Yup you need a heavier bowl, because when they eat they will often put their front paws on the side, if the bowl is very light it will tip over.


I understand if your just curious and would like them to be friends, but if for any reason they decide to fight and one of your beloved pets gets fatally injured it will make you feel so guilty.

Just keep them both as happy as possible, no need to force them to be near one another There are plenty of idiots in this world who like to put exotic pets together and watch them fight, don't believe? go search on you tube. To be honest this kind of " x VS y who will win?" kind of mentality is pretty childish....dont you think?

And umm...regarding hedgehogs being passive, I guess you didnt know that in the wild hedgehogs can kill and eat venomous snakes
Hedgehogs on the list of top 7 snake killers = http://news.softpedia.com/news/Top-7-Snake...ers-75345.shtml

Edit: this picture again haha!

This post has been edited by Cimredopyh: May 9 2008, 05:56 PM

The wild ones do abit of hunting actually, other than burrowing for insects they also kill and eat frogs small rodents....actually they will attempt to eat all kinds of stuff. They are greedy little things

No they do eat the snake actually, but they cant finish the whole thing.

Could it be you have changed the soap you wash your hands with? Do you apply any kind of lotion or medication on them?

If hes developed a biting habit theres nothing much you can do about it actually, just try to avoid his face area.
Demon likes to bite too, its really funny when he tries to bite my knees when im sitting on the floor. Its to bony and smooth and he cant grip it at all LOL

Anything with a mouth might bite, but normally when they are unfamiliar with you they will just hiss and ball up.

Most importantly when learning to handle your hedgehog PLEASE do it close to the ground, sit or crouch close to the ground. Maybe put something soft like a big cushion or carpet.
The reason is they will hiss and pop and this might cause you to accidentally drop it, especially if you are scared and hedgehogs bones break pretty easily from falls.
Let your hedgehog get used to his new home, give him peace and quiet, If you want to play with him the best time is in the evening or night.
Put one hand on each side of him, and sloooowly scoop him up like scooping water, Dont worry if he balls up you can still scoop him up this way.

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Added on May 9, 2008, 6:18 pm
Let me guess, lick lick lick and nibble? licking is usually a warning sign that they feel like biting

This post has been edited by Cimredopyh: May 9 2008, 06:18 PM

Can you think of any pet with a mouth that 100% will not bite and 100% wont be painfull when they do....

Never noticed that @_@ , livingmonolith also joined in Nov 07

Happy birthday Kat Chai! May you have many birthdays to come
Did he leave alot of 'presents' for you in his wheel today?

Tee Ar Oh Ell Ell

Actually not curling up when in water is normal behavior for all hedgehogs, its a anti-drown mechanism.
The reason why his nails bleed when you cut it is because you are actually cutting it too short
If you look closely at the nail, there is some pink flesh underneath the nail, this is know as the 'quick'
cutting the quick will cause bleeding. If he struggles so much that you cannot avoid cutting the quick you should try the method below or wait till he is calmer.
Cutting the quick is not a major thing but what if one day you accidentally cut of a toe? Its an accident that can happen to anyone with a struggling hedgie

Heres something you can try if your hedgie struggles alot when its nail cutting time.
Gently cover him with a cloth, hold his back against your body and expose his lower legs but keep his face covered.
The trick is to be gentle and patient, the hedgehog will relax and allow you to cut the nails without any fuss, because with the face covered
he feels like he is safe and 'hidden'.



Yes any mild pet shampoo will be ok, but NEVER use those with TEA TREE OIL it is highly toxic to hedgehogs.



Hedgehogs do not really groom themselves like cats, they do need bathing once in awhile.
What you can do is, once a week let her walk in a tub filled with shallow water, just to clean her feet. Then about once every 2/3/4 weeks give a full body bath with shampoo.
Hedgehogs who wheel regularly need bathing, because of the constant contact of their feet with their poo and pee, also when wheeling the urine will sometimes splash on their backs.
If you never bathe your hedgehog you will find that they may develop problems

Red urine burns on their belly and feet.
Yellow staining on their fur.
Foot/toe infections from poo trapped under nails.
Infections in the genitals.

Over bathing is not good, but not bathing at all is also bad.

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Added on May 11, 2008, 8:12 pmSpeaking of bathing, its time for me to bathe the two smelly ones.

This post has been edited by Cimredopyh: May 11 2008, 08:12 PM

lecture

Im using bowls,but im also using cloth liners as bedding
i think most people that use wood shavings will use bottles.

Bottles are actually not good for hedgies
Ill try to find and old 'lecture' about it, brb

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Added on May 11, 2008, 11:36 pmHeres an old post with pics of Demons cage, Angel is in an identical set up with different colour theme and DIY wheel



This post has been edited by Cimredopyh: May 11 2008, 11:36 PM

Yep its fleece, i have 4 sets of liners.
They are actually more cost effective than wood shavings, all you need to do is buy once then keep washing and reusing.
With cloth liners your chance of getting mites is reduced by about 90% compared to shavings.
Cloth liners will not irritate the skin and nose of both your hedgie and you.
With cloth liners you can instantly spot bleeding, or abnormal poo/urine.

Change them every 3-4 days, depending on if your hedgie is litter trained or not.
I wait till i have a few dirty ones then i give them a rinse to remove any crumbs
Both of mine are litter trained tho so other than food crumbs and some poopy footprints the liners stay very clean.
( If your hedgie is a messy one then just soak them for awhile before washing in the machine )
Then i toss all of them in the washing machine with detergent and a cap full of white vinegar ( its a natural disinfectant and odor remover )

Obviously don't wash the liners together with your regular baju, not because its dirty but because quills in your underpants will hurt like heck.

Cages are fully washed once a month, and wiped down with baby wipes every other week.

You can do a search on cloth liners for hedgies, their a pretty popular alternative amongst Canadian/American hedgie owners.




This post has been edited by Cimredopyh: May 12 2008, 12:57 AM

Not sure about GP's, it could be the same.
But for hedgie liners usually fleece or flannel is needed, any fabric that has loose threads or fabric that will fray when they scratch at it is unsutable. Reason being they they can get their nails or toes tangled in it.

Search for info about liners on these forums under the housing sections, lots of people ask about it so you should be able to find lots of useful stuff

http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/

http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forum/

Actually why male? you do know some male hedgehogs have a tendency to 'have fun' with themselves and leave hard to clean evidence all over the place right?

My Angel is female!

( And im talking about male hedgies, but come to think of it male humans also have similar issues ..... )

There are 93 color variations recognized by the IHA, Bonai will spend his whole life washing wheels

Rumizu is right, the urine of the males is slightly stronger smelling, but i can tell you from smelling both everyday theres hardly any difference

Both male and female hedgehogs should have no noticable smell, they are not rodents and do not have scent glands.
a strong smell is often a sign of illness or a need for a bath.
Just like how male cats have no smell, the same as female cats.


Don't forget, you are the one that brought humans up


Exactly, its the stains and evidence that makes the comparison so poignant. It could be that female hedgehogs do it, but since they don't leave a mess for you to clean theres nothing to worry about

Tunnel is a vinyl dryer duct tube, bought from a hardware store.
all holes were melted/cut out with a soldering iron, then filed with a metal file (the kind used for wood) then sandpapered till smooth. You can also saw it, but just be careful not to apply too much pressure or it will crack.

All parts can be fully dismantled for cleaning

I should probably add that the tunnel is not a good idea if your hedgie does not like to come out of hiding, your hands can only fit in if they are small. Luckily Angel its very curious and comes out by herself and Demon will always come out if i show him his igloo..hes really obsessed with his igloo...if no igloo he totally will not come out till i leave the room

Hi weiwei89

Hedgehogs are solitary and territorial, they will fight when put together, and the wounds can be fatal.

If you keep 2 males they will probably fight to the death for the territory
If you keep 2 females they will be highly stressed and could fight and kill each other.
If you keep a male and a female they will mate, kill and eat the babies, then fight each other for the territory.

So if you buy a pair, you have to have
2 separate cages
2 water bowls
2 food bowls
2 wheels that you will need to wash every single day, no joke.
And you will have to bond with them separately.
play with them separately.
bathe them separately.

Please do go read the first page of this thread and do more research about hedgehogs, They are an exotic pet that have a lot of special needs and requirements.

They are not expensive to maintain, but the equipment and medical treatment they will need can be. Also you will have to travel far and possibly pay more for vet care since not every vet can treat hedgehogs.

oh and btw

** Rules and Regulations for Pets Wonderland **
2) Advertising of Pet sales or wanting to purchase/adopt a pet is prohibited. Do it in the Garage Sales instead.

Have fun doing your research because there is a LOT to learn
Best of luck to you.