Any hedgehog keepers here?

[nolagurl]

Just curious if anyone here keeps African Pygmy hedgehogs. I drove ten hours to pick a hedgehog up about a month ago. They're really interesting and I'm surprised that more people don't keep them.

Mine is about 16 weeks old.

[Dani33]

I've got an albino male, here's a couple of pics of him:

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/503/3313Hedgie1-med.jpg

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/503/3313Hedgie2-med.jpg

There are a few of us out there ;)

[BellyDraggers]

We keep African pygmy HedgeHogs..and are hoping to breed soon..

Here is a few pics of our male...
http://publish.hometown.aol.com/bellydraggerreps/images/hedgehog%20male%202.jpg

http://publish.hometown.aol.com/bellydraggerreps/images/hedgehog%20male%201.jpg

Enjoy
Scotty & Les

[Sunrunner]

Those are just about the cutest things I have ever seen, really nice you 2.

[sketchy4]

the second pic of the albino looks like hes saying, "wtf are you looking at" lol. very cute little guys.

[Derrick]

There is one at my house and to be totally honest there will never be another one. The first one I had I didnt know enough about and died 3 weeks after it arrived home. I spent many sleepless night in those 3 week it had to be force fed and all sorts of other bs. after talking to some people and posting some pics they concluded it was to young to be seperated from its mother. The petstore had another one for me with in days, we hadn't even decided if we wanted to go through that again but couldnt leave that one at the store. this new one has already cost me 300 in vet bills to have 2 growths removed. Since then he has been grouchy all the time and enjoys biting which hurts far more than any snake bite. He's like a mini pitbull if he bites the arm of my t-shirt I can lift my arm straight out and he'll hang there. Also there quills can cause quit an iratation to the skin. He'll be well cared for the rest of his life but never again.

also the seem quite pron to tumors/cancer later in life which seem to have a lot to do with not being able to provide the proper diet in captivity...they are Insectivores not rodents and most of the hedgehog specific food is crap. They like to run in a wheel but regular rodent wheels are a hazard to them as there long legs are pron to getting caught between the bars. with the solid wheels though you have to scrub it out daily as the like to do thier business while thiere running...its a mess. They are great swimmers, ours like to do lips in the tub.

do your research

[Derrick]

sorry to be all doom and gloom. I don't mean to give you the wrong impression. I know plenty of people who have had no prob with thier hog but I know just as many people who have lots of problems. anyway its 6am here at work and I just finishing 24hr shift of hell. good luck with your little guy

another thing to watch out for is dry skin and mites. oh ya and if they ever dorp a quill in the carpet OUCH

[Pixie]

They are so darned cute!!!

I'm dying to get one but aren't in a big rush to do so just yet. I want to make sure I'm ready and know enough about them first.

How can you resist?!

Pixie

[ChaosCat]

I have one :) He's an albino, going through quilling right now. Cute little bugger, he does bite-so I try not to handle him with bare skin visible.

http://chaoscat.lowerground.net/hedgehog/hedge3-6-04a.jpg

http://chaoscat.lowerground.net/hedgehog/hedge3-6-04b.jpg

http://chaoscat.lowerground.net/hedgehog/hedge3-6-04f.jpg

http://chaoscat.lowerground.net/hedgehog/hedgie3-2-04a.jpg

I might get another one in the future, but for now, I'll keep on with this grumpy guy.

-cat

[nolagurl]

I suppose I lucked out as my hedgie (Coconut) is very friendly.

BellyDraggers in the USA you have to be licensed to breed them. I'm not sure about Canada though.

[Dani33]

I am very lucky as well. My little guy is very friendly and pretty low maintenance. I really love him. He'll be my one and only though.

[BellyDraggers]

nolagurl - Thats why we are glad to live Up north in Canada you can breed them without a license.:D

Scotty & Les

[HeatherK]

One of my friends used to breed them. I got poked (an understatement) by the one we had at the petstore I was working at. Turned me off quickly ;) It didn't seem to mind my mother though :P It sounds like they all have their own personalities. They definately are cute.

[nolagurl]

Yes some can be grumpy and some will tolerate handling. You really have to start handling them at a young age so they will make good *pet* hedgies once they are weaned from their mothers.