[picknutpeach]

Hi there!
I'm interested in getting a hedgehog but when I went to the pet shop and saw these cute critters, they only seemed to be sitting around. So, before I jump to the punch and buy one right away, I have some questions.

- Do hedgehogs smell? Could I keep one in my room without it smelling like shavings, pet shops, or poop?

- Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so is there really a point to having it as a pet? It'll sleep all day and then be up at night...

- What can you do with a hedgehog? I know there are wheels and stuff but is it like a hamster or stuff? How much activity does it require?

 

[NoOther1]

hedgehog can get quite smelly if you don't take care of it, otherwise it's quite fine. peting an hedgie is mostly like peting a mix of an hamster and a cat, sometimes he will like to run and explore and sometimes it will just be on your lap and sleep like a cat would do.

I don't know if this is gonna make any sense to you...but if we could categorize people in two categories

-dog people (people who like to get an active animal that will fetch and be playfull)
-cat people (people who want an animal to relax, rub it, and being sweet)

I would say that hedgehogs are for "cat people"

 

[sunshinequill]

Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so that is right that they will sleep in the day. They play at night. You can wake them up once or twice in the day to snuggle, ifyou want to, but not for hours at a time. If you are looking for a pet that will come when you call it, and do tricks, then a hedgehog is not for you. If you are looking for a pet to cuddle with and let crawl on you, then a hedgehog MAY be right for you. Hedgehogs themselves do not really smell, but of course their poo and pee does. As long as you keep that cleaned up, you won't have hedgehog smell. Wood shavings do smell like wood shavings. There is nothing you can do about that. If you choose, you can use fleece which smells like fleece. Just cut some to fit the bottom of you cage and put a few layers on and then peel a layer off each day, put it in a bag and do a load of laudry each week. Hedgehogs need a good wheel to run on, and they poop on their wheels, so those need to be cleaned regularily so that they don't smell. A hedgehog is a very special animal, and with special care, they make wonderful pets, but they are not the right pet for everyone.

 

[krbshappy71]

Hi there!
I'm interested in getting a hedgehog but when I went to the pet shop and saw these cute critters, they only seemed to be sitting around. So, before I jump to the punch and buy one right away, I have some questions.

- Do hedgehogs smell? Could I keep one in my room without it smelling like shavings, pet shops, or poop?

Use fleece and the wood shaving smell wont be there, but woooh yes their fresh poopy does smell and when I had mine in the bedroom for a week it woke me up, it was so strong. I jumped up and washed the wheel and the later poopies in the middle of the night did not smell as strong. I do not detect a urine smell until the end of the week when I am changing their fleece liners. They have since been moved out of my bedroom and the only time their new room smells is in the morning when their wheel needs washed. The animals themselves, in my opinion, don't have an odor.

- Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so is there really a point to having it as a pet? It'll sleep all day and then be up at night...

I wake mine up from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. and enjoy them while on the computer or watching tv or just carrying them around the house while doing various things. Five hours straight is quite a bit of time to spend with an animal if you are dedicated to spending time with it. People who like to stay up late probably spend more time with theirs than I do. When I'm gaming late at night, I like to shut off the lights and watch them play in their houses by the light of the monitor and keyboard. Too cute!

What can you do with a hedgehog? I know there are wheels and stuff but is it like a hamster or stuff? How much activity does it require?

They require their wheel, and its preferred they have time outside of their cage if it is small, to run around. I'd suggest a playpen for small animals for this. Throw in some small toys and its very cute to watch them. They like to push around toilet-paper tubes, small cat toys, burrow in blankets, etc.

I would like to suggest that you read this forum posting regarding their behaviors and personality, it can be a heads up to people considering them: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=13

Also I'd look for a breeder near you rather than a pet-shop one. Breeders tend to socialize theirs which means it will be friendlier than one that hasn't been handled much.

 

[picknutpeach]

Thanks you guys! I do love hedgehogs, they're adorable! But when we went to the pet shop, my parents kind of brought it all down by saying those things and stuff like they didn't want to waste money on something that would just sit around all day and keep me up at nights.
For the record, we have a dog, so we are dog people...but I want a hedgehog so bad!

 

[krbshappy71]

Thanks you guys! I do love hedgehogs, they're adorable! But when we went to the pet shop, my parents kind of brought it all down by saying those things and stuff like they didn't want to waste money on something that would just sit around all day and keep me up at nights.
For the record, we have a dog, so we are dog people...but I want a hedgehog so bad!

I'm a dog person as well, I wouldn't take that comment too closely to heart. It was a generalization. Hedgies are a roll-of-the-dice when it comes to their different personalities, we wouldn't want you to get something you didn't enjoy. Good for you for coming to get informed and it never hurts to stick around and enjoy them through us! I love looking at other people's pets.

 

[steelcaller]

I'm a dog person as well, and i understand the statement above about dog vs cat people but i gotta say if your hearts in it like mine was then a hedgie is always gonna be a good pet, and as far as keep you up at night i got pretty use to sebi runnin on his wheel or whatever pretty quick and other then the wheel going for hours on end he stays pretty quite.

 

[hedgielover]

If you have a quiet wheel then it really doesn't keep you up. If you're up late anyway or wake up early in the morning you can have social time then. Just keep in mind that intertacing during the day will usually = hedgehog sleeping on you (which is cute but maybe boring depending on what you want). Also you usually can't pet a hedgehog some will let you but a lot don't like it and will just ball up. They are a very unique animal and you have to be pretty open to a new experience to enjoy them.

Reasons I love Quigley and things we do together. I love feeding him treats and watching him gobble them up and sometimes anoint with them. I like watching him run around in his playpen early in the morning or late at night. I like snuggling when we watch movies or TV shows (he falls asleep on my tummy, arm, or hand). He lets me rub his nose (from the tip to his forehead) and sometimes put my hand on his back. We like going for walks together and investigating smells at the park and pet store (when it's warm enough). He likes climbing up my shoulder and digging at my hair and anointing with it. I like putting him in the bath with a bit of water and putting my feet in it so he can run around my feet and play in the water (not all hedgehogs like water).

Downsides = clipping nails is a pain, giving meds when they get sick, vet bills when they get sick, finding food and measuring/counting it all out so you know how much they are eating, cleaning a poopy wheel daily, cleaning poopy feet, keeping the play space and the cage warm enough and worrying about it being warm enough. Not being able to travel without the hedgehog or someone to look after him (my parents say he has more stuff than a baby which is true), scrubbing the cage out when he decides it's a good idea to spread a mush of food, poop, water and pee all over the floor of the cage.