it is said that insects such as mealworms contains too much fats in it that feeding it to the hedgie too often will cause overweights which is bad for health.

Hedgehog as pets generally uses less energy as those in the wild and thus require less of these insects as part of the diet. And the insects we feed have little variation as well, generally only mealworm and cricks, so they might not have all the nutrition they(hedgehog) require. Therefore, feeding holistic cat food is more appropriate.

[Source: http://www.hedgehogworld.com/content/view/37/42/]
*Further reading (above): insects as part of hedgehog's diet.

allsaints & BLuR15, welcome to the club.

I'm glad to see that a lot of hedgie keepers now did a lot of homeworks, find a lot of informations regarding hedgies and even help the newcomers. Keep up the good work guys

Ohhh.... hahah... don't worry....


Quote from http://www.mihog.org/anatomy/sounds.phtml

I guess your hedgie was Chirping lah.... yours is a male rite? This is normal. Even if you do not have a female around, when a male feels like he would like a female to know about his whereabouts, he would chirp to be known.

Young hedgehogs would chirp but usually for food and for their mom or foster mom. I experience that a few times hahah.

Look at my sound quote.... then you try guessing which sound your hedgie is doing.

Anyway, who is the breeder? You can PM me to let me know.... but not giving you directions and also the brand of food is very irresponsible in a way.

Brands:
You can purchase holistic brands but try and get hold of brands with little or no garlic

-Orijen and Innova Evo
This is very high in protein, quite good actually coz you feed less since so high in protein. Get the one for cats coz smaller bites.

-Royal Canin
You can purchase the one for cats and for dogs(mini) but do check the protein and fat content. Chose the one with lower fat %... normally the we go for the cat version like Fit 32 or Indoor 37(I think that's 37).... but anyway, just look around

-Evolve, Go Natural, Acana, EaglePack, NutriSource, Evanger, Solid Gold, Addiction
You can also use these brands as well... again, choose the ones for cats and also for small dogs.

This is one big TIP that I try to advice but many do not really listen..... Do not just buy 1 brand and use it. Try and mix at least 2 brands together.

Why? Coz hedgehogs can be picky with their food, so imagine 1 day, the brand you use is out of stock and no choice, you get another brand.... but then your hedgehog refuse to eat it. So the best is buying 2 brands and start this food training since young. For me, I got no problem when it comes to feeding coz I mix 3 brands together since I always get sample packs from petshops. My hedgehogs are never choosy, dogfood or catfood, as long it is a mixture of Royal Canin, Orijen and another brand for me, my hedgehogs are happy. So far none have gotten any health problems and my oldest boy is almost 2.5 years old....

Look at Pet Safari for your hedgehog diet.... search around and look at ingredients.... just stay away from anything that has corn in it.

It could be puffing or clicking.... that is normally made when a hedgie ducks his head. Some hedgies tense and hop at the same time with all the puffing and snorting and clicking all at once.

Dogfood is suitable. We just need to use the one that are of course high in quality and also mini size.

Insects like crickets that are gut loaded are ok. Feeding say about 3 to 5 insects a day is ok. This is the same with sugar gliders.... we always must think of them, in the wild they naturally eat insects and hunt for grub... so we must give them some of their natural food to munch on. Mealworms are too fattening.... so crickets that are gutloaded are much better. I normally do not feed everyday but every other day since I got limited cricket supply....

The best.... try not to keep in an air cond room.

Crickets are ok.... just mealworms.... but we should not give only crickets and mealworms as the main meal. Yes, they do not contain all the nutrition but feeding them gives the hedgehog a bit of a natural diet as well as something to do. Throwing the crickets and mealworms into their homes are a great activity. Try and not handfeed with fingers or chopstick or put in bowls.... let your hedgehogs forage for their insect treats.

lol ..chopsticks ... the hedgie very cute .. i think that boy thought its a huge mealworm !!! ..LOL

crazymouse
we bought RC feline indoor for him yesterday and he absolutely loved it...
he kept munching and munching and munching away...
we did add in his previous food so that he can slowly adapt to the new RC... we'll try to give him better food and we'll also try to mix a few food together so that he can also have a variety to choose from...

yesterday, we tried to bath our little hedgie.. he was so cute and clumsy!
he stretched and fall will being in the stretching position.. *he was trying to climb out of the water >.<*
ooh, he pooped into the water too... which was funny and smelly at the same time... >.<

anyway, there was progress in him being with us..
we even picked him up after bathing time... he kinda curled and clicked.. but thank God after a time, he's okay with us carrying him... there are a few times he tried to curl or run away... but after a while, he's back to normal.. we even take photo's with him! which was pretty cool.. he knows when we said 'no' to him...
there was a time where he curled and after we say 'no', he relaxed himself more...
*i'm not exaggerating*

oh, attached are some of the pictures of his house.. and we've decided to call him 'spikey'...
ya, so, spikey the hedgie..




Attached thumbnail(s)

He looks so comfy in that towel, i especially like the pictures of him digging into his foodbowl

Have you researched on how to make multilevel cages safe for hedgies?it seems they have a tendency to walk off ledges and they may injure themselves walking off a ledge that 'seems' safe and low. Most places advise to add 'sides' to ramps and 2nd level areas to make it safe,

......actually ill go hunt for some info on this now, slow day at work. plus looking at housing ideas for them is pretty interesting

Edit:
short thread on advice regarding adding 2nd lvl
http://hedgehogcentral.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=2620

long thread with alot of pictures and advise on housing, very interesting!
http://hedgehogcentral.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1383

This post has been edited by Cimredopyh: Dec 13 2007, 11:48 AM

ya, we took out the box last nite after the bath.. i saw him fell once when my phone suddenly went to music mode... >.< he was so clumsy... >.< he kept peeking at me and my phone when the ballad was playing.. guess he doesn't really like music... *my phone was kinda soft and the music was easy going*

we're probably going to find him a soft pin cushion for him as a bed so he can cuddle in warmly.. *do u know where we can find this?* if we can find that, then we can also put in a wheel for him to exercise.. cause now, if we were to replace the box with another box, he'll pee on it again and it'll become wet and damp.. plus, we couldn't fit a wheel in there with the box blocking half the space.. we found a huge wheel with a price RM 21.90.. is it okay? should we buy? there are scratches on the wheel..

Hahah.... Spikey is a very cute boy.

Anyway, good that he is eating RC, but do include another brand. You can mix in a packet of Acana, you can find those 1kg packs from Pets Wonderland.

Good that he is making progress as well. Hedgehogs learn to trust their owners, so as long you are patient with him, then alright lah. Pooping in the bath water or during bath is normal.... coz they feel scared so they poop hahahah.

True, hedgehogs do not know the meaning of height, so they will walk off just like that, hurting themselves....

Music got some high notes, too shrill for a hedgehog so for a hedgehog that is not used to such noise, it can be scary.

You can purchase cosy little beds from Pets Wonderland that is made for Ferrets and Chinchillas.... but then you don't need to add such things. Hedgehogs enjoy old tshirts more. And tshirts are easier to wash than those cushion things.

A wheel is good.... but RM21.90? Must be a metal wheel.... am I right?

yupz.. it's the metal wheel.. scratched metal wheel in pink or white.. >.<

by scratches on the wheel do u mean the plastic has been damaged? hmm...better get one in good condition?
who knows what else is damaged, there could even be some screws loose and cracks.
edit: nevermind, just read that its was metal

Wheel checklist

min 10 inch diameter, 12 inch is best
flat running surface with no holes, if you buy a silent spinner type find a way to plug up the grooves such as duct tape/aquarium safe silicone)
no moving cross bars and spokes
if your wheel cannot attach to the side of the cage, make sure the wheel stand is very stable
something easy to remove for daily cleaning

This post has been edited by Cimredopyh: Dec 13 2007, 12:39 PM

The best wheels are silent wheels and whisper wheels, which are about Rm60 to Rm90.... you can only find those wheels at Pet Safari and Pets Wonderland.... the metal wheel is an economical wheel..... I know a few here that would object to using such wheels LOL.... but I'm personally also using it. No problems. But then this is up to you...

The one with towel look very cute!

we're using the toyogo box now..
are there anymore economical wheeler?
we did thought of those hamster wheel.. but with the toyogo box, we can't really attach it to the sides *just like those hamster cages*
or should we settle with those walking balls?

What do these metal wheels look like actually?
Im using a wheel that kind of resembles a silent spinner, has a stand and can also be screwed to the side of the cage, as everything on the box is in japanese the best i can figure out is its called a happy wheel

I also use Toyogo box.... there are no more economical wheels.... anyway, do not get those walking balls.... very bad for them. I'd rather just let my hedgie roam about freely once awhile in a room.

i tried my best in drawing with the help of matt.. haha..

hope it looks like it.. >.<


Attached thumbnail(s)

It is not stable to attach the wheel to the toyogo box because the wall of the box is soft and it can't support the weight of the hedgehog. I though of doing it last time too, I've cut out a small hole from the box and attach the wheel to the box, and the whole thing goes shaky whenever a hedgie is running inside it.

lol cool diagram!

That wheel looks fine to me
will the bar thats holding the two stands together rub against his back?
altho that probably wont be a problem if the wheel is big enough

erm.. it's big / huge... don't think it'll rub against spikey's back.. but am afraid that it'll fall out and get stuck due to his own clumsiness.. =.=" he is super clumsy.. so, RM 21.90... should we buy or should we not? the pink one looks ok compared to the white one.. but! spikey is a male! oh gosh, it'll look ugly in his housey... white toyogo box, blue container for drink and poo poo and brown food container... now pink wheel??!! @_@ goodness... >.<

maybe shop around more before deciding? you might find other colours in better condition in another place