So I mixed a bit of RC36 with my hedgie's usual kibble yesterday night. He ate all of the RC36 kibble, leaving a few of his usual kibble left in the bowl. Good thing he likes it.

I think it's because RC36 is softer than his almost rock-hard kibble.

He annointed when he ate the first one.

This post has been edited by TeliLeti: Jun 10 2011, 07:43 AM

I finally got a wheel large enough for my hedgie.
He prefers to sleep under it thus far.
I hope he understands that he can run in it soon enough because he's getting round.

So, I got back from work today and complained about Huffy (my ever-huffy hedgie) not using the wheel. To my surprise, my mum complained that his wheel was full of poop when she cleaned his cage this morning. "360 degree of poop on his wheel", I quote. (my mum always gets up extra early & can't wait for me to clean his cage so she does it first)

My mum told me that she'll no longer be cleaning his cage or wheel for me after I told her no one asked her to clean. xD

Pictures...hmm.


I kept taking pictures so he glared at me after 20 shots or so.



And regarding the DIY C&C cage, I've never done it but I'm thinking about buying them to cover the top of my hedgie's playpen. Other hedgie owners on US forums seem to think it's a good cage for hedgies.

Naw, a 12" silent spinner. It's second hand but the previous owner had no issue with nails/feet getting caught in the slits so I'm not too concerned.

No, they don't get bored. Just leave an empty toilet roll in the cage (cut a slit so its head won't get stuck) and a large shirt/cloth for burrowing in the cage. Get a wheel as well to prevent obesity in hedgehogs.

Total cost? Hard to say. A hedgie would cost say, RM100. Housing - RM40 (use a large Toyogo storage box), food (RC32 400G) - RM14, 12" wheel - RM115 (if you buy from petshop). You can make him a hidebox using empty ice-cream box & toys using toilet rolls, large paper cups, and balls (ping pong/tennis). You can also cut cost on the food & water bowl if you can find something at home.

As long as you're not busy to spend half an hour with him every evening/night, a hedgehog is the perfect pet for you. Like the topic description of this thread says, hedgies like to be left alone.

As far as I know, no you don't.
The mother has given birth in the hidebox?
If yes, just leave her alone.

This person explained every rather thoroughly, if you want to read : http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...03113629AACer0p

This post has been edited by TeliLeti: Jun 14 2011, 09:17 PM

No pets are cheap. You'll have to continuously invest your money in them for the rest of their life.

That's right.
If you go check out the ingredients on the Whiskas packaging, you will notice that it contains meat by-products (feathers,beak, etc.) & those are not recommended at all. Personally, if I see the words "Unsafe for human consumption" on the packaging, I won't buy the food at all. The first 5 ingredients of pet food tells a lot about the quality of the food. The breeder I got my hedgie from fed him on Bark! and I consider that low quality food. I bought RC32 for Huffy last week and he loved it. He won't even touch his previous food now.

However, it is alright to feed hedgehogs Whiskas/Purina if you mix them with high quality food such as RC or Natural Balance. I read somewhere that IAMS is of mediocre quality.

This post has been edited by TeliLeti: Jun 14 2011, 10:35 PM

No problem. I just got my hedgie a month ago but with plenty of research online & help from the sifus of hedgehog around here, you can be a good hedgie owner in no time.

Most hedgehog owners said that it's necessary but I've read that some owners don't require wheels if their hedgehog prefers to run laps around their cage.
I would still advise you to get a wheel though, since most hedgies do like to run on their wheels.

Why not get a smaller wheel first until your hedgie grows too big for the wheel?
I know someone selling an 8" wheel at the moment for a good price.
I bought my hedgie playpen from her and the exercise wheel used to be used by her young hedgehog.

This post has been edited by TeliLeti: Jun 14 2011, 10:46 PM

If you put in wood shavings (I used to do so for two weeks), the water bowl will definitely be filled with wood shavings. Hedgie owners recommend fleece (but I don't know where to find them) and paper (like east_wing recommended).

I went the lazy way and used a large clear plastic sheet as flooring. (I'll get a picture of his makeshift cage soon).

Just throw in a large old shirt for him to dig into and a hidebox to hide.
Well, get any gender if you don't want to breed. If you intend to, definitely do a lot of research. Just a note of caution, male hedgies have a tendency to do the naughty when they're 3-5 months so you might have to deal with him getting it on all by himself for a few months.

Huffy gets horny after I wake him up everyday in the evening. I don't really want to hold him after that. Imagine little hedgehog sperms on my hands. Ick!

I don't know why I haven't taken a video of it to show yet. xD

This post has been edited by TeliLeti: Jun 15 2011, 08:31 AM

I'll post them when I get back from work. xD
My cage's very simplistic & not escape-proof but I don't really worry much over it.

Personally, I wouldn't even think about breeding for a female hedgehog that hasn't reached 1 years old.
Hedgehogs that breed around 1 yrs old are more likely to have more babies in a litter (and more in the future) than the younger ones.

Yes, they do. They tend to sleep less as they get older though.

Oh no, wood shavings aren't recommended because they can cause mites and it could get stuck in their little bits. I've found one stuck on Huffy's bit once after he got horny.

I use an old t-shirt or cloth without loose threads. Safer since there's no potential of dust inhalation or mites. Easier to clean too. Most hedgehogs actually prefer to sleep on a hard surface.

Wah! Don't buy from pet shops. You can get them for RM95/RM100 here on LYN at the Pet Store.
From reputable breeders as well.

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...741&hl=hedgehog
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...848&hl=hedgehog
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...744&hl=hedgehog

I know a petshop in Klang, selling 8 month old hedgies for Rm150 as well. The hedgehogs looked miserable. Many pet shops don't know proper hedgehog care & the hedgehog that you buy might not be completely healthy.

This post has been edited by TeliLeti: Jun 15 2011, 05:57 PM

Here's his makeshift cage.

Thanks. Huffy seems to like the extra space as well.
I got it from verulin. She told me she bought it in S'pore a long time ago.

This post has been edited by TeliLeti: Jun 15 2011, 09:59 PM

Now that you've mentioned it, the albino hedgie does have big ears!

How cute. I keep my hedgie in the kitchen. I should go visit him at night. Maybe I could catch him using the wheel.

My mealworm farm failed. I forgot to feed them before I went for a holiday. I got back & found them all blackened and dead. x(

That's what I forgot to feed them with. xD
I cleaned out all the poop,mouldy potato, old oats and carrot.

Then I forgot to dump in a tablespoon of new oats.

I'm not feeding Huffy mealworms this week. Maybe I'll buy another ringgit next week.
I'm feeding him cooked pork as treats this week because he seems to love it.
He doesn't like fish though.

Thanks for the tip! Is organic oat better than cheap oats?
My parents eat Quaker Oats so I just steal a spoon once every few days.

This post has been edited by TeliLeti: Jun 16 2011, 01:33 PM

What other treats do you guys feed your hedgies besides mealworms?

Carrots & apples like Salt&Pepper?

You only need to trim their nails if they start getting too long & begin to curve towards their foodpads. I rarely trim my hedgie's nails because he hates it. Don't need to cut too short or you might cut into the quick. I just gave Huffy a bath 5 minutes ago as he has poopy under his nails. I just used a toothbrush and softly brush at his nails. Now they're all clean.
Wood shavings are good at absorbing urine and odor.
Not so fun to rummage through them, searching for poop.


Pine shavings are okay, but they're not ideal. Their level of safety is questionable. It is okay though if you don't have too much money to spend on paper bedding.

*nods* My mum forgot to leave out some raw chicken for me to cook before she used it to make dinner so I had to make do with pork. I took out the fatty bits that I saw though.
I give only a thumbprint-sized pork every few days.

My hedgie used to poop in one corner. Now he just poops wherever he likes.

This post has been edited by TeliLeti: Jun 17 2011, 08:02 AM

I would like to say they don't but they do.
I tried picking up my hedgie once when he was balling up & it definitely felt like needles. xD
However, the quills will not pierce your skin (well, maybe your epidermis) or draw blood (not that I've heard/encountered before).

You can actually see if a hedgie feels threatened or just scared when they roll into a ball.
My hedgie no longer tightens the muscle connected to his quills when I pick him up. The quills will lay flat even though he's rolled into a ball.
If he feels threatened (like me suddenly waking him up), you will see that his quills stick up in EVERY DIRECTION so it's impossible to pick him up without a cloth.

Hedgie's aren't very affectionate but they're very interesting pets to have and will never make you frown (unless they poo/pee on you).

I adopted another hedgie today. xD

The reaction you had was normal. It happens so no worries. It won't last.
I bought 400g of RC32 for RM13.50 yesterday.
And RC36 for RM14.
I bought it at Galaxy Pets Link shop at Damansara Uptown.
I can buy it for you if you want since my office is opposite the shop.

Just so you know, the mum has a pretty good temperament. Very calm. The kids should have pretty good temperament as well. My snowflake has a pretty bad temperament compared to her. xD

Congrats on getting a hedgie.

I prefer SnPs as well. Too bad neither of my hedgie's are SnP. xD
Huffy was faking as an SnP when I got him.

The recently adopted hedgehog is on a strike. I don't think she has eaten at all. The previous owner said she only eats RC32, so I bought RC32. She won't even sniff at it.