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:? I just don't know any good toys for Prickles!
Suggestions?!
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Small cat balls, toilet paper or paper towel rolls that have been cut lengthwise once (so they don't get stuck), hedgie balls (like a hamster ball, but big enough for a hedgie), of course their wheel, small stuffed animals (like the mini beanie babies they used to hand out at McDonald's) are all good toys. My little one currently has a cat ball, a little furry mouse (cat toy), and a little squeaky toy in her cage, along with a toilet paper roll that has been cut. I can't tell if she actually plays with them at night, or if she just pushes them out of her way on her way to the her wheel of food :lol: , but at least she has the option of playing with them if she wants. 
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Lucy likes baby teething toys. Not the plastic ones, but cloth ones. I have one now that is round and has different things that stick out from it and they each do different things. One crinkles, one squeaks, one just is soft. I can throw it in the washing machine with her other things.
She is also quite fond of matchbox cars. She loves to push them around. The metal ones. I can just place them in the dishwasher.
She is also quite fond of matchbox cars. She loves to push them around. The metal ones. I can just place them in the dishwasher.
I often approach this question with questions, so here it goes:
What type of personality does your hedgehog have? Does it like to run? Burrow? Explore? Hide? etc. Your success with toys will depend on the personality of your hedgehog.
Some like balls to push around, others like to bite them and carry them. I use tubes and other items to explore through or under for those that don't like to burrow or have a exploring personality.
Small stuffed animals can be fun for some, very few are likely to chew on them, they usually get pushed, carried or treated like a companion.
Some like plastic cars or truck, again those that use them will usually push them, climb on them, or other wise shove them around.
There really isn't any hard set rules of what a hedgehog likes or dislikes, it is all a guessing game. If you want to try a few things without spending a lot of money just to find out your hedgehog won't touch it, try some "recycled toys" http://www.mihog.org/cages/recycle.phtml
The above link is to an article I wrote for the IHA News a long time ago. It has some items that are suitable for cage use and some that are suitable only for supervised play.
The most important thing to remember when offering something as a toy is to examine it for loose parts, sharp edges, and anything that a mouth could get stuck in if a hedgehog should try to bite it to carry it around. There was an incident recently of a hedgehog getting its mouth caught on a cat ball that had slots, it did a lot of damage to the poor hedgehog's mouth.
Good luck
What type of personality does your hedgehog have? Does it like to run? Burrow? Explore? Hide? etc. Your success with toys will depend on the personality of your hedgehog.
Some like balls to push around, others like to bite them and carry them. I use tubes and other items to explore through or under for those that don't like to burrow or have a exploring personality.
Small stuffed animals can be fun for some, very few are likely to chew on them, they usually get pushed, carried or treated like a companion.
Some like plastic cars or truck, again those that use them will usually push them, climb on them, or other wise shove them around.
There really isn't any hard set rules of what a hedgehog likes or dislikes, it is all a guessing game. If you want to try a few things without spending a lot of money just to find out your hedgehog won't touch it, try some "recycled toys" http://www.mihog.org/cages/recycle.phtml
The above link is to an article I wrote for the IHA News a long time ago. It has some items that are suitable for cage use and some that are suitable only for supervised play.
The most important thing to remember when offering something as a toy is to examine it for loose parts, sharp edges, and anything that a mouth could get stuck in if a hedgehog should try to bite it to carry it around. There was an incident recently of a hedgehog getting its mouth caught on a cat ball that had slots, it did a lot of damage to the poor hedgehog's mouth.
Good luck
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Did you just get Prickles yesterday? Because you were saying you were totally new to hedgies and didn't have one yet...
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My hedgie can't use those because he's too aggressive. He grew up at the breeder with the craft foam tubes, and he goes all out attacking those things. He learned he could be aggressive with those where he can't push through and now with the TP tubes are cut up the middle, he manages to push right through them. I'm afraid he's going to hurt himself so we just stick with the glued craft foam tubes. He has a blast with those things, running around with them on his head and hissing at them.Lilysmommy said:
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I got her on Saturday!
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:?: Do you think that a tube that you can make longer and shorter would be good? :|
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My hedgie loves his egg carton. I have a half dozen egg carton (you could cut a regular egg carton in half with a knife - scissors are harder to use for this). I put it upside down so it makes a kind of tent. He hides under it walks around with it on his back and flips it over and sits in it. It is safe for inside his cage.
He also has a hotwheels car that his human daddy gave him. This is only good for supervised play. He didn't like it at first but after a few exposures he started pushing it around, flipping it over with his nose and biting it. I think that it's really important that this is only a supervised toy in case one of the wheels comes off (probably will never happen they are really tough cars and the wheel is big enough that he won't choke but it's better to be careful).
Finally he has a stuffed cow that is about his size. He pushes it around flips it over with his nose, and climbs on top of it (all four feet end up off the ground and he sort of rolls off, it's very cute).
He also has some of the stuff that other people mentioned but I won't talk about that again.
Good luck finding a toy that your hedgehog will like. He may not play with anything right away but if you give him a chance to get comfortable with the toy he might grow to really enjoy it.
He also has a hotwheels car that his human daddy gave him. This is only good for supervised play. He didn't like it at first but after a few exposures he started pushing it around, flipping it over with his nose and biting it. I think that it's really important that this is only a supervised toy in case one of the wheels comes off (probably will never happen they are really tough cars and the wheel is big enough that he won't choke but it's better to be careful).
Finally he has a stuffed cow that is about his size. He pushes it around flips it over with his nose, and climbs on top of it (all four feet end up off the ground and he sort of rolls off, it's very cute).
He also has some of the stuff that other people mentioned but I won't talk about that again.
Good luck finding a toy that your hedgehog will like. He may not play with anything right away but if you give him a chance to get comfortable with the toy he might grow to really enjoy it.
i just started giving vex toys he could manipulate last week and yesterday was the first time he acknowledged them, so it does take time for them to get sued to what to do.
I have him a TP tube, and once he got it on his head he sat down with all feet off the floor on his bum and he just looked around. It was the cutest thing i have ever seen, but i didn't have a camera =(
I also gave him 1 large and 1 small stuffed animal (big one was his size, small one was 1/4 of his size). He dug under the big one and carried it around on his back and picked up the small one in his mouth and put them in the food bowl. Second cutest thing of the night.
I also have him some sticks and a few PVC pipes. He spent time running through them, then pushed them all to one side of the pen and tried to climb up on top of it but kept falling off.
When he was finally fed up with playing he tried to climb out of the vertical bar play pen and made it to the top. I then put him in his cage and he wheeled for a few good hours.
I have him a TP tube, and once he got it on his head he sat down with all feet off the floor on his bum and he just looked around. It was the cutest thing i have ever seen, but i didn't have a camera =(
I also gave him 1 large and 1 small stuffed animal (big one was his size, small one was 1/4 of his size). He dug under the big one and carried it around on his back and picked up the small one in his mouth and put them in the food bowl. Second cutest thing of the night.
I also have him some sticks and a few PVC pipes. He spent time running through them, then pushed them all to one side of the pen and tried to climb up on top of it but kept falling off.
When he was finally fed up with playing he tried to climb out of the vertical bar play pen and made it to the top. I then put him in his cage and he wheeled for a few good hours.
Along with cat toys, I've noticed with my hedgie bird toys work really well.
Petsmart sells some bird toys for really cheap, nice plastic ones. One I got is just three or four plastic rings looped around one another with a bell on the bottom and I have it hanging from the top of her cage.
She doesn't play with it so much as poke her nose on it, hear it ringing, and then try to attack it before running away... buuut it some entertainment, at least moreso than nothing =P
Petsmart sells some bird toys for really cheap, nice plastic ones. One I got is just three or four plastic rings looped around one another with a bell on the bottom and I have it hanging from the top of her cage.
She doesn't play with it so much as poke her nose on it, hear it ringing, and then try to attack it before running away... buuut it some entertainment, at least moreso than nothing =P
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