today I woke up and suddenly I am a hedgie mom... umm.. help

3270 Views 12 Replies 8 Participants Last post by hedgie love, Oct 21, 2008

newhedgiemom

Discussion Starter · Oct 20, 2008

Ok People know me as a sweet heart who can't turn down an animal in need of a home and today around lunch a hedgehog was dropped off to me.

It, (to shy to let me check if it's male of female yet) seemed to be on kibbles and bits, or a variant thereof.... So I immediately went out and bought hedgehog food. I compared cat and hedgehog food and found to many differences for me to be comfortable feeding something made for one species of animal to a completly different species.
Plus I feed my cats top quality (from a vet) cat food and so the protein and fat seem to be much to high for the hedgie. I am slowly switching him/her over with what little orignal food I have.

ANYWAY

This hedgie lives in a large tupperware tote and has all it's life with newspaper as litter It has a bucket wheel that to me seems to small. and it's head spikes seem to have a oily dandruff on them

anyone want to give me a run down on a basic day or week with their hedgie

starting with when they wake up and go over to your hedige until you leave your hedgie to go to sleep?

Baths....
interaction...
how to hold....
treats...
training...
cleaning the cage...
bedding to sleep in...
toys....

what's this huffing hiss I hear?

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newhedgiemom

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 20, 2008

*Wacks my head on the floor a few times and sighs* well most stores are closed today I food a petfood store was open because it was small enough to abide by the laws and be open God love canada anyway I'll get a book on Tuesday when I have the car...

For now I need to know, What a hedgie needs nutritionally wise

Protein >
Fat >
Fiber>

etc

what's ok for it to eat? insects of course, and this hedige will be getting live snacks come tuesday

anything else; I know ferrets can't eat fruits etc, what shouldn't I feed hedgies?

I feed the cats Innova light/senior, I didn't hear mention of that in the food thread

And how do you bath a hedgie I'll be looking though thread for a walk through tomorrow but if someone could give it to me here. As I have a two year old and an eight month old and don't have to much precious time to dig through materials

I've be looking on how to bath a hedgie and I can't find it.

Oh husband keeps telling me they need dust baths and can't find that anywhere...

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newhedgiemom

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 20, 2008

oh how does one clip a hedgie's nails, I was a pet groomer and I've clipped nails from parrots to guinea pigs and back again, but you can scruff rabbits and cats and hamsters you can't scruff a hedgie and this guy disparately needs a nail trimming they are starting to curl...

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newhedgiemom

Discussion Starter · #11 · Oct 20, 2008

Turns out it's boy, I gave him a bath today after watching about 30 hedige's get baths on youtube. And now My hands don't burn after being pricked by him, much better

It turns out his feet are pink not brown, he must have had caked on poo, I bet the both of us are much happier now. I got all but one toe on both back feet trimmed fairly easily I'll need a second set of hands for the toe nail that's curled around. last thing I want is a bleeding hedgie.

I noticed at the base of one of his quills on the quill itself it's rather blood red this doesn't seem to be the normal should I worry?

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