# Housing 2 10 week old's



## jsbelljr83 (Apr 5, 2014)

My wife and I are interested in purchasing a pair of 10-12 week old Hedgehogs from a local pet store. They just got them in 2 days ago and are holding them for us, they want to keep them for a week to ensure they are free from any illness. They told us it is impossible to sex them at such a young age and we were wondering if we could house them both together? 
I grew up raising Guinea Pigs and my wife had hamsters as a kid. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Mod's, feel free to move this if this is not the correct location.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I suggest you look for a breeder rather than purchasing from a pet store, especially this one that says they can't be sexed at 10-12 weeks old. Hedgehogs are very easy to sex, even at only a few days old. 

With them housing 10-12 week old hedgehogs together and not knowing how to sex them, it's just about a guarantee any girls are going to be pregnant. 

You might be able to keep two girls together, boys no as they usually fight, sometimes to the death, and not opposite sexes for obvious reasons. Even with two girls, there is no guarantee they will always get along. An extra cage is always an necessity just in case at any time they no longer want to be together.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Location is just fine!

I would be very wary of that pet store. They're completely incorrect - it's easy to sex hedgehogs and possible to do so from 2-3 weeks of age, much less at 10-12 weeks. If you're allowed to see and handle them at the store, I would check yourself. Males have what looks like a "belly button" in the middle of their stomach, which is their penis (withdrawn into their body). Females do not, and their vaginal opening is back by their anus, close to their tail. If at all possible, check them yourself, so there's no mix up.

If you have one male & one female, it's going to be pretty much definite that the female is pregnant. Personally, I'd bring that up with the pet store and see if you can get some kind of discount, reparations, etc., something from them. They're not being very responsible (or knowledgeable) and since (if you still take them) you'll be the one with the stress and worry of a pregnant hedgehog and babies, they should do something to make amends. I'd also start reading over the threads in the Breeding & Babies forum in order to prepare yourself for how the female will need to be housed & fed, and what to do for her and babies, as well as make sure you have a vet experienced with hedgehogs in case she has any complications with being so young.

However...if they're both female or both male, that's a huge relief! If they're both male, it's best not to house them together. Occasionally it can be done, but pretty often, males will fight, so it's safest to let them have their own cages. If they're both female, there's a possibility you can house them together, but personally I'm not really a fan of doing so. If you do, you'll need twice the amount of recommended space (so 6-8 square feet cage), two sets of food/water bowls, two wheels, multiple toys, and at least two hiding places to avoid fighting over any of that. Even so, that's not a guarantee that they won't fight, and there's always the possibility that they may do so while you're unable to intervene. Honestly, hedgehogs are pretty solitary & it'd be best to just house even two females on their own. It also helps so if you see anything concerning (less food gone, bloody urine or poop), you know immediately who it came from rather than separating after the fact and trying to figure out (which takes extra time that could be used for treating). 

Sorry for the wall of text! I hope that helps, and welcome to the forum!  We're glad to have you guys join us!

Edit: Woops, Nancy beat me. :lol: Sorry for any repeated info!


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## jsbelljr83 (Apr 5, 2014)

My wife and I are going to go back to the pet store Sun and talk to them more about the two babies, ask where they got them, are they siblings, and let them know how to sex them. 
We've owned 8 Bearded Dragons, all but 7 were males, we had 4 males together inside a 150 gal tank. I had breeders call me a lair to my face when I told them we had 4 males living together, had one lady screaming at me at a reptile show.
Based on what info you have provided me we'll just get one, we'll figure out which one we will get and have them hold it for us. What would be an ideal sized cage to get for just one? Thanks again, Sam and Juli


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

3-4 square feet is good for one hedgie! 

Also, if you guys are interested, I'd definitely recommend checking out this book - http://www.westcoasthedgehogs.com/files/hedgehogbook/download.html It's free to download and has a ton of up-to-date information.


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