Hedgehog Central banner

Going outside?

2687 Views 12 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Dea215
Hello, everyone!

I am a new hedgie owner and while it is still too cold in NY (50 degrees today), I am hoping for warm weather soon and think my Tina would love to go outside! She is very explorative.

Do you all take your hedgies outside? What are your best tips and tricks for doing so? What things do I need to be cautious of/excited about? What do your hedgies like?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!!! :grin:
1 - 4 of 13 Posts
Dont let them eat anything especially dandelions as these are toxic to them. Also try keep them out of direct sunlight as much as possible as it can cause problems.
And please be carful because they CAN pick up mites, ticks and other parasites from a short time outside so wash them in a warm bath straight away to try kill anything that may be on skin.

Also she doesnt look like she's enjoying it and just keeps trying to hide, you'll be better off to just take her back inside. Some hogs like it and some dont. Just make sure your watching her like a hawk cause they can dart off if they want to. And its unlikely you'll catch her.
Please do not wash your hedgehog based on the simple fact that they were outdoors. Plain old water, even accompanied with a basic shampoo, will not kill parasites - so this is effectively pointless, and is not a preventative at all. All it does it stress your hog for absolutely no reason.

I've also never heard of dandelions being toxic; daffodils are toxic to many species, but dandelion should be perfectly safe... as far as I'm aware, at least. I havent heard of any species to which it poses a toxicity risk; certainly not any commonly kept one anyway.
Its what I was told to do by I cant remember who now.
I was also told to use a small animal insecticide spray after to make sure.

And I was told dandelions are toxic. If they got it wrong then okay, but to be honest its not like I can just google it, because thats how they got it in the first place.

But your waking up a nocturnal animal to go outside in the day, but it has no benefit to them. Most hedgehogs would rather no be out there and just try to keep hiding or getting out the harsh sun.

I cant have Holly out in my garden anyway, as most of it is patio and gets really hot so she cant go on it. And the grass gets sprayed with something I cant remember but she cant go near it (we have no other pets)
Plus Holly is really light sensitive, around my house we dont have majorly bright lights (because I'm very light sensitive myself) so the sun would really hurt her eyes like it does mine, but unlike me where I can protect my eyes from the sun light. Holly Cant. So I'd rather not put her through that either.
See less See more
Also its far from natural taking them outside in the day/light. Do you see ANY wild hedgehogs outside in the day ?? No. Do you see them going out to explore the garden in the light ?? No. So why take your pet hedgehog outside in the day, when its likely hurt the their eyes, and give them higher risks to illness. Also the sun can put them at a higher risk of skin cancer (especially albinos and pintos)
Hedgehogs are nocturnal for a reason. And hide from light for a reason.
I'm not saying its a bad idea to take them outside. Because yes some hedgehogs do like it. But some hedgehogs don't and this does need to be known to look for too.

I think it also depends when you take them outside, if your taking them outside, If I had the right type of garden for Holly to go out, I wouldn't take her out until late afternoon when the sun isnt directly on my back garden, so that the sun isnt as harsh for her, but even then I dont think Holly would like it.

Also what type of garden you have and what sorta things you'd put in your garden because most things like weed killer ect aren't going to be safe for them (or any animal really)

If your hedgehog genuinely enjoys it then it would be good exploring time, but the risks do need to be known even if they are minor. I wasnt saying it as a "no dont do this because of this" but the risks need to be known so that if symptoms occur of a parasite its not totally shocking to people.

I was more pointing things out to take into consideration before taking a hedgehog outside.

Its not very common to see a nocturnal animal out in the day or light and generally when you do its because they are ill or they cant find enough food at night. Its very rare especially with a hedgehog.

There's not really an issue and in the end its up to you and your hog, but knowing the risks is better than not knowing. In my opinion anyway
See less See more
1 - 4 of 13 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top