# Introducing Female hedgies



## Bluemo0nz (Oct 28, 2009)

Hello

I am arranging to adopt a female hedgie 8-12 weeks old. (I will insert picture of her so hopefully someone can please verify the age and sex for me!) Is she a chocolate?









However, someone on our rescue forum just put up a 1 year old female for adoption. I am hoping maybe to adopt both and house them together. However the 1 year old female has lived alone her whole life...so please let me know how to introduce them or if I should only adopt one. Here is a picture of the 1 year old..She seems awfully tiny for an adult if the other is a baby?


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Oh my they are so beautiful! Others are expert in answering your questions. I only am expert in cuteness!


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Hey, welcome to HHC!

I'm not sure it would be a good idea to try and house these girls together. Usually hedgies do best when they live together from a young age, and even then... I think the older rescue female (and who knows what she's been through and what her habits are like) would pick on the baby.

For the age and sex of the hedgie in the first picture, we'll need a few more pictures. There's no way to tell age but we can determine color for you.

The other girl does look like a baby. Very cute!


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

It's generally not a good idea to house hedgehogs together, even females. Sisters do okay sometimes when raised together, but there have been cases where one female has killed another a short time after introduction. I personally wouldn't do it. I think one hedgehog per cage is the best plan, especially for a new owner. 

If you want to house them together despite the risks, you have to have two of EVERYTHING. You need two wheels, two hidey houses, two food bowls, two water bowls, etc. This will discourage fighting to some extent--but it could still happen.

If you want to adopt both, go for it. But I would highly recommend two separate cages, and a 30 day isolation period where they are in different rooms and you change clothes after handling one and before going to the other. This will keep them as safe as possible and make sure that there is little chance one has a health problem that will be passed to the other.

It's great that you want to rescue, by the way. Both are gorgeous.


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## HedgeMom (Nov 7, 2008)

Personally, I've put together a half dozen female pairs over the years and I've never had an issue. My last pair were two unrelated females who had each lived alone for a year. They cohabitate very well. I do make sure that the cage is big enough and I have two of everything, including wheels, sleep bags/boxes, food and water bowls.


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## Bluemo0nz (Oct 28, 2009)

Thank you so much for all your advice. I have decided to adopt both girls and house them separately (and is separate rooms for 30 days). Then perhaps I will attempt an introduction to see if they can have out time together but I do not want to risk housing them together. It just doesn't seem worth it to put them at risk. 

The darker older female I found out is a baby in that picture so she has grown quite a bit since then. The other hedgehog I am picking up Wed. No one can tell its sex from the picture? I thought it looked female but it is hard with the position. If it turns out to be male clearly there will be no time out together. So it is a surprise to me what age or sex that hedgie is.

I will update everyone when I get them and take more pictures so someone can help me understand their colors. Thank you everyone! I am very excited!


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Yes, the hedgie in the first pic is a female.


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