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Pet hedgehog

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  • 25-07-2011 12:37pm
    #1
    Kotek Besar
    Registered Users Posts: 3,601 ✭✭✭


    Hi folks,

    I'm thinking of getting a pet hedgehog. Does anyone still on here keep a pet hedgehog? I've read that you can feed them cat food and that they're rather like keeping a cat, but better.

    Thing is, I've been thinking, with a cat if you accidentally step on it it will shriek and run and will probably be absolutely fine.

    Aren't hedgehogs slow moving and, if so, wouldn't it have a terrible fate if you didn't notice little hedgie was there and you accidentally trod on him? Has this happened to anyone?


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    #2
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Apparently they can be domesticated if you start them young enough.
    If you think you might tread on it maybe you need a bigger animal, or to pay better attention to where you step :)

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055360415
    http://www.unclemikespetworld.ie/Pages/Small_Animals.html#Anchor-African-50008
    http://www.dspca.ie/Hedgehogs


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    #3
    damagegt
    Registered Users Posts: 2,061 ✭✭✭damagegt


    My mate had an albineo miniture hedgehod for a few years.Ill be meeting him later and ill ask himfor you.


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    #4
    tk123
    Registered Users Posts: 14,021 ✭✭✭✭tk123


    Kotek Besar wrote: »
    Thing is, I've been thinking, with a cat if you accidentally step on it it will shriek and run and will probably be absolutely fine.

    Aren't hedgehogs slow moving and, if so, wouldn't it have a terrible fate if you didn't notice little hedgie was there and you accidentally trod on him? Has this happened to anyone?


    Are you planning on letting it roam around the place? Surely it'd need a proper cage/enclosure - especially if you're worried about stomping on it? Anyhoos - one of the first hits I got back from google suggests they're quite active and fast - http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peterwedderburn/100054659/hedgehogs-do-we-need-to-keep-them-as-pets/


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    #5
    Shanao
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 919 ✭✭✭Shanao


    Had one a few years back, it was an african albino pygmy hedgehog, they're the ones available in the pet trade. To be totally honest, I would not get one again. It takes quite some time to tame even the pet ones to being picked up so get yourself a good pair of thick gloves or you'll be poked a lot, and yes, it does hurt. They also hiss, they are most active in the middle of the night (mine was in my room in an apartment and by the gods did he keep me awake). Best food for them is something chicken based(avoid fish based foods) and they should be on a high quality, light catfood- as little fat as possible. You're best off keeping him in a rabbit cage with a grand big plastic wheel (no bars) to exercise in but I wouldn't leave him unsupervised around the house; they will chew on cables, and they will **** everywhere if they cant find the litter box in time. They are lovely pets once you have them tamed but again like I said, do not leave them out unsupervised.


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