hedgehogs

wanderingboy

i was wondering where i might find pet hedgehogs, or, in a perfect world, a pet ferret?

peasant

I'm by no means an expert ...but AFAIK hedghogs don't make pets. They are a wild animal an cannot live in captivity.

(helping them hibernate in a shed or cellar is a different matter ...but they don't interact when they hibernate)

And to my knowledge ferrets aren't the easiest of pets either ...especially when kept indoors. They are said to have quite a few behavioral issues (mostly with aggression being predators) and also hygiene problems (smell).

So ...as far as I know ...not really such a good idea.

Our man in Havana

Ok I infact have pets hogs NOT COMMON EUROPEAN ONES!

I have 1 Indian black masked Hog & 2 Egyption Long eared Hogs - that make ok pets can bite & are spiny but are easy to keep indoors.

Ferrets also make FABO pets the males do smell but with a quick simple op thats stopped! then they just have a faint musky odour - cause of their size & their cheeky personalities they can not be allowed out of their cage unsupervised they are so small they can squeeze anywhere! but are intellegient will use a corner to poop in so can be trained easily. & are FABO.

But then again I keep LOTS of unusually critters.

pickarooney

Hedgehogs can be kept as pets, they're not really that interesting after the initial novelty wears off, but are fairly low maintenance and can be very funny. Not the kind of animal to cuddle up to you in bed (probably a good think, in fairness), but nice to have around.
We had a semi-pet hedgehog who lived in our garden. We fed him, and then he got a bit bold and started knocking over all the empty beer bottles and drinking the dregs (they seem to love beer), then somehow managed to gclimb through the catflap. Seeing him hiss and snarl at them was priceless.

wanderingboy

my neighbors used to have two ferrets, and they were the coolest things in the world...

are there cheap breeders or distributors of either hedgehogs or ferrets in ireland? or might i have to skip across the irish sea to grab some?

pickarooney

I can ask my friend where he got his ferrets - somewhere in Louth I think.
I don't know if anyone sells hedgehogs, you kind of have to find them.

Sigma Force

Don't take hedgehogs from the wild to keep as pets!

There are certain breeds of hedgehogs kept as pets but these are captive bred.

You may be better off with a pair of ferrets, they require aviary type housing if they are to live outside. Or a very large hutch and very large run. A large shed and attached run might be another option.
Or indoors a large ferret cage in a ferret proof room.
Don't house them near rabbits or other smallies if you have any.

As Bond said neutering cuts down on the whiff, never had the pleasure of owning any but from other people who do have them they say they make great pets.

"are there cheap breeders or distributors of either hedgehogs or ferrets in ireland?"

When looking for any pet from a breeder the thing to look out for is the quality of care the breeder has given not the cheapest price.

Why don't you check some of the rescues in your area for ferrets if you are in the Dublin area the DSPCA sometimes have small animals looking for homes.

If you do travel to the UK many UK rescues have ferrets looking for good homes too, there are many more small animal rescues in the UK that in Ireland.

wanderingboy

i heard a rumor that they were popular pets in england, so i assumed someone somewhere must sell them... it seems unwise to catch a wild animal for a pet to me...

Seanie M

To an extent, I thought hedgehogs were partly protected because their natural habitats were being scooped up by greedy housing developers and so on. Also, they do be infested with fleas, so be mindfull IF you find one, NOT to keep it near other pets.

Seanie.

Our man in Havana

Seanie M wrote:

To an extent, I thought hedgehogs were partly protected because their natural habitats were being scooped up by greedy housing developers and so on. Also, they do be infested with fleas, so be mindfull IF you find one, NOT to keep it near other pets.

Seanie.

Yes as far as I know the common european hog is protected I am NOT saying grab a wild hog & turn it into a pet!

The most common kept pet hogs is an african pygmy hog (APH) I intend to get some APHs next year - I import my exotics from the uk (I have a full import licence & follow the law! - before anyone asks) As I said I have 3 hogs none of them are wild! they are all captive bred for the pet trade - they can make interesting pets.

pm if you'd like more info.



This a layout for my scrapbook that I have done on Rusty my black masked hog - he is one BIG boy

Sigma Force

Sadly I haven't seen one hedgehog in our garden since we moved here a few years ago, not sure why. We made a point of keeping all the hedgerows..unlike others who have built around us they ripped all the hedges out and stuck in fencing (bet they'll regret it when they realise hedgin provides more privacy to a house that see through fencing lol).
We have fenced off the field (mini field) area so that there is about 3 feet of space behind it so at least on our side animals can still move from place to place but be protected from our dogs.

Must make some hedgehog boxes to see if that encourages them in, lovely gentle critters could do with them in the garden badly.