# Ferret Vs Hedgehog?



## KoalaBr8 (Mar 2, 2010)

_*I own 3 ferrets. I've come to realize that i can't take enough care of them. I can't give them the 6 hours of handling that they need. I can only let them out of their cage and destroy my room. I hear that hedgehogs only need an hour/aren't as energetic, so, maybe they won't destroy my room.
I like animals that are small and don't have teeth like hamsters or gerbils. (The reason i got ferrets)
I hear that hedgehogs on the other hand have far worse smelling "waste" and i don't know if they can be litter box trained. I also heard that they poo while they walk, so that made me think that hey can't be litter trained.
I know they have a varied diet of fruit, bugs, dry cat food? or ferret food, but idk what to get for like a day to day use.
I want to know all this, and can anyone tell me if a hedgehog is more for me?*_


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## allisonsnickers (Sep 13, 2009)

I think that it really depends. Hedgehogs do walk and poop at the same time, but depending on the hedgehog, you can litter train them. I don't think that ferret food would be suitable, but a mix of dry cat foods and treats (like mealworms) are good to feed. Their waste doesn't stink as long as you spot clean daily and don't use shavings. I don't know what it is but when the urine makes contact with the shavings it will stink up the entire room. There are also certain cage modifications that would have to be made in order for something like a ferret cage to work, but you can look at all of the cage examples to see those. Hedgehogs also vary in personality. They can be energetic or they can be cuddlers. But don't always expect a real sweetheart, because even with a lot of bonding, you might not achieve that because it's not the way their personality is. I don't think that a hedgehog would destroy your room like a ferret would, but I'd keep an eye on it because I know that mine likes to chew our bread box whenever I have him in the kitchen. OH they have a very good sense of smell, so especially if you don't wash your hands after eating, you might get bitten if they think you smell tasty. Or they could be hungry or just a biter, but there are also posts about that. They require a little more than some may think, so I'd definitely go through this site hardcore, because it can be really helpful. I think I basically covered that. More experienced hedgehog owners will probably come through and give more/better advise. 

I hope I helped you


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

One note for pooping while they walk. Some can be litter trained, however even those that are litter trained still tend to poop while running on their wheels. When they do poop while running on their wheels,it can get smeared and sometimes caked onto the wheel requiring the wheel to be cleaned daily.

With my current 3, I have 1 whose wheel is absolutely disgusting every day. She not only poops but will urinate on her wheel. The two then mix together and well I can tell you there are days where I just gag at the smell and nastiness she creates. She isn't the first I've had do this. These hedgehogs often require more frequent baths to keep them clean and from stinking.


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## ProjectParanoia (Jan 27, 2010)

Hedgehogs do have teeth, silly! When I went up to Millermeade Farms, a quilling boy gave me a nice nip in the thumb.

Also, I don't think hedgehogs smell. They seem to smell less than ferrets, from my experience.

That being said, nobody can tell you the right answer but yourself (and we'll all be a little biased toward the hedgies).


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