# Hedgehog for a College House



## xRemusx (Feb 10, 2012)

Hello, everybody! I'm new to the site and new to owning small rodents, and honestly have never even seen a hedgehog in real life. However, since a group of my friends and I have been talking about living together in a house next year, we've been wanting to adopt a pet. We've been thinking about it for a while and frankly we think hedgehogs are the cutest little things and would love to have one. I'm just a little nervous that a hedgehog wouldn't deal well with an environment that would have eight people inhabiting it and wanting to play with the hedgehog on a regular basis.

I've been reading the behavior sub-forum and it seems that how social and loving a hedgehog is simply depends on the hedgehog's personality so it seems like it would be kind of a hit-or-miss type of situation. However, it does seem like breeders have a fairly good idea about which baby hedgehogs are more or less social or happy about being picked up and pet. And honestly, I have no doubt that we would all love and care for the hedgehog regardless of how it felt about being picked up and whatnot.

I'm just wondering if you think a hedgehog could be happy in this kind of environment or if it would be better to pick out a different kind of small rodent - specifically one with a less fickle temperament and one that was more commonly domesticated (such as a mouse or gerbil.)

I have taken into consideration that a hedgehog is a long term commitment and will needed to be taken care of once the house is disbanded, but arrangements have already been made to ensure the hedgehog will have a happy home with someone it is familiar with.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Hedgehogs can be pretty shy, but as long as everyone takes into consideration their nature and adjusts their behavior accordingly, I don't see why you couldn't get one, as long as the expenses can all be afforded and the right environment can be provided - namely a big enough cage and a heating set up. Like you said, behavior and how social they are does depend on the hedgehog, and you can't always go by the baby's personality. Sometimes they change after quilling, and sometimes they'll change for a bit after coming home to a new place. If you guys do go ahead and decide to get one, I'd try to go semi-slow with introducing new people. Stick with one or two main people to handle the hedgehog for the first couple weeks, so you don't overwhelm him/her with too many new people. You can continue adding people as time goes on and depending on the hedgie does. Also keep in mind that right after you bring him/her home, they'll go through quilling and may get grumpier during that time. That's stressful for them as well, so you just have to watch their behavior and take your cues from them with what they are and aren't comfortable with.

I'd suggest doing some more reading on here, for housing, nutrition, etc. so you guys know what else you're getting into with a hedgehog and what you'll need to supply. If you guys do decide a hedgehog wouldn't be best, rats might be a good option. They're sociable little animals, and do best in pairs or groups, so you could get a few and be able to have more people handling them at a time without fighting over whose turn it is. :lol:


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## xRemusx (Feb 10, 2012)

Good to hear. I'm trying to do as much research as possible, especially since I think I'm going to end up being the main care-taker. I don't think money will be a problem as far as food, toys, and equipment are concerned. The thing that I'm most worried about is if it gets sick, will we be able to afford multiple visits to the vet, plus any medication it might need? :? 

Would you recommend that I get one over the summer so that I can have time to socialize it before I get to school? Or would the move (being in one home for a number of months, then a three hour car ride, and suddenly a new home and much more people) be too traumatic for the little thing?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yeah, vet bills are usually the most expensive part if something happens and tests or medication is needed. Especially with hedgehogs, since most tests require the hedgie being put under, which costs extra. The best thing to do for that is to save up an emergency vet fund, with $300-500, if possible. I was silly and didn't do this myself, but I was lucky enough to have my dad to back me up on the last couple of vet bills I had with my Lily, and a credit card to use (which I'm still paying off the last vet visit on, this month).

I think it'd be a good idea to get one over the summer, if you'll have the money for it by then. Then at least the hedgie is bonded to you and knows you well before being exposed to all the new people. Car rides are something that depends on the hedgie as well, some get car sick while some aren't affected at all. 3 hours isn't too bad for a one-way (considering you'll be at school for awhile) trip, though, so it should be fine. With the new home, just make sure when you do move, that the bedding you have in his/her cage has been used in her cage at your house for the last couple days before you move to school - then it'll smell like her and that may help with the environment change. Having you there will be something else familiar and it will help as well if you can keep her in your room rather than in a more open area around all the noise and activity. Lots of new people won't be a problem as long as you take your cues from him/her and go as slowly as she needs. Mealies and other treats (especially once you've had him/her a couple months and know the favorite treats) can be a great help in getting them to realize all these new people are good and not scary. Some hedgehogs end up one-person hogs, some are more friendly. Some don't mind noise whatsoever, some would rather hide and sleep around a lot of people. If you do get one, you'll just have to wait and see what you get and work with their personality.


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## xRemusx (Feb 10, 2012)

Thank you for the advice! I was so worried that it would be completely impractical for a hog to be in that kind of environment, but this has helped ease my worries.  
I'll have to try to find a breeder back home or convince my mom to do a hedgehog fetching road trip. XD


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## NoBeardPete (Jan 24, 2012)

xRemusx said:


> Hello, everybody! I'm new to the site and new to owning small rodents, and honestly have never even seen a hedgehog in real life.


Lilysmommy's advice is pretty sound. This isn't really relevant to your questions, but I wanted to point out that hedgehogs are not rodents. Among other things, this means that they don't have continuously growing teeth, and so don't tend to gnaw on stuff the way rodents usually do.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

> I'm just wondering if you think a hedgehog could be happy in this kind of environment or if it would be better to pick out a different kind of small rodent


I just wanted to mention...hedgehogs are not rodents. lol. Also you have to consider things such as heat requirements and the fact that it will be sleeping all day, and will require total darkness and quiet at night.


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## chelsea.kang (Dec 2, 2011)

I have a hedgehog in my college house and my roommates thought Marvin was so adorable. Unfortunately the novelty wore off for them. I would say if you're getting a pet to share with your roommates be prepared to take sole responsibility for daily care, handling and any expenses. Not that it will happen with your roommates but a lot changes in college and your hedgie will be along for the ride with you. I would also suggest if you want to do a little test run in owning a pet as a group adopting an adult rat pair. Rats are very social and smart. They tend to like whoever will play with them or feed them and don't have the bonding requirements of a hedgie. Finding a vet for rats is also very easy considering rats have been studied a ton. 

I hope this helps some. I love Marvin to pieces and he's the perfect pet for me, not my roommates. I also love my ratty boys, Greyson and Crosby because they love everyone and chatter at anyone that stops to say hi to them.


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## xRemusx (Feb 10, 2012)

Haha... oops, sorry! I guess there's a good reason I'm not a biology major. :lol: 

Thanks, Chelsea. I think that if we end up forgoing the hedgehog idea, we'll get a pair of rats. They're my second choice, anyway. ^_^


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## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

IMO I think a hedgehog wouldn't do well in a college dorm with so many people. As mentioned before at night they need complete darkness and their night can start at 6pm depending when you set his or her timer to, but I wouldn't have lights off any later then 9:30. Plus it can be loud in a dorm. And some dorms dont allow space heaters or Che set ups.
If anything guinea pigs are a good choice. Some people are nervous by rat tails. And guinea pigs can be very social. I'd get another of I had the room and expenses


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## xRemusx (Feb 10, 2012)

Well, it's not gonna be a dorm, it's an actual house. We can pretty much do whatever we want in the house as long as the structure of the house stays the same. Also, I was under the impression that hedgehogs were nocturnal, so wouldn't they want light during the night so they could see when they're awake and moving about? Anyway, since we all have classes, most of us wouldn't be around to bug him/her during the day when s/he would be trying to sleep. And there probably wouldn't be that many people in the house. Eight would live in the house normally, plus the *very* occasional guests. (We're kind of a self-contained group, not apt to throw loud parties that would bother a small pet.)


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## chelsea.kang (Dec 2, 2011)

Any light will discourage them from coming out at night. That's kind of part of being nocturnal. Think about it like this. When the sun comes up its our signal to wake up, its reversed for nocturnal critters, to them it means beddy bye time.


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

My Regina lives at school with me. I lived in the dorms last year and I live in an apartment this year (she's a fugitive, LOL). However, both times my rooms have been single rooms, so the noise level is fairly low. My roommates aren't very loud, and even if they are, they're out in the main room or in their rooms when they're loud. Regina's cage is actually on the floor in one half of my closet, so drafts are practically non-existent. Sometimes I'm up late with the lights on but because she's in the closet I can slide the door closed near her and leave the door on the other side a bit open for air circulation. I can turn her light off and it will be fairly dark for her. She usually comes out and eats then.

Whose responsibility will the hedgie be? We also have a kitten (another fugitive, hehe), but he is my roommate's and although we all love him and play with him, at the end of the year when she graduates he's going with her. That was all established before we got him. She pays for his food and vet bills, while Regina is solely my responsibility and I pay for her vet bills. And I have to warn you from experience, vet bills can get pretty expensive. I've had Regina for about a year and a half, and I have spent over $1100 on vet bills alone (she has had a few health issues), and hundreds more on food, heating, lighting, fleece, cage, etc...

I don't want to discourage you, because hedgehogs are wonderful, rewarding pets, but just make sure that you are fully committed beforehand if you decide to get one. They need interaction and attention on a regular basis, and some of them never relax from being quilly, huffy balls.

Good luck with whatever you choose, and of course, feel free to ask any questions! This forum is so helpful and all the members and breeders are kind and welcoming. We're all hedgie-crazy


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## xRemusx (Feb 10, 2012)

@ Chelsea :: Oh, I understand now. We should be able to have a dark place for him/her. The houses allotted for students are pretty spacious, so we should be able to give him/her what s/he needs.

@Regina :: While at school, we were planning on splitting the expenses and responsibilities. If when we know for sure we'll be getting the house and total the expenses and determine we won't be able to afford it, we'll look into a pet that requires less maintenance. Trust me, I'm not going to let an animal come into a house when we know we can't take care of it. Passive abuse is just as bad as aggressive abuse.


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## chelsea.kang (Dec 2, 2011)

xRemusx said:


> Passive abuse is just as bad as aggressive abuse.


Couldn't have said it better myself. I'm not trying to push you away from a hedgie in anyway but I thought would share with you my recent vet bills.

Marvin stopped eating about a week and a half ago and I had to take him to the vet. I spent $237 the first visit for xrays, exam, sedation, and meds. I ended up having to take him back because he wasn't improving on the meds he was on. The second visit cost me $337 for xays, exam, sedation, bloodwork and meds. Thankfully he's improving a lot on his new meds. However if he hadn't I would've taken him back for a barium screening which they quoted me at $400 - $450. Total spent on Marvin: $574

Conversely, when my rats got Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs) my vet saw both of them for a $70 exam fee and $25 for meds. Total spent for Greyson & Crosby: $95.

I would suggest if you are splitting the bills you make sure everyone has a good amount of vet money saved. I took on Marvin, Greyson and Crosby by myself so I had to make sure they had adequate funding before I got them. Due to the recent vet visits I've also increased the amount of money I take off each paycheck to go into the vet account until I can build it back up again.

Some vets also accept what's called a CareCard. I don't have one but my understanding is its like a credit card but it gives you 6 months to pay off your bill in full without any interest charges. That may be something you want to consider just in case you get stuck with the bill and don't have all the money upfront.

PS If you do want to look into rats more seriously I'd suggest goosemoose forum


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## xRemusx (Feb 10, 2012)

I understand completely. At the very least, my boyfriend will have a job next year. I will start submitting applications for jobs soon, so I'll be able to have a steady income.

Gosh, this is such a hard decision... I'll have to have a very thorough discussion with my friends about how committed they're willing to be, as far as financial assistance goes.

Thanks for the recommendation. ^_^


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## Zileto (Jan 12, 2012)

My boyfriend and I are keeping our hedgie, Rene, in our college apartment. 5 people live here, plus occasional guests. We keep him in our single room. Rene is doing great. We're at school all day, so he gets a quiet place to sleep and then we get to play with him when he wakes up later in the night. We make sure he has clean water and food every day, clean his wheel when needed, and change his fleece liners at least once a week, more often if needed. His upkeep so far isn't as much work as I thought it would be, but it is turning out to be more expensive. We're taking him to the vet on Tuesday, because Rene is losing quills and might have mites. I'll post later and let you know how much that visit comes to. Just today, we spent around 40$ on supplies- bought a small pet carrier for the trip to the vet, a new bag of food, flaxseed oil, and aveeno oatmeal wash/bath. Rene has some dry skin issues.


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## xRemusx (Feb 10, 2012)

Zileto ;; Thanks for sharing. Once we find out whether or not we can get the house, I'll sit my friends down and have a long discussion about financial responsibility and all that. I sense many job hunts in the future. XD


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## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

Living in a college house with 9 other females last year, I can say.... don't go with a hedgehog. Rats are probably the best bet.


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