[FrankieTheHedgehog]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Desiree, and I own a female Hedgehog named Francesca but she goes by Frankie. I bought Frankie a small squeaky cat ball, she hates it. She never plays with it, she doesn't go near it, and when I try to get her to play with it she refuses. I think she doesn't really like the noise it makes to be honest. Have you guys had any luck with toys your Hedgies love?

Also, I heard hamster balls are not good, because hedgies feet/legs can get caught and break. But recently I've seen people use giant hamster balls for their hedgies. Is this safe?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

If you'd like to see Frankie, check out her tumblr page at FrankieTheHedgehog.tumblr.com

 

[Lilysmommy]

If you look through some of the threads posted in the section, you'll find numerous toy ideas that people have had success with. I usually try to go for toys that enable natural behaviors like tunnels (4" PVC pipe), dig boxes (container filled with fleece strips, fuzzy pom pom craft balls, etc.), and things that you can hide treats on, in, or around. Some hedgehogs like pushing balls, small toy cars, or moving around small stuffed animals.

Most people on this forum don't like hamster balls. I don't think they're safe - the cracks can catch nails & toes, and it doesn't give the hedgehog the option of hiding. Some people still use them & claim they're fine with supervision & immediate removal of poop & pee. I think it's still risky as you're not going to be able to react quickly enough to prevent injury if the hedgehog's toes get caught. IMO, it's more appropriate to set up a hedgehog-safe room or play area for them to run around in.

Unrelated to your post here, but I noticed on your tumblr that the wheel Frankie has isn't usually recommended either. An enclosed wheel on that is going to keep the pee & poop in, which makes for a bigger mess & messier hedgehog. Hedgehogs also like to dash on & off their wheel most of the time, and look out of the wheel while they run, and they have a harder time doing that with an enclosed wheel. I would imagine the wheel is also a little more time-consuming to clean, since you have to take the pieces apart. A lot of people like cake cover and bucket wheels - LarryT of Carolina Storm Wheels is a very popular seller & I love his wheels. Just thought I'd comment in case you're interested in something safer & easier to clean!

 

[FrankieTheHedgehog]

Thank you for the feedback! I will definitely look into that wheel, this one is a bit of a pain to clean. I'm still learning!