Post by tubalytz77 on Jan 9, 2010 13:56:20 GMT 11
Hedgehog care sheet
Basic facts
Hedgehog breeding age: male-6mos; female-6mos
Diet: IAMS catfood (preferably) or other brands depending on the taste of your hedgehogs.
Twice a day, 30 kibbles per servings.
The water bottle must always be filled anytime.
Treats: super worms, meal worms, fruits (not citrus), vegetables.
Note: treats are given once a week only; cat food should be their staple food.
Bathing: oatmeal bath is used when a hedgehog is on his quilling stage; these reduce the stress during quilling.
Regular bath: no tears shampoo can be used to avoid intoxication. Brush their body using a toothbrush with no tears shampoo.
This must be done quickly to avoid colds. Dry them immediately using a towel, let him snuggle for 5 mins, be sure that the hedge is dry thoroughly.
You can bath your hedgehogs once a month only or when your hedge has dirt all over his body. Hedges are not really accustomed in bathing regularly. Bathing them is only means to avoid diseases.
Bedding:
Wood shavings is the best substrate to use because it is very cheap, easy to dispose, and easy to clean. At the same time it is very absorbent.
Housing:
There are several kinds of housing for hedgehogs like aquarium tank, wired cages.
The disadvantage of aquarium tank is its weight and not that easy to clean while the wired cages is the wired flooring. This might cause a broken leg for your hedgehog.
You can use a plastic Bin, or storage box provide that it meets the minimum size requirement. (LxWxH=21”x15”x10”) the bigger the better. It must also be well ventilated by using a screen on the top cover.
Terms:
Basic facts
- Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals; they are most active at night and sleep more during day time.
- Hedgehogs are insectivores in nature.
- Hedgehogs are wild animals so they still have their wild instincts even though they are domesticated.
- Their spikes are called quills and these are neither poisonous nor barbed.
- They have sensitive olfactory system and they often smell everything to test things.
- They are solitary animals and territorial. They can’t co habitate with each other.
Hedgehog breeding age: male-6mos; female-6mos
Diet: IAMS catfood (preferably) or other brands depending on the taste of your hedgehogs.
Twice a day, 30 kibbles per servings.
The water bottle must always be filled anytime.
Treats: super worms, meal worms, fruits (not citrus), vegetables.
Note: treats are given once a week only; cat food should be their staple food.
Bathing: oatmeal bath is used when a hedgehog is on his quilling stage; these reduce the stress during quilling.
Regular bath: no tears shampoo can be used to avoid intoxication. Brush their body using a toothbrush with no tears shampoo.
This must be done quickly to avoid colds. Dry them immediately using a towel, let him snuggle for 5 mins, be sure that the hedge is dry thoroughly.
You can bath your hedgehogs once a month only or when your hedge has dirt all over his body. Hedges are not really accustomed in bathing regularly. Bathing them is only means to avoid diseases.
Bedding:
Wood shavings is the best substrate to use because it is very cheap, easy to dispose, and easy to clean. At the same time it is very absorbent.
Housing:
There are several kinds of housing for hedgehogs like aquarium tank, wired cages.
The disadvantage of aquarium tank is its weight and not that easy to clean while the wired cages is the wired flooring. This might cause a broken leg for your hedgehog.
You can use a plastic Bin, or storage box provide that it meets the minimum size requirement. (LxWxH=21”x15”x10”) the bigger the better. It must also be well ventilated by using a screen on the top cover.
Terms:
- quills is the spikes or the hedges of a hedgehog.
- quilling stage is a period of time when hedgehogs replace their quills.
- Self anointing is the frothing of the mouth of a hedgehog and spreading it into their body. They usually do this whenever there are new smells and new taste they encounter.
- Squeaking is the plaintive sound that you will hear from a male hedgehog when he tries to mate a female hedgehog.
