African hedgehog: reviews, photos and content. How long do African hedgehogs live?

Description

A gentle, small creature with soft spines is the African hedgehog. Photos of funny animals are simply touching. Most of them are very sociable and quickly become attached to people. They do not need to live in pairs, since they practically do not need the presence of an individual of their kind nearby. Moreover, it is not recommended to put two animals in the same house, because they can fight among themselves.

Growing up, adult individuals weigh 350-500 g and are up to 20 cm long. They differ from wild hedgehogs not only in that they cannot live in nature, but also in appearance, character, behavior and needs. Another distinctive feature is the fact that they do not curl up into a ball and have a white belly.

These animals were bred by European breeders in 1995 and were called “dwarf African hedgehogs.” How long do these creatures live? On average, about 5 years. The animal's lifespan can extend by about 2 years, provided that all the breeder's recommendations for their maintenance are strictly followed.

Where to buy

Nurseries

It is important to inspect nurseries. Nurseries are often considered to guarantee quality

Unfortunately, this is not always true. For many breeders, the first priority is making a profit from sales; proper living conditions and medical care are not always provided.

Nurseries are often considered a guarantee of quality. Unfortunately, this is not always true. For many breeders, the first priority is making a profit from sales; proper living conditions and medical care are not always provided.

Adviсe:

• Monitor nurseries that breed hedgehogs, compare them, read customer reviews. Don’t stop at the first one you come across; there’s no need to rush in this matter.
• If possible, go to several nurseries, look at the conditions of detention, talk to the breeders.
• The animal must have all the necessary documents: passport, vaccination certificates.

Private owners

Is it worth buying a hedgehog secondhand? Of course, you can save money on this, or even get a “bun with thorns” for free, that is, for nothing. But such an acquisition may also have quite a few disadvantages:

• there is no guarantee that the animal is healthy, and it will turn out just like the proverb that “the miser pays twice”;
• Your new pet has already formed habits that will be difficult to correct.

Pet stores

This may seem surprising, but you shouldn’t buy hedgehogs at a pet store, and there are many reasons for this:

• Housing conditions are often not met: animals are disturbed by noise, bright light, and there is no division by gender.
• The animals are not socialized; they are completely wild and afraid of people.
• Animals are often born as a result of inbreeding and have a whole bunch of genetic diseases.

Have you decided to get a hedgehog?

Yes No, not yet...

Character

Like other animals, each African hedgehog has its own personality. Each of the animals has a special character and manner of communication. For example, some of them prefer loneliness, while others become attached to people. If, however, the hedgehog is not very sociable, you need to try to win his favor. They love to be stroked and caressed.

When going to a pet store or nursery, you should choose exactly the animal that is willing to be handled, since taming it yourself is very problematic. Usually hedgehogs are peace-loving and affectionate creatures, but sometimes among them there are quite wayward natures. They may try to escape and begin to snort or bite.

An unusual animal, the African hedgehog, whose price varies from 4,500 to 5,000 rubles, will bring a lot of warmth, comfort and good mood to your home.

Diseases

Hedgehogs are prone to many diseases, including cancer and Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome (WHS). Some symptoms of WHS resemble those of multiple sclerosis in humans, so the condition in animals can be compared to what patients with multiple sclerosis experience. These include the inability to move normally, tremors of the limbs, staggering when walking, etc. A possible cause of WHS is a genetic defect that allows the virus to attack the hedgehog’s nervous system.

The nose can exhibit a variety of alarming symptoms, especially respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia. In many cases, the form of pneumonia that affects hedgehogs is bacterial in nature. When acted quickly, antibiotics can have a very positive effect. Observable signs include blisters, excessive mucus production, or persistent sneezing.

How to choose a place for a cage

The African hedgehog is a nocturnal animal and its peak activity occurs at this time of day. To ensure that it does not interfere with your rest, you should find a place for the cage that will be located at a sufficient distance from the bedroom.

Before you bring a hedgehog into your home, you should decide in advance where his house will be located. The place must be comfortable, otherwise the animal may get sick and even die.

It is strictly not recommended to place the cage on a windowsill. Direct rays of the sun are harmful, as the hedgehog can get heatstroke. In the cold season, in the presence of drafts, colds occur if the windows are not airtight.

Choosing a house

Before buying an animal, you need to take care of where it will live. A rabbit cage, as well as a glass or plastic terrarium, can serve as a house. The size of their bottom must be no less than 60 X 60 cm. The house must be closed from above, otherwise the hedgehog will run away. If you want it to be open, then the walls of the future home should have a fairly slippery coating, and their height should be more than 30 cm.

It is necessary that the bottom of the house is solid. A floor made of twigs is strictly prohibited, as the hedgehog’s small paws will always get caught in them. The distance between the rods should be small. Given the size of the animal as a child, it could easily escape or get stuck between them.

House equipment

A hedgehog's toilet can be arranged in a box filled with sawdust. This animal is very clean. He goes to the toilet only in a place specially designated for this. Birch or aspen sawdust is suitable as a filler, but cedar sawdust cannot be used. The essential oils present in its wood have a negative impact on the health of the animal. Paper flakes, often used for cat litter, are also suitable for litter.

The house must be cleaned at least once a week. The detergent used for this should not contain any aggressive components.

The African hedgehog, whose photo is presented in this article, is very fond of various toys. Most often he gets objects that cats play with. The ideal option is a ringing plastic ball.

Since animals love to eat well and often overeat, and also lead an insufficiently active lifestyle, they are in dire need of physical activity. For this purpose, a special wheel is placed in the cage, which they use for running. There are different devices, but you need to choose a product whose surface will be solid and without crossbars. The diameter of the wheel must be at least 30 cm.

This is not to say that the African hedgehog loves to sleep. Its daylight hours can range from 12 to 14 hours, and it does not depend on the time of year. In winter, when it gets dark very early, it will be necessary to turn on the lighting in the house.

Temperature

As you know, the African pygmy hedgehog was bred specifically for keeping at home and simply does not exist in the wild. That is why they require more attention than other species of this animal. To create the most favorable conditions for a hedgehog’s life, the temperature in the room should be comfortable: during the day it should be about +22-25⁰ C, and at night – 2-5 degrees lower.

At lower temperatures, the animals hibernate. A way out of this situation may be to use a special heated mat. It is placed under the bottom of the house.

Walking around the apartment

As mentioned above, it is necessary to equip special houses for hedgehogs in which they can live comfortably. But sometimes you can let them out for a little walk around the apartment. At this time, you should not lose sight of them. They run fast and can jump under some furniture and hide. Then they will be quite difficult to find.

In addition, dust always collects under the furniture, and this is very harmful to the health of the animal, since it can inhale it. Also, the animal is not insured against any injuries. In order not to endanger him, you need to be on guard all the time.

Walking outside

Like all living creatures, African hedgehogs, whose maintenance is not at all burdensome for its owner, also need fresh air. If it’s a warm, fine day outside, but without stuffiness and exhausting heat, you can take a walk with the animal.

It should be remembered that they are very nimble and can run out onto the grass and eat an earthworm or some insect. This should not be allowed under any circumstances. The fact is that after eating a worm, hedgehogs can get capillariasis. Street insects only cause harm. You should give your pet only those that have been grown artificially. In addition, various microbes live in the grass, from which you should protect your pet.

Is it possible to walk with a hedgehog?

On the street, the risk of introducing various parasites into the animal’s body increases. Pets need space to run freely. But you can’t walk with him on the street with a harness, like with a cat.

If you live in a private house, equip an enclosure for him in the yard. Its dimensions can be arbitrary, but be sure to cover the area with mesh.

The height of the enclosure should exceed the size of the hedgehog standing on its hind legs by 2 times. The more sticks, leaves, branches, grass there are on the ground, the better and more interesting it will be for your pet.

You can use the balcony as an enclosure in the apartment. First remove from it all objects that pose a danger to the hedgehog. In the corner of the balcony, place a wheel for sports exercises and a house where he can hide from the sun and relax.

Feeding

You shouldn’t think too much about what the African hedgehog eats. Premium cat food is perfect for him. It is natural and does not contain any flavors or other harmful additives. It is also necessary to ensure that the food does not contain starchy ingredients, such as corn or potatoes.

Since cat food is largely multi-component, it is good if it has a meat base. It could be chicken, beef or turkey. But don't forget about fruits and vegetables.

In addition to meat and plant products, sometimes you need to pamper hedgehogs with such unusual gifts as crickets, grasshoppers and zoophobes.

African white-bellied pygmy hedgehog - reviews

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Lika Mozyrko

https://flap.rf/Animals_and_plants/Common_hedgehog/Reviews/7600831

When I visited my grandmother for the holidays, at the end of July and the beginning of August there was an invasion of hedgehogs and, oddly enough, snakes on her property.

At this time, hedgehogs are already growing up, but they are not yet as prickly as adults. I loved playing with them. I remember dragging a few of them into the house, letting them out and watching them run around. She fed them milk.

Previously, people deliberately brought hedgehogs into the house and then the mice left. A profitable animal.

I also remember when we lived in Turkmenistan, I brought home a steppe hedgehog. They are different from ordinary ones, they have large ears like jerboas and a white belly.

So, at night the cat and the hedgehog were running around our one-room apartment, there was so much noise. The hedgehog lived with us for two days, or rather two nights. Mom kicked him out onto the stairwell and he ran away.

lenava

https://otzyvy.pro/reviews/otzyvy-karlikovyy-ezh-78128.html

Pros: interesting, funny

Disadvantages: price

Hello, dear readers! I want to tell you about a pygmy hedgehog. We once bought such a hedgehog for a child for her birthday, because she really asked for it. When we came to buy him, we saw that he was not at all comfortable there and his cage It was so small that we even felt sorry for the animal and then we decided that we would buy it right away in this store. To be honest, before buying it, we read a lot on the Internet about what kind of hedgehog this is and how to care for them...

Anna Che

https://bvf.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=1016945

Lovely! Do they eat insects alive?

Svetkin

Can be frozen

Kostya_KVK

https://nashemnenie.com/zhivotnye/17622-afrikanskiy-belobryuhiy-karlikovyy-ezh.html

Pros: Small size, cute, doesn’t trample, good!:)

Cons: Stinks, dirty, not human-oriented, no recoil, nocturnal, you need to strictly monitor the correct

A month ago, a pygmy hedgehog appeared in our family, or rather a hedgehog named Monya.

First of all, this is a nocturnal animal, completely nocturnal, it is impossible to see it either in the morning, during the day or in the evening. It only comes out after we go to bed. If you forcibly take him out of the cage and put him on the floor, he will freeze and sit in one position for as long as he likes, even for eternity.

The food is very funny. Banana crickets and small mice resembling some kind of embryos have taken up residence in our refrigerator. They convinced me that dry food should not be fed at all, only as a treat sometimes. I switched her to canned cat food and natural food. Her stool is plentiful and her cage needs to be cleaned at least once every two days. She shits exclusively in our wheel at night, so she went to the toilet and then ran around. Therefore, the wheel itself in the morning does not look good, to put it mildly, it needs to be washed. There is a smell, a good, persistent smell. She doesn’t need contact with people. In a month there has been no progress towards addiction or communication. You can pick her up, she won’t inject herself, she will crawl, look at you, and smell you. If you let him go, he will immediately run into the house.

When planting, you need to remember all of the above. Lack of disgust is the main factor. I gave you a live mouse. At first, this mouse suffered for a day in the feeder, the hedgehog did not want to eat it. And the next night she made up her mind, when she was chewing this mouse, a squeak was heard, disgusting, heartbreaking, the wife completely hid her head under the blanket and almost fainted. If you don’t give natural food, the hedgehog’s life will be cut in half at best, this should also always be remembered. Personally, I find it interesting to watch her, but I admit it’s very difficult. Life has changed dramatically this month. If you go on vacation, I can’t even imagine who you can leave this happiness to, because care and feeding require skills and take time. So I didn’t even decide on the usefulness, but I realized one thing: exotics are hemorrhagic.

I grew up among animals, cats, dogs, fish, hamsters were always at home, this tribe is generally problem-free compared to a small hedgehog. Even if it’s funny, beautiful and cute. This is a predator that does not eat mushrooms and apples, as they depict in cartoons.

Evochka Mustafina

https://vk.com/topic-91967152_33825828

We bought a hedgehog from this amazing nursery and did not regret it at all. The baby is very sociable, active and curious, and easily goes into the arms of strangers. I would like to say a big thank you to Victoria for putting your care and love into him, and even now, when any problems arise, you will always advise and give your recommendations.

natalya88

https://kupi-slona.com/catalog/afrikanskiy-belobruhiy-karlikovyy-zh-3/571331

I was always touched by this little miracle when I looked at pictures on the Internet. I wanted this little pet to run around in our apartment. I buzzed the guy's ears and for the next holiday he gave it to me!!! This is how I got a little hedgehog with a passport...

Ja__mama

https://www.u-mama.ru/forum/family/pets/698147/

This breed is a hybrid, that is, artificially bred to be kept exclusively at home. African pygmy hedgehogs were created by crossing two generic species, the white-bellied hedgehog and the Algerian hedgehog.

I'll find out about these. They only shop, they don’t live in the forest.

Anonymous

https://v_dguk.ukr/ru/African_white-bellied_pygmy_hedgehog-r809226.html

I had the “luck” to keep a hedgehog for several days. The hedgehog, however, is not an ordinary one, but a specially bred domestic one (there are different species-subspecies crossed).

Although my friend himself doted on his hedgehogs, I still didn’t understand why??

My hedgehog was completely uncommunicative. He was constantly scared and curled up into a ball. The main food, according to my hedgehog breeder friend, is dry cat food. To please the hedgehog, I even went to the edge of town to buy him mealworms... They, by the way, are incredibly disgusting.

But the hedgehog crunched them just like that!

He refused to eat the huge cockroach that I caught! This was my biggest shock, because... I overcame my aversion to cockroaches. It’s still disgusting to remember.

The hedgehog shit a lot. I had to clean it every day.

Naturally, I didn’t sleep at night, trying to get out of the box, which I had to take out onto the balcony.

In general, I don't consider hedgehogs to be pets. There is NO return from them.

janed72

https://www.detkityumen.ru/forum/thread/451311/

Good day to all

I searched the forum and didn’t find a single owner of these wonderful animals.

Well, I’ll be the first, maybe someone else will come along

Meet Happy the Hedgehog, 2 months old

Olga and Gray

https://www.rustoy.ru/forum/index.php?topic=33150.0

Katy, look what I found

Kotya

Cool!!!

lenalena94

https://otzovik.com/review_5025724.html

Advantages:

small, unpretentious

Flaws:

not fluffy, often snorts and puts out its needles

The animal is exotic; recently many people have become interested in African hedgehogs. The animal is smaller than an ordinary forest hedgehog and when it grows it is still no larger than the palm of your hand. As I wrote in the title, hedgehogs are not suitable for playing with children, this is not a fluffy cat or dog, he is really prickly, the hedgehog has been living with us for six months and should get used to us, but nevertheless he still snorts when you pick him up . They do not require any special care, of course, clean the cage more often, you rarely need to wash it, we wash it once a month, sometimes we add a drop of linseed oil so that the skin does not dry out under the needles. We feed him cat food for small kittens, we also give him boiled chicken or meat, vegetables and fruits, he eats little, so a pack of food lasts a long time. A big mistake many people make is when they give them milk, under no circumstances should you do this! They are allergic to lactose. They do not tolerate infection and are very clean animals. You can start breeding from six months. We haven't driven ours yet. As for gender, it is difficult to determine immediately after birth and becomes clear and understandable only after two months; males have higher organs and they will become visible only after some time. Hedgehogs have a good sense of smell. If you start cooking in the kitchen, you immediately sniff it. They are mostly active at night, so we don’t let them out of the cage at night; they start running around the entire apartment, doing it very quickly. But it’s also better not to keep them in a cage all the time, they are prone to obesity and they need to run out of energy, so I advise anyone who gets a hedgehog to buy a wheel. It's really hard to find because they are mainly sold for hamsters and they are small in size. It is better to buy a cast wheel, because if the wheel is made of mesh, it can hurt the paws. Our hedgehog is not very friendly, she often snorts, but still often falls asleep in her arms. Very cute in a dream))

Irinapeach05

https://otzovik.com/review_7643901.html

Advantages:

Cute, funny

Flaws:

Lots of care)

Such an animal appeared) we were not at a loss right away, we went online. These are the rules you need to follow: change the water daily, your hedgehog should always have water! Water that stands. After more than a day, he begins to smell bad, the smell scares off the hedgehog, but he needs to drink, otherwise he will die! Fillers should not be corn or fruit tree sawdust! Corn filler is very poorly filtered; it can contain grains that are dangerous for the hedgehog! The Hedgehog should have a house, as well as a ball for cats (he will play with it, you can buy one at a pet store, not big and like a rattle). Feed as it is active, if the hedgehog doesn’t have a wheel and you don’t often let it run around, feed it a little twice a day, if the hedgehog has a wheel, three times, but also a little at a time! At first the hedgehog will hiss and jump, it takes him a week to get used to it, then he will walk on his own! They also don’t see well, so they remember the smell of their owners’ hands! This is such useful information)

kukolkabubekri

https://irecommend.ru/content/zhivotnoe-bez-otdachi-slozhnyi-ukhod-nedeshevoe-obsluzhivanie-ekzotika-ne-dlya-brezglivykh

Every animal is both good and bad. It brings both joy and problems. Unfortunately, I saw more problems in the hedgehog than joys. I decided to buy a hedgehog because of my daughter’s long persuasion. I read it. People seem to be happy. The animal is tame, recognizes the owner, and makes contact. I'll tell you about the main points. In four paws the hedgehog costs 6 thousand! Not cheap. They found it on Avito for half the price, although they also paid for the “shipping”) They handed it over to us by bus. We bought a cage, a wheel, a fleece house, and a drinking bowl. And all this came out to 7 thousand, including the hedgehog. We bought a pink cage. It fits well into my daughter's interior. The hedgehog is cute, small, we immediately started posting him on Instagram, even before they brought him to us))

A huge disadvantage was that, contrary to ALL the comments on the Internet, we could not pick up the hedgehog with our bare hands! We bought rubberized gloves for gardening. And so they were able to touch the hedgehog. I pierced my gloves a couple of times and my finger bled. Agree, it’s unpleasant.

Food is also a minus! Our hedgehog only ate ROYAL CANIN for kittens. 100 rubles per week. Next: puree for baby food. ONLY beef! The cost is no less than the hedgehog itself. We haven’t fed the hedgehog any worms or other live food in a month and a half! In Voronezh, we couldn’t get this “unseen” thing in pet stores! We were told that hedgehogs should be fed cat food. So we weren’t able to feed the thorn with worms. And I don’t know how I could even withstand this spectacle. Another minus is dirt!!!!!!!!!!! The cage can and should be cleaned every day. I did this a little less often. She looked messy all the time, even after cleaning 15 minutes later!!!!! Hedgehogs poop a LOT! Cleaning up is simply a pain—it can be done endlessly. And by the way, the smell is extremely unpleasant. Sorry for the details, but hedgehog urine is so yellow that it’s disgusting to even look at! Like the peel of an orange - the color is simply nuclear! The next disadvantage is that the hedgehog is a nocturnal animal! As the hedgehog grew - and he grows very quickly - the rumbling at night intensified to the limit! Every evening I took the cage with the hedgehog into another room and still heard it!!!!!! The filling in the cage is woody and loud, just like the hedgehog itself. But the most important disadvantage of a hedgehog is that it is not a cat or a dog! He will not be happy to see you, he will not rub himself at your feet and allow himself to be stroked. He will never repay you with his love and devotion for your efforts! This means that your efforts in care and your material costs will NOT pay off. Let me summarize: keeping a hedgehog is expensive, problematic and not very interesting. I persuaded my daughter to sell the hedgehog to a man who sincerely wanted such an exotic home! And they bought themselves a dog. Let the hedgehog forgive us, but we loved the dog more. Probably because he fell in love with us!

lusine9

https://otzovik.com/review_6920502.html

Advantages:

- does not smell - takes up little space - he does not need walks in nature - bathing occasionally (once a month is enough) - many gentle and positive emotions as a reward for patience and attentiveness

Flaws:

- it takes time and patience for him to get used to it and be calm - he is a nocturnal animal, so it is better to keep him not where someone sleeps - different food

2 years ago I was given an African pygmy hedgehog, and an albino one at that! This was the most unusual birthday gift. Now I can’t imagine life without him, I feel so much love and emotions, despite the fact that a hedgehog cannot show his feelings like a dog, for example)) The animal does not like sudden sounds and movements. He needs to know that he is safe. You need to take him out every day (after 6 pm, before this time it is night), give him space to walk, talk to him, hold him in your hands. Food - premium kitten food, no more than 20% fat, insects (Turkmen cockroaches, crickets, sometimes mealworms). It is also necessary to give a little bit of fruits and vegetables (apples, carrots, cucumbers, pears, etc.). The hedgehog really loves boiled chicken hearts (you can’t give them too often, they’re fatty), and boiled chicken or turkey breast fillets. All without spices. He definitely needs his own space, a wheel (physical activity is necessary), regular clean water, a house (with a piece of fabric) or a bag. If you are going to buy a pet (only in trusted places, I can tell you where), then know that after work/university (I think this is not a pet for children), you will need to find strength and pay attention to this creature. Basically, you need to spend time with him and watch his diet; caring for him is very simple. I am ready to answer all your questions, give recommendations on the care, nutrition, and health of your hedgehog. I approach the maintenance of my pet very responsibly, because he is special!

viktoria163

https://otzovik.com/review_3422370.html

Advantages:

Don't bite

Flaws:

There is not

On December 30, my daughters went online and came across pictures of pygmy African hedgehogs. My husband and I couldn’t choose a New Year’s gift for our children, since they already have everything. And we decided to buy them African hedgehogs. Little prickly lumps that at first hissed at us and were afraid, but quickly adapted and got used to us and the children. The children are delighted that there are 2 hedgehogs at home, whom they themselves named Misha and Masha. They are not pretentious and maintenance is not expensive.

amerbul

https://otzovik.com/review_4396508.html

Advantages:

does not take up much space, “compact”, not problematic, suitable for allergy sufferers, not difficult to care for, not expensive to maintain.

Flaws:

not for small children, must be fed with insects

The African hedgehog is an ideal pet for busy, always working people who cannot afford to have a cat or dog, because they require more complex care, and the dog generally needs to be walked 2-3 times a day. The cost of these animals from breeders ranges from 5 to 15 thousand. Well, for 15 thousand these are, of course, original colors, super blood, which are needed more for breeding. If you are on a limited budget, then it is better to choose an ordinary hedgehog for 5-7 thousand, but do not save and do not buy an animal on Avito for 3,000 rubles. There is a risk of running into a breeder and buying an animal that is not healthy and tame. The African hedgehog is very easy to keep; caring for it is no more difficult than caring for a rodent. You need to change all the filler in the cage once a week, and every day you need to wash the wheel in which the hedgehog runs all night. What should be in an African's cage? A spacious cage, in which there should be a soft house or a fleece bag, as well as a running wheel, we have a high-quality silent transparent wheel, a ceramic bowl (the hedgehog starts playing with plastic ones and turns over all the food), a drinking bowl, the one that hangs on the cage ( nipple), and a filler. African hedgehogs, if you initially bought a tame animal, are very sociable, although of course, these are not robots, so they, like any living creature, have mood swings, they can snort and even bite your hands if your hands smell of something, “aggressive.” "for the hedgehog. These exotics feed on dry cat food, premium class and insects such as crickets, cockroaches, mealworms and zoophobass, locusts, small mice (mice are not necessary). If you are afraid of insects, I will reassure you, all this is stored frozen, in the freezer. A large container of insects, which is enough for an animal for 1.5 months, will cost you 700 rubles. And a pack of dry food costs 400 rubles, which is also enough for 1.5 months. You can also give fruits and vegetables, but not citrus fruits. When purchasing this pet, it is important to remember that hedgehogs are nocturnal animals! They are active in the evening and during half the night (the other half of the night they eat and sleep). If you have allergies, then the African hedgehog is very suitable for you as a pet, because with proper care and nutrition, they do not smell at all. A properly selected filler absorbs all odors and prevents allergens from scattering around the room, which is why allergists allow their patients to get an African hedgehog, and not another small animal, because even from a rat or a hamster, which is 2 times smaller than a hedgehog much more stench than a hedgehog. Most importantly, when you get a hedgehog, remember that these animals are very demanding in terms of communication. It is very important that the owner communicates with the pet every day so that the hedgehog does not become wild and does not get used to your smell. If you devote time to your animal every day, the little thorn will trust you and sit calmly in your arms.

Strukova Yulia

https://irecommend.ru/content/bestolkovoe-domashnee-zhivotnoe

Good day, dear readers! I want to share my experience in keeping this animal... I will say right away that I do not have any positive feelings or emotions for this animal, its acquisition is a great curiosity and desire of my husband. I will not go into history and other details; I will immediately tell the main arguments of the content. This is a nocturnal animal that sleeps in the morning, afternoon and evening, and is actively awake at night! He eats, drinks, runs and poops (this is a separate topic). He eats dry cat food, and also insects, namely worms (zoophobus are such unpleasant worms), and beetles (fortunately, we live in a private house near the forest, and in the summer there are no problems with this stuff). There is also a bowl of water. I have already written about sleep, I will also add that there is practically no contact with him - he either sleeps or lies in a ball and hisses... I don’t know and don’t understand what emotions he can give in principle... In our country he lives in a large aquarium, filled with wood filler , a bowl of food and water, a house, and also a wheel in which he runs at night and poops terribly. While moving, they poop well (sorry for the details), because it all stinks terribly! In the morning, the wheel is removed and washed, but the room must be ventilated and washed with bleach or something that covers the smell. The noise from running at night is also very loud, at first I couldn’t sleep, now I’ve gotten used to it a little, but I still hear it every night. The price for such an extremely dubious pleasure is about 7 thousand (they took it 3 years ago). To summarize, I want to say that before you get such a pet, think a million times! It’s not worth it, believe me...there are no emotions and impressions, but there are a lot of minuses (the hassle of maintenance and smells are worth it).

SHUNI1423

https://otzovik.com/review_5252227.html

Advantages:

unpretentious, does not stink, sociable, very sweet and funny, eats cat food, does not tolerate illness

Flaws:

the wheel makes noise at night, but these are minor things for me

With my burden, I “fell ill” with hedgehogs. I drew pictures with them. I bought postcards and calendars with them, toys, etc. And then for my birthday my husband gives me Ezhunya! Let's go pick it up. It was winter, we put him in a box and all the way (since we are without a car) I hugged her from all sides so that the hedgehog would not fall into hibernation (they explained that they fall asleep from the cold and then they would have to wake him up for a long time). At home, the Hedgehog had a small cage waiting for him (there was no money for a larger one yet) and a portable plastic ball (in which he ran in the evenings, but this is very little for hedgehogs! They must run at least 10 km a day!). Later we transplanted it into a huge cage with a mesh wheel. Now every night you can hear the creaking of a wheel (as in the song) - confirmation of the health and well-being of the animal. Ezhuna really liked the bag I knitted - she always sleeps in it, even if it’s hot. I can say that the Hedgehog is not a whimsical animal at all! At all! As for care - I change the water every day, I add food every 2 days, once a week (or even once every 2 weeks!!) I change the filler (for girls you can use simple sawdust, for boys it must be in granules - because sharp little teeth can get into they will be in the causative place and there will be inflammation). Hedgehogs, unlike hamsters, rats, ferrets, etc., do not stink! With timely cleaning, neither the hedgehog itself nor its “business” emit any unpleasant odors. You can wash the hedgehog itself. But, despite all the cute videos where hedgehogs swim in basins, this is a lot of stress for them. If you wash a prickly one, then only in case of emergency and without any detergents. African pygmy hedgehogs are not found in the wild. They were bred specifically for home keeping, so they do not tolerate any diseases, ticks, etc. However, like their wild relatives, they are predators. They eat insects (locusts, zoophobass, cockroaches, etc.), which can be bought at the poultry market or from a breeder (you shouldn’t give them domestic cockroaches - they are full of infection). But if you don’t want to carry insects, you can get by with regular premium cat food. My Hedgehog eats Purina for kittens with pleasure. Chocolate, milk (there will be good diarrhea) and some other products are contraindicated for hedgehogs (you can find out the full list from the breeder or on websites about Hedgehogs). UNDER NO EVENT should you use perfumes or any products containing tea tree extracts. The vapors of the latter alone WILL KILL your pet!!! Now for communication. Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and during the day you can only get them out of the house by force. In the evening, the prickly ones themselves go out to walk around the cage, crunch on food, drink some water, run in the wheel, etc. Then you can take him in your arms, painlessly for yourself and without stress for the animal. At first it will be sloppy - 100%. But with daily communication, ironing, etc., the Hedgehog will get used to you and will climb onto your palms and crawl on them like a hamster :-) African pygmy hedgehogs grow as big as the palm of an adult man at most. very cute, sociable (with the right approach) and unpretentious animals that even a child can handle.

ElenaPhotographer

https://irecommend.ru/content/polnyi-obzor-afrikanskogo-belobryukhogo-karlikovogo-ezha-osobennosti-kormleniya-i-ukhoda-moi

Greetings, friends!

I have loved animals since childhood, I have a lot of them, but I have the opportunity and desire for this! I am happy to take care of animals, I like to see their gratitude and happy faces! Animals are little angels who surround us and give us their warmth, kindness and devotion!

Today, I want to share my impressions and talk about the features of caring for the African white-bellied pygmy hedgehog! In the 21st century, there has been a trend towards owning exotic animals, some have a cat or a dog, some have a hedgehog, and now it has become absolutely normal!

So, what might motivate you to get a pygmy hedgehog?

1. Love to the animals
2. The cuteness of the hedgehog
3. The beauty of a hedgehog
4. Belief that a hedgehog brings good luck
5. Home security

You should not have a hedgehog if:

1. You have small children who could injure the hedgehog or injure themselves
2. You don't have time to properly care for your hedgehog
3. Your apartment is small
4. Do you have a cat
5. You have no money

If you still decide to take this important step, you should know the features of caring for and feeding a pygmy hedgehog!

• Think about what part of the apartment the hedgehog will live in; this place should not be near the bedroom, because the hedgehog is a nocturnal animal that will rustle at night!
• The filler for a hedgehog's litter box should be made of wood, except pine and spruce; the hedgehog should not have any evaporation of essential oils, he won't stand it!
• Food! You can feed special food for hedgehogs, or food for cats, and also give your hedgehog cockroaches and worms for dessert from time to time!
• Their small paws can be damaged very easily, so be very careful that there are no extra ropes, hairs, etc. in the hedgehog’s cage so that he doesn’t get entangled in it!
• Pets and hedgehogs are not always friends! Cats especially don’t like them; they want to touch them with their paws and crawl towards them. Dogs sniff hedgehogs!
• The hedgehog's cage should be such that the hedgehog cannot get out of it!

My experience with a hedgehog

My hedgehog is very sociable, he is not afraid of me at all, but I often hear that there are usually specimens that do not need communication at all, and people write that they do not get any return from them! I want to say that perhaps a mistake was made from the very beginning, because a hedgehog, like any other creature, needs warmth, attention, love and care, tactile daily contact so that it gets used to your hands! But each hedgehog is individual, and their characters can be completely different, just like people! When you buy a hedgehog, make sure that it is not very afraid of you, it will be easier to accustom such an individual to communication!

I hope my advice will help you in choosing a hedgehog and communicating with it!

You can read about my other animals here:

• About my cat
• About my dogs

By the way, they all get along great in the big house! Thank you for your attention!

irina_kozlova812

https://irecommend.ru/content/my-v-otvete-za-tekh-kogo-priruchili-9

I read reviews about the pygmy hedgehog. Lord, poor hedgehog! In my opinion, you didn’t take a dog or a cat. Hedgehogs have character and you need to find an approach to them! Should he change his habits out of happiness? People, wake up, if your soul is not in your heart, you don’t have to follow your children’s lead! In the end, a hedgehog is not a toy, but a living being. I should have talked to real people before buying, and not scoured the World Wide Web for information. I myself became the owner of a hedgehog, a girl, for four months. My hedgehog is very capricious and touchy, like all girls. She releases needles when she doesn’t like something or is hungry, including a new smell. You need to talk to hedgehogs every day. Otherwise, they become wild. Regarding the poop, sorry. She poops in the morning, there is no smell!!!!! If your hedgehog had a smell and there was a lot of poop, it means that not everything is in order in the body. My hedgehog doesn’t give me any trouble, I cleaned up the poop with a scoop once a day, the urine was absorbed into the soil and there were no odors. For the entire time that my hedgehog has been alive, I have not worn gloves!! The spines, on the contrary, are soft. She even became friends with a cat, and by nature he does not accept any animals. And I’ll tell you more, she has a cage in which her house is located. She doesn’t like store-bought ones, I had to sew it myself, but the hedgehog spends most of the time not in the house, but with us on the bed. Including at night. You need to buy a silent wheel, not the same as for hamsters.

Contraindicated products

African hedgehogs, the maintenance of which still requires some knowledge, are quite unpretentious. The most important thing is that their diet should consist exclusively of natural products that do not contain any harmful additives or impurities, since the health and well-being of the pet may be affected.

The following will list foods that are contraindicated for hedgehogs. First of all, the animal does not tolerate lactose well. That is why all dairy products must be immediately excluded from their diet. Various dried fruits and raisins usually stick to the larynx and get stuck in the animal's teeth. You should not give them avocado, as there are cases where hedgehogs were poisoned by this fruit. Pineapple is also on the list of prohibited foods. It contains acid that corrodes the delicate oral cavity of the animal. For the same reason, you should not give onions, garlic and citrus fruits to hedgehogs.

As for nuts and seeds, their shells can injure the animal and ruin its teeth. Also, you should not give him fast food, chips and chocolate. And cedar and tea tree oils should generally be kept away from them, because even their smell can be dangerous for this animal.

The African hedgehog, reviews of which indicate that keeping them is quite easy and pleasant, will become a favorite not only for children, but also for the whole family.

Hedgehog bathing

• Bold
• Salty
• Milk
• Chocolate and other sweets
• Sour foods
• A pineapple
• Raisin

Your pet should always have fresh water in his drinking bowl. If you notice that the animal has begun to drink little or refuses fluids completely, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Taking care of the cleanliness and hygiene of a hedgehog is a very important aspect in keeping a prickly animal. Wet hedgehogs look very touching. Therefore, bathing will not only bring a lot of pleasure to your pet, but will also make you happy.

We suggest you read: What to feed mulard ducklings: my experience

First of all, wet the hedgehog's spines. This can be done either under running water or in a basin. Then apply a small amount of special shampoo. Using a toothbrush, evenly distribute the foam over the needles from head to tail.

Be careful! Do not allow foam to get into your pet's eyes and ears.

Now turn the hedgehog over and rinse the pink belly. Rinse off the foam and apply moisturizing oil. Never dry your hedgehog with a hairdryer. This is serious stress for the animal. Wrap it in a towel and wait until the hedgehog is completely dry. As a rule, this process takes about 2 hours.

As you can see, caring for hedgehogs does not require serious preparation. The main thing is to follow simple rules and adhere to the basics of a healthy diet, then the prickly pet will delight you with its company for a long time.

If you have an idea to feed a hedgehog that is wandering around your summer cottage, you should read in advance the stop list of foods that are contraindicated for this animal. This list will also be useful for those who keep such animals as pets.

Almost all people first run to the refrigerator for milk to treat the animal, but it is believed that it is this that hedgehogs have the hardest time digesting. Many veterinarians even consider milk to be poisonous for such animals.

In addition, the following products are prohibited.

• Any candy, chocolate and other sweets. It is believed that they can lead to diseases such as diabetes.
• Any products with dyes, thickeners and preservatives.
• Grapes, raisins and all kinds of dried fruits, especially those with seeds, are also not recommended for hedgehogs, as they can get stuck in the animals’ throats.
• Avocados, pineapples and other exotic fruits can also be dangerous for hedgehogs; animals can be poisoned by them, because it is unlikely that a hedgehog will be able to find an avocado or sweet lychee in the forest. If there is no reliable information about whether a particular exotic fruit can be given to an animal, it is best not to risk it.
• Vegetable oils, any fast food, buns with meat, chips, crackers with additives, dry food for dogs or cats, onions, garlic are specially prohibited.

If pet hedgehogs roam freely around the apartment or house, then you should be very careful about the dishes from which they eat. It shouldn't be plastic. Many animals easily chew through it, which can subsequently lead to poisoning and even death. Such animals often chew through wires, which can also lead to the death of pets.