Hedgehogs are very active and need a lot of space - I would not suggest anything below 12 square feet. Absolute bare minimum is 8 square feet, but the bigger the better - and you will often find this too tight when you see how active they are. There are a lot of threads on diet and heating you’ll find here, but in short: they are largely insectivores and need a diet consisting of a high quality cat kibble AND a VARIETY of LIVE bugs. I cannot emphasise this enough, as many people get a hedgehog but can’t deal with the insects and try to feed them dried bugs instead - they need live bugs, and they need more than just mealworms. They need a variety as this is key to their health!
the main thing I would warn to someone considering hedgehogs is their health - they are not a healthy species. They are highly prone to many serious illnesses, and with these comes very expensive vet bills. They’re not a pet i encourage for minors or anyone without their own income for this reason, and if someone is going to be reliant on their parents for the vet bills, they must make sure their parents are aware and capable of dealing with the very expensive vet bills that hedgehogs are basically guaranteed to rack up.
for general enrichment as well, can’t go wrong with a sand bath and ball pit - and tunnels and snuffle mats. At least they’re the key to my Guys heart haha
the main thing I would warn to someone considering hedgehogs is their health - they are not a healthy species. They are highly prone to many serious illnesses, and with these comes very expensive vet bills. They’re not a pet i encourage for minors or anyone without their own income for this reason, and if someone is going to be reliant on their parents for the vet bills, they must make sure their parents are aware and capable of dealing with the very expensive vet bills that hedgehogs are basically guaranteed to rack up.
for general enrichment as well, can’t go wrong with a sand bath and ball pit - and tunnels and snuffle mats. At least they’re the key to my Guys heart haha
