# Pairing opposite sexes? Good VS. Evil!



## theillhedgiesmom (Dec 1, 2010)

Howdy hedgie lovers!
I have had my little girl, Lilly since January 1st of this year. Lilly currently lives in a 3 foot by 1.5 foot cage with everything she could possibly need! Today, however, I have rescued a big boy hedgie whom I have named Billy. Is it safe to pair the two in the same cage? I have given them each their own igloo hut and so far they seem to be doing okay but will Billy pose any threat to my Lilly Bug? I have seen a few people say "Yes, its fine to pair them." and others who say "NO! Never pair opposite sexes together!" What should I do!?
Thanks,
Jessica, Lilly & Billy <3


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

No, it's not a good idea. Males and females WILL mate if they are in the same cage, and housing them together as a permanent arrangement will most likely result in them mating, female getting pregnant and giving birth, female or male eating the babies, mating and getting pregnant again, again and again. The only way it'd be okay to house them together is if one of them were spayed or neutered. But it's less expensive, healthier, and just easier overall to house them separately. If you've let them be together at all already, you'll need to put Lilly on pregnancy watch for the next 35-55 days, as they can mate very quickly.

If you haven't introduced them to each other at all yet, you should keep them in separate rooms (or at least on opposite ends of the same room) for 30 days, to quarantine Billy. You might also want to take him into the vet for a wellness check since you just got him.


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

Just adding onto what Lilysmommy said, you have to remember hedgehogs are solitary animals. If they are not breeding, they will want to be alone. This means that if they're not mating and having babies and killing them, they will be fighting.

I don't really think pairing them is a great idea, as hedgehogs should not be paired to begin with... but should it be a rare case where they DO get along, then one of them should be spayed/neutered.


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Welcome to HHC, best place for hedgehog knowledge.  

Lilysmommy & Shae are correct, do not pair them, or even let them play together. If they have already been in contact, there's a good chance the female is going to be pregnant now, they can match within a blink of an eye sometimes. You'll also need a good vet if the female has been impregnanted, I'm not an expert but doesn't the hip bones start to fuse when the hedgehog reaches a year old? If so, it could complicate birthing.

To clarify, its possible for two females to share a cage, though its somewhat rare, especially if its two 'strange' females. Most cases when its two females, its a mother + daughter and have blood relations. In rare cases it might be two strange females. But since they are truly solitary creatures, its generally rare for two females to be caged together without incident, and even if there isn't any, its always recommended that you have a backup cage. Its alright to let two females play in a playpen under supervision, but most owners don't take the risk and "what if" of leaving two females alone in a cage, unless they are truly sure nothing is going to happen.

Males on the other hand should never be caged, and its super rare for two males to get along as cage mates. They are more territorial driven and will fight, many times to the death. So far I've only seen two cases of two males being caged together, one is a member here who got them as a pair from the previous owner and split them up. The other was a special case involving the "Texas Tumbleweed" hedgehogs that came from a mill and display odd behaviors from more or less being kept in a giant enclosure with hundreds of other hedgehogs.

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A little off subject but thinking about male and female being cage mates, you would have to fix both hedgehogs, and even then I think you'd still have problems. For example...

Male (Fixed), Female (Not Fixed): Typically male creatures retain their general sex drive after being fixed, so unless fixing a male hedgehog totally removes that factor, the male will still continue to mate with the female, because its nature. The female will also ovulate constantly by being with the male.

Male (Not Fixed), Female (Fixed): The male is going to constantly attempt to mate with the female. She won't get pregnant, but from what I've seen, its not exactly an enjoyable act for the females.

Male (Fixed), Female (Fixed): Yet again, unless the male sex drive is totally killed with the male being fixed, he's still going to attempt to mate.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

They should never be housed together because they'll just keep getting pregnaunt. You can go ahead and read everything in the breeding section and get ready for babies in about 35 days because chances are VERY HIGH that she is now pregnaunt.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

theillhedgiesmom said:


> Howdy hedgie lovers!
> I have had my little girl, Lilly since January 1st of this year. Lilly currently lives in a 3 foot by 1.5 foot cage with everything she could possibly need! Today, however, I have rescued a big boy hedgie whom I have named Billy. Is it safe to pair the two in the same cage? I have given them each their own igloo hut and so far they seem to be doing okay but will Billy pose any threat to my Lilly Bug? I have seen a few people say "Yes, its fine to pair them." and others who say "NO! Never pair opposite sexes together!" What should I do!?
> Thanks,
> Jessica, Lilly & Billy <3


No it is not safe to put them together ever, even for supervised playtime. Since you got Lilly last January, she would now be a year old. It is not safe for them to have a first litter after a year as their pelvises start to fuse making delivery difficult.

If you want to cage them together, she needs to be spayed. Even then, hedgehogs are solitary creatures and usually are not interested in a cage mate.


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