Another newbie here!

[slr38]

Hello,

I was excited to find this website with so much great information.

I grew up with dogs and cats and was waiting for my boys to be a tad older (now 4 and 6) before we got a dog. Turns out my youngest is allergic to cats and dogs! I have always loved hedgehogs so we have decided to adopt one. I am so excited to pick it up tomorrow (not sure if it is male or female yet).

I have been reading as much as I can and find all of the things to know a little overwhelming! I am confident I have found a friendly forum with many people that will be able to answer any future questions that we may have.

My first step was to seek out some good food for our new little one which I purchased this morning.

I found a nice children's book about Hedgehog car at the library so I will read that to the boys today.

Can't wait to bring home the new addition to our family!

[Annie&Tibbers]

Welcome! This is a really nice care-book on hedgehogs. Unlike most books, it's written by a breeder, and is kept up-to-date with what actual owners consider best-practice.

Do you have some fleece, blankets, or other fabric (no loose threads) you can donate to your hedgehog? Get your boys to sleep with some of it so that it smells like then, then gift it to your hedgehog to snuggle into. It will help him start associating your smells with a safe, comfortable place to sleep.

Washing hands with unscented soap before handling your hedgehog will help as well; smelling like tasty food-things will get you sniffed and potentially chomped.

Good luck, and have fun!

[Tongue_Flicker]

Hi welcome aboard and good luck on your first hedgie baby

[slr38]

Thanks for the great tips! I have an old fleece scarf in the wash now and will cut it up and have the boys sleep with it tonight.

I also have a fleece hat but I am not too sure about the seams inside. The stitching is very tight but do you think it's claws could still get caught?

[Annie&Tibbers]

The hat should be fine -- it's pre-formed to be a little sleepy nook! Keep an eye on it to make sure threads don't unravel over time. The bigger danger is thread (or hair) wrapping around limbs and not being noticed, cutting off circulation, so if it ever gets loose, clip those threads!

Fleece is mentioned so often because it's a fabric you can just cut-to-size and no worry about it unravelling. With other fabrics (cottons, flannels, etc...), the edges need to be finished by hemming to hide all the lose threads.

[Aether]

Welcome! Hedgehogs make great pets, and I hope he/she will make a great addition to your family! ^_^

[slr38]

Thanks for the replies!