How to care for hedgehogs at home?

The hedgehog can rightly be considered a universal favorite. Some of our compatriots even tame common hedgehogs - this is quite possible. However, the relative fashion for domestic hedgehogs in recent years has not been provoked by domestic garden tramps, but by an artificially bred African pygmy hedgehog. But whichever hedgehog you choose, the rules for leaving will be approximately the same, so it's worth looking into this matter in more detail.

If you caught an ordinary hedgehog and decided to bring it home, you should not think that this situation is completely normal for him. Over time, he will get used to it, but at first, finding himself in an unfamiliar environment and not being able to realize his instincts, the animal will experience significant stress. When deciding to have a needle pet, make sure to get a cage for it in advance. Having obtained the animal, put it in a cage and on the first day just do not touch it - let the new pet get used to the situation and make sure that nothing bad happens to him.

Better, of course, to take a young hedgehog, but if you do not buy the animal, with age you are unlikely to guess. Trying to accustom the baby to new conditions, pay attention to the fact that these animals are in trouble with their eyesight - they are guided in space, rather, by smell and memory. For this reason, experienced people recommend an unusual move so that the animal gets used to its owner. Put your own unwashed T-shirt near the cage.

At first, the hedgehog will be afraid and curl up into a ball with every contact, but you still hold it in your hands and speak to it softly and affectionately. If he is trying to sniff your hand - give this opportunity, this pet is getting to know each other.

There is no exact timing for the adaptation of the hedgehog - it all depends on how sociable the individual you got. Some are keenly interested in the world around them and are ready to get acquainted in a minute, which in the wild, of course, would be an obvious disadvantage for the animal. Distrustful animals can get used to it for a long time, stretching the acquaintance for fifteen days.

While the baby is getting used to the new environment, try not to scare him with anything. Other pets, if any, should not overlap with the hedgehog. Any loud sounds, unpredictable TV noise, high-pitched voices of talking people and even a dog barking outside the window can potentially scare him, so all these factors should be minimized, gradually accustoming the animal to the fact that all these are normal phenomena.

The hedgehog is a mobile and quite active creature, this will be confirmed by anyone who has ever observed the animal in the wild. It means that his cage should be spacious enough not to interfere with the prisoner's walk. If you decide to keep a hedgehog in an apartment, then 70x45 cm is the minimum area of ​​his personal territory, and it is better to focus on a mini-aviary with dimensions of 90x60 cm. A significant height of the cage is not required, but it is still advised to focus on 40 or more centimeters.

The common forest hedgehog turns out to be a surprisingly wonderful climber, therefore, the owner will either acquire a closed cage, or will observe the regular shoots of his pet. Most often, metal cages for rodents, sold in any pet store, are chosen for such animals, but you can design a wooden alternative yourself or even a plastic container with smooth slippery walls, which for the baby will become an insurmountable obstacle - then the lid will not be needed.

If the choice fell on a container with lattice walls, choose it so that the gap between the rods is minimal. By pressing the needles to the body, the baby can get out into the wild, but it will be even worse if he gets stuck in the process.

Of the rest of the fundamental requirements for the place of residence the need for good ventilation in the cage should be emphasized.

Caring for a hedgehog, whether it is a decorative animal or a real inhabitant of the forest, requires that at home the pet feels about the same as in the wild. Care procedures and maintenance rules are simple.

• In the wild, the hedgehog travels great distances every night in search of food and if you take this opportunity away from him, he will certainly gain weight, which will not end well for the animal. Considering that the cage is not too large in any case, it is necessary to purchase a running wheel for your pet, but not quite the same as for rodents. We remember that the hedgehog does not see well and any irregularities are dangerous for him, therefore, instead of rods, the wheel should have a solid surface in which the legs cannot get stuck.

• The food bowl should be wide and stable with rounded edges... This beast does not belong to the most accurate eaters, it fiddles during the meal, therefore a tall and thin vessel will be overturned every time. It is better to choose a nipple drinker in general, otherwise the needle companion will certainly pour sawdust into the water.

• The cage itself is not home to the hedgehog. - this animal in nature is looking for a more serious shelter and wants to have it in the apartment as well.Theoretically, even improvised things can be used for these needs - an old and soft travel bag will do, or you can sew a special fleece bag.

• Hedgehogs are playful enough which means they need toys to amuse themselves in their free time. The beast will always be happy about something that can be rolled around the cage, because hedgehogs often get balls produced for cats, and even cardboard rods on which toilet paper is wound. As an alternative (or a good addition), a box with pieces of chopped fleece will do - hedgehogs love to rummage through such junk and relax in the same place.

• To maintain sanitary conditions inside the cage, the pallet is filled with sawdust, special paper granules or cat litter... It is important to clarify that coniferous sawdust is categorically unsuitable as a filler: the fact is that when in contact with hedgehog urine, they enter into a chemical reaction with it and emit fumes that can have an extremely negative effect on the pet's health.

• The ideal temperature for an active house hedgehog ranges from 22-26 degrees. In fact, the beast, of course, will withstand a much wider temperature range, but in the heat it runs the risk of overheating, therefore it tries to hide in a cool shelter, and a significant cooling for the former forest dweller is fraught with hibernation. For this reason, it is advisable to choose a place for the cage that is far from heating devices and protected from direct sunlight.

• If you want to care for your hedgehog properly, give him the opportunity to walk outside the cage as well, but with great care.... The beast is very curious and does not know the rules of behavior established by man, therefore it can easily damage furniture and even electrical wiring, not to mention ornamental plants. In addition, in a large apartment he can easily find another “dwelling” for himself, and, having lost sight of him, the owners may never find the pet during the day until he starts stomping and snorting at night.

• You cannot walk with a hedgehog down the street, but you can equip an aviary for it right on the balcony, remembering that direct sunlight is harmful. The African decorative hedgehog cannot be left there for the winter, as it will simply freeze, but an ordinary forest animal will be able to "dig in" provided that you provide it with a sufficient amount of hay or straw.

• Once every one or two months, it is advisable to bathe the hedgehog in relatively warm water with a temperature not exceeding 35 degrees. If you organize the process correctly, the pet will not resist. The animal must be carefully watered with water so that it does not fall into either the ears or the cunning face.

• The bathed baby needs to be wiped dry... Experts also advise to moisturize his skin with natural oils based on coconut, apricot or even olives. In addition, it is after bathing that it is most convenient to trim the hedgehog's claws - under the influence of water and soap, they soften, therefore the procedure causes less discomfort.

All experts are unanimous in the opinion that the hedgehog is very unpretentious in food and theoretically could eat a lot of things.Another thing is that the owners are usually interested in the health of their pet, therefore they must select an adequate diet containing a large amount of protein and fat. For this reason, pets are often fed boiled meat or liver, as well as budget minced by-products.

You may have heard that hedgehogs love milk - this is true, only it should be given not in pure form, but with bread soaked in it. Although in fact these animals do not carry vegetables and fruits on their needles, as is often shown in the pictures, they, of course, also eat them - the most popular are apples and various berries, ordinary carrots will also do. In the wild, hedgehogs, for obvious reasons, do not eat either seafood or fish, and yet the pet will not refuse even such a delicacy, especially since, in terms of the content of nutrients, it may well turn out to be very useful for him.

However, most owners of these animals do not experiment much, preferring to feed their pet with about the same, but predictably healthy food. The average daily ration of a hedgehog is about 300 g of fish and 200 g of minced meat mixed with cereals. These products are divided in such a way as to be given out to the animal in two times. For obvious reasons, the amount of food will vary depending on how large your specimen is.

A hedgehog is not a creature that will eat to its fullest, even if it does not climb into it, therefore it is difficult to overfeed it... Another thing is that uneaten food, remaining in the cage in a layer of sawdust, can become an ideal breeding ground for various parasites, which can hardly be considered a good consequence. Hence, The hedgehog portions must be calculated so that the four-legged is able to eat everything at once.

African dwarf hedgehogs do not fall asleep for the winter, but you will have to endure with ordinary forest animals - even if you create good conditions for activity throughout the year, you cannot fool nature. In nature, the animal before bedtime tries to gain maximum mass, it becomes more and more lethargic, which indicates the approach of cold weather.

Not being able to eat while sleeping, the baby significantly loses weight over the winter, which means that with the onset of autumn, you must increase the feeding rates for your pet, sparing no food. Considering the danger of lack of hibernation, you yourself must contribute to the feeling of coolness in the atmosphere - for this purpose, a hedgehog cage is often taken out to the balcony for the winter... With this attitude, the animal will sleep all winter, but if you find a cool place in the apartment, hibernation will be reduced to a maximum of one and a half to two months.

You should not worry about your pet's health - it is normal for him to winter outdoors, so rely on his ability to build a normal nest for himself. So that there are no problems with the latter, provide the hedgehog with enough building materials - the same fleece patches, as well as withered grass, twigs and much more, are well suited for this role.

For information on how to care for hedgehogs at home, see the next video.