# today I woke up and suddenly I am a hedgie mom... umm.. help



## newhedgiemom (Oct 19, 2008)

Ok People know me as a sweet heart who can't turn down an animal in need of a home and today around lunch a hedgehog was dropped off to me.

It, (to shy to let me check if it's male of female yet) seemed to be on kibbles and bits, or a variant thereof.... So I immediately went out and bought hedgehog food. I compared cat and hedgehog food and found to many differences for me to be comfortable feeding something made for one species of animal to a completly different species. 
Plus I feed my cats top quality (from a vet) cat food and so the protein and fat seem to be much to high for the hedgie. I am slowly switching him/her over with what little orignal food I have.

ANYWAY

This hedgie lives in a large tupperware tote and has all it's life with newspaper as litter It has a bucket wheel that to me seems to small. and it's head spikes seem to have a oily dandruff on them 

anyone want to give me a run down on a basic day or week with their hedgie

starting with when they wake up and go over to your hedige until you leave your hedgie to go to sleep?

Baths....
interaction...
how to hold....
treats... 
training...
cleaning the cage...
bedding to sleep in...
toys....


what's this huffing hiss I hear?


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

I would suggest that you read all the "stickies" that are posted in each section. Lots of good info.

Hissing and popping means he/she is afraid and protecting himself. Hopefully, he/she will calm down and get used to you, but can take a lot of time.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Actually there isn't a good hedgehog food suitable for feeding on it's own. Cat food is better. Some hedgehog foods such as Pretty Pets and VitaCraft are actually dangerous to feed as they have very little nutritional value. There are a few hedgehog foods that are ok in a mix of high quality cat foods but on their own, no. There are many threads on here about which good quality cat foods are best.


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2008)

Congrats on your new baby, and it sounds like this one has a nice new mommy!  

There are some good threads on hedgie homes. Depending on the size of the tote, it can be a decent home coupled with a wheel, and with intervals of freedom to run in a larger space. As for liner, newspaper is probably not the best first choice (inks), but you can line one decently with a nice piece of fleece/flannel blanket instead (have a few so you can wash them regularly), and cut some up for them to nest/burrow in... or kiln dried pine type pet shavings work (bit messy).

Hedgies are considered insectivores, although they have a touch of omnivore too. So, high protein like a good cat food is fine, with other stuff like mealworms/crickets/waxworms (dried, canned, or live). Little samplings of fruits or veggies, and some cooked chicken or burger from time to time, add needed variety.

The oily dandruff may just be dried skin and respond to a bath with baby shampoo, brushing with a toothbrush, and oiling with some olive oil, or it could possibly be mites, so you'll need to read the threads on mites to be sure.

Get a good hedgie pet book, I've seen them at Petsmart, or you can order one online. 

As for toys, some hedgies only want their wheel, others love a toilet paper tube or dixie cup to stick their heads in, or push around a kitty jingle ball or hotwheels... depends on the hedgie.

Okay... my day:

I get up in the morning and around 9 or 10 I tidy and clean cages/wheels/water/food bowls while hedgies snooze. Put out fresh dry food in bowls. Sometimes they come out to snack and snoop off and on during the day, maybe chase some crickets. Then I'm done until 6pm, that's when I get hedgies out to play, bathe, and have live snacks. An hour or so of that, and back home they go. Then about 2-4 am they get up and eat and workout in the cages and on the wheels. By 8 am they are back to bed. Cycle starts again.

Hope that helps.


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2008)

P.S. I'm glad your post title didn't mean that you ended up with an unexpected litter of hedgies... whew. :idea:


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## newhedgiemom (Oct 19, 2008)

*Wacks my head on the floor a few times and sighs* well most stores are closed today I food a petfood store was open because it was small enough to abide by the laws and be open God love canada anyway I'll get a book on Tuesday when I have the car...

For now I need to know, What a hedgie needs nutritionally wise

Protein >
Fat >
Fiber>

etc

what's ok for it to eat? insects of course, and this hedige will be getting live snacks come tuesday 

anything else; I know ferrets can't eat fruits etc, what shouldn't I feed hedgies?

I feed the cats Innova light/senior, I didn't hear mention of that in the food thread 

And how do you bath a hedgie I'll be looking though thread for a walk through tomorrow but if someone could give it to me here. As I have a two year old and an eight month old and don't have to much precious time to dig through materials

I've be looking on how to bath a hedgie and I can't find it.

Oh husband keeps telling me they need dust baths and can't find that anywhere...


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## newhedgiemom (Oct 19, 2008)

oh how does one clip a hedgie's nails, I was a pet groomer and I've clipped nails from parrots to guinea pigs and back again, but you can scruff rabbits and cats and hamsters you can't scruff a hedgie and this guy disparately needs a nail trimming they are starting to curl...


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

don't buy a book on hedgehogs, most are filled with the wrong information. You're better off to just read the threads here, and ask questions like you are. 

For food you want 
protein - 30%
fat - 12 -15%
fiber - 9 %...I think.
You also want one with little or no corn...and meat or meat meal as the first ingrediant or two.
Insects : mealworms and crickets are good, fresh, freeze dried or canned.
fruits and veggies - most types, no grapes or avacodoes, no raisens or dried fruit. Hard veggies like carrots should be cooked first....all should be chopped up. No nuts.

They don't need dust baths...can be to dusty and cause respiratory problems. Just bath in a small amount of warm water...aveeno baby wash is good for their skin....dry well..and snuggle after to prevent a chill. You can also clip their nails while in the bath as they won't ball up in water.

Good luck with your new little baby


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## Melissa (Sep 19, 2008)

Congrats on your new baby. And thank you for doing research.. Im glancing through here and it look like everything you asked was covered.. I think.. I just wanted to add in here that you CAN scruff a hedgehog.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

There should be a pinned thread for clipping nails. Often we try to clip them after bath time as the water softens the nail and the hedgehog is distracted by wanting out of the water. Otherwise, you will have to work on trying to get a hold of their feet and being quick to clip. And yes you can scruff a hedgehog. It can be a real challenge to do if yours is curled up into a ball and scared.


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## newhedgiemom (Oct 19, 2008)

Turns out it's boy, I gave him a bath today after watching about 30 hedige's get baths on youtube. And now My hands don't burn after being pricked by him, much better  

It turns out his feet are pink not brown, he must have had caked on poo, I bet the both of us are much happier now. I got all but one toe on both back feet trimmed fairly easily I'll need a second set of hands for the toe nail that's curled around. last thing I want is a bleeding hedgie.

I noticed at the base of one of his quills on the quill itself it's rather blood red this doesn't seem to be the normal should I worry?


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## sagesmommy (Sep 25, 2008)

well congrats on your new arrival ! i got my first hedgie a little more than a month ago and i couldn't be happier!

Ok, im sure you've noticed that they sleep during the day(good time to clean there mess from the night before!) So there day usually doesn't start until anywhere from 8-11pm. Mine will play during the day and be fine but she prefers after dark play times. she likes it when i just let her roam around and explore some are explorers and some are cuddlers you have to see what yours is like. I am surprised he let you clip his nails so soon! Mine still wont let me! Any who, after exploration is all over with she will climb back into her shoe box(they love shoe boxes!) and go to sleep until the next day!

I thought this might help, a list of things my hedgehog has:
Shoe box, in her cage she sleeps in it all the time!
Cat toys with no holes or spaces on them.
TP roll , sometimes gets stuck on her head!
Litter box, she is litter trained, almost fully, with Feline Pine litter.
Liners instead of pine or bedding(so much easier!!)
A thermometer thingy in her cage to make sure it stays above 72F 
food(catfood mixed with sunseed hedgehog food)
And she also has freeze dried meal worms that she gets as treats every once in a while!

i might be forgetting stuff but that is a good start! Good luck to you and your little guy!


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## hedgie love (Aug 28, 2008)

Congrats on getting a hedgehog!!!! Post some pictures!!!



newhedgiemom said:


> It, (to shy to let me check if it's male of female yet) seemed to be on kibbles and bits, or a variant thereof.... So I immediately went out and bought hedgehog food. I compared cat and hedgehog food and found to many differences for me to be comfortable feeding something made for one species of animal to a completely different species.
> Plus I feed my cats top quality (from a vet) cat food and so the protein and fat seem to be much to high for the hedgie. I am slowly switching him/her over with what little orignal food I have.


Check out this it has a list of hedgehog quality cat foods. http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15



newhedgiemom said:


> This hedgie lives in a large tupperware tote and has all it's life with newspaper as litter It has a bucket wheel that to me seems to small. and it's head spikes seem to have a oily dandruff on them


do you mean newspaper on the bottom used as bedding? If so you will want to switch to a bedding like a liner, CareFresh or Aspen shavings. Note that you will hate CareFresh or any other loose bedding. It gets EVERYWHERE!!!  Get a liner. 
How big is the wheel exactly? It is big enough if it has at least an 11 inch diameter.



newhedgiemom said:


> anyone want to give me a run down on a basic day or week with their hedgie
> 
> starting with when they wake up and go over to your hedige until you leave your hedgie to go to sleep?


Every day first thing, even before breakfast I clean the wheel. I find the best way to do this is to run it under hot water for a minute. After most of the crap has come off it I spray it with a 50/50 vinegar/water solution and let it sit while I put more food in the food dish and clean the water bowel and put new clean water in it. After Herisson has food and water again I go back to the wheel and run it under hot water again. Usually all of the crap comes off easily after being sprayed with the 50/50 vinegar/water solution but if it doesn't I wipe it off with a paper towel. To finish the wheel I spray it with the vinegar/water solution once more to disinfect it and dry it with a paper towel. 
In the afternoon after my classes I come home and get Herisson out of his cadge to let him sit (sleep more like) on my lap while I do the massive amounts of homework I got that day (he loves to snuggle under my shirt especially). 
About twice every week after I am done with my homework I take out the dirty liner and put the clean one in. I put Herisson back in his cadge and go wash the liner I just took out. 
First I go outside and shake off as much of the hedgehog crap as I can. Then I go into the bathroom and rinse the liner in the bathtub. I will leave the liner to soak for a minute while I get some landry soap. After I bring back a small scoop of soap (my family uses the dry kind) I drain most of the water and then wash the liner by hand with the soap. After I have scrubbed for about 5 minutes I rinse the liner very well and then hang it on the shower to dry. 
After I am done with the liner I get Herisson to give him a bath (foot or full depending on how dirty he is) in the bath tub.



newhedgiemom said:


> Baths....


*Foot Baths*
If your hedgehog has really dirty feet (poopy boots) you will want to give it a foot bath. Plug the drain and fill the bathtub with about 2-3 inches of lukewarm water. Put hedgie in tub. Let your hedgehog walk around in the water for a while to help soften the poopy boots and possibly get some of it off. Then Gently scrub the bottom of your hedgehog's feet with a tooth brush. After you are done with the foot bath take your hedgehog out of the water and wrap him/her in a towel. Don't return your hedgehog to its cadge until he/she is *completely* dry.
*Full Baths*
Plug the drain and fill the bathtub with about 2-3 inches of lukewarm water. Put hedgie in tub. Let your hedgehog walk around for a while you brush him/her with a wet toothbrush. Next lather up some Aveeno Baby Wash or Shampoo and spread it over your hedgehog's quills. (Aveeno has colligated oatmeal which is great for hedgehogs' skin. Almost all hedgehog owners use it.) You may also want to get some Aveeno on your hedgehog's belly. Be careful to not get too much on the quills near forehead so it doesn't get in the face or ears. To rinse the Aveeno off it helps if you elevate the front of your hedgehog by carefully putting his/her front paws on your hand and lifting a few inches. Then you can rinse using a cup and poring water down your hedgehog's back. To get the Aveeno off of the quills near your hedgehog's face use a wet toothbrush. After you are done with the bath, take your hedgehog out of the water and wrap him/her in a towel. Don't return your hedgehog to its cadge until he/she is *completely* dry.



newhedgiemom said:


> how to hold...


Hedgehogs are pretty easy to hold. You can take them out of their cadge with their blanket (it is a great idea to keep a 6 by 6 inch fleece cloth in your hedgehog's igloo/hedgie hat/what ever your hedgie sleeps in for a blanket). You can let them walk on your hands and arms. You can also let them crawl around on your lap when you are sitting. My hedgehog loves to crawl under my shirt when I read.



newhedgiemom said:


> treats...


Most hedgehogs love mealworms. However Herisson won't touch them.
Some other great treats are baby food (especially banana and sweet potato flavors), bananas, waxworms, crickets, unseasoned cooked chicken, unseasoned cooked hamburger, and unseasoned cooked eggs. You may want do double check in the diet and nutrition section before trying anything else.
Go slow when introducing new foods. Only introduce one new food a week to avoid an upset stomach.



newhedgiemom said:


> training...


Hedgehogs are not like dogs and don't do tricks. The only thing you can sometimes train them to do is use a litterbox. Corner litterboxes filled with rabbit Yesterdays News (a brand of litter) works great. Simply put all of the hedgehog poos in the litterbox and he/she should get the idea. Herisson is still working on this one.



newhedgiemom said:


> cleaning the cage...


I already went over washing liners in my weekly routine. To wash the cadge its, self empty it out and spray it with a 50/50 vinegar/water solution (this is a hedgehog owners best friend :lol and wipe it dry with a paper towel. You can do the same with the toys and house (what your hedgehog sleeps in is its house).



newhedgiemom said:


> bedding to sleep in...


A liner



newhedgiemom said:


> toys....


paper towel rolls cut long ways so your hedgie can't get his/her head stuck
paper bowels (never use plastic or foam)
cat balls (be wary of holes and sharp edges that can hurt hedgehog tongs)
plastic dump trucks
Easter eggs



newhedgiemom said:


> what's this huffing hiss I hear?


That noise is a sound they make when they are surprised or nervous. They usually do it when you first wake them up. New hedgies make this noise all the time.

I hope my information was helpful. If you need to know anything else feel free to PM me.


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