# Hedgehog 911



## mccauleywent (Jun 30, 2010)

ok, not really 911, but is extremely important!

i am getting a 8 month old hedgie tomorrow from CL, its like a spur of moment thing, i was planning on getting from a breeder, but this little guy is calling out to me.

he is 8 months old, and is being kept in a very small cage, on CEDAR, and being fed 9 lives cat food  now i already know both of these are bad for hedgies, but my question is, i guess, should i switch his food over suddenly? or still incorporate this pretty bad food into his diet? 

of course he will be switched to a suitable bedding ASAP and i was also going to treat him with revolution before he steps foot into my house ( i have ratties a dog and a cat that dont need to catch buggers-- tho cedar does repel fleas.. im not sure it does the same for mites/lice) 

also: how to give a hedge a bath?? what to use, how to do, i need instructions!

i opted to not take his cage, since it is ridiculously small, so he will be in a spare bin i use for rats (32x17) untill his cage gets here that i just ordered, and i ordered a wheel as well.

anything else i need to know?? i have been researching, but this is a sudden, thing, i just learned about him today, and she wont hold him for me as he is going to first come first serve, and she didnt even ask me if i knew anything about hedgehogs!.. gah.. 

oh also, should i take him to the vet to check his lungs due to the cedar? i have a exotics vet that is great with my rats, but not sure how good he is with hedgehogs. what are proper antibiotics and dosing for hedgehogs? and how long is treatment for normally (rats are usually treated for 14-21 days but i think thats long for most species)

thanks in advance!!


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Sounds like you are doing great! Hope the poor thing is in decent shape when you pick him up!

You can check out the book in my siggie, there is a subchapter in it on bathing, hopefully it will help you.


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

I'd keep him on the 9 lives for a little bit, he'll be stressed from being rehomed and a sudden food switch would probably really upset his stomach. Indeed the food is crap, but its what he is use to for the moment. In a few days of getting him home, then I'd pick something out of the HHC recommended food list and mix a little in, monitor that he's eating, and if he's eating the new stuff, and then just slowly add more each night. Most people will pick up three different kinds of food and make a mixture, but it can be a challenge to figure out what your hog likes, they can be picky eaters.

Aspen of course is the choice of wood bedding, or fleece liners which the majority here uses for hedgehogs. Its soft on their feet.

From the person you're getting him from, sounds like a pet store, so beware of possible health problems due to the people who were taking care of him. He should go to the vet either way after a week or so for a wellness check, just to make sure there's nothing bad going on. They can check on his lungs, I think the problem with cedar is more of a reaction with their urine that can cause burns on their undersides and feet, but I'd have to double check.

The two main things off hand that I can name is heat and light. Hedgehogs require to be kept in a range of 73'f to 78'f temp wise, and need 12 to 14 hours worth of light to prevent hibernation. Lighting can be done by just keeping the room light on, or desk lamp, or you can setup a simple light on their cage with a timer.


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## mccauleywent (Jun 30, 2010)

LizardGirl said:


> Sounds like you are doing great! Hope the poor thing is in decent shape when you pick him up!
> 
> You can check out the book in my siggie, there is a subchapter in it on bathing, hopefully it will help you.


thanks so much, i read the whole book, and it helped alot! i just hope he is in OK condition when i pick him up tomorrow! i have his bin cage ready, and i have a list of things to get at the store in the AM before i pick him up (flax seed oil, grape nuts just in case, 9 lives [ick!] as well as NB cat food, and i already have wellness ) i have a heater for him, and a light, and i made a few hedgie sleeping bags as well ( a cute money one and a black skull one lol) i already have some aveeno baby wash that i use for my rats as well, and i still plan to stop at the vet to grab a container of revolution (the dosage is same as rats! its kinda funny how similar-yet different they are!)

wish me luck! also, he doesnt even have a name!! so i need to think of one of those as well.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

Congrats on your soon to be new hedgie and I am so glad you are taking him in to give him a good home. Sounds like you are on track with everything you have been researching. Definitely looking forward to pictures when you get the little guy settled in


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Welcome & congrats. Everyone here will try to help out as much as possible.


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

Good luck! Please keep us updated!


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## mccauleywent (Jun 30, 2010)

Here is his temporary bin cage.










i ordered a carolina storm wheel and a delux super pet XL cage yesterday, so this is just untill those things come 

it looks so weird to have pet food in colors and shapes... im so used to brown circular peices.. lol! i did put just a few peices of NB in there just for him to get the taste of some decent food.

i actually had to go to 4 stores to find 9lives cat food-- i finally found it at a grocery store :roll:

i also got some freeze dried mealworms, i know hedgehogs like them, so maybe that will be like a "bonding" treat for me and him :mrgreen: i pick him up at 6pm/ES time today, cant wait!!


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## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

mccauleywent said:


> Here is his temporary bin cage.
> 
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> 
> ...


Looks good, but I'd take the ball out. Hedgehogs can get their little jaws stuck in balls with openings. A ping pong ball would be a better choice. Here's a thread on popular toys  http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/v ... ?f=10&t=59 You must be so excited, have fun!


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Looks good! Your little guy will be in great hands.


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## mccauleywent (Jun 30, 2010)

jinglesharks said:


> mccauleywent said:
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> 
> > Here is his temporary bin cage.
> ...


oh, okay, i just thought he would enjoy a toy, i didnt realize the holes would cause a threat, i give them to my rats all the time i figured if they didnt get hurt on them, he wouldnt. i have little pom pom balls (made of fleece) ill put in there for now untill i can get a ping pong ball  . should i put a litter box in now? or wait till i get the wheel. he is not litter trained by the previous owner but i would like to try to litter train him


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

I'd just wait until the wheel comes.


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## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

mccauleywent said:


> jinglesharks said:
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> 
> > mccauleywent said:
> ...


Yeah, there's a lot of things with hedgehogs that you'd never even think of that can hurt them or aren't a good idea. I've had Pepper for seven months now and I'm still learning things. The fleecy pom poms sound like a great idea! I'll have to try those.
I'd just wait to get the wheel, hedgies can be tricky to litter train and the wheel helps a lot. You can put it in if you want, it won't stress him or anything, but he probably just won't bother with it.


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## mccauleywent (Jun 30, 2010)

ill just leave it out. hopefully by the time his wheel gets here, his cage will be here as well, because the bin is not nearly as big as i would like it to be. the litter box would just take up what little room he has in it. its a shame to say, but this bin is actually 1.5x bigger than the cage they said he is in now.


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## shealynn87 (Jun 6, 2010)

You said you ordered a Carolina storm wheel which comes with a litter pan that works really well. Once you see how the set up works you probably won't need the litter box you have.  congrats on your new hedgie!


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