# Thinking about buying a second hedgie



## shaylynk (Dec 4, 2011)

Alright so Gesso was a year old when I bought him from a previous owner in September. Me and him are slowly getting along, though he's still a grumpy hufffnpuff. However I just noticed 3 new baby hedgies in the classifieds. I have a C&C cage in my home town that fits 2-3 hedgies easily and i want to know if it's a good idea to introduce hedgies or not, at this age gap and within genders, he is male and i dont know the sexes of the other yet. But I would love to give him company and to have the chance to raise one from little babies.

Advice/ Suggestions?


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

It's not advised to house hedgies together. They don't need companions and opposite sexes will produce more hedgies. Hedgehogs will fight, no matter what sex they are. The only time that hedgehogs could POSSIBLY do okay together is if they are mother/daughter or sisters. Two males, even related will most likely fight. It's not a small fight either. Usually someone ends up seriously hurt or dead. If you have a C & C then I would recommend making two cages out of it if there is enough grids that they can each have 4 square feet of space.


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## shaylynk (Dec 4, 2011)

Thanks for the heads up! I thought two males would be a bad idea. just wanted to make sure. I think I'll just stick with my little guy for now then  and when i move off campus i'll seperate the cage (one on top of the other even!) and look into another  thanks


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## SquiggyTheHedgie (Jul 26, 2011)

Its entirely up to you to adopt another hedgie, but know that you will have to have 2 of everything. Two cages, two wheels, two sets of food and water bowls/bottles, and twice the space. Also, hedgies are solitary animals and do not need or crave the company of other hedgehogs, and putting two unrelated hedgies together could be disastrous. Never put a male and female together unless you intend to breed, else they WILL have hoglets. Hedgehogs are territorial, and two males in the same cage could seriously injure or kill one another. Two females sometimes work, but only if they are mother/daughter or sisters. You would also need to quarantine the new arrival for at least 30 days, to ensure that they do not have contaminates or disease that the one you have now might catch. For their individual happiness, make sure you have enough time to cuddle both of them equal amounts of time, though not necessarily together. If you do get a male and a female, do not put them near each other without close supervision if at all really. It only takes a second for them to mate, and just one time is all it takes. Better to not take the risk and make their bonding times separate.


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## pickles17 (Feb 18, 2012)

Also, if your current hedgehog has been on his own for a year plus, I have serious doubts he'd be willing to accept someone into his space.


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

> Its entirely up to you to adopt another hedgie, but know that you will have to have 2 of everything.


I have no idea how people have time for more than one. I suppose that it is like having more than one child, but one hedgie is plenty for me.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2012)

GoodandPlenty said:


> > Its entirely up to you to adopt another hedgie, but know that you will have to have 2 of everything.
> 
> 
> I have no idea how people have time for more than one. I suppose that it is like having more than one child, but one hedgie is plenty for me.


really it doesnt take that much longer. i have 3 and daily it takes about 30 mins to clean the cages and wheels, then 2 are past their quarentine time so they come out toghether for play time, then the other comes out after so play time tkes between 1-4 hours depending on how much time i have. when they can come out together it will take less time if i need it to.

I also have other people who will help wilth play time, my boyfriend will help sometimes and sometimes i can even get my son to hold one of them while i wash wheels. Its not actually a huge amount more work tho even if i had to do it alione


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## Isismommy (Nov 16, 2011)

I have two that live together but like everyone says, they are mother and daughter and have never been separated. The other baby that Isis had went to live with my breeder and friend Kim. Her name is Sage and she lives with another female in the same cage together. They were born on the same day and were placed together as soon as they were weened so they essentially became sisters. They are doing great together too so far. In fact, Sage went through a withdrawal period when the other (Periwinkle) had to go to the vet and be quarantined for a week. They would look for each other and even sleep in the corner of the cages that were closest to each other. So under the right conditions, yes, I do believe it can work but there are risks...and big ones too. I still worry every once in a while but JuJu Bee and Isis seem to love being together. Even when I gave them the option of their own areas, they still cuddled up in the same igloo together. Just thought I would share this information.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

So I'm going to throw this out there as another consideration before taking in multiple hedgehogs... 

Taking care of more than one does take more time. And even if you have two that cohabitate, you still must have a 2nd cage or a way to separate their cage should they ever decide they cannot live together, or should you ever have to quarantine one of them. While we don't like to think of our little ones getting sick, they do, and sometimes you need to separate them from their companions.

Time commitment with 2 of the same sex isn't too bad. However, you must be prepared for that time commitment to drastically change. The hardest part of having multiples is if they all get sick at the same time. What may take 30 minutes a day in cage cleaning and care, can easily turn into 2.5 hrs a day. Veterinary bills can add up extremely fast. And the time spent taking sick hedgehogs back and forth to the veterinarian can add up quickly. 

I encourage anyone considering taking in lots of hedgehogs to ask themselves can they not only afford the cost and time of a healthy hedgehog, but what about when they get sick. Ensure you have the time required for caring for sick hedgehogs, and if you have the ability to take hedgehogs into a veterinarian frequently.


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