Brian MacNamara
2013-12-29 01:31:18 UTC
Archive-name: hedgehog-faq/part1
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Keywords: faq pet hedgehogs
Last-modified: 28 December 2013
Version: 3.177
HEDGEHOG FAQ (part 1 of 7) -- ABOUT THE HEDGEHOG FAQ
Compiled and edited by Brian MacNamara (***@hedgehoghollow.com)
Additions, corrections, and suggestions for this file are welcomed.
This document is copyright 2013 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 THE HEDGEHOG FAQ FILES
Part I: ABOUT THE HEDGEHOG FAQ (this file)
0. *** About this FAQ ***
<0.1> Notes on formatting
<0.2> Where to get the Hedgehog FAQ
<0.3> Goal of this FAQ
<0.4> Credits and editor's notes
<0.5> Information I would like to track down and add -- please help!
<0.6> Copyright and redistribution information
1. *** Revision history of this file ***
Part II: FINDING MORE INFORMATION
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
Part III: INTRO TO HEDGEHOGS AS PETS
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?
Part IV: HEDGEHOGS AS PETS
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)
Part V: HEDGEHOG CARE AND UNDERSTANDING
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
Part VI: ADVANCED TOPICS IN HEDGEHOGGERY
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
Part VII: WILD HEDGEHOGS
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
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
0. *** About this FAQ ***
------------------------------
Subject: <0.1> Notes on formatting
The answers in these files are given in a ``digest format,'' which should
make it easier for you to scan through them for the information you want.
Each question begins with a line of hyphens, followed by its number and
the question itself, as given in the Table of Contents above. In many
newsreaders, including rn, trn, and strn, you can jump from one
question to the next by hitting CONTROL-G. You can also look for a
particular answer by searching for its number or for words from the
question.
There are also some formatting aspects which may appear odd at first,
such as indents and combinations of tabs and spaces. These are used to
automatically convert the FAQ into HTML format, using a utility program I
created for this. Unfortunately, it's not very adaptable to other FAQs as it
was written in some haste, but it does do a reasonable job on the Hedgehog
FAQ.
Cross-references to other questions are in square brackets; for
example, [2.2] means that more information may be found in section
2.2.
Anti-SPAM measures. Unfortuantely, email addresses within the FAQ appear to
be favorite targets for SPAMmers. As a result, I've added "REMOVE_TO_SEND"
to each email address in the text based (posted) FAQ.
For example, if an email address is hedgehog at burrow.com, it would show
as being hedgehogREMOVE_TO_SEND at burrow.com.
Also, I've changed the web based version to display correctly (visually), but
uses another anti-SPAM machanism to prevent the addresses from being searched.
------------------------------
Subject: <0.2> Where to get the Hedgehog FAQ
This FAQ is posted once a month (usually on or around the 20th) to the
rec.pets, rec.answers, and news.answers newsgroups. It is also available by
anonymous FTP from the main news.answers repository:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/rec.pets/
(That is, ftp to rtfm.mit.edu and cd into the directory
pub/usenet-by-group/rec.pets). The files themselves are called:
Hedgehog_FAQ_[1_7]_-_About_the_Hedgehog_FAQ
Hedgehog_FAQ_[2_7]_-_Finding_more_information
Hedgehog_FAQ_[3_7]_-_Intro_to_Hedgehogs_as_pets
Hedgehog_FAQ_[4_7]_-_Hedgehogs_as_pets
Hedgehog_FAQ_[5_7]_-_Care_and_Understanding
Hedgehog_FAQ_[6_7]_-_Advanced_Topics_in_Hedgehoggery
Hedgehog_FAQ_[7_7]_-_Wild_Hedgehogs
It's also always available from my hedgehog web page at:
http://HedgehogHollow.com/
Finally, Dr. Tetsuro Oka, DMV, has translated the one version of the FAQ into
Japanese, which can be accessed at:
http://member.nifty.ne.jp/exoticpet/
Please note that the address, above, is new (Oct, 1999), and Dr. Tetsuro Oka
informs me that he is working on an updated translation of the FAQ.
If you cannot ftp and have no WWW access, send me email
(***@hedgehoghollow.com) and I'll be glad to email you a copy.
------------------------------
Subject: <0.3> Goal of this FAQ
This FAQ is intended to cover many of the basic questions about hedgehogs.
It's somewhat unusual in that it deals both with pet (African Pigmy)
hedgehogs, and with wild hedgehogs (primarily European, but also African).
Most of the FAQ is aimed primarily at pet hedgehogs, largely because that is
the information I have to draw on. I hope to continue to extend the coverage
of the FAQ to address both groups reasonably, and since there is considerable
crossover in how the information applies, much of what is said about one
group is applicable to the other, with a little common sense used in the
interpretation.
The number of books and other sources for information is finally expanding to
a reasonable quantity, however, there is still relatively little information
available on caring for and understanding hedgehogs, at least compared to
most animals. While this FAQ does not intend to be an in-depth dissertation
on hedgehogs, it is expected to provide some basic information, and to be a
source for new information as it is learned, rather than waiting for the next
book to be published.
I should also point out that I expect to keep the comments fairly light, so
as not to make the bulk of this FAQ qualify as a cure for insomnia. If you
start to find it boring, tell me -- I probably fell asleep while typing that
section, and messed up on the what I was saying.
I do have to admit to one pang of guilt. When I discovered there was so very
little information on looking after hedgehogs, I desperately wanted a FAQ to
refer to. Since there wasn't one (Sorry Nathan, I didn't even know about
your efforts then) I figured the best way to get all the information I wanted
was to write the FAQ, and hope the comments it managed to get would provide
all the missing bits and pieces. 'Nuff said, let's get on with hedgehogs.
------------------------------
Subject: <0.4> Credits and editor's notes
I can take credit for only a relatively small part of the contents of this
FAQ. Most of the useful information deserves thanks to others. I have tried
to give credit to the right person in the right place by indenting specific
comments by others and citing the authors. My real contribution has been to
cobble together the many useful pieces of information on hedgehogs that have
appeared on the Internet, and elsewhere, into a single source.
With this latest version (3.X), I think the FAQ, and myself, have finally
reached the point where we both know something about hedgehogs, at last. As
part of this rewrite, I've tried to blend in many of the comments that people
have provided, and in some cases, I may have dropped actual quotes from the
FAQ. I want to apologize to those of you whose information has now become
part of the prose, rather than a separate quotation. I've done this to try
and make the information flow better for the reader, and I can promise it has
not been done lightly.
Of all the contributors, I would like to extend a special thanks to Nathan
Tenny whose unofficial hedgehog FAQ formed the foundation for the information
below. Nathan deserves the lion's share of the inspiration on this FAQ, and
should be considered the father of the hedgehog FAQ. Thanks Nathan -- you
saved my first version from just being filled with hedgehog anecdotes,
instead of good information.
I would also like to thank Katherine Long for the encouragement to actually
pull this together, and Pamela Greene for allowing me to use the ferret FAQ
as a guide for the topics and sections below, and many other useful tidbits
of FAQ formatting.
I have a special thanks for Cathy A. Johnson-Delaney, DVM, who as one of the
first few veterinarians who has owned (or is that owned by?) hedgehogs, has
provided some medical info for the FAQ. Thanks for the help Cathy, and for
making me feel a lot better about this pile of babbling.
Thanks to Peter Captijn, who almost single handedly kick-started me into
finally adding the information on European hedgehogs that I've been meaning
to for ages (and who actually contributed most of it) -- may your garden be
overrun by prickly little visitors.
And next to David Mantle for sending me an absolutely amazing wealth of
information on European hedgehogs that will take me a while to wade through
and incorporate all the wonderful tidbits into the FAQ.
Sort of a quick separate thanks to all the hedgehog-happy readers of the
rec.pets newsgroup, and the hedgehog listservers, who have unknowingly added
volumes to this FAQ, and especially to Patty-Anne Lea for boosting my ego
above and beyond measure and letting me know for sure that this creation is
appreciated.
In a general sense, I would like to thank all the people at the N.A.H.A.,
HI, and the IHR for their help and encouragement.
I want to extend many thanks to the contributors who all deserve a round of
applause for what they have contributed: Melanie A. Abell; Ron Adrezin;
Andrew Albinger; Debbie Allen; Jeffery Allen; Debbie Andelin; Tammy Baer;
Mallory Baker; Lance Barlow; Brenda Basinger; Michael Bell; D. Bishop;
Shirley Ann Blakeney; Dick Brisky, Matt and Renee Butcher; Tom Buzzwo; Eloise
Campbell; Christi Cantrell; Travis Carter; Chingur/Lani Richey; chvall;
Teresa Claudino; Wayne W. Clendenin; Kathleen Close; Jazmyn Concolor; Bill
Corner; CowFanatic; Peyton M. Creadick; John R. Daily; Del, Marcin Dobrucki;
Doug Dorer and Mary Anne; Sarah Duffy; Dave Ehrnstein; Elizabeth Galante;
Robyn Gorton; Tex Green; Leslie H.; Michael Hainsworth; Lynn Hallquist;
Sophie Hannan, Kim Heys; Kelly A. Hodge; John Horton; Stefan Hossack; Steph
Hyne; Penny Jackson; Laura Jefferson; Jerry; Julihana; Melissa Kallick,
Marcia Kautz; Kay of Hedgehog Helpline; Anders Kemi and Siw Bjorkgren; Kirby
J. Kerr; Lisa Ladouceur; LeAnne and Adrian; Julie Leir-Van Sickle and Glen
Van Sickle; Zack Lessley; John Lester; George Lewis; Terri Lewis; Alicia
Look; Peter Mack; Melissa Maloney; Rachel Markey; John F. Masinter; Sharon
Massena; Donald Martin; Janet Martin; Mike McGary; Gerald McKiness; Antigone
Means; Melissa and Heather; Melissa-Lee; Jan Micheel; Elizabeth Jane Monroe;
Julie Moor; Tiffany Mross; Willard B. ``Skip'' Nelson, DVM; Mary Novak; John
Ofner; Dr. Tetsuro Oka, DVM; Ligia Ortega; Tim Pearson; Christine Porter;
Pam Powers; Vanessa Purvis; Dr. Nigel Reeve; Todd Reeves; Paul Ritchey;
Cindy Rosa, Lisa Rowe; Rick Russell; Seabury Salmon; Jon Santarelli; Richard
Saunders; Matt Scott, Sigrun Seetrevik; Sheri; Michael Simla; Jon Simmons;
Craig Simpson; Shelley Small; Wendi Smit; Bryan H. Smith; Alexis Sneller;
Elyse Spaite; Randy Starcher; Ken Steigenberger; Pat Storer; Chuck Stoup;
Doyle Stradling; Susan & Chia; H. Swaggert; Teresa; Tirya; Dan Tishman;
Barry Turner; Steve Turpin; Anja van der Werf; Ian Van Natter; Jesse and
Kris Welsh; Tom Weston; Kyrstin Westwind; Linda Wheatley; Janet Willacy;
Johnny M. Williams; Dominique Winther; Woobie; Dawn Wrobel, Jennifer
Young-Watson; Kathy and Donald Zepp; and Znofyl; and the late, dear Velcro,
Sprocket, Hocus, Pocus, Quibble, Bramble, Skewer, Popeye, Quiver, Pepper,
Mimosa, Chestnut, Neon, Nettles, Noelle, and Nookie.
One last thank you that deserves separate note is to my wife, Betty Gunn for
happily sharing and encouraging my hedgehog addiction, presenting me with
Velcro, and for repeatedly translating this whole thing into English, from
what ends up being little more than a mish-mash of spelling mistakes and
punctuation that bears no resemblance to any language from this planet.
If there is anyone I have missed, you have my apologies, and please let me
know. I hope that the list above will continue to grow over the coming
years.
------------------------------
Subject: <0.5> Information I would like to track down and add -- please help!
This is your chance to help add things to the FAQ. Some of the specific
information I'm trying to track down is listed below, but please don't limit
yourselves to this -- I'm very open minded about taking any kind of
information I can get a hold of.
New or changing information on any hedgehog related organizations and
charities, clubs, and rescue organizations. This is a permanent request.
Further information on places where hedgehogs are not legal as pets,
or changes that make them legal where they were not.
More information on hedgehogs as pets in other parts of the world, and the
types (species) kept as pets in various places.
Any questions you think the FAQ should answer or discuss -- even if
(especially if?) you don't know the answer.
Information on books about and products for hedgehogs.
Information about hedgehog food. What brands/types are available and
where.
Additional information useful to people dealing with wild hedgehogs,
especially those in Europe.
Updated information on current veterinary literature sources for
section [8.6].
Information on hedgehog health problems and treatments.
Some of the things I hope to add over the upcoming releases are:
(I'm still trying to finish tidying up all the changes in the V3.X
rewrite of the FAQ -- as soon as I can start to look forward, again,
I'll add some meaningful plans, here).
------------------------------
Subject: <0.6> Copyright and redistribution information
This compilation, is copyright 2013 by Brian MacNamara.
It may be freely distributed by electronic, paper, or other means,
provided that it is distributed in its entirety, including this notice,
and that no fee is charged apart from the actual costs of distribution.
(For-profit service providers such as CompuServe and America Online
are granted permission to distribute the files provided that no
additional fee beyond standard connection-time charges is levied.)
Those portions of this file written by others remain the property of
their respective authors.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1. *** Revision history of this file ***
------------------------------
Subject: Revision history
The most accurate description of the version of this FAQ is the date
at the top. For really minor changes, I won't necessarily change the
version number, but I'll always change the date.
Version 3.177 - 28 December 2013
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [6.5] (added
caution about fabric softener as a serious skin irritant
Version 3.176 - 26 November 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.175 - 27 October 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.174 - 29 September 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.173 - 24 August 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.172 - 29 July 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.171 - 29 June 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.170 - 20 May 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.169 - 27 April 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.168 - 24 March 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.167 - 24 February 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.166 - 27 January 2013
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.165 - 22 December 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.164 - 20 November 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.163 - 20 October 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.162 - 22 September 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.161 - 25 August 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.160 - 22 June 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.159 - 23 June 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.158 - 25 May 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.157 - 25 April 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.156 - 31 March 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.155 - 25 February 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.154 - 22 January 2012
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.153 - 27 December 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.152 - 26 November 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.151 - 25 October 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.150 - 25 September 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.149 - 28 August 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.148 - 23 July 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.147 - 26 June 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.146 - 23 May 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.145 - 24 April 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.144 - 25 March 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.143 - 25 February 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.142 - 23 January 2011
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.141 - 24 December 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.140 - 25 November 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.139 - 24 October 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.138 - 24 September 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.137 - 26 August 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.136 - 23 July 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.135 - 25 June 2010
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( ),
Version 3.134 - 23 May 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.133 - 30 April 2010
Revised sections [0.4] (contributions), [1.] (always), [8.3] (added
suggestion on dealing with tattered ears).
Version 3.132 - 22 March 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.131 - 27 February 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.130 - 23 January 2010
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.129 - 24 December 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.128 - 22 November 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.127 - 25 October 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.126 - 22 September 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.125 - 21 August 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.124 - 25 July 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.123 - 23 June 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.122 - 24 May 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.121 - 25 April 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.120 - 25 March 2009
No changes this month. The good news is that posting is finally working
again after a long battle with the posting software.
Version 3.119 - 20 February 2009
No changes this month. With any luck this month's FAQ will post. I have a
new Usenet provider, but it is always a battle to get the posting s/w to
work with any changes.
Version 3.118 - 23 January 2009
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always). Please note
that due to Usenet provider problems I have not been able to post to the
newsgroups for a while. I hope to have this resolved shortly within the
next week or two.
Version 3.117 - 27 December 2008
No changes this month. Please note that due to Usenet provider problems
I have not been able to post for a while. I hope to have this resolved
shortly.
Version 3.116 - 20 November 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.115 - 20 October 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.114 - 24 September 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.113 - 22 August 2008
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( ), [1.] (as ever),
Version 3.112 - 22 July 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.111 - 21 June 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.110 - 24 May 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.109 - 24 April 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.108 - 26 March 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.107 - 26 February 2008
Revised sections [0.4] (more great contributors), [1.] (always), [5.4]
(added note on using firewood pellets as litter), [6.2] (added suggestion to
beware of cottage cheese and kitten food, and warnings on Ferret food being
too high in fat), [6.5] (added idea on nail clipping).
Version 3.106 - 23 January 2008
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always), [10.1] (added
a large section on birthing and dealing with rejected babies and bad
hedgie moms).
Version 3.105 - 22 December 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.104 - 24 November 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.103 - 23 October 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.102 - 23 September 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.101 - 25 August 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.100 - 27 July 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.99 - 21 June 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.98 - 20 May 2007
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributions), [1.] (always), [6.2] (added
numerous nutritional entries), [6.3] (added numerous nutritional entries).
Version 3.97 - 22 April 2007
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.1] (removed Sharon Massena's info as
she is no longer in the hedgehog business), [2.7] (removed out of date
contact info for Hedgehogs NW), [2.8] (removed S.M. info), [6.3] (removed
S.M. info).
Version 3.96 - 25 March 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.95 - 27 February 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.94 - 24 January 2007
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always), [6.3] (added
info on Sunseed Hedgehog Formula food).
Version 3.93 - 25 December 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.92 - 25 November 2006
No changes this month, but for those of you who live around wild hedgies,
please keep an eye open for hungry young hedgeogs still trying to put on
some winter fat, and maybe give them a hand. :-)
Version 3.91 - 21 October 2006
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [2.2] (added
Hedgehog Central, Hedgehog World, and Chins & Quills Forum site), [11.4]
(added Mrs. Tiggywinkle's Hospital website)
Version 3.90 - 23 September 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.89 - 23 August 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.88 - 24 July 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.87 - 20 June 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.86 - 22 May 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.85 - 22 April 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.84 - 21 March 2006
No changes this month, but Posting is working again, at last.
February's did go out, eventually, and hopefully March's will mark
the return to a regular posting schedule.
Version 3.83 - 25 February 2006
Note: I am still working on getting USENET posting to work, again -
unfortunately this is not as easy as it should be when authorization
is required, Hopefully, sometime before the March update, the Febuary
version will get posted.
Version 3.82 - 22 January 2006
Revised sections [0.6] (another year passes), [1.] (always)
Note: Due to my present ISP dropping USENET support without notice, I'm
presently unable to post the FAQ to the newsgroups. I'm looking at
various USENET providers as a solution, and hopefully this will be
resoved fairly soon.
Version 3.81 - 21 December 2005
No changes this month. Best wishes and Happy Snuffles for the Holidays.
Version 3.80 - 23 November 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.79 - 23 October 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.78 - 25 September 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.77 - 25 August 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.76 - 26 July 2005
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [10.3] (added
warnings about KMR with hoglets and alternate suggestions).
Version 3.75 - 20 June 2005
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [2.6] (added
section on Canadian Hedgehog Association, and renumbered 2.6-2.7 to
2.7-2.8 to accomidate).
Version 3.74 - 24 May 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.73 - 20 April 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.72 - 22 March 2005
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( ), [1.] (as ever),
Version 3.71 - 26 February 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.70 - 21 January 2005
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.69 - 20 December 2004
Revised sections [0.1] (notes on anti-SPAM formatting for email addresses),
Changes to all sections to modify email addresses to make them SPAM
resistant. Note for text versions you must remove the "REMOVE_TO_SEND"
from emails to allow them to work.
Version 3.68 - 27 November 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.67 - 26 October 2004
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributions), [1.] (always), [6.3] (added
Exotic Nutrition Pet. Co. and some notes).
Version 3.66 - 25 September 2004
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( and :-) ), [1.] (always).
Version 3.65 - 25 August 2004
No changes this month due to computer problems. I just hope things work
well enough to post the FAQ.
Version 3.64 - 26 July 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.63 - 22 June 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.62 - 24 May 2004
Revised sections [1.] (always), [11.3] (updated CHPS web site - at last).
Version 3.61 - 20 April 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.60 - 21 March 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.59 - 29 February 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.58 - 25 January 2004
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.57 - 27 December 2003
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [3.2] (status
for Wyoming - hedgehogs are allowed).
Version 3.56 - 24 November 2003
No changes this month..
Version 3.55 - 26 October 2003
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-) ), [1.] (always).
Version 3.54 - 25 September 2003
No changes this month.
Version 3.53 - 27 August 2003
No changes this month.
Version 3.52 - 26 July 2003
Revised sections [1.] (always), [6.3] (added Brown's Nutrition Plus
premium diet Hedgehog food)
Version 3.51 - 25 June 2003
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors :-) and staff changes :-( ),
[1.] (always), [3.2] (status for Quebec has changed - hedgehogs are
allowed as pets).
Version 3.50 - 25 May 2003
No changes this month.
Version 3.49 - 25 April 2003
No changes this month.
Version 3.48 - 23 March 2003
No changes this month.
Version 3.47 - 22 February 2003
Revised sections [0.4] (contributors), [1.] (always), [2.1] (Updated links
and prices for RZU2U).
Version 3.46 - 27 January 2003
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( and :-) ), [0.6] (Where did the
year go?), [1.] (always), [6.3] (Updated address for ABC Inc).
Version 3.45 - 28 December 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.44 - 25 November 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.43 - 27 October 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.42 - 29 September 2002
No changes this month due to changing ISPs, OSs, etc.
Version 3.41 - 25 August 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.40 - 23 July 2002
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( ), [1.] (as ever), [2.5] (updated
IH`A' information including change from Club to Association throughout)
Version 3.39 - 25 June 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.38 - 25 May 2002
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (as ever), [6.2] (a
caution on dead insects/mealworms potentially causing illness).
Version 3.37 - 25 April 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.36 - 27 March 2002
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.4] (now the Hedgehog Welfare Society,
and Carolina Hedgehog Society).
Version 3.35 - 25 February 2002
No real changes due to the staff changes (both sad and happy).
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes), [1.] (always), [3.2] (added
indications that hhogs might now be illegal in Pennsylvania).
Version 3.34 - 22 January 2002
Revised sections [0.6] (Happy New Year), [1.] (always).
Version 3.33 - 23 December 2001
No changes this month.
Version 3.32 - 25 November 2001
No changes this month.
Version 3.31 - 25 October 2001
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (as ever), [3.2] (Pet AP
hedgies in Finland), [5.8] (hedgie stairs).
Version 3.30 - 27 September 2001
No changes this month. Duck and Snuffle...
(Cool weather is coming -- keep your hedgies warm)
Version 3.29 - 27 August 2001
No changes this month.
Version 3.28 - 24 July 2001
No changes this month due to hedgie problems. Sorry.
Version 3.27 - 20 Jun 2001
No changes this month due to moving (my world is made of boxes).
Version 3.26 - 26 May 2001
No changes this month due to moving.
Version 3.25 - 26 April 2001
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributions), [1.] (always), [2.8] (added
theferretstore.com to sources).
Version 3.24 - 25 March 2001
No changes.
Version 3.23 - 24 February 2001
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes), [1.] (always).
Due to the `staff changes' I was not up doing much else this month --
sorry.
Version 3.22 - 29 January 2001
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.4] (Hedgehogs International have ceased
operations), various changes throughout to remove references to section
2.4.
My apologies for not getting to the other updates that people have sent me
over the past few months. I hope to get to some of them for February.
Version 3.21 - 26 December 2000
No changes.
Version 3.20 - 26 November 2000
No changes.
Version 3.19 - 24 October 2000
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.2] (added note on HedgehogHollow being
closed for reconstruction), [2.4] (updated info for Hedgehog
International), [9.5] (added additional info on wobbly hedgehogs).
Version 3.18 - 24 September 2000
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.2] (more mailing list changes), [2.4]
(updated addresses for Hedgehog International).
Version 3.17 - 20 August 2000
No changes.
Version 3.16 - 24 July 2000
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [2.3]
(updated HHog Registry info).
Version 3.15 - 25 June 2000
No changes.
Version 3.14 - 24 May 2000
Revised sections [1.] (as ever), [2.2] (HH Mailing list has closed, but
added info on newish list, PigPogLives)
Version 3.13 - 24 April 2000
No changes.
Version 3.12 - 23 March 2000
No changes.
Version 3.11 - 26 February 2000
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (as ever), [11.5] (Added
info on CJ Wildbird nest boxes and wild hh food).
Version 3.10 - 23 January 2000
Revised sections [0.6] (updated copyright), [1.] (right here), [6.3]
(fixed address for ABC).
Version 3.9 - 26 December 1999
No changes this month -- I've been busy with work and the holidays.
Sorry.
Version 3.8 - 25 November 1999
Delayed again. This time of all things the cause was due in part to
fixing earthquake induced computer problems (unfortunately, I'm not
making this one up :-})
Changed to HI throughout, and Renumbered sections 2.5-2.6 to allow room
to add IHC as [2.5].
Revised sections [0.2] (new address for Japanese translation), [0.4]
(hedgie staff changes), [1.] (still), [2.2] (adjusted AOL chat information
and removed Lance Barlow's chat which seems to be gone), [2.4] (changed
to HI), [6.3] (changes to food availability).
Version 3.7 - 27 October 1999
No changes this month due to hedgie problems. Sorry.
Version 3.6 - 25 September 1999
Whoops, missed the date! Sorry the changes and posting are late. I've
been busy with a new job.
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributers), [1.] (this message), [2.3]
(updated branch info for IHR), [2.4] (brief update name), [9.1] (added
notes on Uterine tumours).
Version 3.5 - 23 August 1999
No real changes, again, this month due to editor changing jobs. Hopefully
this will mean more time for the FAQ in the coming months.
Please note: at this time, only the HedgehogHollow.COM addresses for both
the FAQ and myself continue to work. Email sent to my previous addresses
at PCI will not be able to reach me. Also, I regret that I have been
mostly offline over the previous month or so, and I am far behind on
email. I hope that I will be able to catch up, starting soon, though
this will depend on how much time and effort my new job will absorb.
Revised sections [1.] (this message).
Version 3.4 - 24 July 1999
No real changes this month due to editor being completely overloaded
at work.
Revised sections [1.] (this message).
Version 3.3 - 20 June 1999
Changed sender to reflect coming from hedgehoghollow.com domain.
Revised sections [0.4] (more kind contributors), [1.] (always), [3.2]
(revised info on Maine and PEI).
Version 3.2 - 20 May 1999
Revised sections [0.2] (ftp access from main news repository, only),
[1.] (always).
Few changes due to editor being busy changing ISPs.
Version 3.1 - 20 Apr 1999
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.2] (adjusted AOL chat information),
[8.2] (added caution about alcohol based flea/tick spays, including
Adams), [9.1] (stressed dangers of sunflower seeds, which like peanuts
get caught in hedgie mouths, with sometimes deadly results).
Version 3.0 - 02 Mar 1999
It's done, at last. My apologies for the delays in getting V3.0 of
the FAQ together -- it was a much bigger job than I anticipated.
This release constitutes a major rewrite and reorganization of the
FAQ. The first in over 3 years, and 45 monthly updates. The changes
are extensive enough that I've removed the revision history between
V2.0 and V3.0 as the contents were meaningless relative to the `new'
FAQ. Only the major versions are shown until updates begin, again.
Version 2.0 - 17 Apr 1995
Renumbered sections 1 and 2 reversing them to allow for split-up, and
because it made more sense to me.
Split FAQ into multiple pieces to try and avoid newsreader size limitations.
Version 1.0 - 10 Jan 1995
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Keywords: faq pet hedgehogs
Last-modified: 28 December 2013
Version: 3.177
HEDGEHOG FAQ (part 1 of 7) -- ABOUT THE HEDGEHOG FAQ
Compiled and edited by Brian MacNamara (***@hedgehoghollow.com)
Additions, corrections, and suggestions for this file are welcomed.
This document is copyright 2013 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 THE HEDGEHOG FAQ FILES
Part I: ABOUT THE HEDGEHOG FAQ (this file)
0. *** About this FAQ ***
<0.1> Notes on formatting
<0.2> Where to get the Hedgehog FAQ
<0.3> Goal of this FAQ
<0.4> Credits and editor's notes
<0.5> Information I would like to track down and add -- please help!
<0.6> Copyright and redistribution information
1. *** Revision history of this file ***
Part II: FINDING MORE INFORMATION
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
Part III: INTRO TO HEDGEHOGS AS PETS
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?
Part IV: HEDGEHOGS AS PETS
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)
Part V: HEDGEHOG CARE AND UNDERSTANDING
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
Part VI: ADVANCED TOPICS IN HEDGEHOGGERY
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
Part VII: WILD HEDGEHOGS
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
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
0. *** About this FAQ ***
------------------------------
Subject: <0.1> Notes on formatting
The answers in these files are given in a ``digest format,'' which should
make it easier for you to scan through them for the information you want.
Each question begins with a line of hyphens, followed by its number and
the question itself, as given in the Table of Contents above. In many
newsreaders, including rn, trn, and strn, you can jump from one
question to the next by hitting CONTROL-G. You can also look for a
particular answer by searching for its number or for words from the
question.
There are also some formatting aspects which may appear odd at first,
such as indents and combinations of tabs and spaces. These are used to
automatically convert the FAQ into HTML format, using a utility program I
created for this. Unfortunately, it's not very adaptable to other FAQs as it
was written in some haste, but it does do a reasonable job on the Hedgehog
FAQ.
Cross-references to other questions are in square brackets; for
example, [2.2] means that more information may be found in section
2.2.
Anti-SPAM measures. Unfortuantely, email addresses within the FAQ appear to
be favorite targets for SPAMmers. As a result, I've added "REMOVE_TO_SEND"
to each email address in the text based (posted) FAQ.
For example, if an email address is hedgehog at burrow.com, it would show
as being hedgehogREMOVE_TO_SEND at burrow.com.
Also, I've changed the web based version to display correctly (visually), but
uses another anti-SPAM machanism to prevent the addresses from being searched.
------------------------------
Subject: <0.2> Where to get the Hedgehog FAQ
This FAQ is posted once a month (usually on or around the 20th) to the
rec.pets, rec.answers, and news.answers newsgroups. It is also available by
anonymous FTP from the main news.answers repository:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/rec.pets/
(That is, ftp to rtfm.mit.edu and cd into the directory
pub/usenet-by-group/rec.pets). The files themselves are called:
Hedgehog_FAQ_[1_7]_-_About_the_Hedgehog_FAQ
Hedgehog_FAQ_[2_7]_-_Finding_more_information
Hedgehog_FAQ_[3_7]_-_Intro_to_Hedgehogs_as_pets
Hedgehog_FAQ_[4_7]_-_Hedgehogs_as_pets
Hedgehog_FAQ_[5_7]_-_Care_and_Understanding
Hedgehog_FAQ_[6_7]_-_Advanced_Topics_in_Hedgehoggery
Hedgehog_FAQ_[7_7]_-_Wild_Hedgehogs
It's also always available from my hedgehog web page at:
http://HedgehogHollow.com/
Finally, Dr. Tetsuro Oka, DMV, has translated the one version of the FAQ into
Japanese, which can be accessed at:
http://member.nifty.ne.jp/exoticpet/
Please note that the address, above, is new (Oct, 1999), and Dr. Tetsuro Oka
informs me that he is working on an updated translation of the FAQ.
If you cannot ftp and have no WWW access, send me email
(***@hedgehoghollow.com) and I'll be glad to email you a copy.
------------------------------
Subject: <0.3> Goal of this FAQ
This FAQ is intended to cover many of the basic questions about hedgehogs.
It's somewhat unusual in that it deals both with pet (African Pigmy)
hedgehogs, and with wild hedgehogs (primarily European, but also African).
Most of the FAQ is aimed primarily at pet hedgehogs, largely because that is
the information I have to draw on. I hope to continue to extend the coverage
of the FAQ to address both groups reasonably, and since there is considerable
crossover in how the information applies, much of what is said about one
group is applicable to the other, with a little common sense used in the
interpretation.
The number of books and other sources for information is finally expanding to
a reasonable quantity, however, there is still relatively little information
available on caring for and understanding hedgehogs, at least compared to
most animals. While this FAQ does not intend to be an in-depth dissertation
on hedgehogs, it is expected to provide some basic information, and to be a
source for new information as it is learned, rather than waiting for the next
book to be published.
I should also point out that I expect to keep the comments fairly light, so
as not to make the bulk of this FAQ qualify as a cure for insomnia. If you
start to find it boring, tell me -- I probably fell asleep while typing that
section, and messed up on the what I was saying.
I do have to admit to one pang of guilt. When I discovered there was so very
little information on looking after hedgehogs, I desperately wanted a FAQ to
refer to. Since there wasn't one (Sorry Nathan, I didn't even know about
your efforts then) I figured the best way to get all the information I wanted
was to write the FAQ, and hope the comments it managed to get would provide
all the missing bits and pieces. 'Nuff said, let's get on with hedgehogs.
------------------------------
Subject: <0.4> Credits and editor's notes
I can take credit for only a relatively small part of the contents of this
FAQ. Most of the useful information deserves thanks to others. I have tried
to give credit to the right person in the right place by indenting specific
comments by others and citing the authors. My real contribution has been to
cobble together the many useful pieces of information on hedgehogs that have
appeared on the Internet, and elsewhere, into a single source.
With this latest version (3.X), I think the FAQ, and myself, have finally
reached the point where we both know something about hedgehogs, at last. As
part of this rewrite, I've tried to blend in many of the comments that people
have provided, and in some cases, I may have dropped actual quotes from the
FAQ. I want to apologize to those of you whose information has now become
part of the prose, rather than a separate quotation. I've done this to try
and make the information flow better for the reader, and I can promise it has
not been done lightly.
Of all the contributors, I would like to extend a special thanks to Nathan
Tenny whose unofficial hedgehog FAQ formed the foundation for the information
below. Nathan deserves the lion's share of the inspiration on this FAQ, and
should be considered the father of the hedgehog FAQ. Thanks Nathan -- you
saved my first version from just being filled with hedgehog anecdotes,
instead of good information.
I would also like to thank Katherine Long for the encouragement to actually
pull this together, and Pamela Greene for allowing me to use the ferret FAQ
as a guide for the topics and sections below, and many other useful tidbits
of FAQ formatting.
I have a special thanks for Cathy A. Johnson-Delaney, DVM, who as one of the
first few veterinarians who has owned (or is that owned by?) hedgehogs, has
provided some medical info for the FAQ. Thanks for the help Cathy, and for
making me feel a lot better about this pile of babbling.
Thanks to Peter Captijn, who almost single handedly kick-started me into
finally adding the information on European hedgehogs that I've been meaning
to for ages (and who actually contributed most of it) -- may your garden be
overrun by prickly little visitors.
And next to David Mantle for sending me an absolutely amazing wealth of
information on European hedgehogs that will take me a while to wade through
and incorporate all the wonderful tidbits into the FAQ.
Sort of a quick separate thanks to all the hedgehog-happy readers of the
rec.pets newsgroup, and the hedgehog listservers, who have unknowingly added
volumes to this FAQ, and especially to Patty-Anne Lea for boosting my ego
above and beyond measure and letting me know for sure that this creation is
appreciated.
In a general sense, I would like to thank all the people at the N.A.H.A.,
HI, and the IHR for their help and encouragement.
I want to extend many thanks to the contributors who all deserve a round of
applause for what they have contributed: Melanie A. Abell; Ron Adrezin;
Andrew Albinger; Debbie Allen; Jeffery Allen; Debbie Andelin; Tammy Baer;
Mallory Baker; Lance Barlow; Brenda Basinger; Michael Bell; D. Bishop;
Shirley Ann Blakeney; Dick Brisky, Matt and Renee Butcher; Tom Buzzwo; Eloise
Campbell; Christi Cantrell; Travis Carter; Chingur/Lani Richey; chvall;
Teresa Claudino; Wayne W. Clendenin; Kathleen Close; Jazmyn Concolor; Bill
Corner; CowFanatic; Peyton M. Creadick; John R. Daily; Del, Marcin Dobrucki;
Doug Dorer and Mary Anne; Sarah Duffy; Dave Ehrnstein; Elizabeth Galante;
Robyn Gorton; Tex Green; Leslie H.; Michael Hainsworth; Lynn Hallquist;
Sophie Hannan, Kim Heys; Kelly A. Hodge; John Horton; Stefan Hossack; Steph
Hyne; Penny Jackson; Laura Jefferson; Jerry; Julihana; Melissa Kallick,
Marcia Kautz; Kay of Hedgehog Helpline; Anders Kemi and Siw Bjorkgren; Kirby
J. Kerr; Lisa Ladouceur; LeAnne and Adrian; Julie Leir-Van Sickle and Glen
Van Sickle; Zack Lessley; John Lester; George Lewis; Terri Lewis; Alicia
Look; Peter Mack; Melissa Maloney; Rachel Markey; John F. Masinter; Sharon
Massena; Donald Martin; Janet Martin; Mike McGary; Gerald McKiness; Antigone
Means; Melissa and Heather; Melissa-Lee; Jan Micheel; Elizabeth Jane Monroe;
Julie Moor; Tiffany Mross; Willard B. ``Skip'' Nelson, DVM; Mary Novak; John
Ofner; Dr. Tetsuro Oka, DVM; Ligia Ortega; Tim Pearson; Christine Porter;
Pam Powers; Vanessa Purvis; Dr. Nigel Reeve; Todd Reeves; Paul Ritchey;
Cindy Rosa, Lisa Rowe; Rick Russell; Seabury Salmon; Jon Santarelli; Richard
Saunders; Matt Scott, Sigrun Seetrevik; Sheri; Michael Simla; Jon Simmons;
Craig Simpson; Shelley Small; Wendi Smit; Bryan H. Smith; Alexis Sneller;
Elyse Spaite; Randy Starcher; Ken Steigenberger; Pat Storer; Chuck Stoup;
Doyle Stradling; Susan & Chia; H. Swaggert; Teresa; Tirya; Dan Tishman;
Barry Turner; Steve Turpin; Anja van der Werf; Ian Van Natter; Jesse and
Kris Welsh; Tom Weston; Kyrstin Westwind; Linda Wheatley; Janet Willacy;
Johnny M. Williams; Dominique Winther; Woobie; Dawn Wrobel, Jennifer
Young-Watson; Kathy and Donald Zepp; and Znofyl; and the late, dear Velcro,
Sprocket, Hocus, Pocus, Quibble, Bramble, Skewer, Popeye, Quiver, Pepper,
Mimosa, Chestnut, Neon, Nettles, Noelle, and Nookie.
One last thank you that deserves separate note is to my wife, Betty Gunn for
happily sharing and encouraging my hedgehog addiction, presenting me with
Velcro, and for repeatedly translating this whole thing into English, from
what ends up being little more than a mish-mash of spelling mistakes and
punctuation that bears no resemblance to any language from this planet.
If there is anyone I have missed, you have my apologies, and please let me
know. I hope that the list above will continue to grow over the coming
years.
------------------------------
Subject: <0.5> Information I would like to track down and add -- please help!
This is your chance to help add things to the FAQ. Some of the specific
information I'm trying to track down is listed below, but please don't limit
yourselves to this -- I'm very open minded about taking any kind of
information I can get a hold of.
New or changing information on any hedgehog related organizations and
charities, clubs, and rescue organizations. This is a permanent request.
Further information on places where hedgehogs are not legal as pets,
or changes that make them legal where they were not.
More information on hedgehogs as pets in other parts of the world, and the
types (species) kept as pets in various places.
Any questions you think the FAQ should answer or discuss -- even if
(especially if?) you don't know the answer.
Information on books about and products for hedgehogs.
Information about hedgehog food. What brands/types are available and
where.
Additional information useful to people dealing with wild hedgehogs,
especially those in Europe.
Updated information on current veterinary literature sources for
section [8.6].
Information on hedgehog health problems and treatments.
Some of the things I hope to add over the upcoming releases are:
(I'm still trying to finish tidying up all the changes in the V3.X
rewrite of the FAQ -- as soon as I can start to look forward, again,
I'll add some meaningful plans, here).
------------------------------
Subject: <0.6> Copyright and redistribution information
This compilation, is copyright 2013 by Brian MacNamara.
It may be freely distributed by electronic, paper, or other means,
provided that it is distributed in its entirety, including this notice,
and that no fee is charged apart from the actual costs of distribution.
(For-profit service providers such as CompuServe and America Online
are granted permission to distribute the files provided that no
additional fee beyond standard connection-time charges is levied.)
Those portions of this file written by others remain the property of
their respective authors.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1. *** Revision history of this file ***
------------------------------
Subject: Revision history
The most accurate description of the version of this FAQ is the date
at the top. For really minor changes, I won't necessarily change the
version number, but I'll always change the date.
Version 3.177 - 28 December 2013
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [6.5] (added
caution about fabric softener as a serious skin irritant
Version 3.176 - 26 November 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.175 - 27 October 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.174 - 29 September 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.173 - 24 August 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.172 - 29 July 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.171 - 29 June 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.170 - 20 May 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.169 - 27 April 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.168 - 24 March 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.167 - 24 February 2013
No changes this month.
Version 3.166 - 27 January 2013
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.165 - 22 December 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.164 - 20 November 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.163 - 20 October 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.162 - 22 September 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.161 - 25 August 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.160 - 22 June 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.159 - 23 June 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.158 - 25 May 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.157 - 25 April 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.156 - 31 March 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.155 - 25 February 2012
No changes this month.
Version 3.154 - 22 January 2012
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.153 - 27 December 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.152 - 26 November 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.151 - 25 October 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.150 - 25 September 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.149 - 28 August 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.148 - 23 July 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.147 - 26 June 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.146 - 23 May 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.145 - 24 April 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.144 - 25 March 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.143 - 25 February 2011
No changes this month.
Version 3.142 - 23 January 2011
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.141 - 24 December 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.140 - 25 November 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.139 - 24 October 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.138 - 24 September 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.137 - 26 August 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.136 - 23 July 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.135 - 25 June 2010
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( ),
Version 3.134 - 23 May 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.133 - 30 April 2010
Revised sections [0.4] (contributions), [1.] (always), [8.3] (added
suggestion on dealing with tattered ears).
Version 3.132 - 22 March 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.131 - 27 February 2010
No changes this month.
Version 3.130 - 23 January 2010
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.129 - 24 December 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.128 - 22 November 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.127 - 25 October 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.126 - 22 September 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.125 - 21 August 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.124 - 25 July 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.123 - 23 June 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.122 - 24 May 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.121 - 25 April 2009
No changes this month.
Version 3.120 - 25 March 2009
No changes this month. The good news is that posting is finally working
again after a long battle with the posting software.
Version 3.119 - 20 February 2009
No changes this month. With any luck this month's FAQ will post. I have a
new Usenet provider, but it is always a battle to get the posting s/w to
work with any changes.
Version 3.118 - 23 January 2009
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always). Please note
that due to Usenet provider problems I have not been able to post to the
newsgroups for a while. I hope to have this resolved shortly within the
next week or two.
Version 3.117 - 27 December 2008
No changes this month. Please note that due to Usenet provider problems
I have not been able to post for a while. I hope to have this resolved
shortly.
Version 3.116 - 20 November 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.115 - 20 October 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.114 - 24 September 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.113 - 22 August 2008
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( ), [1.] (as ever),
Version 3.112 - 22 July 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.111 - 21 June 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.110 - 24 May 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.109 - 24 April 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.108 - 26 March 2008
No changes this month.
Version 3.107 - 26 February 2008
Revised sections [0.4] (more great contributors), [1.] (always), [5.4]
(added note on using firewood pellets as litter), [6.2] (added suggestion to
beware of cottage cheese and kitten food, and warnings on Ferret food being
too high in fat), [6.5] (added idea on nail clipping).
Version 3.106 - 23 January 2008
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always), [10.1] (added
a large section on birthing and dealing with rejected babies and bad
hedgie moms).
Version 3.105 - 22 December 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.104 - 24 November 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.103 - 23 October 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.102 - 23 September 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.101 - 25 August 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.100 - 27 July 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.99 - 21 June 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.98 - 20 May 2007
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributions), [1.] (always), [6.2] (added
numerous nutritional entries), [6.3] (added numerous nutritional entries).
Version 3.97 - 22 April 2007
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.1] (removed Sharon Massena's info as
she is no longer in the hedgehog business), [2.7] (removed out of date
contact info for Hedgehogs NW), [2.8] (removed S.M. info), [6.3] (removed
S.M. info).
Version 3.96 - 25 March 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.95 - 27 February 2007
No changes this month.
Version 3.94 - 24 January 2007
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always), [6.3] (added
info on Sunseed Hedgehog Formula food).
Version 3.93 - 25 December 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.92 - 25 November 2006
No changes this month, but for those of you who live around wild hedgies,
please keep an eye open for hungry young hedgeogs still trying to put on
some winter fat, and maybe give them a hand. :-)
Version 3.91 - 21 October 2006
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [2.2] (added
Hedgehog Central, Hedgehog World, and Chins & Quills Forum site), [11.4]
(added Mrs. Tiggywinkle's Hospital website)
Version 3.90 - 23 September 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.89 - 23 August 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.88 - 24 July 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.87 - 20 June 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.86 - 22 May 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.85 - 22 April 2006
No changes this month.
Version 3.84 - 21 March 2006
No changes this month, but Posting is working again, at last.
February's did go out, eventually, and hopefully March's will mark
the return to a regular posting schedule.
Version 3.83 - 25 February 2006
Note: I am still working on getting USENET posting to work, again -
unfortunately this is not as easy as it should be when authorization
is required, Hopefully, sometime before the March update, the Febuary
version will get posted.
Version 3.82 - 22 January 2006
Revised sections [0.6] (another year passes), [1.] (always)
Note: Due to my present ISP dropping USENET support without notice, I'm
presently unable to post the FAQ to the newsgroups. I'm looking at
various USENET providers as a solution, and hopefully this will be
resoved fairly soon.
Version 3.81 - 21 December 2005
No changes this month. Best wishes and Happy Snuffles for the Holidays.
Version 3.80 - 23 November 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.79 - 23 October 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.78 - 25 September 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.77 - 25 August 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.76 - 26 July 2005
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [10.3] (added
warnings about KMR with hoglets and alternate suggestions).
Version 3.75 - 20 June 2005
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [2.6] (added
section on Canadian Hedgehog Association, and renumbered 2.6-2.7 to
2.7-2.8 to accomidate).
Version 3.74 - 24 May 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.73 - 20 April 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.72 - 22 March 2005
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( ), [1.] (as ever),
Version 3.71 - 26 February 2005
No changes this month.
Version 3.70 - 21 January 2005
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.69 - 20 December 2004
Revised sections [0.1] (notes on anti-SPAM formatting for email addresses),
Changes to all sections to modify email addresses to make them SPAM
resistant. Note for text versions you must remove the "REMOVE_TO_SEND"
from emails to allow them to work.
Version 3.68 - 27 November 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.67 - 26 October 2004
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributions), [1.] (always), [6.3] (added
Exotic Nutrition Pet. Co. and some notes).
Version 3.66 - 25 September 2004
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( and :-) ), [1.] (always).
Version 3.65 - 25 August 2004
No changes this month due to computer problems. I just hope things work
well enough to post the FAQ.
Version 3.64 - 26 July 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.63 - 22 June 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.62 - 24 May 2004
Revised sections [1.] (always), [11.3] (updated CHPS web site - at last).
Version 3.61 - 20 April 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.60 - 21 March 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.59 - 29 February 2004
No changes this month.
Version 3.58 - 25 January 2004
Revised sections [0.6] (update copyright), [1.] (always).
Version 3.57 - 27 December 2003
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [3.2] (status
for Wyoming - hedgehogs are allowed).
Version 3.56 - 24 November 2003
No changes this month..
Version 3.55 - 26 October 2003
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-) ), [1.] (always).
Version 3.54 - 25 September 2003
No changes this month.
Version 3.53 - 27 August 2003
No changes this month.
Version 3.52 - 26 July 2003
Revised sections [1.] (always), [6.3] (added Brown's Nutrition Plus
premium diet Hedgehog food)
Version 3.51 - 25 June 2003
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors :-) and staff changes :-( ),
[1.] (always), [3.2] (status for Quebec has changed - hedgehogs are
allowed as pets).
Version 3.50 - 25 May 2003
No changes this month.
Version 3.49 - 25 April 2003
No changes this month.
Version 3.48 - 23 March 2003
No changes this month.
Version 3.47 - 22 February 2003
Revised sections [0.4] (contributors), [1.] (always), [2.1] (Updated links
and prices for RZU2U).
Version 3.46 - 27 January 2003
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( and :-) ), [0.6] (Where did the
year go?), [1.] (always), [6.3] (Updated address for ABC Inc).
Version 3.45 - 28 December 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.44 - 25 November 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.43 - 27 October 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.42 - 29 September 2002
No changes this month due to changing ISPs, OSs, etc.
Version 3.41 - 25 August 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.40 - 23 July 2002
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes :-( ), [1.] (as ever), [2.5] (updated
IH`A' information including change from Club to Association throughout)
Version 3.39 - 25 June 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.38 - 25 May 2002
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (as ever), [6.2] (a
caution on dead insects/mealworms potentially causing illness).
Version 3.37 - 25 April 2002
No changes this month.
Version 3.36 - 27 March 2002
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.4] (now the Hedgehog Welfare Society,
and Carolina Hedgehog Society).
Version 3.35 - 25 February 2002
No real changes due to the staff changes (both sad and happy).
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes), [1.] (always), [3.2] (added
indications that hhogs might now be illegal in Pennsylvania).
Version 3.34 - 22 January 2002
Revised sections [0.6] (Happy New Year), [1.] (always).
Version 3.33 - 23 December 2001
No changes this month.
Version 3.32 - 25 November 2001
No changes this month.
Version 3.31 - 25 October 2001
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (as ever), [3.2] (Pet AP
hedgies in Finland), [5.8] (hedgie stairs).
Version 3.30 - 27 September 2001
No changes this month. Duck and Snuffle...
(Cool weather is coming -- keep your hedgies warm)
Version 3.29 - 27 August 2001
No changes this month.
Version 3.28 - 24 July 2001
No changes this month due to hedgie problems. Sorry.
Version 3.27 - 20 Jun 2001
No changes this month due to moving (my world is made of boxes).
Version 3.26 - 26 May 2001
No changes this month due to moving.
Version 3.25 - 26 April 2001
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributions), [1.] (always), [2.8] (added
theferretstore.com to sources).
Version 3.24 - 25 March 2001
No changes.
Version 3.23 - 24 February 2001
Revised sections [0.4] (staff changes), [1.] (always).
Due to the `staff changes' I was not up doing much else this month --
sorry.
Version 3.22 - 29 January 2001
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.4] (Hedgehogs International have ceased
operations), various changes throughout to remove references to section
2.4.
My apologies for not getting to the other updates that people have sent me
over the past few months. I hope to get to some of them for February.
Version 3.21 - 26 December 2000
No changes.
Version 3.20 - 26 November 2000
No changes.
Version 3.19 - 24 October 2000
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.2] (added note on HedgehogHollow being
closed for reconstruction), [2.4] (updated info for Hedgehog
International), [9.5] (added additional info on wobbly hedgehogs).
Version 3.18 - 24 September 2000
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.2] (more mailing list changes), [2.4]
(updated addresses for Hedgehog International).
Version 3.17 - 20 August 2000
No changes.
Version 3.16 - 24 July 2000
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (always), [2.3]
(updated HHog Registry info).
Version 3.15 - 25 June 2000
No changes.
Version 3.14 - 24 May 2000
Revised sections [1.] (as ever), [2.2] (HH Mailing list has closed, but
added info on newish list, PigPogLives)
Version 3.13 - 24 April 2000
No changes.
Version 3.12 - 23 March 2000
No changes.
Version 3.11 - 26 February 2000
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributors), [1.] (as ever), [11.5] (Added
info on CJ Wildbird nest boxes and wild hh food).
Version 3.10 - 23 January 2000
Revised sections [0.6] (updated copyright), [1.] (right here), [6.3]
(fixed address for ABC).
Version 3.9 - 26 December 1999
No changes this month -- I've been busy with work and the holidays.
Sorry.
Version 3.8 - 25 November 1999
Delayed again. This time of all things the cause was due in part to
fixing earthquake induced computer problems (unfortunately, I'm not
making this one up :-})
Changed to HI throughout, and Renumbered sections 2.5-2.6 to allow room
to add IHC as [2.5].
Revised sections [0.2] (new address for Japanese translation), [0.4]
(hedgie staff changes), [1.] (still), [2.2] (adjusted AOL chat information
and removed Lance Barlow's chat which seems to be gone), [2.4] (changed
to HI), [6.3] (changes to food availability).
Version 3.7 - 27 October 1999
No changes this month due to hedgie problems. Sorry.
Version 3.6 - 25 September 1999
Whoops, missed the date! Sorry the changes and posting are late. I've
been busy with a new job.
Revised sections [0.4] (more contributers), [1.] (this message), [2.3]
(updated branch info for IHR), [2.4] (brief update name), [9.1] (added
notes on Uterine tumours).
Version 3.5 - 23 August 1999
No real changes, again, this month due to editor changing jobs. Hopefully
this will mean more time for the FAQ in the coming months.
Please note: at this time, only the HedgehogHollow.COM addresses for both
the FAQ and myself continue to work. Email sent to my previous addresses
at PCI will not be able to reach me. Also, I regret that I have been
mostly offline over the previous month or so, and I am far behind on
email. I hope that I will be able to catch up, starting soon, though
this will depend on how much time and effort my new job will absorb.
Revised sections [1.] (this message).
Version 3.4 - 24 July 1999
No real changes this month due to editor being completely overloaded
at work.
Revised sections [1.] (this message).
Version 3.3 - 20 June 1999
Changed sender to reflect coming from hedgehoghollow.com domain.
Revised sections [0.4] (more kind contributors), [1.] (always), [3.2]
(revised info on Maine and PEI).
Version 3.2 - 20 May 1999
Revised sections [0.2] (ftp access from main news repository, only),
[1.] (always).
Few changes due to editor being busy changing ISPs.
Version 3.1 - 20 Apr 1999
Revised sections [1.] (always), [2.2] (adjusted AOL chat information),
[8.2] (added caution about alcohol based flea/tick spays, including
Adams), [9.1] (stressed dangers of sunflower seeds, which like peanuts
get caught in hedgie mouths, with sometimes deadly results).
Version 3.0 - 02 Mar 1999
It's done, at last. My apologies for the delays in getting V3.0 of
the FAQ together -- it was a much bigger job than I anticipated.
This release constitutes a major rewrite and reorganization of the
FAQ. The first in over 3 years, and 45 monthly updates. The changes
are extensive enough that I've removed the revision history between
V2.0 and V3.0 as the contents were meaningless relative to the `new'
FAQ. Only the major versions are shown until updates begin, again.
Version 2.0 - 17 Apr 1995
Renumbered sections 1 and 2 reversing them to allow for split-up, and
because it made more sense to me.
Split FAQ into multiple pieces to try and avoid newsreader size limitations.
Version 1.0 - 10 Jan 1995
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
--
Brian MacNamara - ***@HedgehogHollow.COM
Hedgehog Hollow: http://HedgehogHollow.COM/
Brian MacNamara - ***@HedgehogHollow.COM
Hedgehog Hollow: http://HedgehogHollow.COM/