# older male, baby female



## wahoobritney (Aug 17, 2011)

i'm trying to slowly integrate my new female, shes probably a little over a month old and he's probably like 6 months old. But all he keeps trying to do is mate... I thought Bella was a boy when I bought her, but she's a she.. lol. anyways is there any way I could keep them in the same cage without him always bothering her? or is it just way out of the question?

I am prepared to get her everything she needs for her own cage, but when I was planning on buying another one I hoped to put them in the same one...

Any suggestions? lol


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2011)

Separate them immediately a male will try to mate it is nature and your female being that young could be fatal and if she does make it through giving birth it can permanently stunt her growth because she's providing for babies.

A female and male only need a moment to mate and get knocked up and since females are induced it will only stand to sexually frustrate them to be near each other.


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## wahoobritney (Aug 17, 2011)

Obviously I don't have them together after the way he was acting. I would never put her in danger. I was just wondering if it COULD be done without them mating. But cool story bro


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2011)

wahoobritney said:


> Obviously I don't have them together after the way he was acting. I would never put her in danger. I was just wondering if it COULD be done without them mating. But cool story bro


Not sure what you mean by story, but if they are able to make contact the male will want to mate with the female and cause her to ovulate which can be dangerous to her health and frustrating to the male.

I am not trying to be mean or anything but by no means should you ever put a male and female together you will get babies because they will mate


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## wahoobritney (Aug 17, 2011)

They were only together once. But Obvs I was right there the whole time cuz she's
So small. She is in a little cage right now... What I meant by buying her a cage was like a
Big one with her own wheel Abd all that ****. And they can be in the same room just not right beside eachother. But kbye cuz you don't give me any new info.thnx


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

wahoobritney said:


> They were only together once. But Obvs I was right there the whole time cuz she's
> So small. She is in a little cage right now... What I meant by buying her a cage was like a
> Big one with her own wheel Abd all that S***. And they can be in the same room just not right beside eachother. But kbye cuz you don't give me any new info.thnx


Sorry, but TWCOGAR did nothing but give you the same advice that most people on this forum would give you, including some of the most experienced breeders.

Also, hedgehogs are mainly solitary animals... so I'm not sure why you keep wanting to house them together?

If you really wanted to try housing them together, you could get your female, or your male spayed/neutered, and then house them. But be prepared with an extra cage, etc. in case things go wrong. Most breeders here would suggest not to house any hedgehogs together, especially if they have not been housed together since birth, because there is a high probability that they will fight and end up seriously injuring one another.

No one is trying to attack you or criticize you here. We're answering the questions that you have asked. So please show other members the same amount of respect that we have shown to you


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

You really don't have many options. Chances are since he has already shown he is interested in girls, he will always try to mate with the female when she is present. There are males that are less interested, but even those can suddenly decide they want to mate too.

I don't recommend it, but if you really want to house them together you will need to find a veterinarian that is experienced in hedgehog neutering. I have known a few people who have had their male hedgehog neutered so that he could live with a female. Neutering is not a quick and easy surgery like it is with dogs or cats. I have never inquired as to the cost for a neuter, but I would expect it to run a similar amount as to any surgery ($300-500). It is an invasive surgery, and I've been told by a few owners that their vet would not perform it as an elective surgery.

I was told once about you get the male neutered if you want him to live with a female. I was told it is better to neuter the male as an intact male is more likely to still harass a spayed female. I've never had a spayed female so cannot comment from my own experience as to how an intact male will react to them though.

I don't recommend neutering simply because it is a surgery and there are always risks of losing the animal when they have a surgery performed. I have always just found it easier just to have separate housing, and separate play times.


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## moothecow (Jun 4, 2011)

wahoobritney said:


> They were only together once. But Obvs I was right there the whole time cuz she's
> So small. She is in a little cage right now... What I meant by buying her a cage was like a
> Big one with her own wheel Abd all that S***. And they can be in the same room just not right beside eachother. But kbye cuz you don't give me any new info.thnx


Actually, TWCOGAR answered the exact question you asked. You asked if there was a way to keep them in the same cage without them mating, and TWCOGAR told you no, there absolutely is not. So, frankly, I'm not sure why you're being rather rude and dismissive. If he did not answer your exact question, then it would help if you provided us with more details.

If what you were asking was whether you can somehow keep the two of them in the same cage while you're getting a bigger cage for the girl, the answer is also no. For all the reasons TWCOGAR listed. Them being so close together isn't good for them, as she'll start ovulating and he'll get frustrated. Yes, they can be in the same room, just not beside each other. If she's in a little cage right now, that's fine until you get her the bigger cage. Just, unfortunately, you'll never be able to have both your hedgies out at the same time, because of the induced ovulation problem.

Hope that answers your questions. If not, then please clarify what you would like to know and we'll do our best to answer.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

How close do you feel is too close for cages? 

See I actually disagree that you cannot keep them near each other. I have kept boys and girls in cages that were near each other for years. Unless she has changed her opinion recently, I know Nancy has also posted on here that her cages are stacked. She has kept boys above, below and in cages next to her girls as well. We both ensure that there are solid barriers, so that there is no chance of any contact between the bars or any chance of escape.

If you are using wire cages, just ensure that there is no chance of escape or that they can reach each other through the bars.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I would have responded with everything Kalandra has already said and yes, I have had and still do have boys and girls living above, below and beside each other. To do so, they must be in solid sided cages so there can be no direct contact such as reaching paws, noses or other parts through the bars. Cages need to both be 100% escape proof. No open topped cages when there are a male and female in the same room as some can be relentless in trying to escape to get to the other. 

Boys sometimes show absolutely no interest in the girls until dark. My Merlin would hide in a corner from a pursuing girl, showing no interest at all until it was dark and the house was quiet. Obviously he wanted total privacy. :lol: 

Unless neutered a boy will relentlessly pursue a girl, even a spayed girl to the point that she could turn on him. Personally, I would keep them in escape proof cages with separate play times because even if you do neuter him, there is no guarantee that they would get along. I also would not neuter a male just to house him with a girl as has Kalandra has mentioned, the surgery is involved and more risky than with a cat or dog.


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## moothecow (Jun 4, 2011)

Oh sorry, I meant beside each other as in, in-the-same-cage kind of beside each other, not cages side-by side. I know some of you have hedgie rooms full of stacked cages, and that works just fine. Sorry for the confusion


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## wahoobritney (Aug 17, 2011)

Thnx for the help guys, and he was just telling me all the same things I read. I did do my research that's why I hoped to get a young male instead of a female. I was looking for any new advice, and I got it from some ppl so thnx


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## smsaifyr (Jul 20, 2011)

Well even if you had gotten a young male, you would need to have them in different cages, males cannot be housed together.


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## wahoobritney (Aug 17, 2011)

I read that if you got young male and an older male they wouldnt fight for dominance because obvs murry would be the big one. and they would both be from the pet store so they have lived with many other hedgehogs...


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2011)

wahoobritney said:


> I read that if you got young male and an older male they wouldnt fight for dominance because obvs murry would be the big one. and they would both be from the pet store so they have lived with many other hedgehogs...


Your mistaken even if it doesn't happen immediately many long term experienced breeders will tell you males will almost always fight eventually.

Pet Shop Hedgehogs also tend to come from breeding mills where they are inbred and tend to harbor more aggressive tendencies at times. Just because they were housed together doesn't mean they all get along the pet store is going to remove injured or killed hedgehogs immediately so not to upset potential buyers when they see the hedgehogs.

Hedgehogs are solitary creatures and aside from rare exceptions don't seeks a friend, the only friend a hedgehog needs is its owner 

In very rare cases hedgehogs form bonds with another and usually they are family and been together forever, even a short time apart can change things and even if they seem to get along doesn't mean they won't decide to fight over a food dish or a wheel.

While it doesn't always happen, most here at HHC prefer to follow a "Better Safe then Sorry" policy with such things.


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## wahoobritney (Aug 17, 2011)

well thanx guys, i'm definitely keeping my bella then and spoiling her forever. i've already started giving them separate play times so everything will be great. thank youuuuu


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