# Sticky  Housing 2 hedgehogs together



## Hedgiepets

So you want to house 2 hedgehogs together!

Sometimes, you can house 2 females together, harmoniously. You should have 2 of everything; 2 wheels, 2 hiding places, 2 food dishes and 2 water dishes/bottles. Sometimes they might fight, so be prepared to have 2 cages, just in case.

Never try to house 2 males together, they will most likely fight all the time.

Never house a male and female together, unless they are both spayed and neutered. They will mate and kill babies. Do not even let them have play time together, at all. It only takes a few seconds for them to mate.


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## nomisinad

i have happy female and male groups here.. and actually thats a normal thing here in germany..?

my first hedgehog was a male one and he was pretty lazy and didnt do anything but eating. since i found him a friend he is so diffrent. he runs around and is really happier than before..

daniela

http://www.northernhedgies.de.tl


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## Nancy

nomisinad said:


> i have happy female and male groups here.. and actually thats a normal thing here in germany..?
> 
> my first hedgehog was a male one and he was pretty lazy and didnt do anything but eating. since i found him a friend he is so diffrent. he runs around and is really happier than before..
> 
> daniela
> 
> http://www.northernhedgies.de.tl


Is the male neutered, or the female spayed? If not, then I'm sure the male would be happy. Gets to mate with the female whenever he wants. Then when babies come he can snack on newborn babies and start right back in mating with her. Meanwhile the female is constantly being pursued, constantly having babies, and always being pregnant will wear her out.

Please don't house males and females together unless they are spayed or neutered.


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## nomisinad

nono dont get me wrong, i dont mean female and males together. i just wanted to say that have a cage with a group pf females and a cage with males. and it all works so well together


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## Nancy

Ahhh, gotcha now. Sorry for the confusion.  Do be careful of the males though. They will fight and sometimes to the death.


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## juggalicious

So could you house 2 males or a male and a female together if they were spayed/nuetered? Or would they fight all the time? I'm kinda thinking about getting another hedgie, I mean I have two of everything else  Two beardies and two dogs, I'm beginning to think shadow feels a little left out


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## Melissa

juggalicious said:


> So could you house 2 males or a male and a female together if they were spayed/nuetered? Or would they fight all the time? I'm kinda thinking about getting another hedgie, I mean I have two of everything else  Two beardies and two dogs, I'm beginning to think shadow feels a little left out


When ever you house to hedgies together you should always be prepared that they will fight and you will have to separate them. Not all females will get along and personally I wouldnt go through the stress of a spay/nueter just to house a male and female together. Unless they are both fixed you run the risk of cancers. And I wouldnt spend the money on a spay/nueter both animals for them to have the possibility of not getting along. Just keep them separate.


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## Gnarly

juggalicious said:



> I'm beginning to think shadow feels a little left out


Hedgehogs are solitary creatures, so he's probably perfectly content being the only hog.


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## HedgieIsabella

oh wow, i didn't know they could be spayed or neutered, 
i thought it was only a cat/ dog thing, 

how much would it cost?


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## Alicat42

Okay, so luna is a small little girl but she's befriended a large pine cone, its bigger than her. She's very, very attatched to it and will spend time 'cleaning' it and cuddling with it. On occasion she gives it the 'not much of a talker, are you?' look. Should I get her a pal? She's a lot smaller hedgie than I'm used to, and I wouldnt want to get her a buddy that turns out to be a big bully. And I dont think I have the time for two hedgehogs, two cats, a high maintenence dog and going back and forth from doctors to home. Infact I know I could not handle two hedgies at this point in time. 
Is Luna okay loving her giant pine cone? Is there an alternative option? Or would it be best to get her a friend?


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## Hedge1989

Hi, 
I have two hedgehogs that are housed together, a mother and daughter, but i only have one of everything. They cuddle in the igloo together, its pretty big, and sometimes they both try to run on the wheel, but they get along good most of the time. The mother had the baby after i bought her, so they've always been together, and they've always shared the same water bottle, food and wheel. You said that if you house two together you should have two of everything, but do you think my girls are the exception if they've always shared everything? or should i get two of everything? Also, how big should the cage be if there is two of them in it?


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## Nancy

Housing any two girls together even a mom and daughter there is always a risk that they could at some point in time fight. Often the fight will be over the wheel when both will want it at the same time. :lol: 

Having two wheels and offering an extra bed is always a good idea. With one wheel, if you have one who hogs the wheel all the time the other won't get much exercise. I have a couple of mom daughter pairs together and on occasion, they sleep separate. 

As always, the bigger the cage the better. I have pairs in 2'x 3' cages and 2' x 4' cages.


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## Hedge1989

Thanks Nancy, that reassured me that they're fine together. And you're right about fighting for the wheel, its hilarious, one will jump on and start running, then the other will jump on behind and the first one will fall off, and sometimes they both get on and try to run in opposite directions, haha they are quite the little characters! I also wanted to add, i'm pretty sure you helped me out back in may when i first got my hedgehog and wasn't sure if it was fat or pregnant....and then it had a baby? anyways, if you don't remember thats ok, but if you do, i just wanted to let you kno that they are both great and the baby is the sweetest little girl, she's so well tempered that i don't even think she knows how to curl into a ball! thanks again so much for everything


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## Nancy

I had a mom daughter pair who used to run side by side until daughter got too big. I quickly made them an even wider wheel but they never did get back to running together. They too used to try to run in opposite directions and then they'd finally get going the same direction. It was so cute. 

I'm glad your baby survived and is doing well and that you are enjoying them. Glad I could be of help.


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## Kean

Alicat42 said:


> Okay, so luna is a small little girl but she's befriended a large pine cone, its bigger than her. She's very, very attatched to it and will spend time 'cleaning' it and cuddling with it. On occasion she gives it the 'not much of a talker, are you?' look. Should I get her a pal? She's a lot smaller hedgie than I'm used to, and I wouldnt want to get her a buddy that turns out to be a big bully. And I dont think I have the time for two hedgehogs, two cats, a high maintenence dog and going back and forth from doctors to home. Infact I know I could not handle two hedgies at this point in time.
> Is Luna okay loving her giant pine cone? Is there an alternative option? Or would it be best to get her a friend?


if you dont have time for another hedgie you shouldn't get one escpecially with a high maintenance dog,(trust me i know) but anyways, a large pinecone?! :lol: what does a hedgie look like cuddleing a pinecone? :lol: :lol: :lol: put some pics of it i think that would hilarius!!


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## azyrios

Kean said:


> Alicat42 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Okay, so luna is a small little girl but she's befriended a large pine cone, its bigger than her. She's very, very attatched to it and will spend time 'cleaning' it and cuddling with it. On occasion she gives it the 'not much of a talker, are you?' look. Should I get her a pal? She's a lot smaller hedgie than I'm used to, and I wouldnt want to get her a buddy that turns out to be a big bully. And I dont think I have the time for two hedgehogs, two cats, a high maintenence dog and going back and forth from doctors to home. Infact I know I could not handle two hedgies at this point in time.
> Is Luna okay loving her giant pine cone? Is there an alternative option? Or would it be best to get her a friend?
> 
> 
> 
> if you dont have time for another hedgie you shouldn't get one escpecially with a high maintenance dog,(trust me i know) but anyways, a large pinecone?! :lol: what does a hedgie look like cuddleing a pinecone? :lol: :lol: :lol: put some pics of it i think that would hilarius!!
Click to expand...

lmao, i have seen hedgies cuddle a brush, but not a pinecone,

i agree with kean, pictures are definitely needed to melt faces at the utter cuteness


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## Hedgehog madness x

*Yep *


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## Hedgie Mama

I have 2 hedgehogs living together successfully, they are half sisters Ruby and Seoda. I got Ruby June 08 and Seoda Oct 08. I started slowly having them in seperate cages for quarentine purposes then after about 5-6 weeks, I socialised them together in a neutral space building up slowly from about 10 minutes on the first day supervised to eventually after a number of weeks putting them in together for the night. The first few nights I slept by the cage to ensure nothing untoward would happen and luckily it didnt.

As suggested I had 2 of everything seperate sleeping and eating areas for my hedgies. At first they ignored one another when in the neutral space and eventually sharing the cage. Now they snuggle together when sleeping, sometimes they sleep a few inches away from each other and sometimes they snuggle touching but sleeping head to toe. They also eat from the same space now so I have altered the cage to allow this, I still have 2 wheels but one large sleeping area and one feeding area. Occasionally they might huff at each other over the wheel but sometimes they go on it together or go on both wheels at the same time swapping over.

I still have the second cage just in case things change but it is working great at the moment, which is great for me as I have only one cage to clean and it makes life so much easier considering I am now 8 and a bit months pregnant


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## king_aria

I had 2 male hadgehog name Yamato and Zala,
they never fight and can share food, drink, room and hiding box.
I think, I'ts ok to make they share


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## HedgeMom

king_aria said:


> I had 2 male hadgehog name Yamato and Zala,
> they never fight and can share food, drink, room and hiding box.
> I think, I'ts ok to make they share


You'd be wrong. Male hedgehogs most often fight with other males, even brothers. Often to the death. You're risking both of your hedgehogs lives by forcing them to live together.


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## Emily

This post was very helpful.
I was recently contacted and I am going to rescue 2 hedgehogs. One male, One female.
I was wondering if my males would then get along. I see that maybe it would be best to keep them away from eachother.


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## nomisinad

HedgeMom said:


> king_aria said:
> 
> 
> 
> I had 2 male hadgehog name Yamato and Zala,
> they never fight and can share food, drink, room and hiding box.
> I think, I'ts ok to make they share
> 
> 
> 
> You'd be wrong. Male hedgehogs most often fight with other males, even brothers. Often to the death. You're risking both of your hedgehogs lives by forcing them to live together.
Click to expand...

I still cant agree with that. Since 4 years i have a group of males together. I just had one hedgehog once who didnt want to be hold in a group, so that he lived lonley from that time. but still from that point i didnt have any problems anymore. 
i control the weigth of each hedghog, so i would reconize if there are problems. Plus i often watch them at night and handel them daily. So i could see if there are biting spots or anything.

I am really wondering why in the US it is such ab big problem with housing hedgehogs together..? The only reason i could imagine is the size of the cage.. Maybe here they have more space or more places where they could sleep if they do not want to sleep together or something. Otherwise i really have no idea why here it is no problem and there you say they would fight to death. What do you think about that? Whats the diffence?
And again, girls we always leave together.


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## Nancy

There are some exceptions to the rule and some people have kept males together without problems. There is more risk that they will fight than won't. IMO, it isn't worth the risk housing males together because if and when they fight, it will be at night when nobody is around to hear and help. 

How long have people been keeping hedgehogs as pets in Germany? A lot of things that hedgehog owners in the UK are just discovering, we in the US have known for many years and it's because hedgehogs as pets in the UK are relatively new.


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## sarahleeandneedles

Hedgiepets said:


> Do not even let them have play time together, at all. It only takes a few seconds for them to mate.


what if i kept an eye on them?


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## Nancy

sarahleeandneedles said:


> Hedgiepets said:
> 
> 
> 
> Do not even let them have play time together, at all. It only takes a few seconds for them to mate.
> 
> 
> 
> what if i kept an eye on them?
Click to expand...

No. Females are induced ovulaters which means they ovulate in the presence of a male. It is unknown if being exposed to males and ovulating without being bred is healthy for them and it could increase the risk of reproductive cancers.

For both, it will sexually frustrate them to be allowed playtime without breeding.

I can't begin to remember all the OOPS, pregnancies there have been because people let male and female have playtime together and thought they could keep an eye on them. :roll:


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## nomisinad

Hi me again,

i also suggest you to do not leave them together. the male would reconize the female instantly and kinda freaks out  for both part it is too stressful...

@ nancy, i dont know for how long the uk have experince with hedgehogs as a pet, but in germany they started maybe 10 years ago... me myself have them since 5 years. of course the us have much more experiences with them but i think we found a way.. you found a way.

i furthermore prefere groups, because i can give them more space. for example one cage is 2m long. and i dont have place for 8 cages , 2m long, for each pet. giving them less space would make me sad, i even think the cage now is too small for a domestic pet like the hedgehog.


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## Puffers315

But the thing is in the wild, they do not roam around in packs or groups, they are solitary and males can be territorial. My main question is all your guys, are they all brothers or different hedgehogs introduced at different times? I know nothing but knowing animals in general, I think you'd have a better chance of keeping males and females together if they are siblings, thus they have grown up together. But still even then there is always the risk, and I guess most just don't want to take that risk.


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## sarahleeandneedles

@nancy
i left my hedgehog and a hedgehog from school(i had to keep him for the weekend) outside on my patio for like 5 minutes. i was keeping an eye on them, so is that okay?


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## krbshappy71

sarahleeandneedles said:


> @nancy
> i left my hedgehog and a hedgehog from school(i had to keep him for the weekend) outside on my patio for like 5 minutes. i was keeping an eye on them, so is that okay?


Wow, really? After you were told this:



> sarahleeandneedles wrote:
> Hedgiepets wrote:
> Do not even let them have play time together, at all. It only takes a few seconds for them to mate.
> 
> what if i kept an eye on them?
> 
> No. Females are induced ovulaters which means they ovulate in the presence of a male. It is unknown if being exposed to males and ovulating without being bred is healthy for them and it could increase the risk of reproductive cancers.
> 
> For both, it will sexually frustrate them to be allowed playtime without breeding.
> 
> I can't begin to remember all the OOPS, pregnancies there have been because people let male and female have playtime together and thought they could keep an eye on them.


Not sure why you would intentionally go against good advice at the risk of hedgehog health. Sad to me.


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## Puffers315

Personally I wouldn't be as concern about them being together for 5 minutes, I'd be more concerned about exposing my hedgehog to possible illness or disease that the other hedgehog may be harboring, even just mites. This is why its recommended when you bring a new hedgehog into your home that you quarintine them for at least 30 days.


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## sarahleeandneedles

krbshappy71 said:


> sarahleeandneedles said:
> 
> 
> 
> @nancy
> i left my hedgehog and a hedgehog from school(i had to keep him for the weekend) outside on my patio for like 5 minutes. i was keeping an eye on them, so is that okay?
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, really? After you were told this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> sarahleeandneedles wrote:
> Hedgiepets wrote:
> Do not even let them have play time together, at all. It only takes a few seconds for them to mate.
> 
> what if i kept an eye on them?
> 
> No. Females are induced ovulaters which means they ovulate in the presence of a male. It is unknown if being exposed to males and ovulating without being bred is healthy for them and it could increase the risk of reproductive cancers.
> 
> For both, it will sexually frustrate them to be allowed playtime without breeding.
> 
> I can't begin to remember all the OOPS, pregnancies there have been because people let male and female have playtime together and thought they could keep an eye on them.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Not sure why you would intentionally go against good advice at the risk of hedgehog health. Sad to me.
Click to expand...

i did it last yearrrr
gosh...


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## Puffers315

We all make mistakes, plain and simple, or as my father would say "s!%t happens". You were I'm sure not aware of this information at the time, otherwise wouldn't have done it. All in all nothing happened, and we've learned something new.

But in the end its everyone's choice on what to do with their hedgehogs, but you gotta know the facts. If you want your male and female to play together, fine, go ahead, but more or less expect babies. If you house two males together, but be prepared for them to fight (same with females). Freedom of choice, one of the best (and worse) things in this world.


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## Nancy

sarahleeandneedles said:


> @nancy
> i left my hedgehog and a hedgehog from school(i had to keep him for the weekend) outside on my patio for like 5 minutes. i was keeping an eye on them, so is that okay?


NO!

First off, were they in a cage on your patio? If not, you are lucky they did not take off and get lost.

Hedgehogs should be quarantined away from each other in separate rooms for a month before even being caged beside one another.

Male and female should never have playtime together unless you are breeding them. Breeding should only be done responsibly using hedgehogs with good lineage. Breeding also carries a risk of complications and expensive vet bills. Even the act of mating carries the risk of injuries to one or the other.


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## tracie

I have my mamma hedgehog and her daughter housed together. They do not fight, at least that I can tell, but mamma seems to hide out a lot, and I'm wondering if it's because of the presence of her daughter. (I don't know what's normal for her, she was pregnant when I got her and in a smaller cage where there wasn't too much to hide in.) The daughter is by nature rather clingy and always goes near her mother when there's enough space to do so. Mamma does not like this and hisses her away. What should I do?


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## Nancy

How old is the baby? Often moms have had enough of babies and for a while after weaning baby is still clingy and mom want's nothing to do with clingy. Mom wants her space and baby will figure that out. Sometimes moms can be quite aggressive about being left alone. 

A large cage, two wheels and two sleeping areas are a must and if mom gets too aggressive, you will have to separate them, at least for a little while.


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## tracie

She is four and a half months old. The mom's not being overly aggressive, and she's not hurting the daughter but she hisses when her daughter comes near.

They have a large cage with one and a half levels and two sleeping areas. The mom just seems really drawn in, and I haven't seen her run on her wheel in a while. The mom's nipples still seem noticeable, too.



Nancy said:


> How old is the baby? Often moms have had enough of babies and for a while after weaning baby is still clingy and mom want's nothing to do with clingy. Mom wants her space and baby will figure that out. Sometimes moms can be quite aggressive about being left alone.
> 
> A large cage, two wheels and two sleeping areas are a must and if mom gets too aggressive, you will have to separate them, at least for a little while.


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## PIkapika

Heya's.
This thread has me a little confused.
It cleared up why i can't have male+male or Male+female in same cage(Or even near each other hah.)

But i'm not really understanding Female+Female.
If you could clear up a few questions be appreciated.

1 - Do most people with multiple hedgies keep their females together without issues?
2 - Its mentioned they "may" fight. How long do they get seperated if they start fighting? 
3 - Its said males fight to the death, then said females fight...Females won't kill each other in a fight correct?
4 - I see alot of "Hedgehogs are solitary creatures" then stories of two hedgies playing with each other. Clarification?
5 - Quarintine, i take it i shouldn't have them near each other for even play time until the first month is done?

Thanks for your help.
Had my hedgie for 9 months now, and my parents offered to make my christmas present a friend for my little girl. So trying to find out if it'll be safe or not to have two female hedgies in same cage.


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## Puffers315

I've never had two females together or even experience in attempting to do so, but I've read plenty, probably not enough to be qualified to answer these, but I can give you the 'best to my knowledge' on your questions.

1. From thinking about everyone who has females, they are generally kept apart. Most people do not want to risk the 'if' part of keeping two together and if they will fight. I can only really think of maybe one or two members here who have females together.

2. If they fight, I think the general rule is that is it for keeping the two together, if they do it once, there is a good chance they are going to fight again, so why risk it.

3. Males are more prone to fighting to the death, but either male or female can and probably will fight to the death. I can point you out to at least one thread of an owner who came home to find her older hedgie dead from a younger one in the same cage.

4. In general they are solitary creatures but there are cases of two being together, living together and possibly playing together. But if they were out in the wild, they would -not- be doing that, they would keep to themselves. Say 75% are solitary creatures while the lesser 25% don't mind having a roommate.

5. Correct, they shouldn't have any contact with each other for at least a month, to prevent possible disesae or sickness from the new hedgie spreading. You also should at least change your shirt or clothing and make sure to wash your hands and any part of your body that the new hedgehog made contact with, before handling the other one. After 30 days and the new one hasn't shown any signs of sickness, then you're about 98% safe.

In general if you are thinking about keeping these two together, think long and hard about it and the worse case scenario. As said many people do not risk it. If you do attempt to put them in one cage, do it slowly. First introduce them outside of the cage under heavy supervision, and do this for probably at least a month to see how they react and interact with each other. Then try them together. Keep in mind when you put two hedgehogs together, you have to -double everything- including cage space. You will need 4 bowls, 2 wheels, 2 igloos and at least 8 square feet of cage floor space, double the emergency funds, and a spare seperate cage if things do turn sour.

In the end, there is no promise that it'll be 100% safe to keep two in the same cage, there is going to always be that unknown factor.


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## Quills&Bills

I recently bought a pair of femal hedgies and they were kept together prior to me obtaing them and they live together now as well, harmoniously. The one is a 3 yr old female, Sonic, and a 1o month old female, Knuckles. They sleep together, eat and drink together, and seem to have agood time in each otghers company. No huffing or hissing, fighting, etc. Maybe I have a rare case of 2 freinds but they are awesome.


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## moxieberry

With females living together, it's possible that they'll be seemingly be "fine" with it, up until the point that they aren't fine with it anymore. They can do a lot of damage to each other quite fast if they decide to fight.

They aren't social creatures and don't long for the company of another hedgie, so you don't have to feel like you need to get your girl a cagemate.


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## Vivalahedgielution

I am curious about if one was to house 2 neutered males together. Would they still fight?

What if you had a neutered male and an unaltered female? It would solve the baby worries, but could they bond at all like some do?


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## Vivalahedgielution

Also, would the male still try to mount and what not after being altered? 
People are saying they'd both need to be fixed, but if neither of them mounted or perused (namely the male going after a female after being neutered), couldn't you POTENTIALLY house them together? 

I recognize there's always a risk they will fight but I am saying if they don't fight and get a long, couldn't a fixed male hang out with an unfixed female without issues or maybe another fixed male. (2 wheels, big cage, etc.)

There has been a lot about unaltered hedgies, but not much on fixed ones really being housed jointly.


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## Lilysmommy

Neutered males might have less testoterone egging them on, but they could still definitely fight. I'm not sure if it'd be less likely or not. I would think it's still possible for even a neutered male to pursue a female, but that might depend on the time of neutering - kind of how neutered dogs will still hump objects or masturbate, and I believe I've read at some point on here about neutered males having boy time as well. So there might be less baby risk, but I wouldn't say that he would definitely leave her alone either. Breeders might have more insight on that though. 

Overall, I think most people on here prefer to keep hedgies housed separately & recommend doing so because the risk is always there for fighting - and consequences can be serious. Most paired hedgies that I've heard of were ones that have been together for a long time, or have been kept together since being babies, mom/daughter pairs, sister pairs, etc. It would largely depend on the personality of the hedgies involved more than anything like spaying/neutering. But even then it can be hard to predict if they'll always get along, so personally, I'd be nervous no matter what at keeping them together.


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## moxieberry

I know that in other animal species, that aggression between altered males can stay the same, as if they were unaltered. Obviously there's a hormonal component to the aggression, but some of it is behavioral, too. I don't know if two neutered males would get along, but I would think no.

If you put a neutered male in with an unspayed female she's going to be stressed all the time same as if she was with an intact male. A male being in proximity to her is part of what causes breeding behavior, part of which is stress/aggression for the female. I don't know how they'd act if they were both fixed.

We've housed females together before, in double cages. (From a very young age, and in one case, two sisters.) We found it hard to tweak their weights when they were together.. someone would end up eating two bowls of food and someone would go without, etc, so we've since just put everyone in individual bins. The potential is there to have them housed together, but if there's no real upside to it, why not just have two separate bins?


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## Vivalahedgielution

ok. This was more or less all curiosity on my end. 

Plus me feeling guilty for not having found a rescue and getting my hedgie through a petstore.  I really wasn't aware there were breeders or this site until after I had already purchased Hubert I'm always surprised by what I find online. I wouldn't have ever thought of a hedgie forum. Dumb me. . It was a done deal by that point. No refunds. :/ Don't get me wrong, I 100% ADORE my little guy, probably to an unhealthy extent. :lol: But I have a philosophy about 'buying' animals, and pet stores don't sit well with me. But as what I thought was my only choice, I went with them. If only I had known there were even options at that point...  I wish more people knew about this site. (( Well, too little too late. My want to adopt another one is strong (much like the potato chip idea haha) almost to make up for the fact that I didn't give a needy hedgie a home. I think about it almost daily. However, I live in an apartment. I can afford the housing, heat, food, vet care, whatever,... But unless they can be in the same pen, I really don't have the right amount of space. Plus my landlord said I could get 'a' small pet. (I went and put the money up for Hubert within about 4 hours of that conversation) I am fairly sure he'd be very leery of 2 pets as he begrudgingly let me have Hubey. :lol: 
Next time, (after I have Hubert), I'll see if there is a pair of young, young sisters available to adopt so that they can have the forever home they deserve.


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## alexvdl

Why did a two year old thread get bumped up with no new question? *scratches head*


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## Vivalahedgielution

forgot to add question:

As far as them (2 females - sisters. etc.) living together, is there a dominance problem? i.e if one will eat all the food sometimes and the other none, is it because of aggression of just because one hedgie is 'hogging' all of it?


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## GirlX901

Can two hedgehogs (Male) play together and is there a chance that they can live together?


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## Immortalia

Vivalahedgielution said:


> forgot to add question:
> 
> As far as them (2 females - sisters. etc.) living together, is there a dominance problem? i.e if one will eat all the food sometimes and the other none, is it because of aggression of just because one hedgie is 'hogging' all of it?


There can be. That's why it's suggested that you have 2 of everything. 2 sets of food bowls, 2 sets of water bowls, 2 hiding places, 2 wheels. And of course, a large enough space to house everything.

And you also need to keep a really close eye on them. It's possible that one may eat more and gain more weight, while the other doesn't. Or perhaps one is a runner and the other isn't, which means they both need different types of food, which means they would need to be separated.

Again, even if they have lived together peacefully, it can all change overnight. We have had cases where one suddenly attacked the other, killing the other female. So you must always be prepared with a second cage.



GirlX901 said:


> Can two hedgehogs (Male) play together and is there a chance that they can live together?


No. It is best not to risk it because they do not have miles of space to separate from each other, as hedgehogs are solitary animals and 2 males will probably eventually fight for dominance and domain.


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## velooyuotn

I am getting 2 females soon and hopefully they are siblings. In case they don't get along and I have to keep them separate, I was wondering if there was a technique or some way i can slowly make them be ok with each other? Maybe not live together but at least when I take them out to play and explore I could take both out at the same time? Or is that not ok and cause fighting?


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## LizardGirl

For the most part it'll be just fine to have girls out together during the day under supervision, the main fighting will come at night when they're active if they want their own space. During the day, even if they don't love each other, they typically won't actually fight, but more so just avoid each other. It's when they're enclosed to a cage at night and they've decided they don't like each other, than they start having trouble tolerating each others' presence.  If you're watching them together during the day, you'd be able to separate them quickly if you notice them getting huffy at each other or starting to push each other around.


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## velooyuotn

Oh I am glad to hear. I will definitely watch them during the day time play and I'm a really light sleeper and they will be in my bedroom, if I hear scuffling/huffing I will put a divider up. Hopefully they get along so I don't have to do that =).


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## coopdavillage

Nobody take this wrong please but if pretty much EVERYONE recommends that you not house two hedgies together, why would you ignore that?!
I have 2 hedgies, a male and female and i was worried about them being to close! its not an issue because they have 3 feet between them but still.
I would never want to take the risk that any harm would come to my hedgie.


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## velooyuotn

I would be getting them from the same breeder at the same time, and hopefully from the same litter. They would either have grown up together already or were born together. So I am hoping that there will be a bond and it would be ok for me to house them together. I understand that that doesn't always happen and I am prepared to separate them. But it doesn't hurt to try it out and see if they can or not.


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## JulieAnne

I totally understand that people want to house hedgies together. We don't want them to be lonely or bored. We don't want them to "miss" their littermates etc. BUT I think we are pushing our human feelings and desires onto them. WE are social beings. They are not. Would two females loathe being out together DURING THE DAY? Maybe not. And yes, I understand some female hedgies LOVE their cagemates, I understand there are exceptions. But for the most part hedgies are loners. They don't WANT a cage mate. 

I don't want to say that you are "forcing" them to be a certain way... but, even if you have pure intentions (and I know we all do because we love our Quill Babies) you are essentially trying to make them be something they are not. Again, I understand some hedgies love their cage mates, but most do not want one.

Once Ivy's quarantine is over I MIGHT introduce her to Prim during the day. Maybe. If they are ever out at the same time most likely it would be because I am holding one and my mom is holding the other. 

We all love our Quill Babies and want what's best for them, but let's make sure we aren't trying to make them into little quilly humans :lol:


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## coopdavillage

Could not have said it any better!


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## LizardGirl

I think the point here is that as long as you're willing to separate them if it doesn't work out, it's totally fine. Females that are raised together very often do enjoy each other's company, but sometimes they don't. But I don't see any harm in trying it from the start, and if it doesn't work out, separate them. It's no big deal as long as their happiness is highest priority. Females can absolutely be very happy together, so as long as they have similar needs (one doesn't need a different diet from the other, etc.) and there aren't any obvious reasons they shouldn't spend time together, housing them together is not a problem. Definitely not all hedgehogs should be forced to attempt cohabiting with another (especially adults who are used to being housed singly) but in this instance, we're talking about two sisters that have been together from birth and are very likely to get along just fine.


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## skyguy

I have a female that i got in may, she was born in march. at what point can I get a male to mate with her and how do i know when to put them together to do their thing? can I leave them together till she get pregnant and how can i tell that she is? will she get really big?


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## Lilysmommy

Do you have a pedigree for her that you can check for genetic diseases like WHS in her background? If not, she really shouldn't be bred. You would need a pedigreed male as well, again to check for diseases, and to make sure they're not related. I would also suggest finding a breeder to mentor you before you try breeding her - they can answer all of the questions you posted here, and can help you with other breeding-specific issues.


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## HickuptheHedgie

Hello.
After my first hedgie died of cancer I was very upset and lonely. My mom bought me another one through a breeder as a present a few months later. We went to pick her up when she was ready and that same day as they were showing us around there was an older hedgie (a little over 2 at the time) who was hiding in a corner balled up. This reminded me of my first one who was kept in a pet store for the first year of his life and never socialized/touched much. I was sad to see her like this and the breeder told me she had recently had her first litter of babies and got depressed once they took them away from her. They offered her to me for free because she was 'useless' (not good for breeding anymore). At this point I figured I'd have to get two cages but accepted anyway as both me and my mom did not want to leave her there.
The baby I was originally there for was also upset from being separated from her mother. When I got back they I put them together and immediately they bonded. The baby was always following Luna and vice versa. Luna became lively and happy as soon as they got together. I assumed this was because she was upset about her babies being taken away?
I only had one of everything, I did not know you should have two. I always had a bed and lots of blankets as well as a pouch thing to sleep in so they'd have their own sleeping space.
Needless to say, they stayed close over the years. They never fought. Snowflake recently started to bother Luna if we took the wheel out during the night (when I cleaned it) and also when I took the wheel out for a few days after Luna had mouth surgery (for hyperplasia, thought it was cancer)
She wouldn't hurt her or fight, just kind of go up to her and make her upset by walking on her, etc. 
I was close to separating them when I realized it stopped when I put the wheel back in. They haven't had a problem since as long as the wheel wasn't out for more than an hour or two.

Sadly, Luna passed away yesterday. It was very sudden and unexpected, although she was close to five and had health issues (I feel as if the breeder wanted to get rid of her as she knew she was prone to illness?)

I know I kind of wrote a lot, but I guess it's one way to cope without my baby as we were very close. My real question is that I was wondering if Snowflake will notice her absence? Or be affected by it? I know you say they are solitary but they took comfort in each others presence and very much loved each other. I am worried about her reaction, and want to know if she'll be affected by it.


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## Annie&Tibbers

I think you'll have better luck if you start your own thread; this one is originally years old, and even the more recent pings are months old.

I'm so sorry for your loss, and I have absolutely no experience with this. It may be something you'll have to watch and see how she copes. I've heard stories of some hedgehogs bonding with stuffed animals, carrying them around and sleeping together -- maybe try that as a surrogate for your girl?


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## [email protected]

This might be a stupid question but can a ferret and hedgehog be housed in the same cage. I read that a mongoose is a hedgies predator.


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## Maryellanep

*Brother hedgies that share a cage*

So me and my boyfriend just got two male hedgehogs, they are 6 months old, brothers, and have shared a cage since they were born. One is the runt of the litter and the other is the pork of the litter. The runt Captain is accommodating to his new home just fine. Coming out of the hut at night to eat and run, but the big one Brillo I have yet to see eat. He's warm, he just stays in his hut. He ran the first night but not since. I put him in front of the food and water last night, he drank and went right back to the hut while his brother was out running. The people we got them from we're still feeding them kitten food so we found a cat food that was 30% protein and 12% fat and mixed that with the food they were eating. Captain just picks out the food he likes, but at lest he's eating. They get along fine, not one problem with them fighting, in fact they like to sleep together. My boyfriend posted about Brillo not eating on another forum and typically he got a bunch of comments about them not needing to be together but not much about one eating drinkin and running, and one just hanging out. Now he's convinced they need to be seplarated, but until I get Brillo acting & eating right, I don't want to mess up their normal even more than it already has been switching homes. I mean we got them Saturday, it's not Wednesday, I'm starting to worry.


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## Lilysmommy

I know it'd mess up their norm, but...it might be helpful to try separating them for at least a night, so you can count food & see if he reacts any differently. He needs to eat - if it's been this many nights with him eating minimally or not at all, it's starting to get to the point where he may need to be syringe-fed. 

You said he's warm, but what's the light like at night? Some hedgehogs are very particular and want it to be completely black before they come out. Little things like night lights, street light or moon from outside, etc. can keep them from coming out & going about business.


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## Nancy

[email protected] said:


> This might be a stupid question but can a ferret and hedgehog be housed in the same cage. I read that a mongoose is a hedgies predator.


No. Hedgehogs are prey, ferrets are predators.


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## aimeeviens

HedgieIsabella said:


> oh wow, i didn't know they could be spayed or neutered,
> i thought it was only a cat/ dog thing,
> 
> how much would it cost?


I have been quoted for $300


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## knlght

I have a 4months old Female and about a young male of 2months...both are on the same cage. Is this bad ? I even let them play on a big backyard at night.

Are they going to mate even the male is only 2months ? The female is about twice as big from the male.


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## DesireeM81

You need to separate them immediately. Males can mate as early as 6 weeks and your female is to young to have babies although thankfully not extremely young.

She is probably already pregnant and you will need to put her on baby watch. She needs her own cage and her own room. From the day you separate the male and the female, count 55 days. After 55 days if she doesn't have babies you got very lucky.

Be sure to read the sticky on emergency babies here. http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/24-breeding-babies-help/6160-emergency-baby-advice.html

The reason she needs her own room is when the babies arrive you cannot handle them or mom for two weeks at the earliest except to give mom food and water.


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## trf0ster

Has anyone housed 2 hedgies together that have different personalities? I have a 2 year old very grumpy / loner. My husband recently brought home a little one who is definitely a cuddler / explorer. The little one has desperately been trying to cuddle up to the older one. She wants to be right next to her all the time. The grumpy one is tolerant, but not happy about it, she will hiss at the newer one once, and then let her sleep within an inch or so of her, but won't let her touch her. They each have their own everything, so they don't fight over food or wheels, but we are thinking of just housing them separately. But then will the new cuddler will be lonely in a cage by herself? In the mean time we are keeping a very close eye on them to see how they interact. I was actually hoping a prickly friend would warm my grumpy girl up a little.


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## Nancy

trf0ster, it's not worth the risk trying to house them together. They can cause severe and often fatal injuries to each other.


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## Teddi4211

trf0ster said:


> Has anyone housed 2 hedgies together that have different personalities? I have a 2 year old very grumpy / loner. My husband recently brought home a little one who is definitely a cuddler / explorer. The little one has desperately been trying to cuddle up to the older one. She wants to be right next to her all the time. The grumpy one is tolerant, but not happy about it, she will hiss at the newer one once, and then let her sleep within an inch or so of her, but won't let her touch her. They each have their own everything, so they don't fight over food or wheels, but we are thinking of just housing them separately. But then will the new cuddler will be lonely in a cage by herself? In the mean time we are keeping a very close eye on them to see how they interact. I was actually hoping a prickly friend would warm my grumpy girl up a little.


I wouldn't. Hedgehogs don't crave company like other animals. Putting them together might cause stress and injury. Hedgehogs generally only can be housed together if they are raised together.


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## [email protected]

*Two Males Living Together*

Hello,

I just bought my first hedgehog(s). I wanted two, but only planned on getting one because of the fighting that can go on between them.

The breeder told me that as long as they are babies when housed together, then will grow up without problems, and said that introducing a new male to an already established adult male habitat will cause problems.

So, I bought two baby males that were living together at the breeders and are living together now. There has been no problems between them but I'm now finding myself concerned because everything I'm reading says "NEVER house males together"

Thoughts?


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## [email protected]

*Two males living together.*

Hello,

I just bought my first hedgehog(s). I wanted two, but only planned on getting one because of the fighting that can go on between them.

The breeder told me that as long as they are babies when housed together, then will grow up without problems, and said that introducing a new male to an already established adult male habitat will cause problems.

So, I bought two baby males that were living together at the breeders and are living together now. There has been no problems between them but I'm now finding myself concerned because everything I'm reading says "NEVER house males together"

Thoughts?


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## Skadi

[email protected] said:


> So, I bought two baby males that were living together at the breeders and are living together now. There has been no problems between them but I'm now finding myself concerned because everything I'm reading says "NEVER house males together"
> Thoughts?


Housing males together is commonly done in Germany and as long as you respect certain rules it might work.

But with males you really have to see reason in case it does not work and let them live separately so *you always need to have a plan b*. With brothers it is often easier, but even that is no guarantee for it to work forever. As soon as they have grown older they may develop territorial behavior which might lead to quarreling. 
Some really experienced co-housing keepers even say it is mostly about their individual characters and whether they like each other; more than about anything else (age, relatedness, former living conditions and such).
The probability does rise with their cage's size, though.

It is possible for it to work. There are also bigger male co-housing cases (concerning up to four or five hedgies living together) here that work fantastically and it's not that rare. But all those keepers have a plan about what to do as soon as it stops working and they know what to look for.


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## Folly

I have a 3 year old female hedgehog and a possible opportunity to adopt a baby in a month or two- I've heard of older females taking in and caring for babies, and I really feel like Buffy could use a companion, not because I think she's lonely (I know hedgehogs are solitary!) but because I used to have her with me all day and I haven't had time for that lately, so I worry that she's _bored_ and could use some more interaction. Is this a valid concern or am I just being paranoid mommy? Would it be a good idea to bring Buffy over and let her hang out with a few different babies and see if they get along, or will they need enough of an adjustment period that that wouldn't matter? ;; I'm just not sure what to do haha- I feel like introducing another hog could either perk her up significantly or really piss her off P:


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## twobytwopets

Most likely just piss her off. She isn't lonely for another hedgehog friend. 
It's unlikely that a breeder would allow them to play before hand. Illnesses can be passed and if they don't get along who pays for damage? 
If you have limited time to handle your current hedgehog you would have the same amount of time to devote to two.


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## Lilysmommy

Agreed. It doesn't sound like a good idea at all for you to get a second hedgehog now. If you wanted them housed together, you would need a minimum of an 8 square foot cage, bigger is better, two of everything, and there would still be the possibility of them not getting along & injuring each other. If you feel she's bored, you'd be better off finding more things for her to do in her cage such as a dig box, a sand box (there have been a couple threads going on about this if you check out...probably the Cage Accessories forum? or use the search function), and some foraging toys or hide treats & food around her cage.

Like Twobytwo said, two hedgehogs means twice the amount of time you need to spend with them, so that's not going to solve any problems for you. Better to just try and spend as much time with Buffy as you can.


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