, it will just take a little longer and a little more patience.

------------------------------

Subject: <4.2> How many should I get?

Hedgehogs have historically been considered solitary creatures, that do not
particularly get along well together, and in fact only like to be close to
one another during mating. This now appears to be changing, with many
breeders keeping at least females together in groups, and in some cases even
males. I don't know whether this is the result of African Pigmy hedgehogs
taming down as a species, or whether they were always a bit more social than
we gave them credit for. In any case, keeping same sex groups together
(though groups of females do better than groups of males, who still seem to
be a bit more territorial) can tend to be just fine, though it is always
important to keep an eye open for problems. Kept together, hedgehogs will
often curl up together to sleep, and if one is quite young, it might treat an
older one as if it were its parent, and follow it around -- an adorable site
to see.

One of factors that helps in keeping groups of hedgehogs together is to
provide adequate space. If things are too crowded, you can usually count on
fights (gee, that almost sounds like elementary school...).

All that having been said, hedgehogs are quite happy when kept individually,
and don't seem to miss the company of other hedgehogs, unless they were
previously housed with others. There is no problem with having only a single
hedgehog as a pet.

Keeping a male within vision, or scent range of a mother with hoglets (even
if in separate enclosures) can result in the babies being eaten. If you do
want more than one hedgehog, be sure you provide plenty of privacy for each.

Of course, opposite-sex pairs are a definite no-no unless you want babies.
-- Nathan Tenny

Hedgehogs that are used to being kept together with others, do often tend to
show signs of depression if separated. This is something to keep in mind if
you do plan to keep your hedgies together, then need to separate them later.

------------------------------

Subject: <4.3> What to look for in a hedgehog / How to choose a hedgehog

The one carrying the little sign saying `hedgehog lover wanted, inquire
within' is probably a good start. If that fails, pick the one with the cute
face! Oops, I can see myself getting in trouble from someone who bought them
all by following that advice.

Selecting a hedgehog can be rather difficult. Unless you are after a very
specific colour, it's largely a case of trying to see enough to decide on
which hedgehog to pick.

The normal situation for looking at a prospective pet is not very well suited
to looking at hedgehogs. Hedgies like to be up and around in the very early
morning, or in the late evening. They don't like bright lights, and often
get nervous around people they don't know. All of this can make it difficult
to look at hedgehogs.

So what do you try to choose based on? Here are some tips that should help:

(1) It is best to start young. About 6-8 weeks old (just after having
been weaned). At this age, hedgies should be quite small, still --
about 2" or 5 cm long. Older hedgies are also fine, but may take a
bit more time to get used to you, or if from a pet store, they may
not have been played with and socialized for some time.

(2) In spite of the time and lighting, the best hedgehogs will wake up
and come out to play readily, exploring and sniffing your hands
without balling up or snuffing too much. Some snuffling is to be
expected, but the quills should stay pretty smoothed down once your
potential new little friend wakes up. Balling up, snuffling too
much or being too afraid are not good signs. Of course, biting
(not the tasting, gentle nibble type) is an instant black mark.

(3) Look for bright clear eyes, and a well rounded body. Some hedgies
do have a leaner, straighter body shape, but this is usually not a
good sign in a young hedgehog. Hedgehogs should be energetic and
inquisitive.

(4) Check the paws and toes to make sure they all look good and the
hedgie is able to get around just fine. If possible, you should
also check the tummy for any problems, sores, or just to double
check the sex.

Beyond that, there isn't a lot I can suggest. There will always be some
potential for problems -- hedgehogs are prone to congenitive problems, some
of which don't appear until the hedgehog is a few months old. Even the
healthiest seeming hoglet can wind up having such problems.

Besides, you're only going to get as far as seeing the first little face
and lose all sense of control, anyway...

------------------------------

Subject: <4.4> How can I find a hedgehog breeder/contact in my area?

One of the best options here is to contact the International Hedgehog
Registry (IHR) [2.3], who can probably direct you to a reputable local
breeder, and who may be the best source of information.

In addition, you can check in the yellow pages under exotic animals, or look
in the classified ads section of your local newspapers. Many breeders will
place an ad here, especially when they have babies available.

Another good source, and one with a beneficial side effect, is to contact
veterinarians in your are, to see which treat hedgehogs, and whether they can
point you to any breeders in your area. You're going to need to know a
hedgehog friendly veterinarian, anyway, and this will ensure you find a
breeder who takes good care of their hedgehogs.

Hedgehogs are becoming more readily available, and are showing up in many pet
stores, and I've even heard of them occasionally being available at animal
shelters.

Another possible lead towards finding that perfect hedgehog is to contact the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.). Breeders in the U.S. are
generally supposed to be registered with the U.S.D.A. This is generally not
observed very seriously. Still, the U.S.D.A. may be able to provide names
and addresses of large breeders in the U.S.

------------------------------

Subject: <4.5> When Hedgie comes home

Congrats! Your new little friend just came home with you. So what do you
need to know ASAP, other than to spoil him absolutely rotten?!

(1) Hedgehogs are escape artists! Make sure that whatever cage or
enclosure you use, has openings too small to get through, or to
get stuck in. Hedgehogs can squeeze through any opening just a
fraction bigger than their skull, and they will. They can, and
will, also climb -- anything, especially water bottles. Lids are
NOT optional, especially with babies.

(2) Temperature. Hedgehogs need to be warm -- warmer than you keep your
house. See section [5.2] for ideas on keeping a hedgie warm enough,
but generally something like a heating pad on its lowest setting,
under part of the enclosure (so the hedgie can get away from the
heat if it gets too warm) is the usual way to go.

(3) Food and water. For food, at first, the best thing to do is use the
same food your hedgehog was eating at the breeder or store, at least
to help them adjust to the move. Ideally, you should feed them one
of the better hedgehog foods now available see section [6.3]. If you
can't find that, then a diet, or light, premium cat or dog food will
suffice, at least for now. A Guinea pig water bottle works well (if
your hedgie is used to one), if not, a small water dish works well.

(4) Cage, bedding, and a den. The enclosure is up to you, but beware of
number (1) above. It should also be big enough -- 2' x 3' is pretty
much a minimum for a hedgehog. If yours is smaller -- it's VERY
temporary, at most. See section [5.2] for ideas on cages. For bedding,
pine or better yet, aspen chips work well -- avoid cedar! A den can
be anything from a big piece of plumbing tube to an empty Kleenex box
with a door cut in one end.

(5) Playtime. Play with your new friend as often and as much as you
want, keeping in mind that your new hedgie will likely tire quickly,
especially if young, so give your new friend a break at times. It will
also help to keep the lights low, and not be too loud -- both of which
will increase the nervousness of a new hedgehog.

(6) Expectations. Your hedgie is going to be nervous and upset over the
change to a new home. Hedgies don't like change, and rely mostly on
sense of smell to know their way around. Don't be surprised if your
hedgie gets a bit withdrawn for a while. It takes time for a hedgie
to adjust to a new home.

------------------------------

Subject: <4.6> Hedgehog handling / socializing

There's an old joke that goes:

Question: How do you pick up a hedgehog?
Answer: Carefully!

Actually the original tends to deal more with the mating habits of our little
friends, but I'm sure you get the point (or would that be points?).

One of the points I had missed in early versions of the FAQ was the need for
handling pet hedgehogs to socialize them with you. Until recently, this
section has dealt primarily with the technical side of the rather thorny
question of how to handle a hedgehog, rather than why.

Hedgehogs tend to be very nervous by nature and do not enjoy nature's best
eyesight. Hedgehogs rely primarily on sense of smell. Their sense of
hearing is a distant second, and their vision is way down the list. In fact,
vision is generally used mostly as a source of warnings of danger. Hearing
serves both purposes -- tracking interesting sounds, or warning them of
dangers, and smell is usually used for finding things they are used to. Keep
all of this in mind when trying to win the heart of a hedgehog.

When you first get a hedgehog as a pet, it is important that your new friend
come to identify your smell with that of a friend. Because of this reliance
on sense of smell, if you are constantly changing perfumes, or sometimes use
strongly scented items, you are going to have much more difficulty than
normal, but by no means is it an impossible task.

The best way to socialize your hedgie is to spend as much time as you
reasonably can (without over-stressing the hedgehog) and gently hold or play
with him. Hedgehogs that are thoroughly familiar with their human friends
tend to be a lot friendlier in most cases -- although it depends on the
hedgehog, as it does with any animal with a personality (or should that be
critterality?).

In simple terms, hedgehogs do best with (possibly short amounts of) regular
attention, rather than large periods of infrequent attention. A few minutes
each day is far better than hours once a week.

It is also important to keep up the contact, to maintain the bond. Spending
some time with your hedgehog(s) every couple of nights should do the job.
Clearly, doing so almost daily is better, but reality rarely lets you do
this.

One point that I've missed here, until now (my thanks to Lisa Ladouceur for
pointing this out), is how to handle your hedgehog. Most hedgehogs, at
least, at first, do not like to be patted on their quills. Just try gently
holding your hedgie, and letting it uncurl in your hands. Let it explore
around your hands and arms, and it will eventually start to become
comfortable around you as it realizes that you are safe. Eventually, you can
get to the point of petting most hedgehogs along the back, and some even like
to be scratched in amongst their spines, but, this level of trust can take a
while to develop.

What do you do when you just won't have the chance to spend as much quality
time with the hedgekids as you want, or if you've just gotten a new hedgehog
and want to do everything possible to help get him used to you? Here is a
tip from Dave Ehrnstein, who, as a fairly large breeder, doesn't have the
time to spend with each and every new hedgehog:

Another way to acquaint them with your scent is to wear an old T-shirt
for two days, then put it in their cage. They will nest under it, and
your scent will become ``homey'' to them, not threatening.

You should be careful that there are no loose loops of thread on the shirt
(or hairs) that hedgefeet can get caught in (see caution in sections [5.2]
and [9.1]) and you should also at least check on the hedgehog daily, but
otherwise this idea will help acquaint your new friend with your smell, and
settle him into his new home.

Now on to the ``how do I pick up a pincushion with the points all facing
out'' section.

Picking up a hedgehog, or otherwise handling him is difficult, at least until
he gets to know your smell. Because of this, there is one cardinal rule
about hedgehog handling and that is ``never wear gloves.'' If you do, your
hedgehog will never become used to you, and your smell. That said, there
are, indeed, times when you have to. As with any so called rule, there
are exceptions, and using your common sense is the best thing. Remember,
it's much better to use gloves and take your hedgie out to play, then not to
play at all.

One thing you should do before trying to pick up any hedgehog, is to let your
little friend sniff your bare hand, before you pick him up, that way, he will
come to know the picking up is safe.

The recommended way to pick up a hedgehog is with one hand at each side of
him, then bring your hands gently together to cup him. Never grasp a
hedgehog in a way that could allow any of your fingers to be caught in the
middle should he decide to roll into a ball. Being in the middle of a
hedgehog ball is an extremely painful experience -- it's truly astounding
just how strong their muscles are [words of a single, never to be repeated,
unfortunate experience by the editor].

Most hedgehogs, unless really upset, will end up stepping up on your hands as
they come together. Once on your hands, you can transfer your little friend
to your lap (a towel spread on your lap can help, here), or onto your chest.

Properly handled, from shortly after birth, pet hedgehogs are very friendly,
playful animals that will keep their quills smoothed down, and enjoy being
with people. Once socialized with you, your hedgehog will be like this any
time you want to play (at least after it has had time to wake up, if you
decide to play during hedgie's naptime).

Are all hedgehogs like this? No, of course not. That's the ideal, and it is
something most people will only achieve if they get lucky, and kept up the
right attention, or if they are persistent at trying to win their little
friend over. The one key thing to remember, above all else, is patience,
patience, patience, and patience!

So you say your hedgehog is a grump? Fear not, that's not unusual. I must
admit that Velcro, my first hedgehog was a thoroughly endearing little grump
who took me 4-5 months to win over. Once I did win him over, though, he was
a real little sweetheart, and would often come to his cage door when he heard
me, to come out and play.

So why are some hedgies so grumpy or seem to be unfriendly, and what are the
reasons? For the answer, we need to look at the making of our little grumps,
um, er, friends, and how they relate to you.

Keep the noise levels low around hedgies, and preferably the lighting not too
bright. This will help avoid triggering nervousness.

Remember that, to a hedgehog, you are very large, and cast a huge shadow.
Think of yourself being picked up by something the size of a small
skyscraper! Move slowly, and do your best not to suggest you might be a
threat.

If you are still at the glove stage, once you have your little friend out,
try to take off the glove and do without it as much as possible.

Remember too, that with hedgehogs, bribery IS considered appropriate. Treats
are welcome. Let's face it, your hedgehog is not going to turn you in for
graft!

So what about hardcore cases? The I-wanna-snuffle-myself-into-a-fit-
and-you-can't-do-anything-about-it type grumps?

The first thing to do is to decide if something is bothering the grumphog.
Often, a problem, like being too cold or not feeling well can be the source
of the excess grumpyness. Even something like toenails that have become
ingrown are frequent causes of grump syndrome in hedgehogs.

If you've made sure of the basics, here are a series of things (some of which
might be a bit redundant after all the discussions above), for dealing with
these spoil-sports:

(1) Make sure that the lights are low, that there are not causes for
discomfort (cold, injuries, mites, etc.), and that there are no major
disturbances like loud music, etc., nearby.

(2) Does your hedgehog have a secure feeling den, and comfortable cage,
or enclosure? Somewhere a hedgehog can curl up in and feel safe can help
boost his sense of security. This doesn't need to be too elaborate.

(3) Play with him regularly, for 15-20 minutes each day, at around the
same time of day. Some hedgies treat this as a battle of wills. Once he
knows he's going to come out and play, whether he snuffles his butt off,
or not, he will knuckle under. If you let him get the best of you,
you've lost, and he will know it. After that, he can do whatever he
wants, and you are at his mercy.

(4) Think of your little friend's situation. Most new hedgehogs are
still essentially babies. Here you have a timid little animal which has
just lost everything it ever knew. It was recently separated from its
mother and then from any brothers or sisters that it might have been
with. Now everything smells different, tastes different, sounds
different, and this huge creature is grabbing for it. Needless to say,
this is a pretty nerve-wracking experience. This is why patience is so
important.

(5) Bribery works. It can even be fun experimenting to find out what
treats your hedgie likes.

(6) Hardcore snufflebutts can sometimes be won over, at least in part,
by a bath. Almost every hedgehog will smooth their quills down when in
water, and you can become the rescuer when extracting him from the
evil bath. Some hedgies even actually enjoy baths! See section [6.5]
on how to bath your hedgie.

Remember, patience is the key. It will often take time, sometimes weeks of
patient playing to win over a hedgie, but it is worth it, and it can be done.

Okay, so Spike is coming along fine, he's willing to come out and play, or
sometimes even snuggle, but there are some little habits that are leaving you
a bit unsure of things. It seems a favorite trick of some hedgehogs to go to
the bathroom just after you pick them up and start to play. Is this an
attempt on their part to be left alone? You may be starting to think so, and
that it might work, if it keeps up.

Of course your hedgie is not mistaking you for a litter box, nor is he making
a social commentary on you -- basically, he just can't help himself. This
particular `habit' is far more common in young hedgehogs who still don't have
as much control over their bodily functions as they will have later on. It
also appears that in hedgehogs, there is usually a need to go to the bathroom
shortly after waking up, when you combine this with the fact that hedgies
like to go, when on the go, it pretty much covers the causes.

So what is the solution? Obviously, one necessity is to just keep some
Kleenex or paper towel handy -- it's going to happen at times, no matter
what! The other thing that can help is when you first wake up your little
friend, give him a minute or two back in his cage to try and do his business
before you really take him out to play. Of course, there is the wait until
he grows up approach, but just try and resist wanting to play for that long!

For dealing with problem behavior, like biting, see section [6.6].

------------------------------

Subject: <4.7> How can I introduce my hedgehog to my (dog/cat/bird/fish/
rabbit/etc.) with the least trouble?

In what limited experience I've had, I have seen no problem with interaction
between hedgehogs and other pets -- my wife and I have five cats (Kit &
Caboodle, Oreo, Snickers, and Scrapper) in addition to our group of hedgies.
Velcro always thought the cats would make nice mealtime treats and chased
them whenever possible, while some of the others take little notice of the
cats, other than an occasional duck of the head and a snuffling session. For
their part, the cats have only shown peaceful curiosity towards the
hedgehogs. The occasional very careful paw will reach out and almost, but
not quite touch one of the hedgehogs. The cats seem to know that these
snuffling little armoured tanks are actually animated pincushions that would
hurt if they really connected. For his part, Velcro omce actually shoved the
largest cat (18+ lbs.!) out of the way with nothing more than a slightly
indignant look from the cat.

Aside from this, I imagine that it will really depend on the personality of
your other pet(s). I would expect more aggressive cats/dogs to try nipping
at or swatting at a new hedgehog (an action that is unlikely to be repeated
by any animal with the ability to learn from its mistakes). Some terriers
and other hunting dogs might be an exception here, and might be best kept
separate from hedgehogs for the safety of both parties (not to mention any
humans who try to separate them!) Hedgehogs are admirably well protected --
the worry is ``how safe are your other pets?''

As long as you supervise the first few encounters between your hedgehog and
your other pets, there `should be' no problem in either direction. The only
time there should be cause for worry is if one or more of your other pets
could potentially be food in the eyes of your hedgehog (such as pet
mealworms?). By way of an example of this, I would recommend that you not
introduce your hedgehog to any herps you might have -- it seems that, for
example, hedgehogs enjoy the taste of iguana tail.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[Brian MacNamara]

Archive-name: hedgehog-faq/part4
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Keywords: faq pet hedgehogs

Last-modified: 3 0 March 2014
Version: 3.180

HEDGEHOG FAQ (part 4 of 7) -- HEDGEHOGS AS PETS
Compiled and edited by Brian MacNamara (***@hedgehoghollow.com)
Additions, corrections, and suggestions for this file are welcomed.

This document is copyright 2014 by Brian MacNamara. See section [0.6]
for authorship information and redistribution rights. In short, you
can give it away, but you can't charge for it.

The basic Hedgehog FAQ has seven parts, all of which should be available
from wherever you obtained this one. A complete table of contents for
all seven parts is given in part I.

Please note: While my knowledge of hedgehogs has grown (far beyond my
wildest expectations when I began the FAQ), my knowledge is still quite
limited, especially in areas of health care. I did not write, or verify,
all the information in this FAQ. I have done my best to include only
accurate and useful information, but I cannot guarantee the correctness
of what is contained in this FAQ, regardless of the source, or even that
it will not be harmful to you or your hedgehog in some way. For advice
from an expert, I recommend you consult the books listed in part 2 [2.1],
or, especially in the case of a suspected medical problem, a veterinarian
who is familiar with hedgehogs.

------------------------------

Subject: CONTENTS OF THIS FILE

5. *** Things you'll need ***

<5.1> What will I need to take care of my new hedgehog?
<5.2> Do I need a cage? How should I set it up?
<5.3> The pet store uses wood shavings as bedding. Should I?
<5.4> Litter boxes and what kind of litter should I use?
<5.5> I'm having problems litter-training my hedgehog. What should
I be doing?
<5.6> Hedgehogs and wheels
<5.7> Making your own wheel
<5.8> Any suggestions on toys?

6. *** Basic hedgehog care and training ***

<6.1> How can I best hedgehogproof my home?
<6.2> What should I feed my hedgehog?
<6.3> Commercial hedgehog foods and nutrition
<6.4> What are good treats?
<6.5> Any suggestions on bathing, cleaning ears, and clipping nails?
<6.6> Biting and nipping
<6.7> HELP, my hedgehog is LOST! (or Hedgehog Hide-and-Seek)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

5. *** Things you'll need ***

------------------------------

Subject: <5.1> What will I need to take care of my new hedgehog?

A brief list of things needed right away is covered in section [4.5], and is
meant as a getting started list. This section, and the ones that follow, are
meant to provide information in greater detail.

There are only a few things that are essential to keep a pet hedgehog.
Basically a warm place to live (either a large cage/pen/aquarium, or a room
-- if you want to let your hedgehog run free), a food dish (preferably one
that is not easy to tip over), a water bottle, such as for Guinea pigs,
(water dishes can tend to become soiled and baby hedgehogs can easily drown
in them, but adults often like them), and last but not least, something big
enough for your hedgehog to hide in as a den. Of course food, water and
other treats are a given!

It is also a good idea to have a shallow litter box or pan (although not all
hedgehogs seem inclined to use them), and some type of bedding (aspen
shavings, clean straw, etc., but NOT cedar [5.3]).

An exercise wheel [5.6] and [5.7] (big enough for a hedgehog) is also
strongly recommended -- especially for hedgehogs that don't have the run of
the house. Hedgehogs tend to be surprisingly energetic, and need the chance
to use up some of this energy. In addition, it appears more and more that
hedgehogs who have and use wheels live much longer and generally seem not to
come down with some of the more common serious ailments, such as Fatty Liver
Disease. Because of this, I am quickly reaching the opinion that a proper
wheel is more of a necessity than a luxury. Given how easy (and even fun) it
is to make a wheel, there really is no excuse for not having one.

------------------------------

Subject: <5.2> Do I need a cage? How should I set it up?

This is largely a matter of choice, yours and theirs. Some hedgehog owners
wouldn't dream of caging their prickly little friends, while some breeders
use large cat carriers to keep their hoards in (one hedgehog, one carrier).

I personally use large wire cages that were intended for medium to large dogs
as homes for my hedgehogs. These cages measure about 2' wide x 3' deep x
2.5' high (frankly I wouldn't put a dog bigger than a Chihuahua in something
this size, but the labels claim they were designed for collies and similar
sized dogs!).

I should point out that organizations, such as VEZ [2.7], recommend ``one
square meter (approximately 1 sq. yard) of floorspace for [each] hedgehog.''
This is a good rule of thumb, since hedgies are not as small as hamsters or
gerbils, and do need space to roam in. The alternative is to give them a
good play time, each night, to roam about a larger area under supervision.

You should be careful to make sure the grating in the cage you use leaves
narrow enough holes that your hedgehog can't get out, or even get his head
wedged in between the wires. Chicken wire is probably not a very safe
choice. Hedgehogs will often attempt to escape with an astounding amount of
vigor and can be quite single minded about doing so. Younger hedgehogs can
easily get out of cages with openings between the wires as small as 1/2''
(1.5 cm) -- trust me on this, Sprocket earned the middle name Houdini for
just this achievement, while Pocus would gleefully climb to the top of the
cage looking for even the smallest niche to squeeze through.

Probably the most cost effective cage system I'm aware of is to use the large
clear plastic bins (with lids) that look like giant Tupperware containers,
and are available inexpensively from most hardware and department stores
these days. Drill plenty of holes in the top (small enough that a hedgehog
won't fit through, but large enough to provide lots of air), or even along
the sides, towards the top, and you have a very easy to clean cage, that is
also easy to get at to get your hedgie out.

The best part of the plastic bin idea is that, if you find ones that are not
big enough, just use two, or three, or create a whole complex of them. Using
inexpensive plastic plumbing pipes and fittings, you can create a hedgehog
palace in a short time. Just beware to make sure tunnels slope at an angle
that hedgehogs can manage comfortably.

Skewer lives in one such plastic bin that was far too low to give clearance
for his wheel. Since leaving the top off was a guaranteed escape in the
making, we solved the problem by cutting out a section of the lid, and
putting another small, but deep, plastic bin over it, glued to the larger
lid. This dome roof covers his wheel nicely, and ensures he only wanders
(escapes from the cage) when it's intended (i.e., gets out for playtime).


Bedding, such as aspen shavings [5.3], is recommended in any cage, and most
importantly, some sort of place to hide is needed. Alternately, you can use
astroturf, or something like non-clumping cat litter [5.4] (make sure it's
not dusty), or even epoxy coated aquarium stones (some sort of soft bed area
is recommended, though). Do watch out for the pieces of litter or bedding
getting caught in sensitive places as mentioned in sections [5.4] and [9.1].

The most frequently recommended den is a section of 4'' (or 6'' for larger
hedgehogs) diameter PVC (plastic) plumbing pipe. You can get this at almost
any hardware or plumbing store for a couple of dollars.

For a home, or den, I have used a variety of items. For Velcro I used two
wicker bread baskets (about 4'' x 6'' and 2-3'' deep) tied securely together
with a door cut towards one end (about 3'' x 3''). Velcro preferred this
over either the PVC pipe home, or a hollow log, however, Popeye, who
inherited Velcro's cage and den won't have anything to do with it, preferring
to sleep under a hedgebag (a cloth bag with no seams). Pocus, however,
preferred the PVC pipe or especially a hollow log, and wouldn't have anything
to do with the basket (except as a toy -- Pocus tossed it like a seal with a
ball). Hedgehogs *can* be fickle! For Quibble, Quiver and Pepper, who live
together, we use a stackable plastic bin, turned upside down, which provides
(almost) enough space for three plump hedgebutts to snuggle together at
naptime.

A word of caution about using old socks or cloth with a loose weave to it:

Don't use anything fabric for them to hide in. I did have an old sock...
Koosh liked to climb inside it, but the vet told me of an instance where
a hedgehog got his leg caught in a thread, tried to get out, only made it
worse, and the thread ended up slicing through her flesh to the bone. He
said he was able to save the leg, though.
-- Kathleen Close

If you're going to use an aquarium, I would not recommend anything less that
a 20 gallon size, and preferably larger, as a basic home for a hedgehog --
they are much too active for anything less, and small enclosures will quickly
lead to an overweight and unhealthy hedgehog.

Cages at the large end of being suitable for Guinea pigs or rabbits are
likely fine. Keep in mind that hedgehogs like to explore, and they are great
escape artists. They can climb anything they can get their claws hooked
into, and by rolling into a ball and leaning forward, they can manage to get
down quite safely from virtually any height that didn't need a long ladder to
get them up to.

Tammy Baer sent in the following, interesting twist on the pet carrier home.
I think this has some real merit for people who currently use a carrier, and
want to give their little friends a better quantity of space to live in.

Each hedgie has a large dog kennel as a cage, but not in the traditional
way. I took the cage apart and placed the top upside down and face to
face with the bottom. That way the top half of the entrance meets the
bottom and they have twice the room to roam. I use two clamps on either
side to keep the halves together, and they overlap just enough that
there's no gap for little feet between halves. They still have their
exercise room at night, but if I ever have to leave them for a couple of
days I know they're just fine. One of the great advantage to using the
kennels is cleaning is a snap as bedding and even messes just wipe out.
The sides are smooth and not easy to climb keeping adventurous hedgies
inside. This only works if you have nothing for them to climb that is
close to the edge. I found Zoe was fond of making what seemed like
impossible jumps to get out. The cage is also very open and low enough
to give excellent ventilation for good breathing.
-- Tammy Baer

The point about not having climbable items in this kind of cage (in fact, any
open topped cage, needs some stressing. Hedgehogs are very adept at
escaping, and they are quite able to pile things against the side of a cage
to get out. I've seen it done, and I've heard more stories on this than I
care to admit. ;-)


If you are not certain the place you are trying to keep your hedgehog in is
warm enough to keep him from going into hibernation [7.3], you might want to
consider placing a heating pad (on its LOWEST setting) under the part of the
pen where your hedgehog sleeps. Make sure your hedgehog is not going to come
directly into contact with the heating pad, and that he has the ability to
get to an area away from it, should it be too warm for him.

If your hedgehog gets too cool, you risk a number of problems, including
pneumonia. Pneumonia can be especially bad, since you may not know he has it
and even if it clears up, the effects of scarring on the lungs can result in
death sometime later, when things otherwise appear perfectly fine.

Other suggestions from Katherine Long are to use heating elements intended
for lizards, or those for keeping germinating seeds warm.

Ambergris much prefers to sleep under a thick towel rather than in
her pipe. Actually the towel is draped over a half hollow log and
the pipe on top of the pad that is on top of the lizard warmer pad.
She crawls between the towel and the pad cover, in preference to
anywhere else.
-- Katherine Long

I have also received suggestions of caution from Kirby J. Kerr, about using
heat rocks as designed for lizards as they are quite prone to overheating,
and generally erratic behavior. In other words, do be careful when using
these products.

Another idea for keeping hedgies warm is:

There are ceramic reptile heaters that are similar to light bulbs
(but give off no light). They screw into a regular light socket
and can be positioned to radiate heat into the cage. They run
about $25 mail-order, $40 retail, and come in various wattages. If
you want to add a thermostat, it gets pricier.
-- Christine Porter

NOTE: When using these ``heat bulbs'' you must only use them in a ceramic
light socket. My thanks to Ron Adrezin for this caution, and the following:

The company that makes the heat bulbs also sells ceramic sockets with a
clip at the bottom so that it may be attached to the cage. I also use
baggie ties on the clip to make absolutely sure that it cannot fall over
and start a fire.
-- Ron Adrezin

Here are some other ideas that show just how imaginative people can be when
it comes to dealing with hedgehogs. This next idea was actually something
created for keeping a too-small European hedgehog warm enough to avoid
hibernation, until he could pack on enough weight to survive the ordeal, but
it would work equally well for pets.

[I created a] warmer - it was a biscuit tin inside which were 2 x 15
watt pygmy bulbs, in series. (In series to reduce the heat output and
lengthen the life). It was just detectably warm to the touch after an
hour on the kitchen table.

Another way, this time using less electrical engineering, would be to
use one of those electric germination trays that you get in garden
shops, they are typically about 10 watts (i.e. close to what I get
with my 2 bulbs in series) and of course they are built to be
waterproof and are readily available. If you worry about water-logging
from rain or urine, it would do just as well upside-down, heat (or
rather, hot air) rises.
-- Michael Bell

If your room temperature doesn't get too cool, you may be able to make do
with an idea like this:

My daughter has come up with a neat idea to keep our heggies pretty warm.
She has made them sleeping bags out of fleece and lined it with thin
thermal material.
-- Mary Novak

Just beware that there aren't any loose threads (or hairs) that can get
caught around busy hedgie legs.

Feel free to be inventive when it comes to keeping your hedgehog warm during
the cooler months of the year. As long as there is a warm area where your
hedgehog's den is, and you haven't created a fire hazard or some other
impending disaster, you can pretty much use your imagination when it comes to
impromptu heaters.

It's imperative that your pet hedgehogs stay warm during the winter.
Hedgehogs will go into hibernation [7.3] if not kept warm, and if they don't
receive enough hours of light, and this can have disasterous consequences.

------------------------------

Subject: <5.3> The pet store uses wood shavings as bedding. Should I?

In most cases the answer is maybe. In addition to wood shavings generally
making for a more comfortable place to root and burrow around in, many
hedgehogs are not overly particular as to where they defecate. Using
shavings makes cleaning up after them quite a bit easier.

I have heard of a few cases where hedgehogs were allergic to wood shaving
bedding, but these have been relatively uncommon cases. In all the cases
I've heard of, the hedgehog has experienced what appears to be a bloody nose
most nights while roaming about its enclosure. The solution was to use a
more natural bedding (closer to their natural habitat -- for example, real
dirt and grass). Another possibility might be to increase the humidity, but
the best solution is to switch from using wood shavings.

I have also seen numerous warnings against using cedar shavings, especially
for baby or young hedgehogs where the strong aroma can actually overpower and
even kill them. Do not use cedar!

The ``Safe Beddings FAQ'' now exists and is posted to the rec.pets Usenet
Newsgroup on a monthly basis. It is also available via the WWW at:
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/faq/beddingfaq.shtml

My thanks to Rick Russell for the original pointer to it, and to Christine
Porter for the pointer to the new address.

I have to admit that, in 1994, when I acquired Velcro at 8 months of age, he
came in a pet carrier complete with a bedding of cedar shavings and was none
the worse for wear from it (though he also lived in a very well ventilated
cage). Since then I have used pine shavings, aspen shavings, Yesterdays News
(recycled paper cat litter), and astroturf.

It now appears that pine, also being an aromatic softwood, `can' cause many
of the same effects as cedar. While generally not as strong as cedar, it is
better to opt for aspen or other non-aromatic woods. Personally, I believe
that pine, as long as it isn't that strongly odoured (isn't very resinous) is
an okay choice for bedding in open cages (as opposed to tanks). Strong
smelling pine shavings, however, are not a good choice for a bedding
material.

The rule of thumb for any bedding material is, if it has a noticeable scent,
it probably isn't terribly safe.

I have recently been in touch with Gerald McKiness, who had lost five of his
hedgehogs to the use of pine shavings -- the cause being borne out by the
necropsies that were performed. After switching away from using pine, he has
had no further losses. Here are some of the details about the symptoms:

Our first casualty was a hamster. A pet of about 3 yrs. of age. He died
after about 3 weeks to a month of respiratory distress and digestive
failure. My hedgehogs began dying about a year later. The symptoms
always started with a loss of appetite, then loss of mobility in the
hindquarters. They would have a wheeze to the breathing. The
excretions would be a bright green. In about three weeks, despite
everything, bottle feeding, antibiotic injections, veterinary care,
they died.

The necropsies would all show respiratory distress, fluid in the lungs,
liver distress, and NO PATHOGENS.
-- Gerald McKiness

While aspen shavings do not have what some people consider the pleasant cedar
or pine scent, nor some of the insect (mite) repelling qualities of cedar,
everything I have seen strongly urges against the use of cedar and also pine
bedding for hedgehogs (and other small animals).

Aspen is, unfortunately, more expensive than either cedar or pine, but the
safety factor is paramount. If you are unable to find aspen, and are using
pine, make sure you do so in a well ventilated cage or pen, not one that is
enclosed with limited airflow, as this will help limit the dangers. For
cedar, the answer is simply to avoid using it.

Mike McGary has the following words of wisdom on a further advantage of using
aspen shavings:

One of the benefits of aspen shavings is that they are digestible.
This can prevent problems resulting from eating the bedding (our
babies have all eaten some bedding).

Another side effect of wood is that shavings of most kinds involve quite a
bit of dust which can have unpleasant side effects on small lungs. Aspen,
which appears to be shredded rather than chipped, seems to be less dusty and
much better than pine or cedar.


For those of you who want an alternative to wood shavings of any kind,
especially for those who might have allergies themselves to the bedding,
Kathleen Close passed along the following idea, courtesy of her veterinarian:

Use terrarium lining or astroturf. It's much cheaper in the long run.
He suggested buying two lengths, washing them about every 3 days, and
while one is drying, put the second one in.

After trying out the astroturf idea (make sure it's the newer, soft, almost
carpet-like astroturf, not the older tinsel-like plastic grass), I wound up
wondering about the edges where it seemed to unravel a bit. Terri Lewis
provided the following great solution:

Use a soldering gun or iron [to melt the edges]. That should stop it
from unraveling unless your [hedgehog] is really chewing on it and not
just pulling at it.
-- Terri Lewis

I've also found that careful use of a candle along the edges works well, but
I do stress being careful!

I can now attest to astroturf working quite well, and I've found that my
hedgehogs appear to be more active on it than with wood shavings, though that
may have just been their anticipation of spring being in the air, at the
time.


Janet Jones sent along some information on a new product that also shows some
promise:

COMPANY:
Adsorbent Corporation
1051 Hilton Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
U.S.A.

This information was taken directly from their packaging:

CareFRESH Pet Bedding - The safest, healthiest bedding for your pet.

For hamsters, gerbils, mice, rabbits, birds, reptiles, guinea pigs,
cats, dogs, ferrets, skunks and other pets.

CareFRESH is a patented pet bedding made from reclaimed wood pulp waste.
This short fiber virgin pulp can't be made into paper so would normally
be sent to a landfill or burned. CareFRESH helps save scarce resources.
CareFRESH contains no added inks, dyes or chemical contaminants. It's
better bedding, naturally.

I use this bedding for all my small animals, i.e., hamster, rat and
hedgehogs. They have been on this bedding for about a month and seem to
like it quite well. The female hedgehog I just recently got loves to
burrow underneath it, as do the rat and hamster. I previously used corn
cobs as I have allergies and wood chips of any kind make me ill. The dust
in pine is terrible. The corn cobs are pretty good, but they still are a
little dusty and kind of rough. The only downside I found about CareFRESH
bedding is that it is kind of expensive and hard to find. But it does
seem to last quite a while, so maybe in the long run it really is not as
expensive as it seems.

Note: Some problems have been reported with some young hedgehogs eating and
subsequently choking on CareFRESH bedding. I suspect this same problem can
occur with virtually any pelletized bedding material, and the best suggestion
is to keep it away from the dinner area and to be careful with baby and
adolescent hedgehogs.

Yesterday's News cat litter, made of pelletized recycled newspapers, also
works quite well. They produce a variety for `ferrets' which has a smaller
pellet size than the cat litter variety, but I've found no complaints from
the quilled crowd over the larger, cat litter sized pieces. Note: they also
make a `lemon' scented variety, which is probably not a good choice, both
from the aromatic point of view, and the fact that hedgehogs are usually not
overly fond of citrus.

Another suggestion is to just use non-clumping cat litter. This may have two
potential dangers: dust and especially for male hedgehogs, getting caught in
the penile sheath -- the same as if you used it in a litter box [5.4], [9.1]
(there can also be problems for females, though these are not as frequent).

Corncob litter is not recommended as bedding for hedgehogs, for a number of
reasons. The danger of it getting caught in delicate places still exists,
though not as likely as, say, clumping cat litters. There have also been
many cases of mites that pointed back to the use of corncob bedding as the
source. Corncob also tends to become mouldy when it gets damp, as well as
just rotting and causing odour.

Shredded office paper can also be used as bedding, although make sure it
doesn't contain any metal (such as staples or paperclips) or odd chemical
impregnated or carbon paper. It can, however, be quite dusty.

Although most bedding for pets is treated to prevent mites, bedding is still
one of the major sources of these little pests [8.2]. I have heard from a
couple of people who have reported that their vets told them that corn cob
bedding can be especially prone to mite infestations. I do have to temper
that thought with the idea that if a particular brand or batch in the area
that these people lived was bad, it could have been the source for numerous
problems over quite a period of time. Still, if you have mite problems, it
is probably worthwhile to switch to at least a different brand of bedding, if
not a different type -- at least for a while.

Looking still further afield, you can use the brightly coloured aquarium
gravel (the type that is epoxy coated). This is not absorbent like the other
bedding options, nor as warm, but it does provide a pretty safe, and
non-allergic alternative. Cleaning and disinfecting can, however be awkward,
making this better for particular areas rather than as a general bedding.

------------------------------

Subject: <5.4> What kind of litter should I use?

When it comes to the litter box, the primary concern is that you do NOT use a
clumping type litter. Clumping litter can stick to your hedgehog when s/he
uses the litter box, forming almost a layer of cement, which can quickly
prevent urination.

Almost any brand of non-clumping cat litter is relatively safe. A clay based
litter may be preferable, as most hedgehogs like to dig in it, as they would
in soft soil or sand. Here again, you should ask the expert (your hedgehog)
for his/her preference.

It is possible, however, for even non-clumping litter to become caked on, so
you should check your hedgehog frequently.

I have seen clay litter clump on one of our hedgehogs. I let her
walk around in the tub full of shallow water until it is softened
enough to remove gently.
-- Mike McGary

Male hedgehogs can also get pieces of almost any kind of litter and bedding
(especially clay and corncob) caught in their penile sheath. You should
check hedgehogs of both sexes daily (or nightly, as the case may be) to
ensure that there aren't any such problems.

As with bedding, there is a need that the litter you use not be too dusty.

Hedgehogs also like to dig and root in sand, and will often end up using
their litter boxes for this, instead of for the intended purpose. If yours
does this, you might want to try offering a sandbox [5.8] as a play area.

Here's yet another option that sounds like it might be cost effective, and
should work well as both litter and bedding (my hedgies still want to know
what the difference is, sigh!).

I use firewood pellets for litter, for the hedgehog, ferrets, and cats,
it's non toxic (aside from pine oil..) cheap, and easily available in
most of the US. I got the idea from a cattery that breeds bengals and
savannah (or serengeti.. they keep changing names..) cats Petsmart uses
it for cats, birds, and small animals but they generally charge 6 dollars
for a 2-3 pound bag... if you go to your local fireplace center or ranch
and home supply, you can get a 50 pound bag for about 4 dollars! It
doesn't clump or stick to the hedgehog, and when they urinate on it, it
fluffs up and absorbs all of it. The ONLY draw back is that it doesn't
absorb odor too well; our cat was sneaking ferret food and was starting
to get very plump and his feces smelled RANK (which is why I'm also
against feeding hedgies ferret food) so we had to switch off of that for
a while till we found out why it was so stinky.
-- Zack Lessley

I can relate to the food theft - my cats sit on top of the hedgehog cage
waiting to pounce on the odd piece of food I lose when feeding them. Taste
is irrelevant. They aren't supposed to have it so it MUST be good. One day
they will get into the cage, and learn, yet again, that ``ones with fur should
not triffle with the ones with quills if one wants one's nose and fur intact.''


------------------------------

Subject: <5.5> I'm having problems litter-training my hedgehog. What should
I be doing?

I wish I knew the answer to this one! Velcro and Popeye insisted that one's
so called master is there for the express purpose of feeding tasty tidbits
then cleaning up the results wherever they decide to leave them. As for the
litter box, well that's just a playpen for digging in, isn't it? On the
other hand, Sprocket and Hocus as well as Pocus seemed to just naturally seek
out and use a litter box, and so do some of my current `ladies,' so there was
no training involved. Now if I could get them to teach Popeye some manners!

That having been said, the recommended approach (which did not receive the
Velcro stamp of approval, I might add) is to put all the droppings you find,
into the litter box, daily. The idea is that the hedgehog will come to
associate the litter box with where the droppings are supposed to go. Some
hedgehogs apparently take to this quite readily.

In all seriousness, I suspect that hedgehogs which are taught from birth to
use a litter box, will generally do so quite happily, while those that have
not been taught, or didn't receive adequate training while quite young may
not be keen on using the litter box, but persistence may pay off eventually.

For what it is worth, cleaning up hedgehog droppings is not exactly a
difficult or messy task. In a pen with pine or aspen shavings it is simply a
matter of quickly sifting though the shavings with a cat litter scoop to
clean up the droppings. Fortunately, there is virtually no odour, and the
droppings are big enough to clean up easily.

In addition to everything above, here are some interesting, and very
promising tips on litterbox training:

I had the same problem [not using the litter box -- ed.] with my
hedgehog Quincy. To resolve the problem, and he still misses the
mark at times, I built a cardboard enclosure with a small entrance
opening to fit over the litter pan in the corner of his cage - He has
one of the small animal corner litter pans. Unable, to resist a small
opening, Quincy soon began doing his business in there. I put him in
there every time he finished eating, and it didn't take long before he
got the idea. Before, I added the cardboard cupboard, he would only use
the litter pan as a ``sandbox,'' and could often be spotted sitting in
the pan, eating the corn cob pellets. Thankfully, he doesn't do that
anymore either.
-- Michelle Baker

Given the appeal of small openings to hedgehogs, it's a wonder why nobody
thought of using that for any number of hedgie herding or training actions.
My thanks to Michelle for this -- I'll definitely give it a try with my
ill-behaved bunch.

Hot on the heels of the idea above, came the following suggestion from
Melissa-Lee:

Neither of my hedgehogs were litter trained when they came home, but I
figured out how to train them. My male was easier to train because I
just put some of her [the female's] waste in his litter pan and of
course he had to cover up someone else's smell, and he never stopped
using it. The female just naturally took to the litter box when I but
it in the corner where she went and she took to it.

This is another fine example of "why didn't I think of that!" I suspect this
would generally work best with males, who tend to be somewhat more
territorial than females, but the idea of using a different hedgie's
droppings to coerce one into knowing where to go has a lot of merit.

As with all things hedgehog, patience is the key. These ideas aren't likely
to result in instant results, so be patient, and keep at it.

Don't expect perfect results, however, hedgehogs are just not going to be
that fastidious about things. There are going to be exceptions, no matter
what.

Some factors that will, however, make `mistakes' worse, are things like
wheels. Remember that hedgehogs feel an almost irresistible need to go while
on the go. As a result, you can often count on wheels becoming an alternate
litterbox (not to mention a poop slingshot of sorts). Some hedgies will also
get into the habit of stopping briefly, to hang their backsides over the edge
of the wheel to `go' making it a bit easier to clean up afterwards.

In the end, there is no magic bullet to getting a hedgehog to use its litter
box. Try the ideas above, and if it doesn't work out, it's not that bad --
trust me, I know!

------------------------------

Subject: <5.6> Hedgehogs and wheels

Most hedgehogs dearly love to run, and a hedgehog wheel provide the
opportunity for plenty of important exercise. Although there are problems
associated with using improper wheels, the positive effects of having and
using a wheel are virtually enough to make one a necessity (unless your
hedgie has free run of an entire room).

One of the most tragic maladies found in hedgehogs these days is Fatty Liver
Disease, though for all the cases I have heard of, none have occurred in
hedgehogs that have and use wheels. This includes cases where siblings have
each had the same diet, but one has not used a wheel, and the other has.
Exercise is very critical to our little friends, and for almost all of them,
the only option available to get them enough exercise is to give them a
wheel.

Here are a few thoughts on hedgehogs and wheels from Nathan Tenny:

They adore exercise wheels, and will run upwards of five miles a
night (at a top speed of 12 mph!); their feet get stuck in the
regular wire wheels, though, and screen is hard to clean (they
seem to like defecating while on the move, which makes sense, I
guess).


All is not wonderful with hedgehog wheels -- there are a few serious problems
that need to be considered.

(1) It is necessary that the wheel have a solid surface.
A hedgehog wheel should not just have a set of wires running across it
as on most wheels for hamsters, gerbils, etc. Without a solid surface,
your hedgehog will get his legs caught in the wheel, and/or develop
sores, or worse problems. There are a number of ways to adapt wire
wheels, so that they have smooth surfaces, from liners to duct tape,
just use your imagination. Having a solid wheel leads us to the next
problem.

(2) Hedgehogs tend to leave their droppings all over their wheels:

There's still one pending problem with the hedgehog wheels I've seen:
Hedgehogs tend to defecate on the run (reasonable enough), and the
wheel eventually gets pretty icky. If you don't clean it, so does
the hedgehog. Unfortunately, hedgehog feces stick to wood fairly
effectively (that's quite the understatement -- I'm thinking of
marketing it as a new extra strong glue -- ed.). A heavy coat of
enamel paint makes them easier to clean off, but I'd sure like to
find a surface that they'll just wipe away from. Teflon wheels?

Here's my fiancee's suggestion: If you live near a glass supply
store, you'll find that they sell sheets of a sort of sticky
vinyl---intended as masking for people who sandblast glass.
Anyway, we have one wheel that has strips of this stuff along it,
for traction, and she says that the strips are noticeably easier
to clean than the plain wheel. Just a thought.
-- Nathan Tenny

Velcro's wheel was lined with some cheap vinyl placemats (the smooth,
shiny, padded kind) that were cut into strips and stuck together with
anti-slip strips (sort of like self adhesive sandpaper to put on stairs
and things to keep people from sliding away). The anti-slip strips were
there as a vain attempt to help Velcro keep his nails worn down a little.
It wasn't too slippery, and definitely passed the Velcro approval test
(by that, I mean it needed a thorough cleaning most mornings)!

(3) Pad any spokes you have on your wheel.
Hedgehogs have a tendency to suddenly look around to the sides and
behind while they are running -- to see how far they've gone. This
almost always results in getting hit in the face with a spoke from the
wheel. Unfortunately I know of at least one hedgehog who has lost an
eye because of this (the hedgehog is fine -- it was properly treated by
a vet). The only sensible solution I can see is to pad the spokes so
that they don't cause injuries when they hit, or if you are really
inventive, maybe design a spokeless wheel, maybe suspended on a roller
from the top of the cage?

I received a reminder recently, from Teresa, that to help cure a squeaky
wheel, you can use petroleum jelly, and not have to worry about any harmful
consequences from it being licked at by a curious hedgehog. I know from
experience what happens to your nerves when a wheel (or two, or three, or...)
is squeaking, when you're trying to get to sleep. ;-} I've also found that
both Linatone and vegetable oil will work, but they do tend to become sticky
over time, while petroleum jelly usually will not, and tends to last longer.


For those of you who do not feel up to tackling the job of constructing your
own (see section [5.7], if you are up to it), there are a number of sources of
ready made wheels for hedgehogs and suitable for them. Unfortunately, few
pet stores carry wheels that can be used for hedgehogs, even with adaptation,
so it is usually necessary to revert to mail-order, or to building your own.

Probably the most common wheels are the RoundAbout wheels by Balanced
Innovations. Balanced Innovations is now owned by Ain't No Creek Ranch
[2.8], so they are probably one of the best sources for these wheels.

Ain't No Creek Ranch
2553 W Offner Road
Beecher, IL
USA 60401-3347

email: ***@aol.com
www: http://www.aintnocreek.com/

Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

RoundAbout wheels are also available from Brisky Pet Products:

Brisky Pet Products
South Main Street
P.O. Box 186
Franklinville, NY 14737
USA

www: http://www.brisky.com/
email: ***@Brisky.Com

phone: [phone] (toll free, US only)
or: [phone]
fax: [phone]

Other sources for hedgehog safe wheels are places such as Transoniq Wodent
Wheels (my thanks here to John Masinter for the info). These wheels are
enclosed with round openings. The larger wheels are big enough for hedgies,
but you may need to enlarge the openings for many hedgies -- especially if
the reason for the wheel is to trim down a plump hedgehog. You can contact
them through email at wodent-***@transoniq.com or via:

Transoniq
1402 SW Upland Drive
Portland, OR 97221
USA

503-227-6848
toll-free hotline: [phone]. This line is automated, so be
ready with your charge number, name and address, and order items.

www: http://www.teleport.com/%7Etrnsoniq/wodent.html

Haba Exotics also make an innovative, and very safe wheel, which avoids both
the problems of spokes and non-solid running surface.

Haba Exotic Animals and Enclosures
17650 1st Ave. South
Suite 525
Seattle, WA 98148
USA

phone: [phone]
fax: [phone]
www: http://www.habaexotic.com/

------------------------------

Subject: <5.7> Making your own wheel

There are a wealth of ways to make your own wheel(s) for hedgehogs. This can
be a fun, and easy project, and can save you considerable costs -- especially
if you're on a budget or have a number of hedgies to equip. This section
contains a number of ideas on how to go about it. The keys are to make sure
you get something big enough, and with a safe, solid surface to run on -- and
something that won't keep you and half the neighbourhood up all night. ;-)

Here are some rough pointers on making your own hedgehog wheel from Nathan
Tenny:

We've begun making wooden wheels out of Popsicle sticks and cross-stitch
circles (the 12'' size; 10'' is just slightly too small). The axle is a
thin dowel, and the spokes are just lengths of plywood (1'' x 0.5'', I
think). Depending on where it's being set up, such a wheel can be
mounted in a bunch of different ways -- hung from the top of the tank
[or cage], for instance.


Chuck Stoup passed along the following variation on building a wheel that
looks great:

Over the weekend I made a hedgehog wheel as described in the hedgehog
FAQ. I made several improvements that I thought I'd share with everyone.

On the FAQ the treadmill was made with Popsicle sticks. I picked up some
of the plastic grid in the sewing store that is used for yarn rugs and
the like. I cut several strips the width of the treadmill and used a
string to tie them together so its length was just longer than the
circumference of the embroidery hoops. I used 2 9'' hoops. Then I
wrapped the plastic mesh around the inner hoops and secured it with the
outer hoop and tightened. Then I cut some sand paper lengthwise just
wide enough to fit in the treadmill of the wheel. I used a hot glue gun
to hold the paper down. Brillo seems to really like it.

I used sand paper for two reasons. The first was the [editor] of the
FAQ mentioned about this great adhesive quality of hedgehog dung and how
they seem to defecate on the run. I figured sand paper would make an
excellent surface that I can remove and discard when it gets too dirty.
The plastic wont mind getting wet either. The other reason I used sand
paper was I figured if Brillo used it she would wear down her nails and
I would not have to trim her.

If you are going to use sandpaper, you should make sure you are using a very
fine grade (probably 400 or higher grit), and you should also watch out for
foot problems. Some hedgehogs can run their feet raw, or even to the point
of bleeding (yes, they are that insistent on running, that even bleeding feet
won't give them pause to stop). If this happens, remove the sandpaper.

When I asked Chuck about using this information he also sent along the some
more good ideas:

As you know, I used that plastic mesh for the running surface, but I
didn't have spokes that I thought were any good. At one point I decided
that the same plastic mesh would make a good set of spokes. I cut two
pieces shaped like a cross and tied the tips of the cross to the mesh on
the wheel. To mount the axle I bought some eye-lets for clothing and
swaged them in the center of the mesh as a hub and used a coat hanger as
an axle. Runs very smoothly with no noise.

I'm not sure about using the 9'' hoops (ours are 14'', and that seems just
right), but that depends entirely on the size of your hedgehog, and the
amount of space you have available. The whole idea certainly sounds easier
than the Popsicle stick method.


From Tirya come more ideas on do-it-yourself hedgehog wheels:

We bought a Ferret wheel at the local pet shop - they're like hamster
wheels, only about 10'' in diameter instead of 6'' (some say ferret
wheel, some call them rat wheels). We also got some plastic canvas
from a craft shop - the kind used to make needlepoint and
cross-stitching stuff. It's flexible plastic with a gridwork of holes
and comes in a variety of colors (we used black so it wouldn't show
dirt). We cut wheel-wide strips of the plastic canvas and sewed them
inside the wheel, so the hhog would run on it instead of on the wire
cross-spokes. Our wheel ended up being 33 canvas squares across, and
it took 2 1/3 strips to go all the way around the inside.

We also took some plastic aquarium tubing (the clear plastic stuff used
to get air to ornaments and such), slit it open on one side, slipped it
over the cross supports of the wheel (where the stand goes in), and
hot-glued it in place to make a little bit of a buffer in case Brillo
turned her head and got hit by the metal cross supports while she was
running.

One point of caution is that hedgies can get their toenails caught in the
plastic canvas holes (I have found this out the hard way, along with others
passing on similar experiences). Many hedgies will do just fine on it,
though.


Kathy and Donald Zepp have also allowed me to add their variation on the
do-it-yourself hedgehog wheel:

We have made wheels for our herd of 60 Hhogs by weaving plastic gutter
screen through the metal bars of commercial wheels. This stuff (designed
to keep leaves out of gutters) is cheap, easy to work with, easy to clean,
readily available, and seems to provide perfectly adequate footing. We
simply scissor-cut it to length, weave it in & out, and then fasten the
ends together with a little hot glue. Quick, cheap, & easy.


Yet another variation on the d-i-y wheel comes from Ken Steigenberger:

About the running wheels. What I do, from the advice of a friend, is
cut a length of old jean material and weave it through every third or
fourth spoke. Josie seems to have no problem with this. I also have
three or four extra strips. changing them every two days. Then all I
have to do is wash them on laundry day.


Finally, Randy Starcher has set up the following web page which shows how to
construct a wheel (and the end result in happy use).

http://www2.nerg.com/nerghogs/wheel.htm

For those of you unable to visit the site, the basic premise is the bottom of
a plastic bucket, mounted on its side. This makes for a very safe wheel, and
one that is easy to clean. The mounting can be done to a cage frame, or to a
simple stand. The hardest part is to make sure the bucket can rotate freely
enough, without wobbling too badly, or coming apart. Innovation is almost a
necessity when trying to look after hedgehogs.


------------------------------

Subject: <5.8> Any suggestions on toys?

Hedgehogs like to explore, and in spite of appearing to have almost nothing
in the leg department, their legs are actually quite long (as you may be
amazed to see during scratching and/or the contortions that accompany
self-anointing [7.1]). Whether because of their long legs (or maybe that's
why they are so long...), hedgehogs like to explore and run. Probably the
best toy for most hedgehogs is a proper hedgehog wheel [5.6] and [5.7], which
most hedgehogs will run on.

Aside from wheels, another toy that is recommended by numerous people is a
toilet paper tube (preferably, without the toilet paper still attached).
Many hedgehogs will pick this up and carry it or push it around for ages.
Beware though, certain hedgehogs, who will go nameless (but whose initials
were Velcro) managed to get an overly busy nose stuck in these and after
completely destroying the cage, had to be helped free in the morning.

You might want to make a cut through from end to end, and possibly even bevel
the corners of the cut a bit to make sure your clumsy little friend doesn't
get stuck and/or hurt himself.

Another favorite `toy' for hedgehogs is a sandbox or grass plots. Here are
some more detailed descriptions from Mary Anne, courtesy of a keeper of
nocturnal animals at a nearby zoo:

[One idea] was to dig up clumps of sod with tall grass growing and place
them in the area for the hogs to root in. She said live mealworms would
burrow in the clumps and the hedgies would root for them. These sod
clumps should be fairly dry like the wild hedgie environment. [There is
some chance that this might allow parasites to be brought into the house,
a fact that even Mary Anne considered. The chances of this are fairly
low, but they do exist. -- ed.] We have not tried this yet but we DID
try her other suggestion -- to provide a sandy area for the hogs to roll
around in (like bird dust baths). It is natural mite-control and our
hogs LOVE it. We bought 12'' plastic flowerpot saucers and a 50 lb bag
of playsand (this has the silica washed out -- silica can cause lung
problems). An inch or two of sand in a saucer provides a good bath. Our
hedgehogs twist, turn and boogie in the sand -- it's fun to watch. From
what I've read, some hedgehogs do this sort of thing in kitty litter
[you better believe they do - ed.] -- the added advantage of sand is that
it's more like their natural environment and helps keep them clean while
discouraging mites. Hope this info helps you and your hedgies enjoy each
other even more.

One idea that I've rather shamelessly lifted from Dawn Wrobel is the idea of
a playpen. In her case she uses plastic kids' wading pools, with some
shavings in the bottom, and a bunch of toys scattered around in the pool.
This makes a great place to explore and to let various hedgehogs meet on
neutral ground. Her idea has actually evolved into a fun sort of contest at
many hedgehog shows and gatherings, these days, where the hedgie who
`explores' the most toys and objects, wins. In any case, even inflatable
pools work very well for this -- just beware not to use the wading pools with
the built in escape ramps (also known as slides).

Shelley Small passed along the following suggestion for a different kind of
hedgehog ``pool'' that her hedgehog loves to play in:

[His pool is] what I call his Rubbermaid box with the Styrofoam
popcorn in it since he sure does love to ``swim'' in it!!)

If you offer your hedgie a foam-pool, just make sure the container is low
enough that he can manage to get back out again, after a grand old burrowing
session. You should also make sure that you supervise the activity, both in
case your little friend gets into trouble, and in case he escapes (now would
a hedgehog do that?!?!) One other thought -- make sure the foam chips don't
give off a strong odour, or they may have much the same dangerous side
effects as cedar bedding [5.3]. It might also be a good idea to watch out
that your hedgie doesn't eat any of the foam, as it could cause intestinal
blockages.

As far as other toys go, hedgehogs do like to climb, even on something as low
as a hollow log turned upside down. Be careful that your hedgehog isn't
likely to fall and hurt itself. I would also expect that wire frame climbing
levels, as are in some cages available for small animals would be better off
being covered with something to make a solid surface (to keep busy little
hedgehog legs from slipping through and getting caught, and to limit just
where the little demons decide to do their climbing).

From Finland, Marcin Dobrucki has the following idea for toys, that is
especially good for those who can/do let their hedgies run free:

More toy stuff: the other hedgie owners are are familiar with have
implemented a system of boxes along their stairs, and some cardboard
pipes between them. The pipes are such as used for rolling up maps, or
drawing paper and stuff. The hedgies seem to love ``sliding down'' the
pipe, then climbing back up, and going down again. Some stick-on
sandpaper at the bottom of the pipe assures a breaking point.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

6. *** Basic hedgehog care and training ***

------------------------------

Subject: <6.1> How can I best hedgehogproof my home?

Simple, make sure there's nothing to climb onto, off of, into, or out of,
nothing that can fall, and finally no kryptonite. A little too much to ask,
you say? Oh well, let's try for a more realistic approach based on what
hedgehogs will try to do if allowed to run free.

Seriously, ``hedgehogproofing'' is a lot like ``childproofing,'' and the most
that you can ever really hope to achieve is to ``hedgehog-resist'' your home.
Hence, the stress on supervising your prickly kids, below.

A free roaming hedgehog will climb anything it can get its claws hooked into.
African pigmy hedgehogs in particular (as opposed to Egyptian hedgehogs) are
notorious climbers, and escape artists. They are also not afraid of jumping
off household cliffs (we call these precipices counters and tables) by simply
rolling into a ball and leaning forward, using the quills as springs for
landing. That pretty much means your hedgehog needs run of the floor, and if
you have stairs, you will either have to block them or keep him on the lowest
floor.

Next, hedgehogs will get under just about anything they can. This includes
any piece of furniture that has any more than about a 1'' gap between it and
the floor. The problem here isn't so much the hedgehog getting under there,
but that there may be dust or other things accumulated there that are not
good for your hedgehog.

The best guide is probably to get down to the hedgehog's level and try to
imagine any place your frisky little friend might even consider trying to get
into, and what it would be like.

Beyond keeping these activities in mind, make sure your hedgehog has a warm
place that's easily accessible for a den, as well as access to water and
food. Hedgehogs will usually prefer to leave their droppings on wood
shavings or a similar bedding, if, that is, you are as successful (or rather
unsuccessful) as I have been in the litter box training department (at least
as I was with Velcro).

Although Ambergris has sawdust that she uses 1/2 the time, she also
has chosen 2 other spots in her room for droppings. I put paper
towels there. So far that is working great and she is not tracking
saw dust everywhere.
-- Katherine Long

------------------------------

Subject: <6.2> What should I feed my hedgehog?

Anything he wants, preferably MEALWORMS!!!
-- Velcro

Sigh, that's what happens when I ask for advice from a hedgehog.

There are finally a number of good quality, properly developed ``hedgehog
foods'' starting to appear on the market. While I have outlined these in the
following section [6.3], I can see things soon reaching the point where using
one of these foods will no longer be the `best' thing to do, but the `only'
appropriate course of action. Unfortunately, they are not yet well
established or widely available, enough, for me to take that position.

Without the benefit of a properly formulated hedgehog food, the next best
option is probably ``insectivore food.'' Unless you can get some direct from
a local zoo, this is largely a do it yourself job. One caveat I would place
on this is to either cook it, or use cooked meat -- never never NEVER use raw
meat or egg for hedgehogs. One commercial source of this `type' of food is
PawPrint [6.3].

Unfortunately, true hedgehog food is not available everywhere, and some of
the `hedgehog' foods available appear to not always be the best option. So
the next best widely available thing, is to feed your hedgehogs high quality
cat, dog, or ferret food, such as Hill's Science Diet, or Pro Plan (don't use
IAMS with hedgehogs that don't have and use wheels -- see below, though even
then it can possibly be associated with problems). Both dry and canned food
should be provided, as this most closely matches what their natural diet
would be like, and wherever possible, it is best to use diet or light types
of food -- hedgehogs do not need the concentrated protein of
regular/maintenance type foods.

Many breeders I have talked to use cat food with very good results, although
most have now changed (or are changing) to hedgehog foods, so while it may
not be the most optimal diet for hedgehogs, now that other options are coming
available, many happy, healthy, long-lived hedgehogs have thrived on cat and
dog food since the dawn of pet hedgehogs. That said, there are some problems
associated with it (see section [9.5] on wobbly hedgehogs). It seems likely
that some sort of vitamin supplement is needed, though exactly what vitamins
or trace elements are lacking is not really known, at this time.


Up to this point, it has generally been felt that using a diet composed
mainly of dry foods is best to help avoid tooth problems such as tartar
buildup, and even abscesses. Research into other animals has recently begun
to point out that problems such as tartar appear to be more related to the pH
(acidity) of the food being used, rather than how hard and crunchy it is. My
thanks to Leslie H. for reminding me that this almost certainly applies to
hedgehogs as well as other animals. As she also pointed out, the ``issue of
hedgie teeth wearing down'' (which can happen in some cases), is likely as
much or more of a concern as tartar, and is much harder to deal with, when it
happens.


Dietary needs for hedgehogs are finally starting to be addressed. One such
recent study demonstrated that hedgehogs need more fibre in their diet than
we have been tending to give them. Unfortunately, while the study pointed
out that more is needed, the question of how much and how best to provide the
extra fibre is still up in the air.

In general, it is likely wise to offer your hedgehogs some fruit and/or
veggies which are high in fibre, as a supplement to the basic diet you are
currently using. I can only suggest that you try a variety and see what, if
any, your little friends will decide qualifies as a food item. As with any
such experimentation, moderation is a good idea -- at least until more is
known. The good news is that we are learning, and hopefully hedgehog
nutrition will start to move out of the dark ages.


Over the past several years, information has come to light about possible
problems with feeding IAMS brand cat and kitten food to hedgehogs.
Apparently, long term feeding of IAMS cat or kitten food can result in
severe, and often terminal liver problems in hedgehogs. The exception to
this rule appears to be hedgehogs that have and use wheels -- almost no
reports of problems have appeared in hedgehogs like this that are getting
plenty of exercise (just a nightly run on a bed is not enough). I have had
two reports where the autopsies showed fatty liver disease, where the
hedgehogs ate IAMS and also ran on wheels regularly, but so far, only two
such case have come to my attention. I do want to stress that this is still
largely speculative, and reflects my own observations of the cases I am aware
of. I will keep watching this issue, and keep things updated here.

The problem appears to be limited to IAMS brand as far as research has been
able to tell, at this point, and I want to STRONGLY stress that IAMS is just
GREAT for cats (as all 5 of mine will attest to), but was never intended for
hedgehogs. If I learn more, I will pass along any additional information.

My source for this information is somewhat nervous about potential legal
repercussions if they came out and officially stated the problem, due to the
position that they hold. This tenuous position will likely remain, at least
until having done much more extensive research (actual, direct research into
the problem would require the cost of numerous hedgehog lives, I might add,
which is one reason why none has been done). As a result of all of this, I
have agreed not to list their name(s). That said, I will acknowledge that my
source(s) for this information is/are (a) well respected hedgehog
expert(s). I leave it to you to decide based on some of the comments that
were passed to me.

The first sign of trouble in hedgehogs that have been fed this
food for extended periods of time is yellowish looking fat deposits
under the front ``arm-pits''. Virtually every one of the animals that
has been necropsied after death has died of impacted fatty liver
disease. If taken off of IAMS and given a [different] quality cat or
kitten food, they will recover. Both the fat and the protein should be
derived mostly from poultry.

[I] have heard of this serious problem from more than 100 owners and
it has been documented by vets.

If you have been using IAMS, don't panic -- as was pointed out, changing the
food will apparently lead to any of the effects clearing up. Also if a wheel
is offered and used, the problem is likely to dissipate quickly.

From what I've heard, the problem is due to the types of fat, and possibly in
conjunction with certain additives, rather than just the absolute level of
fat in the food. My thanks to Christine Porter for pointing out this
confusion. As noted, the problem generally only occurs with hedgehogs that
don't get enough exercise. Increasing the exercise seems to allow hedgehogs
to burn this fat that would otherwise build up in their bodies, culminating
in Fatty Liver Disease. While all hedgehogs should probably have a proper
wheel [5.6] [5.7], a wheel is likely critical to those that are eating IAMS,
and can't be switched to a different food.

I should also point out that if, indeed, the problem is due in any part to
the additives, or the type of fats, rather than just the quantity of fat,
then use of lite, or canned food would have no effect on avoiding problems.

The following information, from Elizabeth Galante, is somewhat speculative
with respect to hedgehogs, but may have some bearing on the fatty liver
problems. She described a problem that resulted in the death of one of her
cats a few years ago from fatty liver disease:

The fat in his body started to accumulate in the liver and the liver could
not function normally, because it was overloaded with fat deposits.

I guess for a hedgehog if it gets too much fat too quickly then it gets
deposited under the arms. If the owner decides to put the hog on a
diet then the fat gets processed through the liver. If it gets
overloaded it shuts down and eventually the kidneys will also causing
the animal to die.

It is not unreasonable to consider that a slight diet, or drop in food intake
at the wrong moment could trigger the problem. It might be wise to ensure
that you don't put your hedgies on a diet at the same time as switching them
off of IAMS, or at least to phase it out, rather than going cold turkey.
Again, this is speculative, but with so little information to go on in this
area, anything can be useful to consider at this point.


Hedgehogs not fed a good, balanced, commercial hedgehog food may require
vitamin suppliments. These can be very important for hedgehogs to avoid ear,
skin, and other problems. The vitamins included in commercial cat and dog
food, while good, are not adequate for what hedgehogs really require. It can
take some imagination to find a suitable supplement in some places (remember,
those intended for rodents are probably not adequate) but the results of a
happy, healthy hedgehog are well worth it.

I would suggest that for people seeking a vitamin supplement to use, look to
those formulated for animals which live on a primarily insect diet, such as
some birds. Also, beware not to overdo the vitamins, which can be even more
dangerous, than too little.

Another diet that has been suggested is to use high quality dog food
(especially frozen varieties), with cottage cheese as a supplement. Cottage
cheese also makes for a good treat on occasion, even if you don't use it as
part of the standard diet.

However, do be a bit wary of the Cottage Cheese Zack Lessley reminded me that
that hedgehogs ARE loctose intolerant, as are many animals. So use cottage
cheese (or any milk based product) with care and sparingly. Zack also notes
that you might also want to be wary of Kitten food for the same reason. While
many are not going to contain cows milk products directly (cats and kittens
are also lactose intolerant with respect to cows milk), kitten food is just
not an ideal diet for hedgehogs.

Here are a couple of comments on diet from Cathy A. Johnson-Delaney, DVM:

I was very glad to see you mention ferret food, as commercial ferret
food is far closer to an insectivore/carnivore diet than feline
science diet - either growth or maintenance. I like a modification of
the diet used by the San Jose Zoo (published in the Journal of Small
Exotic Animal Med) - I substitute Bird of Prey diet with the ferret
chow (three different brands).

Since this time I have learned that some brands of ferret food `can' cause
allergic reactions in hedgehogs.

The reactions to ferret food are the same as they are with any food that
a hedgehog may be allergic to. They break out in a rash. It sometimes
appears over the back and can be mistaken for mites or ringworm, but it
usually shows up on the underbelly. Nice big, sore red spots all over.
-- Bryan Smith

Obviously, if any sign of these symptoms does appear, discontinue feeding the
ferret food you are using immediately. It would also be prudent for your
hedgehog to visit a vet at this point as allergic reactions can be quite
problematic.

Continuing on with the topic of Ferrit food, now that there are actually a
number of decent hedgehog foods available, Zack Lessley pointed out that many
Ferret foods are often too high in fats, etc. to be good for hedgies:

Ferret food- one of the most common problems with hedgehogs is obesity
and fatty liver disease. I have ferrets, and have given my hedgie the
food but honestly it's WAY too rich and fatty for them in my humble
opinion. Ferrets are very oily little critters that love oily food and
oil (see Feretone.. they go crazy for that stuff)
-- Zack Lessley

This does not imply that all ferret food should be avoided -- far from it --
but that you should be watchful when you start using a particular brand.

Here are some more thoughts and suggestions from Nathan Tenny on food and
supplements:

They should eat fruit, but many don't want to; various fruit-based
baby foods seem a little more palatable. Cottage cheese is a good
semi-regular source of calcium, but seems to cause diarrhea if they
eat too much too often. We haven't yet gotten ours to eat crickets,
but we're assured that they will if we keep offering them, and they're
supposed to be very good for them. They'll also eat earthworms and
pinky mice, and possibly mealworms (though the last are reputed to
cause intestinal blockages).

Other sources and hedgehog owners I've heard from frequently offer mealworms
as treats with no apparent ill effects, but I suspect they might not be a
good recommendation as the sole source of food for a hedgehog.

Mealworms are used as a treat. So far she won't eat crickets and
earthworms cause anointing. She will eat the occasional flake of
oatmeal which is substrate for the mealworms and will chew and then
spit out Kale.
-- Katherine Long

One caution that has come up is that you should remove and discard any dead
mealworms from the container you keep them in. It is possible for the other
mealworms to develop and pass along dangerous bacteria as recounted here:

[I] Observed [my] hedgehog ``Bandi'' had not consumed either food or
drink from overnight Monday into Tuesday morning. Peeked under her
blanket to see a very lethargic and distressed animal. She remained in
a ball and hissed, refused to uncurl, and observed her ``smacking'' her
lips and kind of allowing her tongue to just loll out weakly.

[I] Got her into the vet within a couple of hours and it was determined
that she had very high levels of bacteria in her intestine (found after
putting her out and doing a rectal swab.) Cause appears to be a common
bacteria associated with decaying insects (mealworms in this case) and it
overtaxed her system. Antibiotics [were] prescribed and am pleased to
report she was her normal self by Wednesday afternoon!

It was the vet who noted all insects carry the bacteria, and all hedgehogs
also have a quantity of the bacteria, but our vet said the decay process
makes it a little harder on the hedgehog gut to handle.
-- H. Swaggert

All in all a very wise precaution, and an example of someone who was observant
enough to know when their hedgie needed help. The result was a happy ending
and good information for all of us.

While we are discussing mealworms, a number of people have expressed worry
that it might be necessary to cut the heads off or otherwise kill mealworms
before feeding them to hedgehogs. This is due to the fact that feeding them
to various herps who swallow their food whole, can result in the still live
mealworms causing injury or death by biting into or through the stomach
lining. This doesn't apply to hedgehogs as hedgies will chew up mealworms
quite thoroughly -- the chances of a hedgehog swallowing a still live
mealworm are nil, as anyone who has watched an apparently ravenous hedgehog
tear into a mealworm treat. Did I remember to say watch out for your
fingers...?

The following thoughts on proper diet for hedgehogs were sent along to me by
Willard B. ``Skip'' Nelson, DVM. While I agree with his suggestions,
including limiting cat food, I would also like to point out that all of the
breeders I've talked with, and heard about have had their herds thrive on a
diet of cat and dog food, though more and more are now using proper hedgehog
food, as it becomes more widely available. I think the answer is to aim as
close to the ideal as you can, but know that your hedgehog can do quite well
on the basic cat/dog food diet, just watch out that your hedgehog doesn't
become a hedgeball. That said, let's take a look at what Dr. Nelson has to
offer:

Zoos have worked for years on insectivore diets and have yet to agree
on the best mix, but they do not bother trying to raise, breed or
maintain hedgehogs on cat food, as is being touted around currently.
Indeed, they rarely use more than 20 or 30% cat food, even in small cat
diets, but that hasn't stopped the ferret and hedgehog people from
trying. I see obesity as the main problem in cat food diets, but one
day we will have more data. Dr. Anthony Smith recommends a mix of bird
of prey diet, diced fruit, vegetables, some dog or cat food, crickets
and mealworms. He notes diets including mice and other exotic
ingredients, and cautions feeding proper Calcium Phosphorous ratio of
1.2-1.5:1.

Pet trade magazines attempt to promote cat food, claiming that ``although
insectivorous, the hedgehog could be considered as a carnivore under
captive conditions.'' What does it do, change its dietary needs when
brought into a domestic setting? I doubt it!

Drs. Wallach & Boever describe their diet including a variety of insects,
worms, small vertebrates, carrion and small roots and plant material.
They recommend zoo diets with a maximum of 30% commercial cat or dog
foods. The rest is meats, insects and mice.

I recommend an insectivore diet from Reliable Protein, 70-105 Frank
Sinatra Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270-2202. But I don't recommend that
clients write for information and then try to decide whether or not to
feed it. The public is being hoodwinked into believing that they are
Ph.D.'s in nutrition and can read a label list of ingredients or a crude
analysis and make meaningful decisions, it's much more involved than
that, and I don't know who has written any good material on the ``pop
nutrition'' craze to put it into proper perspective.

Dr. Nelson's final comment is even easier to apply to other pets, and even
ourselves. It's probably best to look for recommendation by a veterinarian
association, when trying to determine quality, rather than trying to second
guess what is good based on what ``someone who wants to sell you something''
says. Also, remember, what's healthy for you, might be really bad for your
pets (and, um, er, vice versa -- just in case it isn't obvious).

Melissa Kallick managed to track down the contents and analsys of Reliable
Protein Insectivore Diet:

INGREDIENTS
Porcine By-Products, Fish Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Shrimp Meal,
Wheat Flour, Dried Bakery Products, Crushed Roasted Peanuts, Dried
Kelp, Fructose Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, Water, Spirulina, Lactic
Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Calcium Propionate (Preservative), Iodized
Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Concentrated Carotene, Calcium Chloride,
Propylene Glycol, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Vitamin A Acetate
with D-Activated Animal Sterol (source of vitamin D-3), Vitamin B-12
Supplement, Riboflavin, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Choline
Chloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K
activity), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamin Mononitrate, Ascorbic
Acid, Sodium Selenite, Manganous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper
Sulfate, Ethylene Diamine Dihydriodide., Magnesium Sulfate, P-Amino
benzoic Acid, Folic Acid, Sulfur, Biotin, Natural and Artificial Flavors.

Now with taurine added

ANALYSIS
Crude Protein Min...20.00%
Calcium (CA) Min.....2.00%
Crude Fat Min........7.00%
Phosphorous (P) Min...1.00%
Crude Fiber Max.......6.00%
Iron Min.............0.005%
Moisture Max........36.00%
Taurine Min..........0.003%
Ash Max...............9.00%

Melissa noted there are definitely some iffy items on the ingredients list,
at least by human standards, but more importantly, she noted that hedgehogs
apparently don't find the taste terriby appealing. However, hedgies can be
amazingly fickle and will suddenly decide to devour a food they used to
despise (and yes, turn their noses up at food they used to love).

She also noted that the Reliable Protein have another interesting item:

Finally, there is one interesting product on their web site: Freeze
dried Asian tree ants and eggs. Here is the info:
Ants available - Freeze Dried or Frozen

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein.....55.5 %
Crude Fat.........20.5 %
Crude Fiber.......12.0 %
Ash................4.0 %
Moisture...........8.0 %

INGREDIENTS
Asian Tree Ants and eggs...100 %

That might make a good treat for hedgies, and there is some more fiber...
-- Melissa Kallick


One thing you should never feed hedgehogs is raw meat. Hedgehogs have an
amazing tolerance for naturally occurring toxins, such as those produced by
salmonella. This means that if you feed your hedgehog food that is or
becomes tainted by salmonella by accident, it probably won't bother your
prickly little friend any. However, the chance then exists, that your
hedgehog might self-anoint and you then hold him, or he might lick your
hands, the result being that you come down with it. If you do, this is NOT
the hedgehog's fault, it's yours for not taking proper care. Sorry for being
a bit testy about this, but if anyone remembers the outcry over salmonella
carrying turtles in the early 70's when turtles were banned everywhere, and
many died for their dangers. Hedgehogs, unlike these turtles, are not
inherent carriers of salmonella. While there has been a strain traced to
hedgehogs, unlike the turtle situation in the 70's most hedgehogs that have
been tested have proven to be free of salmonella. The cases which did occur,
were very isolated, limited to specific groups, and happened some years ago.
It is very important to avoid the same thing that happened with turtles from
being applied to hedgehogs, where the situation is very very different.


Hedgehogs are insectivores, and as a result are essentially carnivorous, as
opposed to Guinea pigs, rabbits, and most small rodents, which are generally
much more vegetarian in nature (although many are somewhat carnivorous, often
in the form of insects or scavenging to some degree).

The quantity they eat will vary depending on their age, sex, amount of
exercise, etc., and, of course, on the type of food you are feeding them. A
rough rule of thumb is somewhere around 2 tablespoons worth per hedgehog per
day. More if they are young, pregnant, or nursing. Less if they are tending
towards becoming a hedgeball.

Hedgehogs do tend to eat at least twice per day. In effect, their stomachs
don't hold all that they need in one go, so after their dinner, they tend to
rest for some time while they digest what they've eaten, then it's back to
the dinner bowl for another helping, usually later in the night, or early
morning. This is what leads to the two main ``active'' periods of late
evening and early morning.

One last point, feeding a hedgehog a purely vegetarian diet is nothing short
of deliberate cruelty. The proteins and nutrients necessary to keep your
hedgehog healthy cannot be gotten from a purely vegetarian diet, so please
don't try it.

------------------------------

Subject: <6.3> Commercial hedgehog foods and nutrition

After a number of early attempts, there are finally a number of good quality
hedgehog foods showing up on the market. It will take time for these to
actually spread around and become more available, but it is starting, and the
results are very encouraging. Within the next couple of years, I expect that
the only answer to the question of what to feed a hedgehog will be `hedgehog
food' at last.

Accu-Feed is available is from Brisky Pet Products. This hedgehog food
appears to have been well thought out and is far more appropriately
formulated than many of the earlier foods on the market. Brisky Pets sells
by direct mail-order, and is in the process of setting up distributors, so
that it can be available in pet stores. You can contact them at:

Brisky Pet Products
South Main Street
P.O. Box 186
Franklinville, NY 14737
USA

www: http://www.brisky.com/
email: ***@Brisky.Com

phone: [phone] (toll free, US only)
or: [phone]
fax: [phone]

Along with the food comes plenty of information on feeding, and on how to
help convert your picky pricklier over to a new diet. Brisky Pets seems to
be very friendly and responsive and many people have reported good results
with the food. My thanks to Jon Simmons for helping arrange things with
Brisky Pets to be shipable to Canada, and for getting me most of this
information.

Brisky's has also come out with a flavoured variety of its hedgehog food to
help solve some of the problems with overly spoiled and very picky hedgehogs.
Because of Dick Brisky's insistence on using only natural ingredients and
flavourings, it took a while to find something that would work. The solution
appeared to be garlic, and the new garlic flavoured Accu-Feed is apparently
much easier to switch picky hedgehogs to.

Brisky Pets hedgehog food was being distributed in Canada by Jenny Jones at
Markham Creek Exotic Pets (covering Ontario and presumably Eastern Canada),
and by Brenda Basinger at ABC Pet Products (covering Western Canada), though
I'm not sure if either still act as the distributors. If you have no luck
with them, you can always contact Brisky Pets at the address above.

Markham Creek Exotic Pets
10966 Ninth Line
Markham, Ontario
Canada L6B 1A8

Tel: [phone]

or from:

ABC Pet Products
195 McDonald Blvd,
Acton, Ontario
Canada L7J 1A9

Local: [phone]
FAX: [phone]

www: http://home.cogeco.ca/~bbasinger/
e-mail: ***@cogeco.ca

The `flavoured' version of this food does highlight the biggest problem with
this food in that it is not considered very `tasty' to many hedgehogs. In
fact many simply will not eat it -- especially, if they are used to something
with much more flavour, like cat food. The food also tends to be rather dry,
which only serves to increase its lack of appeal to these hedgies. Possibly
dampening it slightly might help increase the appeal.

I've had a number of people tell me that Accu-Feed also seems to cause much
greater quantities of droppings, which are much softer than other foods. In
light of recent studies suggesting that greater quantities of fibre are
needed in hedgehog diets, I can only say that this food probably best
addresses this problem, and that overly dry or hard droppings are much more
likely to result in health problems. If anything, small hard droppings
should be more of a worry.


Another excellent hedgehog food that is on the market is Select Diet (not to
be confused with Science Diet cat/dog foods). This, like Brisky's Accu-Feed,
is a complete hedgehog food, meaning you don't need any supplements with it.
It does seem more palatable to most hedgehogs than the basic Accu-Feed's
does, but it is also harder to find, as yet. There are starting to be a
couple of distributors, but they are still few and far between.

I personally was using Select Diet (for the hedgies -- before anyone gets
any wise ideas!), and found that even my overly picky eaters seemed to like
it. While I do like the Brisky's, most of my hedgehogs just wouldn't eat it
(I have not tried the flavoured variety), but they do have a reputation for
not eating things which are good for them (sigh!). So far the results have
been great, with happy, healthy, and very active hedgehogs.


Courtesy of Dawn Wrobel, I've heard of another new hedgehog food that is
apparently on the market, now, called Ultra-Blend Select, from a company
called 8 IN 1 Pet Products. The early indications are that this food is very
good, and it does appeal to most hedgehogs it has been tried on. The biggest
advantage to this food is availability -- it appears to be showing up in
major pet supply chains, and should prove to be easier to find than most
other hedgehog foods, at least for the time being.

8 IN 1 Pet Products also produces an Ultra-Blend Fruit N' Veggie Treat for
hedgehogs. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this in the same way as the
actual hedgehog food. Whoever formulated this `treat' clearly did not bother
to learn much about hedgehogs before tossing it together. Among its contents
are whole sunflower seeds (in the shell), and dried corn kernels. Not only
will hedgehogs not eat these, the risk of them getting caught in the roof of
their mouth is great enough that these should be removed before putting the
rest into the hedgehog's bowl. I've had several reports of hedgies having to
have these removed (not necessarily from this particular `treat' food), and
even a couple dying from this. None of my hedgies would even touch it. It
got a thorough paws-down on being a hedgehog `treat' -- something I've heard
from others who've also tried it with their hedgehogs.


In December 2006, we found another new (to me) hedgehog food at one of larger
pet stores where we live called Sunseed, Sunscription Vita Hedgehog Formula,
African Species. This certainly has the appearance of something that is made
for hedgehogs, based on the content (it's primary ingredients are Fish, Shrimp,
Crab meal and Mealworms) being primarily protein based. It's also in very
convenient sized pellets (very small, and not too hard) which will not get
stuck in hedgie mouths. The one down side that I can see, based on my own
experience, is that you have to be careful not to overfeed, as my hedgeies
will inhale every last tibit of this food that they can get at. This is,
hands (paws?) down the most popular (with the hedgies) hedgehog food I've
come across.

I don't know how widely available it is, but the company is of some size and
I hope it does well. Here's what information I have on the maker, from the
canister:

Sunseed Company, Inc.
Box 33
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402
U.S.A.

http://sunseed.com/

Note that when I last checked their website, it did not show any information
on the Hedgehog Formula, but they clearly produce a wide range of pet foods.


In July 2003, we discovered a new hedgehog food in a pet store, called Brown's
Nutrition Plus, Premium diet. This food is in the form of very small pellets
about 3mm or 1/8 of an inch in size. Mixed in with this are various extras,
such as raisins, dried vegetables and fruits, and even cheese meal. What
really caught my attention was that all the dried veggies have been cracked
and broken into pieces that are a safe size for hedgehogs, so they don't get
caught in the roof of their mouth or throat. This is decidedly not just a
repackaged food for some other animal, but is clearly well thought out for
hedgehogs.

The Brown's bag also stresses the fact that this is a low iron diet. That
is a real plus as some of the other foods tend to be very very high in iron.

I do have to admit it wasn't an overwhelming success with my hedgehogs (they
would really have preferred a nice piece of chicken) but unlike most new
foods, they did eat it. That is certainly a positive sign. There is a
fairly strong scent of banana from it, which is not surprising as that is
one of the ingredients, and banana does tend to overpower most other smells.
All in all a very promising looking food.

I'm not sure how widely available it is, though it is made in Pennsylvania,
and I purchased it just outside of Toronto, in Canada, so it doesn't appear
to be a limited availability. You can probably find a source by contacting
the manufacturer at:

F.M. Brown's Sons INC
Sinking Springs, PA, 19608 USA

1-800-334-8816

Here are the contents and nutritial analysis of Brown's courtesy of Melissa
Kallick:

Top Ten Ingredients: Corn, Wheat, Wheat Flour, Soybean Meal, Soy
Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry Meal, Soybean Oil, Alfalfa Leaf
Meal, Steamed Flake Corn

Guaranteed Analysis
Protein 25%
Fat 3%
Fiber 6%
Moisture 0%

Peyton Creadick kindly sent the following information on the Pretty Pets
Hedgehog food produced by Pretty Bird International Inc.:

Pretty Bird International Inc.
Stacy Minnesota 55079

1-800-356-5020

It says to keep males on the maintenance diet and females on the breeder.
It comes in 8 and 20 lb bags and it is red and smells fruity like all
Pretty Bird stuff (UGH!).

Ignore the red stool that starts after they have been on it a week or so
and the stool colour goes away after a week or so. [This was due to the
red dye used in early varieties of the Pretty Pets Hedgehog food, which
appears to have been dropped, now -- ed.]

There have been some suggestions about problems with the Pretty Bird's
hedgehog food, including from Peyton herself, although I have heard from
breeders who swear by it. I have no hard and fast details either way at this
time. One very common side effect appears to be very smelly, soft stools
from the hedgehogs eating it. Another aspect of it is that many hedgehogs,
just plain don't like it. They will eat it if nothing else is available, but
it usually gets put at the bottom of the preference list. Pretty Bird has
apparently changed their formulation a couple of times over the past couple
of years. As they appear to be trying to improve things, I do have to give
them credit.


There is also a hedgehog food available from Vitakraft, thanks go to Tirya
for the following information on it:

Under feeding suggestions, they say to offer ``1-2 tbsps daily as the
basic meal to which you may add cooked lean beef or veal (chopped or cut
up into very small pieces). Beef and/or poultry heart may also be
added. The hedgehog loves poultry and hard boiled eggs. For dessert,
sweet fruit such as pear and banana may be given. The hedgehog also
enjoys eating meal-worms.'' (news flash! ::grinz::)

Laura Jefferson passed along the address for Vitakraft to me for anyone who
might want it:

Vitakraft Co, Inc.
Chimney Rock Rd.
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
USA

The Vitakraft strongly resembles muesli, containing grain, cod-liver oil,
dried shrimp, and honey, among other things, and they really like it.

I've heard both good and bad things about the Vitakraft food. The good
comments seem to center around many hedgehogs liking it (no mean feat),
though I've also been hearing an increasing number of negative comments which
seem to focus on the fact that it is primarily vegetable based, whereas
hedgehogs are primarily carnivorous by nature. It would appear that
Vitakraft is not a complete food, but rather one that needs to be
supplemented with meat (remember, cooked only!), or cat/dog food to cover all
the bases, rather than being given as a staple on its own.

One actual warning I've heard repeatedly, is that the peanuts in it can get
stuck in a hedgehog's mouth. The number of cases of this that I've now heard
of have reached the point where I really have to recommend against using
Vitakraft for hedgehogs. Even with the peanuts removed or crushed, it still
does not provide a complete diet. There are much better options out there,
including cat or dog food. If you do want to use it, remember to please be
careful and either remove the peanuts or break up the peanuts into smaller
pieces before feeding it to your hedgies.

That said, it is probable that the fibre content is much higher than most
other hedgehog foods currently available -- a fact that is quite important,
as it is becoming clear that hedgehogs need more fibre in their diet than we
are generally feeding them.

It does seem to be becoming quite widely available, and between the lack of
being a complete food (not clearly noted on the packaging) and the peanut
problems, it does create the potential for some nutritional and other health
problems. I have heard that Vitakraft is working on solving the peanut
problem (and in the future they will likely either be crushed or removed
entirely), though I don't know if the food basis itself will be improved to
where it can be a staple on its own. The fact that they are looking to
improve this is definitely a point in their favour.


Janet Jones has also provided the following information on yet another source
for hedgehog food:

I attended a exotic animal show and found a company that is now carrying
``Zoo Fare'' aka ``Hedgehog Fare'' diet. I spoke with David from Pawprint
last night to find out if they would shipped outside of Washington State
and was told that would be no problem. They also carry the Pretty Pets
Hedgehog dry kibble diet.

Pawprint
P.O. Box 843
Mercer Island, WA 98040
USA

Tel: [phone]
email: ***@28bbl.wa.com


To add another option to the fray, Del sent me information on a hedgehog food
from the Exotic Nutrition Pet Company.

Exotic Nutrition Pet Company
437 Summer Drive
Newport News
VA. 23606
USA

Tel: [phone]. Office hours are 9:00 am - 4:00 pm EST M-F.
Fax: [phone]

http://www.exoticnutrition.com/Hedge-Hog-products.htm

The food sounds interesing and looks to be produced specifically for
hedgehogs, as opposed to being a more general food just being something
remarketed for hedgehogs.

Exotic Nutrition also carry a couple of varieties of Insectivore diet, and
something they refer to as Hedgehog Booster. The latter appears to be
a vitamin supplement. The also carry a number of other hedgehog products and
items that are suitable for hedgehogs. As an added bonus, they appear to be
quite happy to ship internationally.

Melissa Kallick sent along the ingredients and nutrition from Exotic's
Hedgehog Complete food:

INGREDIENTS: blood meal, soybean meal, ground corn, corn gluten meal,
whole roasted soybeans, tallow, cane molasses, dried beet pulp, dried
mealworms, yeast culture, L. Acidophilus. Francium, S. Cerevisiae,
choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, copper sulfate, zinc
proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, colbolt
proteinate, thiamine monoitrate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D,
vitamin E supplement, zinc oxide, biotin, folic acid, niacin
supplement, pyridoxine HCL, dehy alfalfa meal, pantothenic acid,
riboflavin supplement.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude protein (min) .... 35.01%
Crude fat (min)..........14.07 %
Crude fiber (min)....... 17.5%
Crude fiber (max).........4.43 %
Vitamin A (min)........9042.52 IU/LB.
Vitamin D (min)........2150.0.00 IU/LB.
Vitamin E (min)..........80.34 IU/LB.
Ash...................... 3.59%
Calcium...................2.49%
Phosphorus................3.84%
Selenium..................0.154 PPM.

Aside from the ``Hedgehog Complete'' food, Exotic Nutrition also have an
``Insect Eater'' food:

``They also have a new canned food that might be interesting: Insect
Eater Diet" This is a canned food. Ingredients: Chicken Meat, blood
meal, whole eggs, apples, pears, bananas, carrots, sweat potatoes, wheat
germ, honey, whole crickets, whole mealworms, whole grasshoppers, Fish
oil (source of omega-3 fatty acids) lecithin (source of phospholipids),
Taurine (amino acid) vitamins and minerals.''

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein, min......26.1%
Crude Fat,...............5.3%
Crude Fiber, max.........6.3%
Crude Ash, max ..........6.5%
Moisture Content, max.. 59.6%
Calcium (CA), min .......2.2%
Phosphorus (P), min......1.1%

Melissa also had a great suggestion on getting veggies into your hedgie,
to which she added the caveat ``IF they will eat them, is available via a
company called ``Beak Appetite:''

They have something called ``Apple Carrot Heaven'' and ``Veggie
Delight.'' You can reconstitute small amounts at a time, as needed.
The veggies are in small pieces already (for small birds).
-- Melissa Kallick

http://www.beakappetit.com

Currently, the key problem with hedgehog foods is availability. There just
isn't enough demand (or obvious demand) for pet supply stores to stock
hedgehog foods. This in turn means that the quantities being produced remain
low, and that keeps the costs up. It's a vicious circle, that will only
slowly change as more and more people start to buy hedgehog food for their
pets. Still, it is improving, and I expect things will be much different
within the next couple of years.

As a quick sidebar to the availability issue, I've found it somewhat
difficult of late to find what I would consider decent hedgehog food for my
own little friends. As a result, I've been working with my vet to try a
combination of commercial hedgehog foods, along with high fiber, and diet
type cat foods. These are foods that are only available through a vet --
in effect prescription type foods. So far things are quite positive, but
I would prefer to feed my hedgies something formulated specifically for them.


One other factor that is finally having an effect on commercial hedgehog
foods is that some research into hedgehog nutrition is starting to happen. I
have to give a great deal of credit to Dawn Wrobel, here, as she has almost
single-handedly spearheaded much of the research that has been done and
published to date. While answers are still very far from certain, we are
starting to see some of the nutritional needs of hedgehogs defined.

The first glimmers of information started appearing a couple of years ago, in
the form of suggestions that a much greater level of fibre is needed in their
diet. More recent, studies have started to suggest percentages of various
nutrients that are important. The good news is that the better hedgehog
foods are generally not too far off the mark, although cat and dog foods, by
themselves are generally a poor fit. I'm sorry that I don't have the details
to publish, here, but hopefully they will become publicly available in the
not too distant future.

------------------------------

Subject: <6.4> What are good treats?

There are a number of different things that can be given to hedgehogs as
treats -- but all in moderation. Among the things that hedgehogs tend to
like as treats are occasional small amounts of fresh fruit, and from personal
experience I can tell you that all of my hedgehogs, will kill for a mealworm
or a small taste of cream, and love raisins (but Velcro generally just chewed
on them rather than actually eating much).

Other ideas are crickets, hardboiled egg which is finely chopped, and cottage
cheese. Mealworms are available from many pet stores and are also available
by mail order (at least in the U.S.) from companies like Rainbow Mealworms
[2.1], and GrubCo.

Here's a suggestion from Anja van der Werf for live food treats:

You can ``enrich'' mealworms by feeding them fruit or a vitamin supplement
for a few days before you feed them to the hedgehogs.

You can also ``gut feed'' mealworms by feeding them for a few days on dry cat
or dog food before feeding them to your hedgehogs.

While small amounts of these are great as treats, beware that they should not
be given as the mainstay of the diet, nor too often, as they do not provide
all the necessary proteins and nutrients needed to keep your hedgehog
healthy.

It is also possible for a hedgehog to briefly suffer from diarrhea after
imbibing too much in these treats. This is generally not harmful, but
indicates that too much of a good thing isn't. If the condition persists,
consult a veterinarian.

------------------------------

Subject: <6.5> Any suggestions on bathing, cleaning ears, and clipping nails?

Some of the literature I've seen suggests that you should not bathe a
hedgehog unless it is absolutely necessary, because there is a chance of
drowning. This is especially critical for babies and young animals.
However, I have been told by several hedgehog owners that not only is it not
a problem to bathe adults, but that they can often enjoy swimming in a pan or
tub of shallow water (preferably on a warm day).

If you do bathe your little friend (say, because your hedgehog got into
something he shouldn't have), you must make very sure he has a warm, dry
place with no draughts to dry off in (after you do your best to dry him off
with a towel first). The bath water should be shallow enough for the
hedgehog to be able to stand and keep his nose safely above the surface, and
should be at room temperature, not warm or cool. One good thing about
hedgehogs in water is that rather than quilling up, they generally put their
quills down smooth, and for the majority who dislike baths, concentrate on
trying to get out. It's probably best to just gently lower the piggy hog
into the water and slip your hand out from underneath. As far as shampoo
goes, if you really must use one, make sure it is formulated for pets,
preferably something like puppies or kittens, which will ensure it is very
mild and safe. Make sure you don't get any shampoo into their ears or eyes.
I find using an old toothbrush works well to work the shampoo into the
quills. Finally, make sure that you rinse him thoroughly, so that there is
no soap left on him, then as mentioned above, dry him completely and ensure
he stays warm enough. One quick warning: do NOT use a hairdryer -- this is
almost guaranteed to leave your hedgie severely stressed (besides, if he was
that fashion conscious, he wouldn't have gotten into this mess in the first
place).

When it comes to bathing, there are also some cautions to beware of when
drying your hedgie. It appears that some detergents or fabric softeners can
be a serious irritant to hedgehogs:

My hedgehog, Quilliam, had an allergic reaction to the fabric softener I
used to wash his towels and blankets, and it resulted in quite the
problem. I had just given him a bath and was drying him off with a
towel, when I saw him licking himself. I didn't think much of it, since
I know hedgehogs self-anoint. So after he was dry I put him back down
to play. An hour later I picked him up and noticed a large open wound on
his chest. This is when I realized, he hadn't been licking himself, he
had been BITING himself! So I rushed him to the vet to see what we
could do. And even on the way there he kept biting himself, there was
nothing I could do to stop him. The vet and I tried to think of ways to
E-Collar him, or put on a little shirt to cover his skin, but nothing
would work. It took us a while to realize that I had recently changed
fabric softeners and this was a reaction to that change. His skin must
have gotten itchy, and he thought biting it would help. Unfortunately,
without any solution to stop him from continuing to bite himself, I had
to keep a constant eye on him for almost a week and any time he tried
to bite I would lightly poke him to stop him. As a precaution, the
doctor gave us some antibiotics, and his sore never became infected.
-- Mallory Baker

It is occasionally necessary to clean their ears. This is best done by a
Q-tip moistened with mineral oil. It is also preferable to have a patient
(or is that tolerant) hedgehog. If you do clean their ears, you must be very
careful. Also, see section [8.3] on tattered or ragged ears.


Hedgehog nails can get quite long and if your hedgehog doesn't manage to wear
them down naturally, they may need to be clipped. As with any health related
concern, the best cure of all is prevention. It is likely a good idea to
provide your hedgehog with a rough surface like a flat rock that will work
like an emery board as he scurries around. This may not guarantee you won't
have to clip his nails, but it can certainly help.

Okay, let's say your attempt at a natural manicure doesn't do the job -- how
do you go about doing it the hard way?

Hedgehogs' nails do, indeed, need to be trimmed occasionally. The
crescent-shaped nail clippers that are used for dogs [and cats] work
well. The hard part, of course, is getting to the nails---you have to
seize the hog's foot and hold on for dear life, letting it struggle to
its heart's content. It will put up a terrific fight, but it won't hurt
itself.
-- Nathan Tenny

Here's another great idea, especially if your hedgehog is open to bribes, and
not too nervous:

I've found this idea for ferrets works well for hedgehogs: take their
favorite treat (hopefully in a semi-liquid form so they have to lick it)
and put it on their belly. They have to stick their little paws to the
side to lick the treat off of their belly and while they're distracted,
just quickly trim their nails! I usually trim their nails around bath
time (both ferrets and hedgehog) so having a messy belly isn't much of a
problem.
-- Zack Lessley

I'm not sure if that would work with my hedgies, but it sounds like it would
be throughly entertaining at the very least.

It's a good idea to keep something nearby to stop potential bleeding when
clipping hedgehog nails, just in case you accidentally cut too close to the
quick and find your little friend bleeding. Given how profusely hedgehogs
can bleed, it can become quite a scary situation.

There are a variety of things that work well for stopping the bleeding. One
is an ``antiseptic first aid cream'' made by Hagan for just this purpose. It
stops bleeding and coats the injury, and worked extremely well when we had to
use it.

There is also a powder called ``Quick-Stop'' designed exactly for this
purpose, that apparently works very well. Many pet stores will carry it at
or near where nail clippers or grooming supplies are kept.

Steve Turpin has passed along the following tip, that you can also use
cornstarch to stop bleeding quickly and painlessly, and is often available
when other things might not be.

By the way, speaking of painless, or not. I have it on good authority that
Quick-Stop hurts like #$%! if you're foolish enough to try it yourself
(fortunately, I wasn't -- I have much too low a pain threshold for that).

Now, what you do about doctoring your hands (which, no doubt, have been
severely prickled) is beyond me... :-) This is probably one of the few times
that sometimes justifies wearing gloves while handling your hedgehog, but
keep in mind that you should avoid gloves any other time unless absolutely
necessary [4.6].

Rather than always trimming nails, there are some things you can do to try
and help wear them down naturally. There are some suggestions about using
fine sandpaper on the surface of wheels in section [5.6]. Another idea comes
from Kelly Hodge, along with tips on how to trim the nails:

One suggestion: get him a clay flowerpot. I bought a clay flowerpot for
Jimmy for 36 cents and he LOVES it! It is slightly bigger than he is,
and he sleeps in it all the time. If I take him to visit friends, I MUST
take his flowerpot in the travel cage. He always scratches in the
flowerpot and this keeps his front claws quite short. He doesn't scratch
nearly as much with the rear feet, so those claws are longer and I trim
them occasionally. Hold him in your hand, fingers slightly spread.
When one of his legs falls through the fingers, clamp the fingers
together to trap the foot and have someone else clip the claws before he
can snatch his foot back. It helps to do this when he's sleepy, but be
warned, he may treat your hand as a porta-potty.
-- Kelly A. Hodge


------------------------------

Subject: <6.6> Biting and nipping

Most hedgehogs rarely if ever bite, however, as with any animal, it does
happen, and some just `are' biters. Many young hedgehogs will nip at almost
everything -- it's their way of testing the world around them, so they can
learn what is and what isn't food. Others will nip if they want to be left
alone or are feeling a bit stressed (this often occurs just after they arrive
at their new home -- don't be discouraged if it happens).

Regardless of the reason, if your hedgehog nips you, you want to discourage
it. Here are some tips on how to curb little nippers before they get carried
away.

Wayne Clendenin sends along the following advice on whether hedgehogs bite
and other useful advice on hedgehog as pets:

[Hedgehogs] seldom bite, it's not a usual trait. The short teeth and
dog-like mouth don't cause any damage, unlike a hamster or gerbil bite.
We have found that a pup will usually lick before tasting a finger or
hand...but we also have a real mean female. Maybe she's overly
protective, but she bites without the warning lick. (She also spent her
first 6 months unhandled in a pet shop). We usually don't recommend
hhogs as pets for kids under school age...those spines can be sharp to
tender little hands. I've never had a pup ``nip'' or even an adult
``chomp''...break the skin...but, I wouldn't bet on that with a very
young child.

If your hedgehog isn't the overly nervous type, one suggestion you can try
for hedgehogs that nip or bite is to blow gently into their face either when
they do it or, if you can tell, when they are about to. This doesn't hurt
the hedgehog any, but they don't like it and it can have the desired effect
of stopping the bite and being gentle punishment.

One of the most effective ways of curbing biting comes from Dawn Wrobel, who
has dealt with numerous rescue cases, many of which were quite upset, nervous
and hence prone to biting. She recommends using a Q-Tip dipped in isopropyl
(rubbing) alcohol applied to the end of the nose. This won't hurt the
hedgehog, but they dislike it intensely and will let go. Dawn suggests that
at most 3 or 4 applications will usually dissuade even the most insistent
biter.

Linda Wheatley, an experienced breeder and hedgehog lover, provided the
following advice on hedgehogs and biting:

It is not common for a hedgehog to bite, but it does happen. There seem
to be 3 reasons for biting. One is for tasting and this is the one
usually preceded by licking. Another is due to stress. If the animal
is new to a situation, and is not left alone to get used to or familiar
with it they will bite but it is the animal's only way of saying ``leave
me alone!'' The last type of bite seems to be certain animals' way of
identifying people (as painful as it may be). I had a male hedgehog
returned to me due to its habit of biting. It did not bite me for a few
days and then one day it really latched on. He attached himself to a
meaty part of my hand which was not too painful so I let him hold on.
He let go after 30 seconds. He did this a couple more times with no
reaction from me and that was the last he ever bit. I have had some more
hogs do this with the same scenario.

If a hedgehog bites, don't pull back, which, of course, would hurt more,
but instead push whatever it is biting towards it. This causes them
discomfort and they will let go. If the biting has caused the owner
to be hesitant, I tell them to get an inexpensive pair of work gloves.
Put one glove on and rub your other hand on it briskly to put your
scent on it. Do the same with both gloves. Then pick up the hog and
hope that it bites! If it does, then push back -- not hard but firmly.
I personally do not like the idea of blowing into a hedgehog's face to
discourage biting. This would seem to cause a shy hedgehog to be even
shyer.


------------------------------

Subject: <6.7> HELP, my hedgehog is LOST! (or Hedgehog Hide-and-Seek).

Don't panic. Here are some tips for finding a lost hedgie.

Hedgehog are experts at hide-and-seek. They like to sleep under pieces of
clothing, in jacket sleeves, pants legs, etc. They may even crawl into a
sock (and get stuck)! Don't move heavy objects that might injure a hiding
hedgehog. Check furniture before sitting on it -- especially sofabeds. Many
wall units, bookcases, and even built-in cabinets have a hollow base. The
back of the unit may allow access to the base. This is a favorite hedgie
hiding place.

If your hedgehog makes a huffing/hissing noise when he is disturbed, you can
use this to your advantage. Carefully disturb potential hiding places and
listen for a huff. Knock on the base of furniture and cabinets, holding your
ear to the base to listen for a startle response. Repeat several times. One
escaped hedgehog was found inside a stereo speaker because he huffed when his
owner walked by (luckily, before he was blasted by loud music)! If you find
your hedgehog in a difficult place you may opt to wait for him to come out on
his own, rather than risk injuring him (or your back!). Blowing the scent of
his favorite treat into the hiding place may help lure him out, but only if
he's calm and ready, and, most importantly, warm enough to function.

If you cannot find your hedgehog, or need to wait for him to voluntarily
leave his hiding place, consider whether he might get cold. If he could be
in an underheated place (e.g. near an outside wall, on a cold floor) TURN UP
THE HEAT. Make it downright tropical if you have to. If he gets too cold,
he may enter into a dangerous semi-hibernation state, and will not be able to
wake up and come out. (Of course, make sure he's not hiding in heat vents or
behind radiators before you do this!)

A special thanks goes to Christine Porter for providing the entire section
above! You'll be happy to know that Pokey, who inspired the piece, was
tracked down and safely returned to where she belongs. I wish I could say I
can't relate to what Christine wrote, but I can attest to its accuracy.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[Brian MacNamara]

Archive-name: hedgehog-faq/part5
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Keywords: faq pet hedgehogs

Last-modifie: 30 March 2014
Version: 3.180

HEDGEHOG FAQ (part 5 of 7) -- HEDGEHOG HEALTH CARE AND UNDERSTANDING
Compiled and edited by Brian MacNamara (***@hedgehoghollow.com)
Additions, corrections, and suggestions for this file are welcomed.

This document is copyright 2014 by Brian MacNamara. See section [0.6]
for authorship information and redistribution rights. In short, you
can give it away, but you can't charge for it.

The basic Hedgehog FAQ has seven parts, all of which should be available
from wherever you obtained this one. A complete table of contents for
all seven parts is given below.

Please note: While my knowledge of hedgehogs has grown (far beyond my
wildest expectations when I began the FAQ), my knowledge is still quite
limited, especially in areas of health care. I did not write, or verify,
all the information in this FAQ. I have done my best to include only
accurate and useful information, but I cannot guarantee the correctness
of what is contained in this FAQ, regardless of the source, or even that
it will not be harmful to you or your hedgehog in some way. For advice
from an expert, I recommend you consult the books listed in part 2 [2.1],
or, especially in the case of a suspected medical problem, a veterinarian
who is familiar with hedgehogs.

------------------------------

Subject: CONTENTS OF THIS FILE

7. *** Things hedgehogs say and do ***

<7.1> Self-anointing. What is it? Why do hedgehogs do it?
<7.2> My hedgehog snuffles and hides a lot. Is that normal?
<7.3> Is he just asleep or hibernating?
<7.4> My hedgehog sneezes. What should I do?
<7.5> My hedgehog's gone ballistic? Is this normal?
<7.6> Basic hedgehog repertoire

8. *** Basic health care ***

<8.1> What health risks should I worry about?
<8.2> Mites (or mites, not?)
<8.3> Tattered or ragged ears
<8.4> Hedgehog first-aid kit
<8.5> Do I need to spay/neuter my pet?
<8.6> Vaccinations, etc.

9. *** Problems to watch for and related information ***

<9.1> Various hedgehog health issues
<9.2> My hedgehog's had funny-looking stools for a couple of days.
What's wrong?
<9.3> My hedgehog's not eating. What should I do?
<9.4> How did I get fleas in my home? How can I get rid of
them?
<9.5> Wobbly hedgehogs

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

7. *** Things hedgehogs say and do ***

------------------------------

Subject: <7.1> Self-anointing. What is it? Why do hedgehogs do it?

I have mentioned self-anointing (or self-lathering, as it is sometime called,
in at least the U.K.) repeatedly throughout the FAQ, so now it is time to
explore the hedgehog's one truly unique trait. Nathan Tenny provided a good
description of this interesting and perplexing hedgehog habit:

If you smell *really* interesting, your hedgehog will lick
or nibble on you, back off, and suddenly contort itself, start
foaming at the mouth, and lick the foam onto its spines. This
``self-anointing'' has to be seen to be believed, but it's perfectly
normal. It's not known for sure why they do it, but it probably
has something to do with self-defence; hedgehogs are *highly*
resistant to most toxins, and when they encounter something that
might be toxic, they get it in their mouths, foam, and cover
themselves with the toxic mixture. The result is a toxic hedgehog,
which is really something to reckon with. (Incidentally, the toxin
resistance of hedgehogs is truly prodigious and has been the subject
of some research; they are one of the few animals that can safely eat
giant toads (_Bufo marinus_), for instance.)

One more last note: We don't know why this happens, but even without
the benefit of self-anointing, their spines seem to have a mild
toxic/irritant effect; when you prick yourself on one, even slightly,
it hurts more than it should, and for a little bit longer. No big deal,
just sort of strange.

One of the most effective ways to provoke a session of self-anointing is to
pick up your hedgehog when you have sweaty hands, or after having used hand
lotion, or a different type of soap.

In any case, once you have witnessed this entertaining act, and you have
calmed down enough to understand your little friend doesn't have rabies after
all, you will likely be convinced that hedgehogs do not have backbones. It's
really hard to believe something as round as a hedgehog can twist itself into
that contorted a position. It's also a bit disconcerting to learn just how
long that tongue is!

------------------------------

Subject: <7.2> My hedgehog snuffles and hides a lot. Is that normal?

Yep. If he doesn't, are you sure you have a hedgehog? The snuffling or
snorting (or snurfling, as my wife calls it), while having the head tucked
down, is part of the defence mechanism that has kept hedgehogs around for a
very long time. It basically leaves them with their quills protecting every
bit of visible surface, but still allows the hedgehog to move. The snuffling
and snorting is usually accompanied by sudden lurches in the direction the
hedgehog believes its potential enemy is in, to try and give it a good
warning prickle.

The more your hedgehog comes to know you, the less you will get the sharp
shoulder treatment. One exception to this is if your hedgehog is sleepy. A
sleepy hedgehog can be very insistent about not being disturbed [3.1].

Getting your hedgehog to become familiar with you takes a lot of patience,
but it is worth it. If your hedgehog tends to be somewhat shy or unfriendly
towards you, try spending more time holding him -- chances are he just
doesn't associate your smell with being a friend, yet. For more information
on getting your hedgie used to you, see section [4.6].

------------------------------

Subject: <7.3> Is he just asleep or hibernating?

A quick note here: this section applies to African Pigmy hedgehogs, rather
than European hedgehogs (which do hibernate, primarily between January and
March).

A common concern is whether or not pet hedgehogs can, or should hibernate --
especially as winter starts to arrive. The answer to the first part -- can
they? -- is yes. The answer to the second part -- should they? -- is NO!

Our pet hedgehogs are African in origin. They have adapted to the much
warmer climate, and have generally lost the ability to tolerate hibernation.
While they can still go into hibernation, when they get too cold, and they do
have the ability to Aestivate (similar to hibernation, but to survive very
hot, dry periods), their chances of surviving either for more than a brief
period are virtually nonexistant. In effect the hibernation ability is
almost vestigal, and aestivation is almost as dangerous for an animal which
is not prepared for it.

As pets, hedgehogs do not stock up on food, nor put on the necessary extra
body fat (at least in the right manner) needed to get through hibernation. A
pet that is allowed to even suffer semi-hibernation extensively can suffer
long term effects (becomming very weak and sick), and those that do end up in
full hibernation will rarely survive beyond 1-2 days in this state, if at
all.

Now that we've made it clear that they shouldn't be allowed to hibernate (or
even go into semi-hibernation, what are the signs to look for, and how do you
prevent it from happening? The good news is that if caught in time, the
effects are reversable. If the temperature where they are kept drops too low
(below about 20 degrees C or 68 degrees F), they can start preparing for
hibernation and will certainly go into hibernation for brief periods, if the
temperature drops much below this -- at least until the temperature returns
to a comfortable level.

If your hedgehog seems to be sleeping too soundly, and you are worried, any
kind of movement to his or her bed will usually earn you at least a brief
spate of unhappy snuffling. If this happens, then you can probably assume
you've just disturbed a sleepy hedgehog, or at least he's not in full
hibernation. If this and nudging at him don't have any effect, and he's been
in quite a cool (for a hedgehog) temperature, he may have slipped into the
beginnings of hibernation, and should be gently (and slowly) warmed up, which
should let him awaken, and come back to full activity.

Hedgehogs will also tend to slow down and get somewhat grumpy if they are
kept at a temperature that's too cool for their liking. If you're finding
that your previously energetic hedgehog is acting a bit slow and grumpy, and
cool weather has started to arrive, then you may want to take steps to warm
up your hedgehog [5.2], [7.3].

One of the most common signs of a hedgehog being too cold (semi-hibernation),
is being very unsteady on its feet. Wobbly hedgehogs, or ones showing signs
of problems in their hindquarters are almost always due to being too cold.
There are some other causes for this type of symptom, as well (see [9.5] on
Wobbly Hedgehogs), but of the cases I've heard of over 99% are from being
cold.

Another sign that a hedgehog that is too cool is its going off its food. If
your hedgehog isn't eating, and is walking a bit funny, it may be because he
is a bit cool.

The first thing to do is to check to see if the animal is warm enough.
Feel its legs and belly. If these feel chilled the animal needs to be
immediately warmed up. A chilled hedgehog will walk as if it is drunk.
A variety of methods can be used to warm them. The one that I use is
to put the animal in the cut off sleeve of a sweatshirt. I then put
it in a box (I actually have an 8 litre cooler that I use) with a jar
of hot water. Close the lid of the box (or put the lid on loosely to
allow for air in the cooler). They usually warm up in about an hour
or so. When I put the animal back in its own cage, I make sure I give
it a sleeve to keep warm in. Some animals are more prone to chills
than others.
-- Linda Wheatley

In general, the likelihood of hibernation happening is quite low, so if your
hedgehog isn't making its home in the refrigerator, and you don't like living
in subarctic conditions indoors, you probably shouldn't worry. That having
been said, I have heard of several instances of it happening (briefly, and
all fully recovered when warmed up), so some caution is worthwhile.

Recently, another cause of hibernation, or more commonly, partial hibernation
has shown up. It appears that hedgehogs are quite sensitive to the short
daylight hours, or even low light, as can happen during the winter months.
If your hedgehog is warm enough, but still shows indications of wanting to
hibernate, try leaving a light on to extend the `length of the day' for him.
I've seen this help with my own hedgehogs, and my thanks to both Dawn Wrobel
and Sharon Massena for bringing it to my attention.

Beyond even the light issue, it appears that some `lines' of pet hedgehogs
may be more prone to hibernation, or rather trying to hibernate than others.
In some cases, you may need to be very diligent to ensure your little friend
doesn't drift off into a one-way winter's nap on you. Details on this,
assumed, genetic link are very sketchy as yet.

Also a worry is the chance of pet hedgehogs going into aestivation. This is
similar to hibernation, but is done when things get too warm. In their
natural habitat, this is to let the hedgehog wait things out until cooler
and/or damper weather returns. Pet hedgehogs can slip into this state,
especially in light of heatwaves in recent years in North America. The
problems and side effects of aestivation are largely the same as for
hibernation.

Remember, keep your hedgie warm!


------------------------------

Subject: <7.4> My hedgehog sneezes. What should I do?

Occasional sneezes are normal. When you consider the amount of exploring
that hedgehogs like to do, in combination with just how busy that little nose
is, it's pretty easy to understand that the result will be an occasional
sneeze.

Extended sneezing fits, or nasal discharge, however, indicates a problem, and
a trip to the vet is in order. This can indicate anything from a respiratory
problem, to a bad cold. In most cases, the treatment will consist of
antibiotics, which usually help beat the problem in short order.

------------------------------

Subject: <7.5> My hedgehog's gone ballistic? Is this normal?

You've just introduced your hedgehog to a nice new big pen and all of a
sudden it's like he's going crazy, running madly around the cage, trying to
get out of every little nook and cranny, and generally driving you up the
wall. Yes, this is quite normal (for the hedgehog -- you being up the wall,
I can't comment on).

Hedgehogs appear to do this when they get into a new environment, and will
usually settle down in a while, once they decide that (a) they can't actually
get out (which given the slightest chance, they will), and (b) they have
decided this is now home. Some hedgehogs will literally climb the walls just
to check whether you remembered a roof or not. My Pocus was a fine example
of this. She would climb anything, anywhere, anytime, to any height.

Some things you can do to reduce the chaos and chances of reoccurrence are to
provide a familiar nest or burrow for your little beast, and to install a
wheel for exercise [5.6], [5.7] (all that energy is pretty normal in
hedgehogs -- scary, huh?). Lots of active play times can help too.

One other answer here is to simply enjoy the fact that you have a healthy,
energetic hedgehog.

------------------------------

Subject: <7.6> Basic hedgehog repertoire

As far as sounds go, officially, the only sounds that hedgehogs are supposed
to make is their snuffling and snorting when they are feeling threatened, and
some squeaking as babies, or during mating. That said, I can tell you
hedgehogs have an amazing number of little sounds in their repertoire. I
have it on good advice and from personal experience that there are a number
of other hedgehog vocalizations that occur in both babies and adults.

Most of the time, aside from the snuffling, the only sound most hedgies make
is a soft `whiffling' sound, usually as they are exploring and sniffing for
new and interesting discoveries.

One time that hedgehogs completely abandon their silent ways is when it comes
to mating. This is particularly true of males who will often end up sounding
like a video game gone wild with an amazing series of squeaks and chirps as
they vie for the favours of the lady.

In addition, here are some comments from other people on hedgehog sounds:

At least two of my younger ones have kept this ability [nursing
type squeaks] and can shriek quite loudly when startled or angry.
This will wake the deepest sleeper.
-- Mike McGary

All the hedgehogs I've known have made a quiet twittering noise when
they were relaxed and exploring.
-- Nathan Tenny

I'd like to thank Mike McGary, with some commentary from Nathan Tenny and
Znofyl, for sharing thoughts on the virtuoso singing of hedgehogs here to
give people an idea of some of the extremes that can be reached. I would
also like to note that unless a lady-hog was in his immediate company, the
loudest thing that ever came out of Velcro, other than snuffling, was a
contented slurp when he buried his nose in a container of cream.

The books all say that hedgehogs don't make much noise. They do squeak
for their mother when they are still nursing and make snorting and
snuffling noises as adults....one account says that they can snore quite
loudly.

My young male (Adam) has been known to scream when frightened. This
isn't a small squeak, but a full-fledged rabbit-caught-in-a-trap
scream. But the real oddity has started recently. We have one of
those beep-beep-beep-beep alarm clocks. We normally set it for
6:00 am, but keep pushing the snooze button every time it goes off
(sometimes for a long time). After the alarm goes off, Adam starts
to make this eeeeh-eeeeeh-eeeeeeh sound like he is imitating the
alarm clock. He does it every morning and you can get up and
watch him....he doesn't move....he just sings.
-- Mike McGary

The following from Znofyl and Nathan are about as good an answer to this
mystery as we're likely to get without growing quills ourselves:

I wonder whether the hedgie isn't responding to this alarm noise
thinking it is another male. My males are VERY noisy when breeding.
-- Znofyl

This sounds really likely to me. My male's mating noise is a sort of
breathy ``squeeEEEEEk-squeeEEEEEk''---is that the general tenor of
Adam's morning ditty?
-- Nathan Tenny

From my own experience, when Velcro first learned about the arrival of his
first girlfriend, Sprocket, he put on the most amazing little session of
barking and squeaking. She, in turn, frequently squeaked, especially if she
was trying to nudge her way out from between someone's fingers to get to the
rest of the world.

We have also had the experience of Mike McGary's ``rabbit-caught-in-a-trap''
squealing, shortly after bringing home Hocus and Pocus. The den they share
only has one entrance/exit, and apparently one of the girls was blocking the
door from the other one. It was quite a scary sound to hear, but the girls
appeared none the worse for wear by the time we arrived seconds later, out of
breath from a mad dash.

Continuing with the `unhappy' sounds, the hissing, snuffling sound of a
hedgehog that's not happy is something almost all hedgie owners learn very
quickly. Even the friendliest hedgehog will resort to this if you wake them
in the middle of a good dream about mealworm nirvana! When really upset,
this takes on a growling tone, and can be accompanied by `pops' that really
indicate an unhappy hedgehog.

Recently I've had several reports of hedgehogs 'purring':

Sonic purrs, like a cat! He only does it when he's eating something
wonderful - usually a chicken or turkey stick (I always hold him when
he gets these) and I can hear him making short bursts (2-5 seconds)
that sounds and feels (the vibration) like a low cat purr. I'm assuming
this is good, since he devours the stick like he's starving, although
he always has dry kitten chow (yes, he eats it) in his dish.
-- Debbie Allen

While I haven't had this experience, it certainly sounds like quite the
thing. The closest I've come to this is to find most of my hedgies tend to
make a soft `smacking' sound, almost like a cartoon animal licking its chops.
By making this sound back to them, they seem to respond in turn, to it. It
almost appears to be some sort of greeting, and will sometimes even bring an
irate hedgie out of a huff for me. Either that or it sounds like I've caught
the mother of all mealworms and they want a share...

The gist of this whole section is really to let readers know that hedgehogs
are capable of making a wide range of sounds -- if and when they want.

At this rate, a hedgehog dictionary may be in line as an addition to the FAQ!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

8. *** Basic health care ***

------------------------------

Subject: <8.1> What health risks should I worry about?

Hedgehogs have an amazing immunity to most things that are toxic. Quantities
of many toxins that would kill a human hundreds or even thousands of times
over will often have no noticeable effect on a hedgehog at all. This trait
has inspired both legends and scientific research, with no conclusive results
other than acknowledgment that it is true.

This means that should your hedgehog accidentally encounter any of the
numerous poisons that exist within every modern home, chances are your little
friend will wander off none the worse for wear, while if it had been another
type of pet, it may have been in dire need of a visit to the vet.

However, just because hedgehogs are considered to be all but poison-proof is
no reason for you to take chances. They are immune to many toxins, but there
could always be an exception. You should supervise your hedgehog's
wanderings and keep dangerous substances tucked safely away.

One important general health note, before we continue -- hedgehogs are
absolute masters at hiding any kind of health problem. This is a survival
trait that they have developed over a very long history, and for you to see
through their attempts to hide illness and injury requires that you know your
hedgies and their ways very well, so that you can note slight deviations in
their habits before they develop into something serious!


As I pointed out in [2.1], Pat Storer's books discuss blood chemistry and
what kinds and doses of various medicines have been used successfully to
treat hedgehogs. I strongly suggest you get a copy of one of these books, if
for no other reason than to bring with you to the veterinarian, in the case
of an emergency, so he or she knows what to expect and what to do about
problems.

Hedgehogs are susceptable to worms, fleas, mites, and other common pet
parasites. If you have other pets (especially indoor/outdoor ones), if you
give your hedgehog access to the outdoors (even supervised), or if you bring
in non-commercially grown earthworms, crickets, or other insects, you might
want to be especially concerned about parasites. Even taking precautions it
is still possible for your pet to get parasites.

Treatment of fleas is well described in the Flea and Tick FAQ [9.4], and most
safe (non-long-lasting) commercial flea treatments should work. It is always
wise to try a small amount on the rump first, and wait for a couple of hours
to see if there is any adverse reaction, before doing any serious treatment.
Also, do remember to avoid getting it into the eyes!

Far more of a problem than fleas, and worms, are mites, which are the most
common health problem that affects pet hedgehogs. Section [8.2] discusses
this in detail.

Almost all forms of parasites that a pet hedgehog is likely to encounter are
quite treatable, and a visit to the veterinarian will provide you with the
answers and medications to do so properly.

I would also like to add a quick reminder here to use wheels with solid
running surfaces and to pad the spokes to prevent injuries [5.6].

One other area of concern is obesity. Hedgehogs can easily become
overweight, partially due to their potential for hibernation [7.3], they can,
and will, pack on weight in preparation for a lengthy hibernation that never
comes. Letting them hibernate is NOT the answer -- a diet and exercise are.
If your hedgehog is getting too plump, just cut back on his food a bit, and
try to encourage activity by letting him run around, or by giving him a
wheel.


With respect to more severe medical problems, there are a number of serious
medical conditions that can appear in hedgehogs, though, thankfully, not that
frequently. These range from pneumonia, to Fatty Liver Disease, tumours and
cancers.


Pneumonia rarely happens on its own. Instead, it usually appears following
some sort of injury, or other medical problem, or due to extended or repeated
bouts of partial hibernation. If caught early, it can be treated by a
knowledgeable veterinarian -- most instances of pneumonia in hedgehogs are
bacterial, and hence respond well to antibiotics. Here are some of the signs
of pneumonia:

The warning signs for pneumonia are bubbles coming from the nose (this
can also signal an upper respiratory infection) and irregular raspy
breathing, lethargy and an unwillingness to eat (because they can't
smell?).
-- Dawn Wrobel


Hedgehogs are sometimes inclined to getting Fatty Liver Disease (FLD). While
all the reasons are not understood, there have been some suggestions that it
can be due to the type of diet, or in some cases the quantity, lack of
exercise, or even genetic. One of the best ways to help prevent FLD is to
provide a wheel or other regular exercise. The key signs to look for to tell
if your hedgehog may be a candidate for FLD are whether there are yellowish
fatty deposits showing, especially under the front armpits (legpits?). If
these are present, it doesn't mean your hedgie has FLD, but it does suggest
that something needs to be done quickly before it does progress to where the
liver is irrepairably harmed.


Unfortunately, hedgehogs are also prone to tumours and cancers, especially in
the 3-4 year old range. Whether this may be due in part to dietary factors,
or just because they rarely live to that age in the wild, and we are just
seeing the effects of bodily systems run amok, is not known.

About the best advice I can pass along is the suggestion that came from the
1997 ``Go Hog Wild'' Veterinary Seminar, where the doctors gave the advice to
have any tumours removed ASAP, as being the best possible course of action
available. Since that time, it has been found that treating hedgehogs who
have tumours or cancers with steroids can have a positive effect. In
addition, research into nutrition and related factors may soon help reduce
the number of tumour instances in hedgehogs.

With luck and further research, hopefully we will see tumours become a rarity
in the not too distant future.

------------------------------

Subject: <8.2> Mites (or mites, not?)

The single most common problem that affects pet hedgehogs ia mites! I
average about two to three messages per week from people wondering what is
wrong with their hedgehog where the symptoms are clearly those of mites.
Kathleen Close sent along some thoughts from her veterinarian regarding
mites, and how common they can be:

He said 90% of the hogs he's seen do [have mites]. It looks like a
white crusty coating on their quills. The doc just gives them a shot.
It won't bother the hhog, but will poison the mites when they bite.

How common mites are may be related to where you live. Also, it's quite
common for a hedgehog to arrive already having mites. Indeed, many breeders
may not even notice it, since it is rather easy to pass off as being 'normal'
when it is not too bad.

While it's not particularly difficult to treat, mites can become serious if
left untreated. To give you a perspective on mites, `mange' is caused by a
type of mite.

Some of the signs of mites are crusty deposits, especially around the eyes
and at the base of the quills, and loss of quills. Don't panic if your
hedgehog loses occasional quills -- they're much like our hair like that
(although for some of us, this comparison might not work -- if you're like
me, don't wait until there are no quills left thinking it's normal). If your
hedgehog seems to be losing quite a few quills, more than you think is right,
it's probably time to do something about it.

One further check you can make is to look at one of the quills that has been
lost. In a normally shed quill, there will be a little ball at one end,
where the quill fitted into the follicle. If it was lost from mites, the
small ball-shaped piece will be missing -- the quill looking like it is
pointed at both ends. Note: this isn't a definitive sign, either way, so
don't take it as being 100% proof.


The easiest way to treat mites is often to visit a veterinarian, who will
usually treat them with a shot, typically of Ivermectin. This can also be
used either topically, or orally. Often it will take at least two visits and
sometimes three (for stubborn cases) to make sure that all the mites are
gone.

Courtesy of `chvall' who found the answer on the ``Exotic Net,'' apparently
listed by Dr. Evan Blair, the standard dosage for Ivermectic is 0.1 cc per 10
lbs. You should always check the label of particular package, as it is
always possible that it might be offered in different concentrations.

I'd like to add the following, courtesy of Eloise Campbell by way of her
veterinarian, that the dosage of Ivermectic listed above is on the ``low
end'' of the scale. This is probably a good thing for the audience that this
FAQ is designed to reach, erring on the side of safety in this case, but it
does provide some slight leeway for serious cases, or for accidents where a
slightly stronger dose happens to be given. For safety's sake, I won't
attempt to offer any guidelines on what a higher end dose might constitute --
after all dosages of medication like this is something that only a qualified
veterinarian should be dealing with.

After getting each shot, it will be necessary to completely clean out your
hedgehog's cage or tank, replacing all the shavings, and preferably washing
it down with something like ammonia or bleach. Otherwise, the mites will
simply hide in the shavings and hop back onto the hedgehog when the effects
of the treatment wear off.

Because mites will hide in the bedding during any treatment, you should avoid
using pourous beddings (wood chips, astroturf, Yesterdays News, CareFresh,
etc.). Using something like shredded newspaper is both inexpensive (for
the number of times you will have to replace everything) and doesn't provide
hiding space for mites fleaing the, now, mite-hostile hedgehog.

Here are a few cautionary words from Todd Reeves, courtesy of his
veterinarian, on treating hedgehogs for mites:

Just a little note tomorrow I'm giving all my hedgies a mite BATH. I
had a little discussion with my new vet, she has a little bit of
experience with the little pin cushions, she says that the ingredient
that they use to dilute the ivermectin (Propolyne Glycol) is extremely
toxic and it is the main source of the deaths in a lot of animals that
are treated with it. If I were to give them ivermectin injections she
says the solution would have to be pure and not diluted. Of course this
makes for incredibly small dosages almost impossible to administer. As
an alternative she has given me MITABAN, which is even more toxic, but
it is in a liquid form that is diluted in water and administered as a
BATH. I have to put an eye ointment on them first......I'm sure I'll
have lots of entertaining attempts at this. I know that at least 3 of
my hedgies will allow me to do this but Sahsha will have a little fit.

I have heard of countless hedgehogs being safely and properly treated by
Ivermectin, in various forms such as injected, orally, and topically, and
even in cases of overdose, the hedgehog came through fine, but as always with
an animal of this size, dangers exist when dealing with very powerful
medications.


Recently, Michael (knuckles) passed along the following information care of
his veterinarian (note: this describes a pretty thorough mite infestation):

First, yes -- you can see hedgemites.

We were so unsure as to whether he had them because hedgemites live
under the skin [note: in many bad cases they can be seen moving along
the quills, if you look carefully -- ed.]. Their waste is usually the
first sign you'll see of an infected hedgehog because mites leave their
waste as white-brown circular crusts surrounding the base of the
[quills]. Using a pair of tweezers, I removed one of the suspecting
crusts and looked hard at what I had between the prongs. Crawling
around the crust and onto the tweezers were tiny white specks. These
specks appeared to be two-parted, meaning the middle was almost a clear
line from side to side. My wife suggested the mites looked like a pair
of Mini-Wheats (cereal) from 1,000 feet up [glad I'm not a morning
person, I may never eat breakfast again -- ed.].

The reason why I say the white-brown crusty waste is the first sign is
that prior to seeing this, my long and hard looks at Iggy's skin showed
no sign of movement from the mites. Just lots of dandruff. You could
put him on a black towel, roll him around, and it would look like it had
just snowed on the towel.

Iggy took the injection quite well. We let him curl up into a towel, I
held the towel against my chest and she stuck the needle into his rump.
He didn't even flinch. I expected him to burrow through my chest and into
the wall behind me. Nada.

Hog skin seems to be pretty darn thick, too. She really had to work to
get the needle in.

I hope this helps, and keep in mind my summations based upon this
experience are just that: I'm no professional so take my conclusions at
face value if you're dealing with your own hog, of course!
-- Michael (knuckles)

Michael also expressed relief over his vet opting not to use a mite powder.
While I don't know if it would be dangerous if used carefully, powders can
cause problems in hedgehogs if they get in the eyes, or end up being inhaled.
Using either injections (from your vet), or a spray (where chances of
inhaling it are over quickly, it's far easier to protect against, and can be
flushed away from eyes much easier in the event of an accident), are safer
options.


You can also treat minor cases of mites yourself, using a mild flea/tick
spray. Make sure you avoid the long lasting variety, and any which use an
alcohol base. If you aren't sure about the spray you've gotten, simply spray
a small spot on your hedgehog's rump. If within a half hour there is any
sign of distress, give your hedgie a good scrubbing there, and consider a
visit to the vet. Problems are very unlikely if you don't use a long lasting
spray.

In the past, I had recemmended that the Adams brand flea/tick spray was safe.
Unfortunately, it turns out that Adams produces a number of flea/tick sprays
-- some of which are alcohol based, and can be extremely dangerous. While
the `water-based' variety is likely safe, I must caution that care should be
taken using any of the Adams sprays, and, indeed, any flea/tick spray, for
that matter. Test them first, as suggested, above, and use them sparingly.
Or better yet, take your little friend to a vet for proper treatment.

To use the spray, spray your little friend down along his back from front to
rear, making sure you avoid the head (particularly ears, eyes, and nose).
Repeat this in a couple of days for 2 or 3 treatments and that should curb
the mites. You will also need to completely clean out the cage when you do
this or the mites hiding in the bedding will just wait until the spray wears
down, and hop back on.

Here are some cautions to help you decide if the flea spray you're looking at
will do the job and be safe:

One important note: *make sure that the insecticide listed is pyrethrin*.
Pyrethrin is the natural insect repellent (well, it comes from a flower).

For those of you who aren't familiar with Adam's, it's an alcohol based
mist. When you first spray it on an animal, all you can smell is the
alcohol. (whew) It dries very quickly and after it dries, it has a
pleasant smell.
-- Christi Cantrell

I suspect many such sprays are going to use an alcohol base, so beware that
you don't get too much overspray in the air -- it isn't good for your hedgie
(or you) to be breathing it.

Again, if you are in any doubt as to the safety of a spray, try a small
amount sprayed on the rump. If there are any adverse effects, wash your
hedgehog quickly and make tracks to a veterinarian, taking the spray with
you.


Another home-remedy method that has appeared, and seems to have some real
promise, is to give your hedgehog a bath in vegetable oil. Be sure to keep
it out of the eyes and nose. After the oil bath, wipe your hedgehog down
(make sure he or she stays warm, as they are very susceptible to becoming
chilled). Leave the oil on for a day, then give your hedgehog a bath with
some mild puppy/kitten type shampoo, (again taking the precautions against
chills). You may need to repeat this treatment a couple of times.


The effects of the mites may take a few days to disappear after they are
gone, so don't be alarmed if your hedgehog keeps losing quills for a couple
of days after the last treatment.

The quills will soon regrow -- hedgehogs that have had mites and are now mite
free generally recover very quickly, and frequently are much more energetic
and playful.


So where did these little freeloaders come from? Well, in many cases, they
arrived along with your hedgehog, and just took some time, or a stressful
event to allow them to proliferate and become a problem.

One other, common source of mites is from the bedding material you are using.
It is possible to get mite infested packages of bedding. You might want to
switch to another package, and preferably another brand of bedding to be on
the safe side. Most reputable brands of pet bedding attempt to treat their
bedding products so they are pest free, but it is always possible that some
managed to get through. In an emergency, you can use shredded newspaper to
carry you through until you get new bedding.

------------------------------

Subject: <8.3> Tattered or ragged ears

This is probably the second most common problem that appears in hedgehogs,
but is far less worrisome than mites.

Some hedgehogs develop what looks to be tattered, ragged, or fringed ears,
rather than the smooth round edges that are normally seen. The edges of the
ears end up looking like a ripped piece of paper, as if something has been
chewing at them.

First of all, in almost every case, what you are seeing is a waxy buildup on
the edges of the ears, rather than the ear itself being ragged. That means
that cleaning it off, and solving the problem, will restore your little
friend to his normal healthy round ears.

The other good news is that it doesn't appear to adversely bother hedgehogs
who have it.

Recent research seems to point to a number of possible causes for this
buildup, with fungus being the most likely and most common. That said, there
is no single cause which always is the reason. Most likely it is exaberated
by some minor dietary problem (either too little or too much of something),
but the problem often occurs in only some animals getting the same diet as
others. As noted, the most common trigger/cause seems to be due to fungus,
while other cases are traceable to mites, but it has also been found in
animals that have been tested and found to definitely have neither -- in such
cases dietary supplements seem to solve the problem. Among the suggestions
I've received on dealing with it are:

(A) Probably the best solution to the ragged ears comes from Dawn
Wrobel, who has had excellent success treating the problem with
Panalog (antibiotic/antifungal cream), or with Panalog mixed with
Ivomec, which cleans the ears up quite quickly, and seems to prevent
reoccurances. This cause/treatment has by far the most research
behind it, and seems to be the most effective, overall. The other
suggestions, below, offer help in keeping it from coming back.

(B) Adding vitamins to the diet
-- Nathan Tenny

(C) Similarly, adding Cod Liver oil, Linatone, or Ferritone to the food:

[Our veterinarian] suggested we try the cod liver oil for two weeks
just to see what happens. Bandit seems to like it (which is such a
surprise since he is the most finicky eater!!)
-- Melissa Maloney

(D) Using either mineral oil, isopropyl alcohol (carefully), or possibly
commercial ear cleaning lotions. (though this obviously doesn't solve
the cause of the problem).

As noted, ragged or tattered ears can also be caused by mites, even in
hedgehogs which have been thoroughly treated against them. The problem is
that the bloodflow to the ears is limited enough that medications such as
Ivomectin, given either orally or by injection, just don't get to that area
in adequate concentrations to completely get rid of the mites. The solution
can be to use it topically, on the ears directly (after softening and
removing the waxy buildup).

Tiffany Mross also passed along the following suggestions on cleaning up
tattered ear buildup, after some discussions on the hedgehog mailing list
about using cocoa butter:

There is a product called Lansinoh. It is medical grade purified Lanolin
and mothers can nurse without washing it off. If it is safe for newborn
babies to ingest, I would think that it would be ok for hedgies as well.
It seems to really aid the healing of dried, and damaged nipples. It also
works great for chapped, lips and other skin abrasions.
-- Tiffany Mross

While not something that has been tested (to my knowledge), it certainly does
have enough promise to warrant looking into.

I've received a suggestion from Sarah Duffy, that in retrospect makes complete
sense and leaves me thinking I should beat my head on a wall for not cluing
it:

My kioshi had dry and tattered ears a couple of months ago and I asked
the breeder, who I purchased him from and she told me to use plain old
bag balm. I picked up a tin of it at my local CVS (pharmacy) for around
$8.00.
-- Sarah Duffy

For those who aren't aware, bag balm was originally created for cows udders,
but is a very popular solution for dry and capped skin. It's safe for human,
and of course, animal use. If you can't find it locally, I do know that
Lee Valley carry it and sell online and sell pretty much worldwide.

http://leevalley.com/

------------------------------

Subject: <8.4> Hedgehog first-aid kit

Although you may never need it, hedgehogs have a knack for getting into
mischief at the most inopportune times. The following is a list of items
that hedgehog owners should keep handy in case of an emergency. This list is
not meant to cover every contingency, but it will hopefully help with most
that might arise.

(1) Emergency Vet's Phone Number and Address.

(2) Antiseptic/Antibiotic Cream such as Polysporin, or something
equivalent for pet use.

(3) Hydrogen Peroxide for cleaning cuts and wounds.

(4) Iodine as an antiseptic.

(5) Gauze and Tape for bandages and splints (solid splints are likely
not needed until you can get to a veterinarian).

(6) Clean Cloth.

(7) Quickstop or Cornstarch to help stop bleeding, especially for
toenails clipped to close to the quick, or torn in an accident.

(8) Cotton Swabs / Q-tips.

(9) Nail Clippers for Toenails.

(10) Tweezers.

(11) Sharp Scissors or Razor blade / Razor knife (for hairs or threads
caught around legs or feet).

(12) Chemical Hand Warmers and/or electric heating pad.

(13) And of course, the most critical item, an emergency Mealworm
Supply ;-)

------------------------------

Subject: <8.5> Do I need to spay/neuter my pet?

While the concept of spaying and neutering hedgehogs has been tried in a
couple of places, the fact that their sexual organs are located so far
internally, in what is a small animal to begin with, makes this an extremely
dangerous and delicate operation, even in the hands of those who know what
they are doing. The survival rate for this type of operation is below 50%
from all the figures I have seen. In effect, it's not a worthwhile risk.

Given that most male/female groups of hedgehogs are not overly social except
during mating, (and even then it can often be a tentative truce at best) it
is unlikely that spaying/neutering is anything you need to worry about. It
is uncertain if it will help much in getting male/male groups to get along
without fights, and it isn't needed in female/female groups.

In addition to all of this, I suspect you will be hard pressed to find a
veterinarian who could (let alone would) do the operation, though some do
exist who have done it.

As a cautionary reminder, hedgehogs as young as 6 weeks old can, and will,
mate. If you do have babies, remember to separate them before this age, or
you will have even more hoglets on the way, and probably not as you would
want.

In short, altering your hedgehog is not likely to be a worry, although Velcro
would have had me believe that it might be worthwhile -- he made his desires
towards the females abundantly clear, and would have had me overrun with
hoglets in no time given half the opportunity (the ladies, however, defended
their virtue admirably).

------------------------------

Subject: <8.6> Vaccinations, etc.

Although this could fit into the previous section, I felt it deserved a
section of its own. After taking my herd of cats in for their annual shots,
one year, I found myself wondering about what shots, if any, a hedgehog
should have. Primarily, the biggest worry in North America is likely rabies,
but there are other potential fungal/bacterial/viral infections as well.

After talking with my (non-hedgehog oriented) vet, I took my questions to the
appropriate source (thanks Cathy Johnson-Delaney, DVM). It turns out the
answer is quite simple, yet complicated (don't you just love it when answers
are like that?).

As a general rule, for indoor hedgehogs that are not exposed to the dangers
of outdoors, there is no need to worry. What complicates this is that local
authorities may not see it that way, and especially in areas where diseases
such as rabies exist, and they might be VERY insistent on vaccination -- even
though no vaccine has been approved for hedgehogs yet. So, you don't need to
vaccinate your hedgehog, unless otherwise required -- clear as mud, right?

Here are some words of wisdom from Cathy to help clear things up a bit, and
to try and cover the problem areas of what to do when you DO need to
vaccinate a hedgehog, or get treatment otherwise. Remember, this is
primarily her professional opinion, and not a set of absolute truths.

At present, there are no vaccinations for pet hedgehogs. They are
not susceptible to dog/cat diseases, or as far as I know, really any
of the major agricultural/livestock disease problems (well in North
America anyway - we don't vax our livestock for Foot & Mouth, which
hedgies can get, but North America is FM free). Theoretically, they
can get sick with many of the bacterial diseases of livestock, but the
chances of them being exposed as indoor housepets is just about nil,
unless you take them outside and let them mingle with pigs, chickens,
cows, horses in breeding/dirty environments and let them feed on dung
(I think they would risk getting stepped on first).

The only exception to this might be if you were housing your hedgies
outdoors in caging part of the year and rabies was a threat in your
area - then I might recommend vaccinating with a killed rabies vax
(Imrab) as a precaution, like we do for pet bunnies housed outdoors
in rabies endemic areas. Realize that:

1. the vax is not approved for that species, no efficacy trials
have been done

2. since it is not a recognized vax and is a non-domestic species,
the FDA or Public Health Service/Dept/CDC (or Canada's
equivalent) will not recognize the animal as being vaccinated
so if the hedgie bites anyone, the animal will just be
euthanized and tested. NO ifs, ands, or buts....

So the best all round precaution is not to let others handle your
hedgie lest he bite someone, and that someone gets his/her physician,
public health dept, etc. involved.

The actual risk from rabies in an indoor pet hedgie is, in my
opinion, non-existent, but public health people have regulations and
hedgies fall into the blanket category of non-domestics so all rules
apply.

Another set of suggestions Cathy had was for sources for your veterinarian:

Your veterinarian needs to have the most current published vet lit
on hedgehogs [the information below is current as of 1996 - ed.]:

Journal of Small Exotic Animal Medicine: Vol 2, No 1: Husbandry and
medicine of African Hedgehogs by Anthony J. Smith DVM reprints -
contact JSEAM, back issues PO Box 618686 issue out of print, but
article itself avail for $5.00

J of Small Exotic Animal Med: Vol 3 No. 1 pps 12-15 Neonatology of
the hedgehog (Atlerix albiventrix) by Anthony J. Smith, DVM
order above through JSEAM

Isenbugel, E. Baumgartner, RA 1993: Diseases of the Hedgehog. In:
Zoo and Wild Animal Med, Current Therapy III, WB Saunders, Phila PA
Chapter starting page 294

Hoefer, HL 1994. Hedgehogs. In: Quesenberry KE, HIllyer EV (eds).
The Vet Clin of No Amer, Sm Anim Pract, Exotic Pet Med II, Vol 24,
No 1, WB Saunders, Phila PA, Pp113-120.

Please pass the list of references to your veterinarian as sooner
or later he/she will need them. (Murphy's law says that if you do,
[your hedgehog] won't).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

9. *** Problems to watch for and related information ***

------------------------------

Subject: <9.1> Various hedgehog health issues

While hedgehogs are generally very healthy pets, and don't tend to experience
too many problems, there are some that should be mentioned.

Hedgehogs are small. While they generally enjoy very good health, any kind
of disease or disorder can be fatal in only a couple of days, so if you
suspect a problem, see your vet immediately.

As time goes on, I hope to add any known treatments, either veterinary or
home-applied that I can learn, here. Remember, if in doubt, take your friend
to the doctor!

Probably the first thing is to stress, again, that hedgehogs are experts at
hiding problems -- often until it is too late. When you see a sign of a
problem, it's time to act!

With that in mind, let's take a brief tour of `the hedgehog' covering off
various problems that do tend to show up.

Noses. Usually the nose, itself, doesn't suffer much in the way of problems,
but it can show up other problems, especially respiratory troubles, such as
pneumonia. In many cases, the form of pneumonia that affects hedgehogs is
bacterial in nature, which means that if you act quickly enough, antibiotics
can have a very positive effect. Signs to watch for include bubbles,
excessive dripping or constant sneezing.

Mouths. Hedgehogs can get all manner of things caught in their mouths,
especially in the roof of the mouth. Peanuts, as provided in the Vitakraft
hedgehog food are probably the most infamous. I've heard from numerous
people who've had to have peanuts removed from the upper jaw of their
hedgehogs -- some, not in time. This also applies to sunflower seeds as
found in the 8in1 `treat' food. Again, these can be deadly if not removed.
This can sometimes be seen by a hedgehog licking its chops excessively, and
not eating.

Some hedgehogs can also develop abscesses in their mouth. or other dental
related problems. This is most often indicated by a hedgehog eating on only
one side, or avoiding hard food. This is definitely a case for a quick trip
to the vet.

Feeding them a diet which involves a substantial amount of dry (crunchy) food
may help avoid some of these problems (though tartar buildup might be more
related to the pH of the food [6.2]). Often these problems can be handled
without complications, by a vet if caught early.

Hedgehogs can also suffer from tumours and cancers of the mouth. These can
be much harder to see, unless on the outside, and require prompt veterinary
care, when detected.

Eyes. Moving further along, the eyes can suffer a number of problems, such
as things getting poked into them, or caught around the eyelid, injuries from
being struck by unpadded spokes on a whee, or even cataracts. A vet visit is
almost always in order. Don't fret if your hedgehog does lose his sight or
even an eye -- hedgies do just fine when blind. since their primary sense is
smell, and hearing is secondary, with vision a distant third.

Ears. Ears rarely show problems aside from tattered ears [8.3] which do not
seem to bother the hedgehog much.

Toes. Toes, and toenails do need regular exams. Toenails tend to curl
around and into the footpads if not trimmed [6.5], and toenails do tend to
get caught and tear causing possible infections. I have also heard of some
hedgehogs winding up with fungal problems on their feet, which need
specialized treatment.

Legs. Legs can get hurt in any number of ways. From toenails getting caught
and the leg being pulled, to the hedgehog taking a tumble. Watch for
limping, or favouring a leg as a sign of an injury. Generally this involves
a vet visit to check for anything serious, but often there is little that can
be done except to let your hedgie heal (though removing the cause, if you can
find it, is strongly suggested).

Limping and favoring a leg can also be indicative of internal problems as
well. If you, or your vet does examine the hedgie and there is no sign of
actual injury, it might be prudent to check for internal problems, growths,
tumours, etc.

One other serious problem that affects limbs is getting hairs or threads
caught around them, cutting off circulation. Hedgehogs will go as far as to
chew off their foot in such cases. If there is a hair caught, get it off!
Use a razor blade, and if you do nick the hedgies leg in the process, don't
feel bad -- it's far better than the consequences of not getting rid of the
hair or thread. My thanks to Melanie A. Abell for reminding me of this
danger.

Genitals, etc. Hedgehogs, especially males, have an unfortunate tendency to
get things caught in rather sensitive places (imagine yourself squirming,
naked, through bedding like your hedgehog does). Things such as bits of
litter (clay, corncob, etc.) can easily become caught in the penile sheath,
which can cause serious inflammation and infection, along with a host of
other problems. Females are not exempt from this type of problem, either,
though the incidence is much lower. A daily inspection is strongly
recommended to avoid a minor irritation becoming something very serious.

Quills and skin. Aside from mites [8.2], few problems affect either the
quills or the skin. Hedgehogs can get fungal infections such as ringworm,
but these are fairly rare. Veterinary diagnosis and treatment will take care
of fungus problems. Hedgehogs do also occasionally get cysts. These are
easily treated by a veterinarian.

Internal problems. Hedgehogs are prone to a myriad of possible internal
problems, especially things such as bowel obstructions. Keep an eye on your
hedgies' eating habits, and on their droppings [9.2]. Major changes in
dropping can indicate all sorts of possible problems. Just about any such
problem is something for a vet to deal with, rather than yourself.

Internal infections of various sorts often show up in the form of green
droppings [9.2]. A slight greenish tinge to the droppings is not a worry --
in the case of problems, we are talking about bright, forest green!

The other large scope of internal problems are from tumours, which are quite
prevalent in hedgehogs. There isn't much you can do about detecting these,
except to get your little friend to the veterinarian ASAP if there is an
unexplained problem, or an obvious lump.

Another problem which occurs in female hedgehogs are mammary tumours. Again,
if caught early enough, these can be surgically removed by a veterinarian.
Fortunately, this isn't a common problem, but it is a life threatening one if
and when it does occur.

Hedgehogs can also suffer from such unpleasant ailments as prolapsed bowels,
and in females prolapsed uterus. These problems can be treated by a
veterinarian, if you get your little friend to help quickly.

Blood in urine or feces. This is somewhat of a special case of internal
problems. Blood spots in either urine or feces can be from an incredibly
wide range of causes, and can be either a one-time thing (say, from
constipation), or can be very serious. Any time it happens repeatedly,
it bears a vet visit ASAP. Many cases will stem from bladder infections
or similar ailments, which will usually respond very well to treatment
with antibiotics.

One situtation (focused on female hedgies for obvious reasons) is from
tumorous growths in the uterus. The following information from Paul Ritchey,
covers this in detail and also shows that tumours can be overcome in hedgies!

SYMPTOMS: Few blood dots in litter pan first day. Everything else
remained normal throughout the whole ordeal (eating, activity, attitude,
etc.). Blood dots were only symptom. During a brief tabletop exam by
me to see if she had hurt herself, she did both of her `duties' - blood
evident. During the next few days in dealing with local vets, talking
to Vera, etc., blood loss increased at an alarming rate. Few dots
turned into ever increasingly larger blood spots.

DIAGNOSIS: Cancerous growth in the uterus. Growth was removed and
Ariel is now happy and healthy once again. In my conversations with
Dr. Goodman it was noted that with such small critters it's possible
for abnormal growths NOT to show up in x-rays or sonograms.
-- Paul Ritchey

In addition, Paul did stress the need to act quickly, as the type of tumours
that occur in this kind of situation are very agressive, and delays in
finding and fixing the cause can let things get beyond the point recovery
withing a matter of a couple of days.

Probably the very best way to avoid problems is to thoroughly examine your
hedgehog daily. This will help you note changes in habit or health quickly,
and help keep little problems from becoming bigger ones.

------------------------------

Subject: <9.2> My hedgehog's had funny-looking stools for a couple of days.
What's wrong?

Normal hedgehog droppings can range from almost pellet-like to quite soft and
sticky. Colour is usually very dark brown, almost black. Depending on diet,
especially treats, they can vary quite a bit. If your hedgehog is leaving
unusual droppings after having had a treat or change in diet a day or so
before, then it is probably related to what he ate. If the problem continues
(assuming the hedgehog is back on his normal diet), or if your hedgehog is
suffering from severe diarrhea, see your vet, immediately.

One thing that can help solve diarrhea is live cultured yogurt:

I have received some info from my vet about diarrhea in hedgies.
He said that one of the best ways to cure it was to feed yogurt
with Lacto Bascillus such as Alta Dena. He also said that most
hedgies LOVE pina colada flavor (and mine do).
-- Ian Van Natter

There are some serious problems that are indicated by funny looking stools.
Remember that if you've fed your hedgie something odd, that is likely the
cause of the problem, but if he's been on his normal diet, and changes in his
stools happen, it may be a warning sign. For example:

A good sign that there's something definitely wrong with your hedgie
is stinky black tarry looking stool. If anyone's hedgie shows that
it's [potentially] an internal lesion and the hedgie should be rushed
to the vet IMMEDIATELY.

The vet said he had necropsis of the kidney, mineralization of the
heart, a lesion in his lower stomach and a touch of pneumonia or the
flu (they think he got that the last day he lived, just another
infection setting in). They think that it was his kidney's malfunctions
that brought that all about, and they think that it was something he may
have been born with.

-- Ligia Ortega (via her veterinarian, from tests following the
death of her hedgehog, Howard)

While similar symptoms in your hedgehog might not indicate the same problem,
a trip to a knowledgeable vet is probably worthwhile. In general, serious
kidney problems in hedgehogs are probably not easily treatable, but catching
such problems early might make a big difference.

Forest green stools also indicate a likely problem. Often these are
indicitive of some sort of internal infection. A visit to the vet is usually
required.

------------------------------

Subject: <9.3> My hedgehog's not eating. What should I do?

This is often the sign of either a sick, depressed, or especially a chilled
[7.3] hedgehog. Assuming your hedgehog is warm enough, and there is no
likelihood of unusual stress (which can also put a hedgehog off eating), you
may want to have a vet check for sickness, but clearly the thing that's
needed is to get your pet back on its dinner. About the only suggestion I
can offer is to attempt out-and-out bribery; offer your hedgehog his favorite
treats, and try some cooked chicken or turkey. If possible, make sure he is
drinking, and if necessary resort to using some thinned chicken broth, or
even something with electolytes (see below). Other suggestions for bribery
snacks are chopped hardboiled egg, cottage cheese, and mealworms.

Here are a few words of wisdom from Linda Wheatly on getting a hedgehog
to eat:

If the animal is warm, but not eating, first try varying its diet.
I will often try raw meat [please note that there are dangers to using
raw meat as outlined in section [6.2] -- ed.], which often works. I
recently discovered an appetite ``picker upper'' which hasn't failed yet.
I raise mice also, and will give the poor-eating hedgehogs dead pinky
mice. Hedgehogs will also eat the bigger mice. If all else fails, and
the animal refuses to eat anything, they can be force-fed. I beat an
egg [there can also be dangers with using raw egg, as outlined in section
[6.2] -- ed.], add a little bit of milk and a tablespoon of corn syrup.
I take a 1 cc syringe and gently work it into the side of the hedgehog's
mouth and slowly feed the mixture in. I generally feed 3 cc's four times
per day. If the animal is looking dehydrated, I may give it 1 or 2 cc's
of water with each feeding. You may have to do this for 4 or 5 days.
They will start eating again on their own. They will often show you
that they are wanting to eat by themselves by really fighting you
when you try to force feed them.

Related to this is the problem of not drinking, or not drinking enough,
resulting in dehydration. If water is available and accessible, this is
usually not a problem, but if for one reason or another this does occur, it
is important to get fluids into the hedgehog as quickly as reasonably
possible. This might involve a vet visit and intravenous or similar fluid
replacement. In less dire cases, you can use electrolyte enhanced drinks,
such as many of the sport drinks now available, or better yet, Pedalyte, a
form intended for children, which is quite a bit `safer' for sensitive
digestive systems. Because of the cost, and quantity, this is not always an
economical choice, however, as suggested by Sheri, you can get it in a
powdered form under the brand name Kaopectalyte.

Remember, given a hedgehog's small size, not eating or drinking can become
deadly in very short order. If the situation persists for more than a couple
of days, consider taking your little friend to a vet.

------------------------------

Subject: <9.4> How did I get fleas in my home? How can I get rid of
them?

Even if your hedgehog is never outdoors, you can bring in fleas or
flea eggs on your shoes or clothing.

There's a whole FAQ dedicated to ridding your pet and your home of
fleas and ticks. It's distributed in the rec.pets usenet newsgroup.
You can also get it by FTP at:

ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/fleas-ticks

(that is, ftp to rtfm.mit.edu and get the indicated file) or by sending
email to mail-***@rtfm.mit.edu with the line

send usenet/news.answers/fleas-ticks

in the body of the message (with an empty subject line).

In general, most products which are safe for use on kittens and puppies are
likely safe for hedgehogs (though avoid those products listed as long
lasting). Keeping in mind that bathing baby or young hedgehogs can be
dangerous and should be avoided if possible [6.5]. It is better to spray on
such products.

------------------------------

Subject: <9.5> Wobbly Hedgehogs

This description covers a myriad of different problems, all of which seem to
have very similar symptoms. Your hedgehog is being wobbly on his feet.
Either just unsteady as it moves around, or even falling over and laying on
its slide. Obviously this is a pretty scary thing to encounter, and while
the vast majority of these wobbly hedgehogs are due to being too cold (signs
of semi-hibernation -- see section [7.3]), there are some other causes.

Provided that you are absolutely, positively, unquestionably certain (and
that you go check 3 more times) that your hedgehog is not suffering from
signs of semi-hibernation or semi-aestivation, there are a couple of other
things that can cause this kind of behavior.

While there are many conditions that can result in some degree of wobbliness
(beyond the normal waddling gait of a hedgehog), the term ``Wobbly Hedgehog
Syndrome'' has come to be applied to what is now considered to be a
neurological disorder. The one thing that is certain about this condition
is that nothing is really certain. Please keep this in mind while reading
what follows.

The problem generally appears as a progressive paralysis, usually starting
at the tail end of the spine and working its way toward the nose. The rate
of progression can vary greatly, sometimes taking only weeks, other times
spanning a year or longer. It usually appears in adults over a year old,
but it can occur in even very young hedgehogs.

The cause of this problem is very likely genetic, probably in some ways due
to the very small, and shrinking gene pool from which our little friends are
bred from.

This problem can be very hard to diagnose, and generally will only be known
with any certainty after a detailed necropsy.

Other, possibly more common causes of wobbling or paralysis can stem from
strokes, injuries, or tumors. In the case of injuries, treatment
(assuming you or your vet can determine that an injury occurred) will
depend on just what kind of injury it was. For strokes, which do happen to
hedgehogs, there will often be improvement over time. For tumors, surgery
or steroids may help.

One other factor that may be responsible for some types of wobbly hedgehogs,
especially in cases where multiple unrelated hedgehogs are affected, is from
some sort of dietary deficiency. Exactly what is lacking, or in excess, is
not known. This particular form of wobbly hedgehog syndrome seems to only
affect hedgehogs which are raised on cat food, and generally unsupplemented
with vitamins, as opposed to one of the better foods now on the market.
Hedgehogs which have had supplements, or which eat a good, balanced hedgehog
food do not appear to show any signs of this problem. As yet, there is no
scientific answer as to why, but a change in diet might be worth trying.

Again, I would stress that over 99.9% of cases of wobbly hedgehogs are from
hedgehogs showing signs of hibernation, or aestivation. Before you start
worrying about any other causes, be very, very sure that this is not what
is affecting your little friend -- especially if it's the late autumn, or
the temperature has suddenly dipped, or mid-summer and the temperature has
gone way up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[Brian MacNamara]

Archive-name: hedgehog-faq/part6
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Keywords: faq pet hedgehogs

Last-modified: 30 March 2014
Version: 3.180

HEDGEHOG FAQ (part 6 of 7) -- ADVANCED TOPICS IN HEDGEHOGGERY
Compiled and edited by Brian MacNamara (***@hedgehoghollow.com)
Additions, corrections, and suggestions for this file are welcomed.

This document is copyright 2014 by Brian MacNamara. See section [0.6]
for authorship information and redistribution rights. In short, you
can give it away, but you can't charge for it.

The basic Hedgehog FAQ has seven parts, all of which should be available
from wherever you obtained this one. A complete table of contents for
all seven parts is given below.

Please note: While my knowledge of hedgehogs has grown (far beyond my
wildest expectations when I began the FAQ), my knowledge is still quite
limited, especially in areas of health care. I did not write, or verify,
all the information in this FAQ. I have done my best to include only
accurate and useful information, but I cannot guarantee the correctness
of what is contained in this FAQ, regardless of the source, or even that
it will not be harmful to you or your hedgehog in some way. For advice
from an expert, I recommend you consult the books listed in part 2 [2.1],
or, especially in the case of a suspected medical problem, a veterinarian
who is familiar with hedgehogs.

------------------------------

Subject: CONTENTS OF THIS FILE

10. *** Breeding, babies, and advanced issues ***

<10.1> Breeding
<10.2> General care for babies
<10.3> Hand feeding baby hedgehogs
<10.4> Colours, types, and species

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

10. *** Breeding, babies, and advanced issues ***

------------------------------

Subject: <10.1> Breeding

Breeding hedgehogs can be both the most rewarding, and the most
heart-wrenching of endeavors. Few activities can come close to matching the
wonders and pleasures of having babies, but at the same time the dangers
involved, and problems that can arise are very great.

I'm not going to try and cover all the basics of animal husbandry, here --
that's a topic better left to many books on the subject. I'm only going to
address hedgehog issues. Besides, if you don't know the basics of husbandry
and breeding, you should not be considering it -- at least not yet.

Baby hedgehogs are nothing short of addictively cute. If you think an adult
can steal your heart, beware that a mother being followed by a litter of
adorable little hoglets is many levels of magnitude cuter. The reason for
this warning is that it can be very easy to fall into the trap of breeding
just to enjoy the babies. There is an immense responsibility that goes with
breeding, and it should not be undertaken lightly -- these are living,
feeling animals, and that thought must always be at the forefront of your
mind.

If you are going to breed, make very very sure of the following, first:

(1) That you are willing to risk losing the mother, due to
complications!

(2) That you can find good, caring homes for ALL the babies. This can
certainly include you, but remember, you may need as many as 8 new
cages or enclosures to keep the results of one litter!

(3) If there are complications with the birth, or problems with the
babies, it might entail some not inconsiderable veterinary bills.

(4) If mom rejects the babies, you might have to take care of them (a
very considerable effort), or have them put to sleep.


Okay, you've considered the points, above, and you want to breed your
hedgehog(s). The following will cover various points of breeding. For
actual caring for the babies (with or without mom), please see sections
[10.2] and [10.3]

[Credit for much of what follows is largely thanks to various breeder
friends that I've met over the past few years, and some of my own,
minor experiences. I hope you will forgive me for not listing you by
name, as the points are `mostly' a blend of all your wisdom! -Ed.]

I would strongly recommend that you seek out an experienced hedgehog breeder
and spend some time talking with him/her. I don't have the experience or the
space to cover all the information that you really should know. Also, having
someone you can turn to with questions will prove more than invaluable.

First, a few guidelines for deciding who, of prickly nature, to put together
for the romantic event. To breed hedgehogs, obviously, the minimum you need
is a male and a female, but there are many other points to consider.
Breeding of ill tempered hedgehogs is not a good idea, breeding of related
hedgehogs can also be a bad idea. Choose the hedgehogs to be bred with some
care. This can be for colour, temperament, or other values, but don't be
indiscriminant.

Females should not be bred before at least 5 months of age, as they have not
finished growing and maturing themselves. Once bred, the hormonal changes
will basically stop further maturation, and the drain on their metabolisms
caused by having babies while still trying to grow themselves, can have
permanent adverse affects on their health.

Males, too, should not be bred before about 4-5 months, although the side
effects are not as problematic for them. The biggest problem is that they
just may not be up to the task, at least as well as they should be.

Also, don't breed a female for the first time, if she is beyond 1.5 years
old. If you do, there is a very good chance that the bones in her pelvic
area will have fused, such that she will not be able to have the babies. If
you are not sure how old she is, but suspect she may be beyond 1.5, don't
risk it!

There is also a point at about 3.5 years of age, when many females become
menopausal. Breeders will often note that litter sizes may taper off as this
age is approached.

Finally, after each litter, it is important to give your female a break to
recover from the effort. I would not recommend any more than 3 litters per
year. Beyond that is going to place an unnecessary drain on the female, and
affect her health (and her ability to produce and care for ongoing litters).
More than this number of litters per year really suggests that you are not
breeding hedgehogs, but trying to run a production line.


Breeding hedgehogs is not difficult, but it does come with a wide variety of
problems. Probably most notable is that mother hedgehogs will tend to eat
the babies if disturbed at all for a few days prior to, and for up to about
10 days after the birth. This can be heartbreaking and very frustrating to
would be breeders.

By our (human) standards, this sort of thing is unthinkable, and very hard to
accept. Before you think too badly of hedgehogs for this, take a look at
their natural environment. In the wild, any kind of disturbance is all but
certainly a predator that WILL eat the babies (mom can and will try to defend
them, but in a burrow, there's only so much she can hope to do). Because
finding enough food and energy to develop the babies is a very difficult
thing in the rather harsh conditions in which our little friends are native,
mother hedgehogs cannot afford to lose all of that. In the end, it's a
matter of survival to ``reabsorb'' the babies, in this way, then to lose all
of that to a passing predator. If all are lost, try again in 3 months. If
losing litters continues to happen, it might be that the female is just not
cut out to be a mom, and it would be better not to breed her.


So, for the actual amourous encounter, what is needed? Actually, not that
much. Simply put the two loverhogs together, sit back, and watch the fun.
Male hedgehogs know what to do (females do as well, but will often play hard
to get). Males will usually squeak very loudly and plaintively when they
encounter a female -- and the actual courtship antics are usually VERY
entertaining.

There are opinions both ways on whose cage (hers or his) to use, but most
breeders seem to prefer to use the male's cage, under the assumption that the
female will be more receptive, and the male will feel less out of place and
more inclined to do his `duty.' It is wise to remove as many items from the
cage as is reasonable, while they are together, such as wheels, extra dens,
and items that make good hiding places for a female who wants to defend her
honour. Even so, you can pretty much count on the entire cage being severely
`redecorated' frequently and often!

Hedgehogs DO have a `heat,' or estrus cycle, and are not entirely induced
ovulators, as had been previously thought. The cycle is typically about 9
days on, followed by 7 days off, but is not absolute.

In order to catch the cycle, many breeders will put the male and female
together for about 4-5 days, separate them for 4 days, then put them back
together for another 4-5 days. Others breeders have suggested using a single
10-day period, while others still will use only a single 3-day get together,
observing the female to see if she is responsive. Experience and trial and
error will likely be your best guides here. If you have spoken to a breeder
with experience, try the schedule that they use, or one of the schedules
mentioned here. In most cases, the pair will get along quite well, but do
watch out as sometimes fights will occur.


Once the romance has passed, it is now time to separate the pair. Now that
mating is over, the father to be, can drop out of the picture, as he plays no
further role in what follows. Keeping the male in with the female when the
babies arrive is virtually guaranteed to have them both eat the babies.


Is your female pregnant? Well, this is another place that I can only offer
theory. Personally, I have gotten it wrong (both ways) far more often than
right! As you might guess, it can be quite difficult to tell if a hedgehog
is pregnant, but there are some clues to look for. Probably one of the best
methods is to weigh her every few days, and watch for a weight gain.
Obviously, this goes part and parcel with an increase in appetite. Next, if
you are very careful, and gentle, you can palpate her abdomen, and you `may'
be able to feel the babies as she gets closer to the birthing date.
Achieving good results with this is very difficult, even for experienced
breeders, so don't be dismayed if you can't tell anything from it. Another
sign to watch out for is that her teats or nipples (which run in two rows
along the sides of her tummy, will become more enlarged, and more obvious.

As time gets closer to the birth, typically within about the last week, there
are a few more signs. One of these to look for is the odour from her urine
often becomes noticably stronger. She may also exhibit signs of `nesting'
where she may make piles of bedding material, or even block up her den
entrance. She will also likely lose appetite in the day or so prior to the
babies being born.

In spite of these signs, it's easy to be wrong in thinking she may be
pregnant when she is not, or that she is not pregnant when she is. Trust me!
This is one place I have AMPLE personal experience to speak from! Because of
this, I strongly recommend that you always assume that she IS pregnant until
WELL past her last possible due date.


Speaking of the due date, the gestation period for hedgehogs is approximately
35 days. I have heard of births happening from about 33 days through to
about 42, so the 35 is not absolute. Most will be within the 34-37 day
range, however.


This generally brings us to the end of the actual breeding topic. I will add
a few further comments, here, as they relate to the mother, and health
issues, but I would direct you to section [10.2] on general care for the
babies which really takes up where this description leaves off.


After the birth, mom's appetite will likely skyrocket. Give her all the
high-quality food she wants. This is not a time for diets, as she is trying
to produce enough milk for her hungry hoglets. She will also go through a
lot more fresh water than normal. Just be careful about disturbances as you
go into her cage to feed or water her. If mom appears overly exhausted, or
wobbly, extra vitamins or supplements, such as KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement)
may help. Also treats (not too much) of cottage cheese or sour cream may
help keep her calcium levels up, as she produces large quantities of hedgehog
milk.

The good news is that there really isn't much for you to do -- it's largely a
case of mom knows best.


Following the birth, keep an eye on the mother for possible complications.
If mom either loses the babies (not that unusual) or seems very inactive,
possibly lying out of her den, and/or not eating, it may be that she has
suffered a problem during birth, or that one or more babies are still caught
inside her. If you think this might be the case, get her to a veterinarian,
quickly -- especially if she lost her babies, and is acting like this. There
is much a vet can do to help in a situation like this, but it is imperitive
that you get her there quickly. The longer the problem exists, the greater
the likelihood that you will lose the mother in addition to the babies.


Recently, Matt Scott sent me a great synopsis of birthing dos and don'ts and
especially on dealing with mothers that attack or reject their babies. It
covers things much better than I could:

Of course the ideal situation is to leave the babies with their mother
as her milk will provide not only the proper balance of nutrients,
protein and fats, but also necessary antibodies to help the babies
fight a world of germs in infections. Now there are good mothers and
bad mothers in this world but sadly it's impossible to know what you
have until the first litter arrives. Good mothers tend to their babies,
nurse them and raise the litter without problems. Bad mothers sometimes
reject and other times attack their babies, but most mothers can be
taught to care for their young.

Minimizing stress before and after birth is paramount. Keep the mother
in a dark, quiet corner covered with a sheet with an abundance of bedding,
food and water so you don't need to enter the cage. If the mother gets
stressed for any reason she can kill the babies, especially if she is
nervous in the first place (a huffy hedgehog). If this happens there are
still some things that can be tried to turn things around. The easiest
approach is to leave the father in the cage with her throughout the
pregnancy and child rearing, often with rodents the father will defend
the babies from a bad mother and persuade her to nurse. Removing the
father should be done immediately after she is impregnated if he is to be
moved, removing him just before birth will stress the mother
significantly. A more time consuming approach is to distract the mother
with a treat she likes (I've heard of jello cubes working well as well as
slices of banana or mango) while the babies are trying to latch on to her
nipples. The idea is that she will care more about the treat than the
babies, feel full so she is not stressed about a lack of food and even
begin to associate suckling with something positive and learn to enjoy it.
Of course, if this doesn't work and she still lunges at them you will
then have to remove the babies for hand feeding.

An alternate approach is to have two pregnant mothers share a cage, one
you know is a good mother and the new/bad mother. If you can time the
29 day gestation periods such that the good mother gives birth a day or
two before the other mother, and the bad mother still turns on her litter,
the good mother will generally defend and adopt the extra babies, nursing
them as her own. The idea here is that the bad mother will have a tutor
on what to do with babies when the hoglets arrive. Next time she has a
litter she will be familiar with how to care for her babies and be able
to do it on her own.

If the babies must be removed then you have quite a handful for the next
few weeks. One thing I learned is that hedgehogs only require 5 to 10%
of their body weight in food each 24 hour period. What this means is a
newborn hedgehog weighing only 10 to 12 grams can have at most 1
milliliter of formula over the entire day, divided into hourly feedings.
This might not seem like very much food, but it is enough to keep them
growing and likely more than they would get from their mom in full day
of suckling. Babies of any species (birds, fish and mammals) are
voracious eaters and commonly eat more than they can handle. In fact,
feeding a newborn hedgehog even a little more than this will cause their
intestines to impact, stomachs to bloat and distend, and their colon to
rupture. Within a couple hours of rupture they will die of septic shock.
This was my error, I was so excited to see them eating and pooping (upon
stimulation of the perianal area with a warm damp cloth as recommended)
that I let them eat until they stopped and it was entirely too much.
They all died of sepsis.

I got these suggestions from Carol Lavery who is very experienced in
breeding many different kinds of rodents and Dr. Ali Ashkar a former
vet and current university professor. I think they are valuable for
someone who might be in a similar position as me in the future.
-- Matt Scott


------------------------------

Subject: <10.2> General care for babies

As the due date approaches, mom will often stop eating the day before, and
will also often go into nesting mode, and may go as far as to wall up her den
against access. It is very important that you do not disturb her for a
couple of days before she is due, and for several days after the babies
arrive. Doing so will often result in the babies being eaten [10.1].

A couple of days before you expect that she is due, it is a good idea to give
her cage a thorough cleaning (without stressing her too much), as you will
not be able to, again, for several days.

The babies will `usually' arrive during the night, and may be announced by a
slight scream or squeak, although I've never heard this, myself. You will
probably be able to hear the babies squeak from the nest, after they have
been born.


Here are some guidelines on dealing with new hoglets. In general, the two
main things are to avoid disturbing them (and mom) and that mother knows
best.

As a reminder, the gestation period is approximately 35 days.

You should avoid disturbing a pregnant female or new mother for about 5 days
before and 5-10 days after the birth. During this time, be careful and quiet
during feeding and cleanup.

The babies will usually announce their presence with squeaks. When you hear
this -- it's time to go into tiptoe mode. The babies can be born over a
period of several hours, and maintaining absolute quiet during this time is
important.

Mom should have a safe, secure-feeling den to have the babies in. This will
help her feel safe and relaxed.

For the first 5-10 days, don't peek! And I mean don't peek!!! After this
time, depending on how mom reacts, you can start handling the babies. If you
do want to check on the babies, do it when mom is out eating, or better yet,
lure her out with a treat, and remove her from the cage for a romp while you
check on the babies. But do wait until the babies are at least 3-5 days old
before doing this. Take your cues from mom. If she gets hostile, vocal, or
visibly upset, by your presence, don't push it. Some mothers are very secure
and don't mind leaving the babies alone for a few minutes, while others get
frantic when separated.

Make sure that mom has as much food as she wants. She will eat a LOT more
than usual at this time. You might even want to supplement her diet with
some cottage cheese, sour cream, or the like, to help boost her calcium
input. This can be especially important for very young (e.g., accidental)
mothers, who are still growing themselves, and who may end up drawing on
their own calcium reserves, that they need for bones and teeth, to produce
enough milk.

If mom does not seem to be eating, put her food dish near the doorway to her
nest box or tube -- she may be reluctant to leave the babies.

Once the babies are born, you might want to pile up the wood shavings under
the end of the tube or nest box where the doorway is, to prevent any babies
from rolling out by mistake. Generally this is not a problem, but if you
find a baby outside the nest, you might want to consider doing this.

If you see a baby out of the nest and away from the rest (some mothers will
take their babies out of the nest, but will keep them together -- this is
normal and depends on the mother), you can put it back with the others by
using a small spoon. Remember not to touch the baby, or mom is liable to
reject it.

If mom seems to be rejecting a baby, keep trying to put it back with the
others (using the spoon method). If the practise continues, and the baby
appears not to be getting any mother's milk, you may want to consider hand
feeding the rejected baby [10.3].

Babies will begin to venture from the nest when 2-3 weeks old about the same
time they start sampling mom's food.

Babies are weaned at 4-6 weeks. They start to eat solid food around the 3rd
week. If the food you are using is quite hard, you can offer some that has
been dampened to make it softer to help get the babies started.

Babies raised in a cage with a litter box will usually learn to use the
litter box (especially if mom uses it). If mom doesn't use a litter box, you
might need to do a little coaxing (scooping up some of the droppings and
adding them to the litter box).

Remember to separate the babies by sex [10.2] after they are weaned so you
don't accidently start on yet another generation. Make sure you do this
before they reach 8-weeks of age! Make sure that they are eating solid food
and drinking on their own.

Above all, if you lose any or all the babies, or if Mom happens to eat any or
all, don't let it bother you too much. This sort of thing, especially the
latter, is very hard for people to deal with but it is perfectly natural for
hedgehogs.


Some of the reasons why mother hedgehogs might kill, eat, or reject their
babies are as follows:

They were disturbed. In the wild, almost any kind of disturbance means a
predator is there and it will almost certainly eat the babies. Rather than
lose the very hard won nutrients that she put into producing the babies,
mother hedgehogs will `reabsorb' them herself in the hopes of being able to
use it for another litter later on. This seems very harsh, but it's only a
reflection of the environment that they developed in.

Mom thinks something's wrong. If mom thinks one or more babies are not right
(deformed or if they otherwise have problems that she can detect), she may
kill or `reabsorb' them with the understanding that they wouldn't have
survived long anyway.

Mom's not secure. If mom feels conditions are not right for bringing up
babies (not enough food, or not the right nutrients/vitamins/etc.) she may
feel that they are not likely to survive, or that she won't be able to
provide for all of them.

Mom's too young or immature. If mom is too young, or often with her first
litter, she may just not know what to do, or can't deal with the babies.
This doesn't necessarily mean she will be a bad mother -- I've heard of many
who after losing a first litter, or even a second, went on to be excellent
moms with later litters. If a female eats more than two of her litters, it's
probably not a good idea to keep trying.

Again, if worst comes to worst, and you lose some or all the babies, don't
let it get you down. Just concentrate on what you do have.


As the babies grow, various events will begin to take place. This is a very
rough timeline on baby African pigmy hedgehog growth:

Early on the `birth' quills will be replaced by the first set of baby quills.

The eyes will open by around the week 3.

At about week 3-4 the babies will begin to start tasting solid food. You can
help things out here by offering dry food which has been dampened to make it
softer, or by using some canned food. Generally, though, most babies will
manage very well in very short order -- it IS food after all, and these are
starving baby hedgeHOGs!

By about week 6, the babies should be well on their way to being weaned.
Some will hold out until week 7, but by then they should all be on solid
food. No doubt much to mom's relief!

Finally, by the time the babies reach week 8, they need to be separated from
mom -- at least you need to separate any males, or you risk both mom, and any
female babies becoming pregnant -- neither of which are in any condition to
handle it at this stage!

------------------------------

Subject: <10.3> Hand feeding baby hedgehogs

One of the most difficult times for hedgehog owners comes if a new mother
hedgehog rejects some or all of her babies, or otherwise can't manage to
provide for all of them. Unfortunately, it is fairly common for hedgehogs to
eat their babies [10.1], and/or reject them, especially if it is a first
litter, or if the mother was disturbed (mother hedgehogs need considerable
peace and quiet). Many hedgehog owners are bothered quite badly by these
actions on the part of the hedgehog, as they are extremely foreign concepts
to humans, but they are (sadly) perfectly natural and normal amongst
hedgehogs.

Before deciding to hand feed, try returning rejected babies to the nest
(using a spoon to avoid getting your scent on them), or if possible by
fostering with another mother who is nursing (rub the babies in bedding from
that mother's cage to have them smell familiar). Many breeders will
purposely breed two females at the same time for this purpose, though I
caution that fostering does not always work.

All that having been said, what do you do if you decide you need to hand feed
baby hedgehogs? The first thing is to convince yourself that sleep is an
undesirable luxury, as you will be feeding the babies every 2-3 hours (yes,
that means night and day) for about 3+ weeks. If you're still up to trying,
what do you feed them, and how?

I'll address the easy part first -- how. For this, among the best items are
plastic syringes (without needles), eye-droppers, or plastic pipettes (the
type with the suction bulb at the end). The idea is to be able to provide a
minute but reasonably available stream of 'milk' to the baby in a controlled
manner.

Next is the question of what to feed them. Generally, the rule about
avoiding or limiting cows' milk for adult hedgehogs also applies to babies,
and maybe even more so. That having been said, I have heard of one little
tyke who wouldn't drink anything else, and at last word was doing just fine.

Robyn Gorton, who was studying hedgehogs in New Zealand, passed along the
following information on caring for babies. Although her work is with
European hedgehogs, the information is quite applicable to African pigmy
hedgehogs as well.

I find that caring for the young is simple enough as long as you have a
good milk to feed them. I have discovered that sheeps' milk is the
closest in composition to hhog milk and acts as an excellent substitute
when mixed with raw egg. It may for the first few days cause swelling of
the anus, but as soon as they start teething (3 weeks) you can add mashed
banana for fibre and their problems clear up. It's a very high protein
diet but one must watch for a vitamin B deficiency which can be caused
by too much raw egg. I had my two hoglets suckling on a syringe for the
first week and 1/2 until their teeth erupted (this takes three days for a
full set to emerge!!) then simply start using a saucer and they will
naturally feed from it themselves.

I've also heard of using goats' milk, similar to what Robyn suggested above,
though I trust her research as far sheeps' milk being closer to hedgehog
milk. I do need to caution, however, about the use of raw eggs, as they can
cause problems of their own [6.2] -- this, however, may be one situation
where bending those rules is worthwhile.

What do you do if you don't have a friendly goat or sheep, or can't easily
find sheeps' or goats' milk? Many pet stores and pet supply stores carry KMR
(Kitten Milk Replacement). It's usually in powdered form, which makes it
handy for the small quantities you will need. I've seen quite a few articles
from breeders who have used this with great success, some go on to recommend
that most hedgehog breeders should keep a container of KMR around, just in
case.

Recently (June/2005), I've heard from Cindy, who reported serious problems
from using KMR. Having used it successfully, myself, in the past, I'm not
whether this has to do with the form (powdered versus canned), or perhaps
there has been a change in the formula (it has been some time since I last
used it), but the caution and suggestions are always worth mentioning,
especially when it appears there are some excellent alternatives, as she
suggests. At the very least, whenever you feed a baby hedgehog by hand,
please make VERY sure that you follow the steps to induce them to defecate
afterwards -- not doing so will certainly cause bloating and lead to tragedy.

KMR makes them bloat, then comes the internal bleeding, then they die.
I have had the best luck with puppy esbilac with just a few grains of
crushed lactaid. If you see any sign of bloating, give them just a
drop of baby gas drops containing simethicone.
-- Cindy

I've also heard of Esbilac (human baby formula) being used successfully, to
offer yet another option. Anja van der Werf pointed out to me that when you
are trying to use human formula, make sure it is soy-based rather than based
on cows' milk.

One thing to watch out for in feeding baby hedgehogs, is that after each
feeding you must stimulate them to defecate and urinate, otherwise their
bladder and bowel will swell up and can even burst. To do this, simply
stroke along their tummy towards the anus, which simulates a mother licking
and grooming her babies. You can also do this with a warm damp tissue or
cloth. The idea isn't to squeeze anything out, just to stimulate the baby to
do it's business.


Remember that hand raising baby hedgehogs is very difficult, and if you try
and meet with tragedy, remember that you gave them much more of a chance than
they would have had without you. Whatever happens, don't give up and decide
that hedgehogs are bad, or that it's not worth having hoglets -- it's just
hedgehog nature, and next time may well be nothing short of magical.

------------------------------

Subject: <10.4> Colours, types, and species

As was noted back in [3.1], the hedgehogs kept as pets throughout much of the
world are a hybrid of Algerian and White-Bellied hedgehogs. Most of the
colours, and variations that we see can be traced to these two species, and
many are the result of the interbreeding of the various original species.

Of course, Long-eared hedgehogs are also kept as pets in various places, but
I regret that I don't have enough knowledge to offer any useful comments on
them. The same applies to those other species which are occasionally kept as
pets. As a result, most of this section will focus on the
Algerian/White-Bellied hybrid type.

At last check there were roughly 100 colour variations known, and others
which were hypothisized. So far, this is all without mutations being a
factor. Here are some examples of hedgehog colours.

White-Bellied Hedgehog Colours

Dominant Colours:

Salt & Pepper
Dark Grey
Grey
Chocolate
Brown
Cinnamon
Dark Cinnicot
Black-Eyed Cinnicot
Ruby-Eyed Cinnicot
Champagne
Apricot

Snowflake Colours:

Silver - the recessive of Salt & Pepper
Silver Charcoal - the recessive of Dark Grey or Double rec. of Grey
Charcoal - the recessive of Grey
Chocolate Chip - the recessive of Chocolate
Brown Snowflake - the recessive of Brown or double rec. Choc. Chip
(Cinnamon) Snowflake - the recessive of Cinnamon
Silver-Cinnamon Snowflake - the double recessive of Cinnamon
Dark Cinnacot Snowflake - the recessive of Dark Cinnacot or the
double recessive of Black-Eyed Cinnacot
Black-Eyed Cinnacot Snowflake - the recessive of Black-Eyed Cinnacot
Ruby-Eyed Cinnacot Snowflake - the recessive of Ruby-Eyed Cinnacot
Champagne Snowflake - the recessive of Champagne or double recessive
of Ruby-Eyed Cinnacot
Apricot Snowflake - the recessive of Apricot
Pale Apricot Snowflake - the double recessive of Apricot


White Colours:

The White category comprises those animals that possess almost 100%
solid white spines.

The few banded spines that these hedgehogs have are localized to the
forehead area, with a few possible across the remainder of the
back. These few banded spines on the back, however, should count no
more than 10. Any more than this and it is categorized as a Snowflake.

White is a dilute (prime) of the recessive snowflake. Although not all
are listed here, there is a total of 15 White possibilities in the
White-Bellied colour spectrum.

Platinum - the dilute of Salt & Pepper
Silver Charcoal White - the dilute of Dark Grey
Charcoal White - the dilute of Grey
Chocolate White - the dilute of Chocolate
Brown White - the dilute of Brown
White - the dilute of Cinnamon
Albino - Albinos are unique due to the total lack of pigmentation.

Algerian Colours:

Black Algerian
Dark Grey Algerian
Grey Algerian
Chocolate Algerian
Brown Algerian
Cinnamon Algerian
Champagne Algerian


Just a reminder that this is not a comprehensive list of colours, but is
intended more as a guide. Also, when breeding for colours, it is imperative
that you make sure you do not lose sight of temperament, and basics of good
husbandry in pursuit of a colour goal -- doing so is not gaining anyone, or
any hedgehog anything.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[Brian MacNamara]

Archive-name: hedgehog-faq/part7
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Keywords: faq pet hedgehogs

Last-modified: 30 March 2014
Version: 3.180

HEDGEHOG FAQ (part 7 of 7) -- WILD HEDGEHOGS
Compiled and edited by Brian MacNamara (***@hedgehoghollow.com)
Additions, corrections, and suggestions for this file are welcomed.

This document is copyright 2014 by Brian MacNamara. See section [0.6]
for authorship information and redistribution rights. In short, you
can give it away, but you can't charge for it.

The basic Hedgehog FAQ has seven parts, all of which should be available
from wherever you obtained this one. A complete table of contents for
all seven parts is given below.

Please note: While my knowledge of hedgehogs has grown (far beyond my
wildest expectations when I began the FAQ), my knowledge is still quite
limited, especially in areas of health care. I did not write, or verify,
all the information in this FAQ. I have done my best to include only
accurate and useful information, but I cannot guarantee the correctness
of what is contained in this FAQ, regardless of the source, or even that
it will not be harmful to you or your hedgehog in some way. For advice
from an expert, I recommend you consult the books listed in part 2 [2.1],
or, especially in the case of a suspected medical problem, a veterinarian
who is familiar with hedgehogs.

------------------------------

Subject: CONTENTS OF THIS FILE

11. *** Finding Information ***

<11.1> Intro to wild hedgehogs
<11.2> What hedgehog books are there?
<11.3> Is there information available on-line?
<11.4> Wild Hedgehog Organizations
<11.5> Miscellaneous Hedgehog stuff and sources

12. *** Care and Helping ***

<12.1> The hedgehog calendar
<12.2> Caring for visiting hedgehogs
<12.3> Feeding and caring for orphan baby hedgehogs
<12.4> Hedgehog housing
<12.5> Hedgehogizing your garden
<12.6> Wild hedgehog health
<12.7> Dangers to wild hedgehogs
<12.8> Watching out for hibernating hedgehogs

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

11. *** Finding Information ***

------------------------------

Subject: <11.1> Intro to wild hedgehogs

This FAQ originally started out (and is still largely oriented at) pet
hedgehogs. So why the emphasis on their wild cousins? Hedgehogs enjoy a
very unique niche in that they seem to inspire people to like them (or in
many cases, fall head over heels in love with them) and want to help them
out, or at least want to enjoy the company of hedgehogs in and around them.

Our views of hedgehogs in the wild transcend what we normally feel for most
`wild' animals that we encounter. How many animals do we go to such great
lengths to encourage to come into our gardens and backyards for a visit? How
many wild animals get the same level of helping hand, with food being put out
specifically for them? And how many animals have hospitals named just for
them? (I realize these kind hospitals do not limit themselves to treating
just hedgehogs).

How many of us can resist the cute little face of hedgehog -- something that
just reaches out to our hearts for help. One only has to look at the number
and variety of organizations that are trying to help out hedgehogs in need to
see how great the interest is. This makes it all the more amazing that
hedgehogs were hunted and persecuted only a few decades ago, as being pests.

Why hedgehogs inspire so much human compassion is often very hard to pin
down. The fact that they do, and that this desire to help seems to be so
very widespread, is nothing short of impressive. Even so, our prickly little
friends face what is still often a losing battle, in the face of human
encroachment, and the dangers it often brings with it.

Fortunately, everyone who lives where wild hedgehogs can be found, can take
part in helping out our little friends. This can vary from simply making
some of the everyday throwaway items a bit safer before being tossed out, to
adapting a garden area to be attractive to hedgehogs, or even helping out
with one of the hedgehog help/rescue organizations. No special skills are
needed to help out -- just a love of hedgehogs.

Of course, there are those who simply collect hedgehog memorabilia
(hedgehogabilia) as their way of showing their interest in hedgehogs. This
is how I came by my love (well, addiction is probably more accurate) for
hedgehogs, and usually expands to well beyond the simple act of collecting.

This part of the FAQ is intended to cover as much as I can add on where to
get involved and how to help out with wild hedgehogs. The number of people
I've heard from who are trying to help out these little friends in need is
truly amazing and encouraging. I hope that the tips and suggestions here,
will help others who find themselves in the position of helping a hedgehog.

------------------------------

Subject: <11.2> What hedgehog books are there?

Hedgehog popularity throughout much of Europe has exploded, and continues to
grow. Even so, the number of good books is still relatively limited, and the
extent of research is also much less than one might expect. The good news is
that there are excellent books out there, and that more do keep appearing.

One of the best books I've found, for a true scientific view of all types of
hedgehogs is:

Hedgehogs
by Nigel Reeve
ISBN 0-85661-081-X
T & A D Poyser Ltd.
24-28 Oval Road
London NW1 7DX

In published form, this book is probably the best source of true, scientific
information on all types of hedgehogs. Beyond this you probably need to read
scientific papers (30 pages of references to which are at the back of this
book, which gives you some idea as to Dr. Reeve's efforts at research).
While this book does focus primarily on hedgehogs in the wild, it does
provide some very useful insights into what makes our little friends tick. I
find myself turning more and more to this book, all the time -- especially
when someone asks me a detailed question. Unlike many scientific books, this
one shows the author had a real interest and excitement in his chosen topic
of research, rather than limiting himself to dry phrasing, an entertaining
sense of humour and wit shows through.

The book can be hard to come by in North America (the publisher does not
import it to N.A.), but it is available through the Exclusively Hedgehogs
catalog [2.8], and the Spike and Friends Catalog [2.8]. In Europe, your
local bookseller can likely order it for you from the information, above.


For those looking for an excellent all round book on caring for hedgehogs,
and one with an absolute wealth of medical information, including homeopathic
treatments, most of which can apply to both European and African Pigmy
hedgehogs, the following book is available:

The Natural Hedgehog
by Lenni Sykes with Jane Durrant
ISBN 1-85675-042-6
Gaia Books Ltd.
66 Charlotte St.
London W1P 1LR

Produced by the folks at the Welsh Hedgehog Hospital (WHH) [11.4], this book
is now available in a softcover form, directly from them for a reasonable fee
(see [11.4] for contact information), and provides an excellent source for
anyone wanting to give hedgehogs a helping hand.


Katherine Long has passed along word of another book that is full of
interesting hedgehog information, although it can be somewhat hard to get in
North America. Here is the bibliographic info:

Stocker, Les. The Complete Hedgehog. (Illus.) 128 p. 09/1994.
Paper. $19.95. ISBN 0-7011-3272-8, Chatto & Windus UK).
Trafalgar Square.

[The price, above, was valid as of 1997 -- Ed.]

This book concentrates on European hedgehogs, but certainly contains
relevant information on hedgehogs in general.

As a point of interest, Les Stocker is the founder of St. Tiggywinkle's
Hospital [11.4].

Another book, this time suggested by Bill Corner, is:

Hedgehogs, by Pat Morris.
Published by: Whittet Books. 1983.
ISBN: 0-905483-28-6

[This] is a book by a researcher who has spent his post-doctorate
research studying Hedgehog behavior. Not as comprehensive as [the
above one -- Les Stocker's], but a good read.
-- Bill Corner

One more for good measure. This one is a manual, likely intended for use
primarily by veterinarians, and likely refers primarily to European
hedgehogs, and is therefore almost certainly very technical in nature.

In looking for chinchilla information, I ran across a book that has
hedgehog health information. Manual of Exotic Pets, written by the
British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Kingsley House, Church
Lane, Shurdington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 5TQ.
-- Chingur

Peter Captijn, has sent along the following (seemingly endless) list of books
on hedgehogs: [Note: prices were valid as of approx. 1996 -- Ed.]

all EUROPEAN (Erinaceaous europaeus), never pet-owners books:

- The hedgehog and friends, more tales from St. Tiggywinkles
by Les Stocker, Chatto & Windus, London, 1990, ISBN 0 7011
3655 3, 8.99 UK pounds.

I name this because it is NOT a hedgehog book. It's a book
relating the work Les Stocker does in his animal care
center. Although it has a few pages about hedgehogs, nice
photos and nice pencil drawings, I think you should leave
it unless you have money to burn.

In the literature list of Shire Natural History's book on
hedgehogs (see below) the following books are mentioned:

- The hedgehog by M. Burton Andre Deutsch 1969. Reprinted
as a Corgi `Survival' paperback. Now out of print but often
available through local libraries.

- Hedgehogs by K. Herter, Phoenix House 1969. Now out of
print but often available through local libraries.

Various leaflets, books, hedgehog toys and other items are
available from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society,
Knowbury, Shropshire. [11.4]

Further information on hedgehogs and other mammals is
available from the Mammal Society Conservation Officer,
Zoology Dept., Woodland Road, Avon BS8 1UG.

Shire Natural History has published a condensed (24 pages)
booklet based on P.A. Morris' and Les Stocker's work. It's very
colorful, with lots of (very nice) photos and surprisingly
good information, and it is CHEAP. It's probably the best
gift for people who want to be introduced to hedgehogs:
- The hedgehog, P.A. Morris, Shire Natural History,
ISBN 0 85263 958 9, 1.95 UK pounds, reprinted last in 1992.
(Would be about $2.50 without shipment.)

- Hedgehogs by Maxwell Knight, a Sunday times book
publication, Animals of Britain No. 3 edited by L. Harrison
Matthews, 24 pages, 1962. Almost no information at all,
advises to give bread and milk (for crying out loud) but has
one nice sentence: `I do not favor keeping hedgehogs in any
kind of cage - they are not suited to these conditions and
seldom thrive.' He advises `semi-captivity' meaning trying
to lure and keep them in your garden by providing suitable
housing and conditions.

I have more books about hedgehogs, but these are original
GERMAN books, translated to DUTCH, and probably not
available in English. I will list them because the FAQ is
read all over the world.

- Igel in Pension by Claudia Bestajovsky, Franckh'sche
Verlagshandlung, W. Keller & Co., Stuttgart, 1975
published in Holland as: Egel te gast, Thieme-Zutphen,
ISBN 90 03 94990 5, 1975. This book is about caring for
late autumn hedgehogs who are too small to survive the winter,
it's based on her own experience in helping 50+ hedgehogs.

- Geliebtes Stacheltier by Christl Poduschka, Landbuch-
Verlag GmbH, Hannover, Germany, 1972. Published in Holland
as: Onze eigen egel, Nijgh & Van Ditmar, Den Haag, 1974,
ISBN 90 236 3334 2. Tales about their garden-hedgehogs and
quite some information about feeding and caring of them.

- Igel als Wintergaste by Helga Fritzsche, Grafe und Unzer
GmbH, Munchen. Published in Holland as: Egels, Elsevier, 1981,
ISBN 90 10 03734 7. Very good book about the medical care
hedgehogs need, very thorough on diseases, actually very good in
everything. Has read Poduschka and improves on her.


Finally, while the following doesn't deal directly with live hedgehogs, it
may well be of interest to us hedgehog addicts (thanks again Katherine for
this):

There is a book by the British Hedgehog Society Staff called
Prickly Poems. (Illus.) 64p. Juv (gr 3-5) 03/1993.
$18.95 (ISBN 0-09-176379-7, Hutchinson UK). Trafalgar Square.

[The price, above, was valid as of 1997 -- Ed.]

------------------------------

Subject: <11.3> Is there information available on-line?

The Usenet newsgroups rec.pets, alt.fan.hedgehog, and alt.pets.hedgehogs all
carry discussions of wild, as well as pet hedgehogs (in spite of some of the
names).


In addition to the newsgroups, the main hedgehog mailing list has a number of
European members and sports frequent discussions of European hedgehogs and
helping them out.

Both an individual message version and a digest version of the list are
available.

You can join the regular (individual message version of the) hedgehog
mailing list, by sending email to the address:
***@nerg.com

with the words ``subscribe hedgehog-mail <your email address>'' (without the
double quotes, and with your own, full, email address in place of the <your
email address>) in the body of the message (not the subject line, though
putting it there too will be harmless).

You can join the digest version of the hedgehog mailing list, by sending
email to the address:
***@nerg.com

with the words ``set digest hedgehog-mail <your email address>'' (without the
double quotes, and with your own, full, email address in place of the <your
email address>) in the body of the message (not the subject line, though
putting it there too will be harmless).

Sending a message to the list is done by sending mail to the following
address after you are subscribed:
hedgehog-***@nerg.com

For more information about the list and commands, you can send a message to:
***@nerg.com
with the word ``help'' without the double quotes, in the body of the message.

In the event that you ever want to unsubscribe from either list, simply send
a message to the ``majordomo'' address (as if you were subscribing) but use
the words ``unsubscribe hedgehog-mail <your email address>'' (exactly like
subscribing to the regular list but using the word ``unsubscribe'') in the
text. This will unsubscribe you from whichever version of the list you
were subscribed to.


My own European hedgehog webpage can also act as a starting point for finding
more hedgehog information:

http://HedgehogHollow.COM/eurohhog.html


The Hedgehog Helpline is now online, and has one of the best websites I've
seen for information on all aspects of European hedgehogs.

http://www.hedgehg.dircon.co.uk/hedgehogs

You can also reach them via email at: ***@dircon.co.uk -- my
thanks to Kay at the Hedgehog Helpline for letting me know about their web
site, and for other information.


Another contender for the best online resource, for people interested in wild
hedgehogs is the Welsh Hedgehog Hospital (WHH):

http://www.whh.org/

These are the folks behind the book _The_Natural_Hedgehog_ and have done an
exceptional job of putting great information on all aspects of helping
hedgehogs on their web site.


Another excellent resource is the Cleveland Hedgehog Preservation Society
(CHPS) [11.4] web site at:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/donald.martin/CHPS/chps.htm

Thanks to Donald Martin for the update, and my apolgies for misplacing the
message along the way.

This site contains an excellent overview of what to do if you encounter a
hedgehog needing assistance, among other very useful information.

------------------------------

Subject: <11.4> Wild Hedgehog Organizations

There are numerous European hedgehog organizations that strive to help out
hedgehogs, usually thanks only to volunteer help and donations.

One of the first to come into being was the British Hedgehog Preservation
Society (BHPS), run by Major Adrian Cole, information about it was sent to me
courtesy of Bill Corner, Vanessa Purvis, and Seabury Salmon:

I thought I would let you know that here in the UK there exists a
society called ``the British Hedgehog Preservation Society''.
Their address - in case you want some more info! - is:
-- Bill Corner

BHPS
Knowbury House
Knowbury
Ludlow
Shropshire

SY8 3LQ
UK
Tel: [phone] or 890287.


Tom Weston sent around the following information about another organization
dedicated to rescuing and helping hedgehogs:

Having looked after hedgehogs for a number of years, Janet Peto founded
Hedgehog Welfare officially in December 1993. It is a small rescue
centre, based in Misterton [U.K.], taking in and caring for sick, injured
and orphaned hedgehogs. No hedgehog is ever turned away.

The aims of Hedgehog Welfare are:

To take in sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs, to care for them and
return them to the wild.

To encourage the finders of hedgehogs to care for them wherever possible
with full assistance from Hedgehog Welfare, including the loan of
equipment (when available) to do so.

To promote public awareness of the hedgehog in the wild (and of
conservation in general) and how everyone can assist.

To run courses which will improve the general knowledge and standards of
care-givers and veterinary surgeons.

If you would like to help or just know more about Hedgehog Welfare, its
work, or its courses, please write:

Janet Peto,
Hedgehog Welfare,
P.O. Box 1003,
Misterton,
Doncaster DN10 4JT
England

Janet has requested that when writing to her, could you possibly include
a stamped return envelope, or at least something to cover the return
cost. This will serve to help ensure the funds that Hedgehog Welfare
has will go to hedgehogs.

Barry Turner (who is the Newsletter Editor/WildAid) contacted me recently with
info on WildAid (formerly the SWRRC):

I help out with the Staffordshire Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation
Centre [(SWRRC) - now WildAid -- Ed.], an animal Sanctuary at Kingsley
near Cheadle, Staffordshire, England.

Jonathon Hodges, the Curator, takes in large numbers of rescued, sick or
injured hogs and hoglets throughout the year.

WildAid is a U.K. registered charitable organization which looks after sick,
injured, and otherwise endangered wildlife, primarily throughout the British
Isles, as well as now helping other Sanctuaries with advice, practical
assistance and sometimes financial help.

The address for WildAid is:

WildAid
Sprinks - Lane Kingsley - Near Cheadle
Staffordshire
England ST10 2Bx

Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

You can also contact them (Barry Turner) via email at:
***@AOL.com

Another group in the U.K. that looks after hedgehogs is the Cleveland
Hedgehog Preservation Society (CHPS):

The Cleveland Hedgehog Preservation Society is a British group that
cares for injured hedgehogs [that] then are released back into the wild.
-- Donald Martin

Donald also passed along word that the CHPS [11.3] have a web site which
contains an excellent overview of what to do if you encounter a hedgehog
needing assistance, at:

http://www.doned.demon.co.uk/


I have also found information on yet another hedgehog organization in the
U.K., courtesy of a post on the alt.fan.hedgehog [11.3] newsgroup by Liz
Roberts-Morgan:

The Hedgehog Helpline is a registered charity which relies on
sympathetic people to enable it to carry on the invaluable work
that it does to care for hedgehogs.

They produce an interesting booklet describing how to look out for
hedgehogs in your garden or in the countryside.

*Remember that Hedgehogs are wild animals and the object is to help our
prickly friends to survive, the object is always to return him or her to
his natural habitat if kept indoors over the Winter. They must never be
regarded as pets and prevented from having a natural life.*

If you are interested in a free copy of the booklet "All About
Hedgehogs," simply send a stamped addressed envelope, large enough to
contain an A5 sized booklet to:

Hedgehog Helpline
5 Forelandland Road,
Whitchurch
CARDIFF
CF4 7AR

http://www.hedgehg.dircon.co.uk/hedgehogs

If you would care to make a donation also it would be put to a good
cause. Cheques made out to Hedgehog Helpline.
-- Liz Roberts-Morgan


Almost last, and certainly far from least (how can anything hedgehog related
be least?) is ``St. Tiggywinkle's'' Hospital. The following information on
it was sent along by Willard B. ``Skip'' Nelson, DVM, with the phone number
coming from LeAnne and Adrian:

I see that you are looking for Mrs Tiggywinkle's hospital in the UK.
I have corresponded with Mr. Les Stocker, M.B.E. of the Wildlife
Hospital Trust a.k.a. ``St. Tiggywinkle's'' and I can report that his
address is

Wildlife Hospital Trust
Aston Road,
Haddenham, Aylesbury,
Buckinghamshire HP17 8AF
United Kingdom

Telephone: [phone]

www: http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/


Similar in nature to ``St. Tiggywinkle's'' is the Welsh Hedgehog Hospital
[11.2], [11.3].

The Welsh Hedgehog Hospital
Llanddeiniol
Ceredigion
SY23 5AR
United Kingdom

email: ***@whh.org
www: http://www.whh.org/

Telephone (emergencies only): 01974 241381
fax: [phone]

The WWH are also the people behind the excellent book _The_Natural_Hedgehog_
which includes many accounts of their successes, and sometimes failures in
trying to save and return sick and injured hedgehogs to their homes. Like
all such organizations, they are always looking for volunteers and for
donations (or adoptions, as they offer them), but they also do provide help
to those trying to help a hedgehog in need.


There is also a newsletter called the ``Hedgehog News'' published by the
Herts Hedgehog Helpline group in the U.K. Here is some info on them from
John Horton:

Hedgehog News covers the activities of our wild rescues and their life
and times, together with advice for people who come across orphans,
injured hogs, winter wanderers, etc. We are now into the beginning of
the release season for those who have over-wintered with us, the first
being let out into the woods this week [week of March 27th]. Others
have been moved to our newly built and `almost' hedgehog-proof holding
pen. In the next few weeks Herts Hedgehog Helpline will release over
100 hogs in our area. Anyone in the south of England and especially in
Herts, Beds, Essex and Cambs can call us for help. If we cannot [help]
then there is someone in the network who can. I can be reached on
***@sb.com or on my home number 01462-451618 for
those in the UK. It is great to see hogs on the net, but remember that
nets are not friendly to hogs!
-- John Horton

As pointed out, you can contact John at the Herts Hedgehog Helpline at:

Email: ***@sb.com
Telephone: [phone]


Crossing over to the mainland of Europe, there is Norway's Hedgehog Fan
Club, known as ``Hedgehog Friends.'' I received the following information
from its president Sigrun Seetrevik:

Pinnsvinenes Velforening
c/o Sigrun Saetrevik
Dalaneveien 20
4015 Stavanger
Norway

Cost is 50 kr. (~ $7-$8 CDN, ~ $4-$5 USD) which includes their magazine (most
of the articles are in the Norwegian language, but Sigrun indicated that they
were open to articles in English as well). You can also try contacting him
by email at: SIGRUN-***@gribb.hsr.no

The club is quite informal in nature, and members often get together
socially to have a good time and talk hedgehog, which belies the origins
of the club:

The actual reason for the foundation of our organization is the
fact that thousands of wild hedgehogs are run over by cars in the
streets. It's really tragic to witness this. Our job should be to
care for hedgehogs so that car drivers pay more attention. However,
this is an almost impossible task, and therefore our ``mission'' has
become quite ridiculous. But we won't give up!
-- Sigrun Seetrevik


For hedgehog lovers in Sweden, I heard from Siw and Anders, who do take in
injured and sick hedgehogs, and can help with advice. They don't have a
large organization, so please don't inundate them with questions or
hedgehogs that you can help look after yourself, but they can certainly help
out, especially if you don't know what to do and don't have anywhere to
keep convalescent hedgehogs. You can contact them at:

Siw Bjorkgren
Dagermansgatan 6nb
754 28 Uppsala
Sweden
Telefone: [phone]


In Belgium, the organization Wild Peace, based in Brussels, can provide
assistance in looking after orphaned animals such as hedgehogs. My thanks to
Janet Willacy for letting me know about them:

Wild Peace
80 rue Buffon
1070 Brussels
Belgium
Tel. [phone]

------------------------------

Subject: <11.5> Miscellaneous Hedgehog stuff and sources

This section covers hedgehog related topics and items that don't fit into the
previous sections. Sources of supplies for looking after wild hedgehogs, or
other items which are not `information' or `organizations' are listed, here.
To date, this is an area that I have not had the opportunity to add much to,
as yet.

I'll try to fill in the details here over the coming months and years. For
now, much of what goes here, is still scattered throughout other sections, so
take a look around, and you'll find some sources and resources.

One source that I have recently received information on is CJ WildBird Foods
Ltd., who, in addition to the obvious, also produce wild hedgehog food and
nest boxes. You can contact them at:


CJ WildBird Foods Ltd
The Rea
Upton Magna
Shrewsbury SY4 4UB
United Kingdom

http://www.birdfood.co.uk/

My thanks to Stefan Hossack of CJ WildBird Foods for passing along the
information.

One caveat I do have to make, however; based on the photos of their hedgehog
food, it appears to contain sunflower seeds and as such it probably is not
suitable for smaller (e.g. African Pigmy) hedgehogs, which are quite prone to
choking on such items, though is probably fine with larger, European
hedgehogs. You can always just remove the pieces, or crush them if you have
any concerns.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

12. *** Care and Helping ***

------------------------------

Subject: <12.1> The hedgehog calendar

No, this is not a place to get a calendar of hedgehogs! Most hedgehogs can't
read one, anyway! It's the hedgehog's view of the year, or rather seasons.
I should probably note that this section is written from the perspective of
people, and well, hedgehogs, living in the northern hemisphere. For people
in places such as New Zealand, remember to read it upside down, um, er, with
the summer/winter reversed as to what the months show here. It also refers
primarily to European hedgehogs -- climates and calendars for wild African
and other species will differ considerably.

December - March (approximately): This is the time of hibernation.
Obviously, the exact timings will depend very much on climate, and to some
extent, what food supplies were like just before hibernation.

March - April: Hedgehogs arise from hibernation and start to appear. Most
will be very hungry, and a helping-hand dish of cat or dog food at this time
will be most welcome to get the new year off to a good start.

April - May: Mating season (for summer hoglets), or as some people call it,
the noisy season. Great snufflefests outside your windows can occur as
hedgehogs demonstrate their amorous tendencies.

June - July: It's hoglet season. Depending on when mating took place, the
little ones will appear roughly 35 days (32-40 days) later. These are the
summer hoglets, and will have the best chances of survival.

July - August: The summer hoglets start leaving home at around 8 weeks of
age. Again the timing varies, depending on when they were born, how much
food there is and a lot of other factors.

This is also the time of the second mating season. This season is much less
defined than the earlier one, and depends more on when mothers are free of
their babies, and might be receptive again. This carries on through
September.

September - October: The autumn hoglets are born, and many hedgehogs start to
stock up on their winter fat. Obviously, hoglets born at this time have far
less opportunity to grow before the winter comes.

October - November: It's serious pack-on-the-fat-time for hedgehogs.
Prickly-appetites-on-paws will eat as much as they can at this time of year.
The autumn hoglets start to head out on their own in their desperate attempt
to build up enough fat and body weight to survive the coming winter.
Hedgehogs weighing less than 500-600 grams will have relatively little chance
of surviving anything but a mild winter.

December: It's time to find a den and settle in for hibernation. This is
triggered partly because of cold weather, and also (to a somewhat lesser
extent) because of reduced hours of daylight, but it is also because with the
coming of colder temperatures, most of the food supply disappears. Fat,
happy hedgehogs will now snuggle in until Spring.


Remember, the times shown in this calendar are very approximate. They will
all vary considerably with climate, food supply, and many other factors. In
years with late, or mild winters, hedgehogs can remain active into January,
which gives autumn babies a much better chance. In years with early winters,
many hedgehogs may be caught unprepared, and may sometimes be seen up and
around in the snow, trying to find a few last tidbits of food, or a better
shelter for the winter.

And, of course, New Zealand hedgehogs have it quite a bit differently, with
summer and winter reversed.

------------------------------

Subject: <12.2> Caring for visiting hedgehogs

Many people throughout the world, especially in Europe, have the pleasure of
having native hedgehogs visit their backyards and gardens. In many places
an almost overpowering urge exists to try and help these little visitors --
after all, in many cases, they are doing their best to rid your garden of
undesirable pests, besides they are irresistibly cute.

A quick point here -- this section is on naturally wild hedgehogs, and that
releasing pet hedgehogs into an environment, even one they could survive in,
in order to create a wild population, or just to dispose of a pet you no
longer want, is both cruel and dangerous, as well as illegal. In other
words, simply don't do it.

You should probably be aware that there is an interesting side effect to
having visiting hedgehogs in your garden, as Peter Captijn puts it:

European hedgehogs are known to wake up people sleeping with
an open window, when [the hedgehogs] are mating. I'm NOT joking:
people usually think there are burglars around the house and call the
police.

When it comes to providing food for visiting hedgehogs, the age old standard
of a saucer of milk is not a good idea, and can upset a hedgehog's stomach,
although I have no doubt that the hedgehogs dearly love it. In general, the
same sorts of rules that apply to pet hedgehogs [6.2], also apply for people
wanting to feed wild hedgehogs. The biggest difference probably being the
quantity -- European hedgehogs are MUCH larger than the African Pigmy
variety, and have larger appetites corresponding to their size (Something can
have a bigger appetite than Quiver? I'd have to see that to believe it!).
This is especially so towards the late autumn when hedgehogs are preparing
for hibernation, or with nursing mothers.

If you are providing just some extra food for visiting hedgehogs, cat or dog
food makes a much better option than bread and milk. It will also serve to
attract hedgehogs much more readily. It also makes a good supplement to the
diet of a hedgehog naturally foraging to put on weight for hibernation.

For longer term care, such as a convalescing hedgehog, straight dog/cat food
is not the ideal food either, unless as Peter Captijn put it ``you find
hedgeballs thriving'':

You can feed them any kind of slugs. European hedgehogs eat
slugs, preferably by the kilo. I've heard and seen (in that
order) them eating snails, but Morris believes they leave
them [alone, given the choice of other foods]. (I'm not sure,
but they probably need the calcium from the snail's houses.)
Fritzsche warns about feeding weakened hedgehogs snails and
slugs. The snails can be infected with lungworms (Crenosoma
striatum), which can kill a diseased hedgehog.
-- Peter Captijn

Again from Peter is the following on feeding:

Helga Fritzsche's recipe for hedgehog food:

500 g meager meatloaf (I'm not into cooking as you can tell
from the used words)
1 stroked of tablespoon lime for pets (Calcium stuff for pets)
1 tablespoon of linseed-oil
1 handful dogdinner (the hard stuff)
1 handful oats with bearded wheat (spelt) (This comes right
out the dictionary.)

Mix it and make balls from about 35 grams, put them in aluminum-
kitchen-foil and keep them in the freezer. She recommends
giving food once or twice (preferably): in the morning a bit
and in the evening more. In the morning she gives 10 to 12
pieces of dogfood and 6 to 8 mealworms. (Fat ones only get
water), in the evening one ball of 35 grams of the above, 15
pieces of dogfood and 6 to 8 mealworms. Everything is
depending on the size of the hedgehog. Keep in mind that
European hedgehogs are bigger then African Pigmy. She uses a
vitamin-prep, 1 or 2 drips on the food. All food must be on
hedgehog temperature (at least room temperature). By the
way, she kills the mealworms prior to feeding so they can't
get away. [have you ever seen a mealworm get away from a
hedgehog? -- Ed.]

If you can manage to tolerate handling live food enough to feed it,
most hedgehogs love to hunt a bit as suggested by Anja van der Werf:

Please don't kill mealworms before feeding them to the animals: they
(the hedgehogs) have a right to have fun too.

With that comes a gentle reminder that hedgehogs which are in captivity (such
as convalescing from injury or illness), do need some entertainment -- a
barren cage means a boring life for an animal that usually spends its nights
snuffling over a surprising expanse of territory. Do your friends a favour,
and let them play.


If you are looking after a convalescent hedgehog(s), and the weather is
turning cold, don't forget to keep your little patient warm. Going into
hibernation when not fully healed, or without adequate winter fat reserves is
likely going to be a one-way trip. See section [12.8] for more information
on hibernation.

------------------------------

Subject: <12.3> Feeding and caring for orphan baby hedgehogs

With the number of hedgehogs killed on roads, and from other reasons, it's
not surprising that orphaned babies do occur.

If you come across baby hedgehogs wandering about on their own, during the
middle of the day, there is a good chance that they are orphans. That said,
don't simply collect them and take them home to care for them. Unless they
are obviously in dire straits, it's best to give them a day or possibly two
to see if mom does return. If she hasn't within that time, you should
probably consider taking action. Of course, if they look to be in serious
need of help, then don't wait -- if they've already been on their own for a
while, they might not have a couple of days left in them.

What you feed them depends on their age, and this will be largely a judgement
call. If they are old enough it might be possible to feed them canned cat or
dog food (or the recipe above [12.2]). If they are too young, take a look at
the suggestions for nursing replacements outlined below. Basically, these
are the same formulas as used with baby African hedgehogs and will work well
for baby European hedgehogs also -- only the quantities will likely be quite
a bit greater (the 'hog' part of the name isn't there for no reason...).

Generally, the rule about avoiding or limiting cows' milk for adult hedgehogs
also applies to babies, only even more so. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant,
and cows' milk will likely cause diarrhea, resulting in dehydration and
further problems.

Robyn Gorton, who was studying hedgehogs in New Zealand, passed along the
following information on caring for babies.

I find that caring for the young is simple enough as long as you have a
good milk to feed them. I have discovered that sheeps' milk is the
closest in composition to hhog milk and acts as an excellent substitute
when mixed with raw egg. It may for the first few days cause swelling of
the anus, but as soon as they start teething (3 weeks) you can add mashed
banana for fibre and their problems clear up. It's a very high protein
diet but one must watch for a vitamin B deficiency which can be caused
by too much raw egg. I had my two hoglets suckling on a syringe for the
first week and 1/2 until their teeth erupted (this takes three days for a
full set to emerge!!) then simply start using a saucer and they will
naturally feed from it themselves.

I've also heard of using goats' milk, similar to what Robyn suggested above,
though I trust her research as far sheeps' milk being closer to hedgehog
milk. I do need to caution, however, about the use of raw eggs, as they can
cause problems of their own [6.2] -- this, however, may be one situation
where bending those rules is worthwhile.

What do you do if you don't have a friendly goat or sheep, or can't easily
find sheeps' or goats' milk? Many pet stores and pet supply stores carry KMR
(Kitten Milk Replacement). It's usually in powdered form, which makes it
handy for the small quantities you will need.

I've also heard of Esbilac (human baby formula) being used successfully, to
offer yet another option. Anja van der Werf pointed out to me that when you
are trying to use human formula, make sure it is soya-based rather than based
on cows' milk.


One thing to watch out for in feeding baby hedgehogs, is that after each
feeding you must stimulate them to defecate and urinate, otherwise their
bladder and bowel will swell up and can even burst. To do this, simply
stroke along their tummy towards the anus, which simulates a mother licking
and grooming her babies. You can also do this with a warm damp tissue or
cloth. The idea isn't to squeeze anything out, just to stimulate the baby to
do it's business.


Remember that hand raising baby hedgehogs is very difficult, and if you try
and meet with tragedy, remember that you gave them much more of a chance
than they would have had without you. Whatever happens, don't give up and
decide that hedgehogs are bad, or that it's not worth helping hoglets -- it's
just hedgehog nature, and next time may well be nothing short of magical.


Another thing you can do for orphaned hedgehogs, is to contact one of the
organizations that provide sanctuaries or assistance (such as St.
Tiggywinkle's [11.4]). They can often provide information or assistance, and
may even be able to provide a home for the babies. This also goes for
injured or sick hedgehogs that you might happen across.

------------------------------

Subject: <12.4> Hedgehog housing

Most European countries are very protective about their native hedgehogs,
so this section does not refer to caging or keeping hedgehogs, but more
about providing shelter and protection for those that come to visit, or to
spend their winter's nap in your yard or garden.

Providing housing that is suitable to hedgehogs can both encourage them to
live in your area, and be frequent visitors, and it can also provide a safe
place for them to spend the winter, rather than curling up in a pile of
leaves or compost that can lead them to grief.

Here are some ideas from Peter Captijn on providing dens (see [12.4] also):

I have two daytime-sleeping-dens under some foliage. These are
open constructions which give protection against wind and rain.
And they like it, I may say. Every year there are some hedgehogs
in the garden, and sometimes, when I'm lucky, a pregnant female
likes it so much that she decides to have her hoglets in one of
the dens. I call it daytime-sleeping-dens but the hedgehogs
regularly hibernate in them.

The roof isn't attached permanently but can be removed by lifting
it. It fits tight by some wooden blocks. Hence I can clean it
once a year (when it is not in use: no fresh droppings). The
den is made of water-resistant multiplex (without formaldehyde!),
the roof is decked with asphalt-paper. Untreated wood can be
painted (use lead-free paint!) to give it a green-brownish look.
In the left top view: in the right under corner I drill some 1 cm
holes to let the piss drain away, but I'm not sure it's really
needed. Hedgehogs use these dens to sleep in and do not often
soil them. If they do, they choose a corner and use that always.
I fill this den with some fresh (pet store) hay, but the hedgehog
usually redecorates it with old leaves and such.

Peter also sent along some great drawings, which I will try to ASCIIize
and include down the road.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society [11.4] actually produces a booklet
on making hedgehog dens, and I believe they at least used to sell hedgehog
houses at one point.

The idea behind creating a den or house is to create a well ventilated,
cave-type structure, that can be packed with leaves and grasses to create a
cozy den. This can be partially underground, depending on what you have
available to you, such as by burying a wooden box (upside down) with a short
underground access.

For winter, it should be well insulated with plenty of leaf litter and the
like, and protected from strong winds.


The next point that comes up is where to put it. Sticking your nice new
hedgehog house out in the middle of a well trimmed lawn is not likely to get
much prickly approval. Dens or houses should generally go along natural
borders, which are where hedgehogs are most likely to travel. It should also
be in a location that is not too busy -- either with human or furry traffic.

The best advice I can give, is to try and think like a hedgehog. You're
active in the dark and you don't see terribly well, but you don't want a den
that every badger in town is going to find an easy trail to.

------------------------------

Subject: <12.5> Hedgehogizing your garden

There are a lot of things you can do to make your garden more appealing and
safer for visiting hedgehogs -- all of which will encourage them to visit.
Of course, having a bumper crop of slugs and beetles is probably number one
on the hedgehog's list, but likely somewhere below the bottom of yours!

If you want to attract hedgehogs to your garden (assuming they are native to
your area), one of the best ways (as always with hedgehogs) is bribery. Put
out some food, preferably something like canned cat or dog food, or some
cooked eggs (scrambled supposedly works well).

Fresh water is always a good lure too, though beware of offering too much in
the way of a swimming pool without a way out (see section [12.7]).

One thing to beware of is that most pesticides are not safe for hedgehogs.
If you use a lot of pesticides on your garden, you should not be trying to
attract hedgehogs, unless the idea is to replace the pesticides with the
hedgehogs, and if so, discontinue the pesticides first.

Probably the biggest worry in this respect (pesticides) is slug bait. If
there are hedgehogs in your area, you should not be using slug bait as it
will almost certainly find its way into a hedgehog with unpleasant and often
dire consequences for the hedgehog. There are plenty of safe ways to deal
with slugs -- including hedgehogs.

------------------------------

Subject: <12.6> Wild hedgehog health

For the most part, wild hedgehogs are quite able to look after themselves,
except when they encounter humans in some form or another. There are some
maladies that do affect wild hedgehogs -- usually as the result of stress or
injury.

One particular problem to note, occurs primarily in autumn babies. That is
that they do not pack on enough weigh to be able to survive hiberating.
Hedgehogs need to weight at least 500-600 grams in order to have a reasonable
chance of surviving hibernation. If you have autumn babies in your garden
that are too small to hibernate successfully, you may need to bring them
indoors for a while, and fatten them up.

Here is a reminder from Peter Captijn that as friendly as wild hedgehogs are,
they are still wild animals and certain realities apply:

When a wild hedgehog has to be kept in house or with other
hedgehogs, it's a good idea to get rid of the fleas and ticks [9.4]
before you infect your clean house. Most people use cat spray, but
ticks tend to live through that. Bathing in vermin killing stuff
will be the solution. It can be done (preferably once) in a little
warm water so the hedgehog can't drown. Never use sprays or
whatever on piglets/hoglets, and never spray something in the
eyes, you can blind the hedgehog. Please remind: a healthy wild
hedgehog has vermin, always! This is natural.

Also from Peter are some pointers on various other health problems:

Rabies: from various sources - European hedgehogs don't get
rabies. Whether that means they just die very quick, or that
they are immune, I don't know.

[Editor's note: hedgehogs `can' get rabies, but due to the way they live, it
is exceptionally rare, at least as compared to other, more aggressive or
easily bitten animals]

About lungworms, Fritzsche writes about German scientific study
regarding lungworms by hedgehogs. Lungworms are capsulated
in the lungs and die. If the hedgehog isn't healthy, this
apparently doesn't work [fast enough?], and the hedgehog dies.
I do have hedgehogs running free in the garden, and I hear and
see [them] (in that order) eat snails and slugs, every day, and
quite a lot of them. I won't hesitate to offer a hedgehog a
snail, but I can't estimate the involved risk (if any).

In my other readings and researches I've learned that the level of vermin
(fleas, ticks, mites, etc.) on wild hedgehogs often has a lot to do with
their living conditions, or more specifically how stressful they are.
Hedgehogs living well out in the country, with a plentiful supply of food and
water, relatively little or no pollution, or problems from human
encroachment, will have little, or not detectable vermin. Those which are
under much more stress will have considerably higher levels of hitchhikers.

Injuries can provide an opportunity for various vermin to infest a hedgehog.
If you are helping a visiting friend out, check for ticks and even maggot
infestations where wounds or injuries might have happened. Maggots might
need to be removed from the wound with a pair of tweezers, and the wound
thoroughly cleaned with an antiseptic solution.

Ticks should be treated with something designed to kill them. Don't try to
simply remove them, or their mouth parts will be left attached, causing
infection and more serious problems.

I would suggest the book _The_Natural_Hedgehog_ to anyone who is planning to
try and help out hedgehogs in need. Also, don't try to treat anything more
than minor problems without the help of a qualified veterinarian.

If all else fails, or you aren't sure what to do, get in touch with one of
the organizations listed in section [11.4] -- they will be happy to assist
you in helping a little friend.

------------------------------

Subject: <12.7> Dangers to wild hedgehogs

When it comes to protecting hedgehogs, there is usually little danger to them
in the garden, or any other truly natural habitat, from other animals or
objects, as illustrated here by Peter Captijn:

I have two cats (females), and the garden is frequently visited
by many others (males!), but I'm still in doubt whether I should
protect the cats from the hedgehog, or vise versa. The hedgehog
usually barges through, whether there is a cat lying in its way
or not [gee, that sounds familiar - ed.]. The only risk I probably
have, is getting hedgehog-pests contaminated cats. Hedgehogs aren't
bothered easily, they have repeatedly walked over my mother's feet.

That said, there are dangers lurking in many gardens and yards, and dogs can
cause serious injuries to hedgehogs, especially young ones. Again, here are
some words of wisdom from Peter Captijn:

Please note that ANY PESTICIDE you'll use in your garden is bound
to end up in your HEDGEHOG, which means in an alarming rate: NO
HEDGEHOG! Hedgehogs are resistant against animal poisons, not
man-made pesticides. Hedgehogs do not destroy gardens, they do
not dig, they only manure it. They (try to) keep your garden free
of pests and bugs.

One of the worst things by way of pesticides is slug bait. This builds up in
slugs, which are one of the hedgehogs favorite foods, and hence in the
hedgehog. If possible, avoid the slug bait and let the hedgehogs do the
slug-removal, or if you must use it, make sure you keep hedgehogs out of your
garden.

Another, somewhat odd problem is that hedgehogs seem to compulsively crawl
into or through things (or at least try to, often becoming stuck). This
includes cans, plastic rings from drink cans, nets, plastic yogurt or ice
cream cups, and even key-rings. Why they feel a need to go into or through
instead of around is anyone's guess, but anything a hedgehog can get into, he
will, and if it's possible to become stuck, he will. Keeping your garden
free of such objects will help ensure the safety of the hedgehogs that visit
you.

Also, pools and ponds present a unique problem to visiting hedgehogs. Many
man-made pools and ponds have smooth sides, which are too slippery or steep
for a hedgehog, who has accidentally fallen in, to climb out. One of the
easiest safeguards I have seen for this is to simply dangle a thick rope into
the water and tie the other end off to a stake. This is usually enough for a
hedgehog to climb out with. Hedgehogs can swim, and will follow around the
outside of the pool or pond looking for some way to get out. The only time
they tend to drown is in cases where they get too tired searching for a
non-existent way out. Another method some people use is to create a wooden
or cloth ramp, with one end floating in the water, and the other end safely
attached on dry land.

As a summary of dangers to hedgehogs, here is a list composed by David Mantle
of some of the hazards that face wild hedgehogs in our modern world. I've
added a few items and annotated a few others for clarity.

Below are just some of the hazards that wild hedgehogs in England have
to face, as well as surviving hibernation.

Badgers (one of their few natural predators)
Barbed-wire
Cars
Dogs
Empty cat food tins
Fires (especially on Nov. 5th) (Guy Fawkes Day - fires and fireworks)
Four-pack ring binders (plastic holders for drink cans)
Garden forks
Gin traps
Human cruelty, kicking, stabbing etc.
Metal fencing
Milk cartons
Netting
Paint
Pesticides
Plastic cups
Removed drain covers
Slug pellets (poison used to kill slugs)
Strimmers (weed eaters, string trimmers, etc.)
String (swallowed, or simply tangled)
Yogurt pots (or any other small plastic cup)

There are just so many things that they can become trapped in.
-- David Mantle

Hedgehogs truly possess an incredible ingenuity for turning the most mundane
of objects or situations into something with dire consequences for them. If
there is a way they can get into trouble, they will. If they can't get into
trouble, they will invent a way.

------------------------------

Subject: <12.8> Watching out for hibernating hedgehogs

European hedgehogs hibernate during the winter months (or cold months,
depending on where you might be located), unlike wild African Pigmy hedgehogs
who tend to do the opposite, aestivating [12.1] during the hot dry periods
[7.3].

The core hibernation months for hedgehogs, in Europe, are typically January
through March, with some hedgehogs who haven't put on enough weight in time
still staying up and around until February (usually desperately trying to add
to their winter fat so they can survive the cold).

Hibernation is a tough time for hedgehogs. If they haven't put on enough
weight, or if it is a particularly long or cold winter, they just might not
make it. However, even well fed hedgehogs who think they've found the ideal,
snug, warm place to survive the winter can run into modern problems, as
described by Seabury Salmon:

About Fall time, they hibernate in piles of leaves and things at the
bottom of the garden. The British gardener is a tidy beast and likes to
burn the leaves. Hence, roast hedgehog.

Before you start burning your leaves, etc., give the pile a quick check in
case a friendly neighborhood hedgehog has made a winter den in the middle of
your refuse.

European [hedgehogs] prepare for hibernation when it gets real
cold: 7 degrees Celsius and below (about 16 degrees Fahrenheit).
-- Peter Captijn

[Forgive me Peter, but I wish I lived with your idea of ``real cold'' -- that
sounds like a nice warm spring or autumn day! -- Ed.]

Hedgehogs will often remain curled up in hibernation until well into April.
If you discover one in a pile of leaves in your garden in the spring, you can
give him a good start to the year by putting out a pan of dog or cat food
where he will find it when he wakes up. You may even gain a friend who will
continue to visit your garden.

I should probably point out that hedgehogs do not need to hibernate, and if
given the opportunity to not do so, they certainly will not hibernate! It is
primarily because food is not available during the cold weather that they go
into hibernation (witness the fact that many animals don't hibernate in the
same climate). Because of this, rest assured that you aren't doing any harm
by keeping a hedgehog from its winter's nap.

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