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Teddi

1673 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Ahava, 
A
Okay so my hedgie is not quite new, but he still seems new to me. Teddi has been with us for two months (so he is between 3 and 4 months approximately) and is absolutely adorable! It doesn't seem like we got him two months ago. When I--and my family--were thinking about getting a hedgehog, this site really helped a lot and I really want to thank everyone for putting such great information up there. I also want to say how wonderful Teddi is. He was friendly right from the get-go, which I know is rare, and everyone in the family loves him. He's really good about being handled and has even started coming out of his house to see me in the mornings when I'm cleaning out his litterbox. He goes to the washroom a lot when he's out of his cage, but that's normal, right?
He has a little playpen that we set up for him, but I'm thinking it will work better in the summer when he can go on the grass. Practically the first few weeks Teddi was already climbing over the top of the playpen and one time--before we added a clamp to keep it shut--he managed to nose the latch open and get out. Then, after the clamp, he went exactly to the spot where the latch was and tried to push it open. Smart guy.

Sorry, I'm getting carried away here I guess but there aren't many people I can tell about my Teddi. Anyway, thanks to everyone who wrote on the forums and on the website because they really helped me a lot! :D :D
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Gnarly
Congratulations on your new addition.

And yes, it's totally normal for him to be going potty outside of his cage.
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A
lol thanks. But I did mean the frequency of it. I'm sure it's just nerves though lol.
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Zalea
It's natural for a hedgehog to potty when active, that's why wheels get so dirty. If he's out running around, he's going to be more likely to poop. Babies are poop machines and will go more than adults, so if he's younger hopefully when he gets older it will become a once a playtime thing.

When it comes to playtime outside, remember that you HAVE to check the area well beforehand. Look for any feces from other animals that might be laying around, and look for any holes that the hedgie might dodge into. It also needs to a pretty enclosed and secured area, just to make sure there are no problems with other animals coming up to "play".

How tall is the playpen? If he's climbing bars to get to the top you're going to have to be really careful because if he falls he can really get hurt...
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A
All right. I knew about the activity thing but I'm hoping that he's gonna grow out of it. Haha. it's just one of the main reasons why I don't let him have more of a free rein.

The play pen...I have to measure but usually it's okay. We watch him constantly when he's in there and most of the time he's not really interested in climbing out. Just once he surprised me and even then I saw him before he was even half over.

Can the feces of my dog make him sick if my hedgie is outside? And what if it's grass that my dog has peed on, but no poop? Sorry haha, just trying to get all the facts for this.
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Zalea
Feces has all kinds of bacteria, not only from the original animal but also after it's been laying around out in the sun for days. If the hedgie runs up and eats it, the hedgie could get any number of illnesses. Plus that's gross. It's best just to clean the area up first and not risk anything.

As for pee...I think I'd avoid it if it's fresh. The dog shouldn't be running around at the same time the hedgie is out there--that's a BIG no-no--so there shouldn't be any fresh puddles around. By the time it's dried, the hedgie probably won't even notice it and normally they don't chew on grass so it probably wouldn't be much of a problem. If it's an area your dog uses all the time and there are noticeable signs like big brown spots, avoid that. And if you just saw your dog pee in that area earlier that morning, avoid it then too. Otherwise I don't think the hedgie will even notice.
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A
Okay. thanks. Yeah I wouldn't have my hedgie and dog outside at the same time/together anyway. That really is a big no-no even to a new hedgie owner like me.

As long as we can make sure that our hedgie doesn't eat any feces it's all good right? Not that I wouldn't clean everything up ahead of time first. haha.
Thanks for the advice!
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