All about house hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are cute and funny creatures that make good pets. Many people turn them on because they do not cause allergies and are easy to maintain. But do not expect a joyful reaction from hedgehogs when you appear at the doorstep, as is the case with cats or dogs. In this article, we will take a closer look at these exotic pets and tell you how to properly care for them.

Hedgehogs are small, snorting lumps covered with needles. They look very cute, they leave no one indifferent. Recently, these touching creatures are increasingly being brought up as tame pets in ordinary city apartments. You should not rush to establish a domestic hedgehog. First you need to familiarize yourself with all the pros and cons of keeping such an animal at home.

Keeping house hedgehogs implies such positive aspects.

• Few people know that in nature a hedgehog is a predator, therefore, with its establishment, the owners can forget about various rodents and insects, since they will become the prey of a thorny animal.
• Hedgehogs are highly intelligent. They are easy to train, and over time they begin to respond to the chosen name for them, like dogs or cats. Often, these animals borrow some habits and behaviors from other pets living in the neighborhood.
• Such a pet will not be too picky about food. Their diet may be similar to that of the host. The only exception is raw meat - this is one of the main components of the hedgehog menu.
• The hedgehog is the best animal for people who suffer from allergic reactions. This is due to the fact that spiky pets do not have the coat that causes allergies.
• Hedgehogs are not afraid of potent substances. Even if the animal finds and gets to the supplies of household chemicals in the house, there is a high probability that it will not harm him if he wants to eat it.
• A hedgehog can be an ideal pet for a person accustomed to being nocturnal. For "owls" the spiky "neighbor" will be an excellent companion, since he is a nocturnal inhabitant.
• If you take proper care of your pet, feed it well, then it can become a real long-liver, especially in comparison with individuals living in nature.
• Complicated care of these pets is not needed, especially when you compare them with the same cats or dogs. With a hedgehog, you will not have to go out for walks, you will not have to comb out and collect constantly falling wool.

But these cute animals have enough flaws.

• A hedgehog should not be gotten by people who already have other pets in the house. This is due to the fact that hedgehogs are loners and it is very difficult to find a common language with strangers (even relatives). If you already have a pet at home, and you still want to have a thorny animal, then you need to make sure that they do not collide with each other.
• This pet is not suitable for families with small children. A hedgehog can leave a wound on the human body or even bite a child, because he really does not like unnecessary noise, sudden movements and excessive attention to his person. Even the simplest games can infuriate your pet and provoke aggression on its part.
• Hedgehogs are carriers of various infectious diseases. These include rabies, plague.
• In the "shock" of hedgehog needles, harmful parasites can live, for example, fleas, ticks. Sanitary treatment can be a real test for the animal - hedgehogs do not tolerate it well. As a result, getting rid of parasites can become too difficult.
• When keeping a hedgehog, difficulties may arise with the choice of a habitat. If the pet just moves around the apartment, he can cause a lot of damage, and he himself will suffer. For the animal, it will be necessary to prepare a suitable cage or aviary of not the smallest dimensions. The hedgehog must move freely through his possessions. Here, the owners will have to prepare secluded places for him, where the animal can hide. Such a number of nuances can cause a lot of inconvenience to the owners.
• The hedgehog will need to be bathed at least once a month. But you need to know that these animals are afraid of water (although they can swim perfectly), which leads to additional difficulties - first, the pet will need to be accustomed to it.
• As mentioned above, the hedgehog is a nocturnal animal and leads an active image at nightfall, so people who want to sleep without problems at night without being afraid of extraneous noise should not get such a pet.
• Hedgehogs, like a lot of other animals, do not have the most pleasant smell. You can avoid such problems if you regularly clean the cage where the animal lives, use a bed of hay or sawdust.
• Heavy smokers do not need to keep such a pet. Hedgehogs do not tolerate tobacco smoke.
• The owners definitely need to know exactly the name of the breed to which their pet belongs, because for any of them there are specific characteristics of the habitat. For apartment living, the African hedgehog is best suited, since it is not capricious, has a miniature size and excellent immunity.
• Hedgehogs do not tolerate any damage to their bodies very well. Wounds on them heal for a long time, which is why the animals often get sick. Also, hedgehogs are susceptible to various eye diseases.
• Like any pet, a domestic hedgehog will need to be vaccinated in a timely manner, so it will not be possible to do without visits to a veterinarian.

There are several types of hedgehogs that can be kept in an apartment. Let's get to know them better.

Hedgehogs of this species are divided into the following varieties:

• Algerian;
• white-bellied;
• Somali;
• South African.

These decorative dwarf hedgehogs are not found in wildlife - they were artificially bred. Outwardly, they have a lot in common with common hedgehogs, but they are more modest in size. When this little animal is in a good mood and absolutely calm, its needles cease to be sharp - they become soft, thornless.

One of the differences between the African hedgehog and the forest hedgehog lies in the fact that he barely stomps when he moves around the house. This animal can be easily trained to stay awake during the day and not at night. It will be possible to distinguish an African from a simple forest dweller just by looking at him - these hedgehogs are much smaller.

Steppe hedgehogs are great lovers of high temperatures. But these animals do not like high humidity levels. They are subdivided into the following breeds:

• Daurian;
• Chinese.

Animals of this species are subdivided into the following breeds:

• Amur;
• Eastern European;
• European.

Eurasian urchins are well prepared for the Russian climate.

People who want to have a hedgehog at home ask themselves: is it possible to tame a wild animal? It is possible to do this, but you must act carefully. Many summer residents feed the animals that have made their way to their plots in the country. As a result, animals become accustomed to humans and can be house-trained.

Experts say that hedgehogs feel better in a house or apartment if they were originally born in captivity and from domesticated individuals. Better to buy a thorny pet in a specialized store. So you will be sure of the health of the taken animal.

If you plan to keep the pet in question at home, you should know how to wash it properly. This should be done 1-2 times a month, in warm water (no higher than 34-35 degrees). Due to this procedure, dirt and sebum are removed from the needles. If you are in good contact with your pet, then bathing it will be easy.

Water must be poured into a basin to the level of the lower edges of the needles so that the animal can touch the bottom of the container with its paws. First you need to wet your pet's back. Water should not get into the ears or face. It is better to clean the needles with a toothbrush. The bristles should be soft. When cleaning the needles, move from the head to the end of the body. It is advisable to use a fragrance-free baby shampoo. It is not recommended to rinse off the detergent with a water jet. It's easier to put a hedgehog on your palm and pour over it.

After swimming, the best thing to do is by cutting the claws of the animal. It is after the bath procedures that they become much softer and it will be easier to cut them off. But the procedure must be carried out as carefully and carefully as possible, so as not to harm the pet, not to cause pain.

The diet of a home hedgehog must be organized correctly. In their natural environment, these animals feed on worms, beetles, rodents and midges. At home, pets should be offered the following food:

• low-fat meat (beef, veal, chicken, turkey), boiled or raw;
• offal;
• a fish;
• live insects;
• bread;
• pasta;
• porridge;
• dairy products - cottage cheese, kefir, fermented baked milk, milk;
• insects - Madagascar cockroaches, crickets (available at the pet store);
• carrot-rusk mixture (it is prepared from grated carrots, egg powder, finely chopped chicken eggs, a handful of crushed white croutons).

A home for a home hedgehog must be equipped according to all the rules.

• The pet cage should be installed in a separate, calm place, away from heating appliances, drafts and sunlight. The ideal temperature in this zone is + 22-26 degrees. At lower values, the animal will hibernate, and at higher values, it may overheat. If the heating is turned off in the spring, you can cover the top of the cage with a blanket.
• The aviary should be spacious. The optimal size is 76x76 cm. It is not recommended to put a hedgehog in a cage with metal rods - animals often and easily escape from such dwellings. The door of the house must be firmly closed.
• The house should have a drinking bowl, a toilet area, a play area and a recreation area. The sleeping area should be darkened.
• It is better to cover the floor with sawdust, which will need to be changed regularly.

Indoor hedgehogs need enough space to run freely, but you should not go out with them with a harness, as with cats or dogs. If you live in a private house, it is better to equip an aviary for the animal in the yard. In an apartment for installing a walking enclosure, it is permissible to select a balcony or loggia. The height of the structures should be larger than the size of the pet standing on its hind legs (2 times).

With proper home care, a thorny friend can live for 10 years. In their natural environment, hedgehogs rarely live more than 5-6 years.

It will be possible to determine the sex of the hedgehog when he is more than 5 days old. Previously, there is no point in trying to find out the sex of the animal - there is a great risk of making a mistake. You need to take the pet in your arms so that its tummy is clearly visible. It is desirable that the hind legs are set aside, and the surface of the abdomen is flat:

• if you are holding a female, her genitals will be located near the anus;
• if there is a male in front of you, his genital organ will be located almost in the center of the tummy (if the individual is young) or slightly lower (in adults).

Many people are fascinated by the cute appearance of hedgehogs and their small size. It is difficult not to be touched by small paws, beady eyes and funny ears. People who decide to acquire such an exotic pet leave different reviews about it.

In the content of these interesting animals, people note the following positive aspects:

• beautiful, cute appearance, it is pleasant to observe a domestic hedgehog, which is noted by many breeders;
• the hedgehog does not bark, does not tear furniture, you do not need to walk with him, like with a dog;
• most breeders did not notice the sharp and unpleasant odors behind the hedgehogs that they expected to encounter;
• animals are easy to care for;
• do not cause allergic reactions;
• according to the owners, house hedgehogs are very inexpensive to maintain;
• sociable and funny animals;
• hedgehogs do not need frequent and laborious bathing.

But negative reviews about the content of domestic hedgehogs are associated with such things:

• the nocturnal lifestyle of hedgehogs annoys most of their owners - at night the animals make noise, stomp, run in a wheel, snort and do not let them sleep peacefully;
• according to some owners who buy ready-made branded food for their hedgehogs, such food costs a tidy sum;
• some breeders have a hedgehog "sometimes pricks";
• the breeders also referred to the disadvantages that their little prickly pets often and painfully bite;
• the fact that the hedgehog needs to be fed with insects is not pleasant to many owners;
• upsetting the owners and the fact that their pets cannot be kept in the same territory with small children and other pets.

Many of these problems can be avoided by keeping the hedgehogs correctly and taking into account in advance what conditions they should live in. One must initially be prepared for the fact that this is a nocturnal animal, and during the day it will sleep more, and all its activity will be demonstrated at night. It is not necessary to buy expensive branded food for the animals - you can give them natural food prepared by yourself.

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