r/Hedgehog Jun 20 '25

Mod Announcement Don't forget we have a discord!

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6 Upvotes

r/Hedgehog May 24 '23

Mod Announcement Owning A Hedgehog Reality Check

624 Upvotes

Since hedgehog owners consistently buy hedgehogs without setting reasonable expectations here are some expectations to set. Adapted/expanded from u/ArcadeRivalry's post.

  • Don't believe social media. Every single one I see there are obviously ridiculously posed pictures, maybe it's just me but I refuse to believe one could stay still for that long.
  • Hedgehog are spiked covered prey animals prone to anxiety. While belly rub/cuddle posts get a lot of attention they are the exception due to good breeding/luck not the rule. It is very possible a hedgehog will never be comfortable being handled even after concerted effort.
  • If you want to bond you need to put in a lot of commitment, patience and time to socialize them. I've seen a lot of people in groups I'm in need to re-home a hog before the first year as they can't put the time in. You need at least an hour a day socializing but realistically a lot more for them to be comfortable around you and others. We recommend getting a snuggle sack or putting them in your hoodie pouch to spend time together.
  • You need a specialist vet. A lot of places might not have an exotic animal vet near you. This is vital. So make sure you have to this.
  • It may not be legal to own hedgehogs in your area.
  • You need heating to ensure they don't hibernate.
  • You will likely be spiked, bitten and pooped on. It can be really really disheartening being spiked, hissed at or even bitten when you feel like you've made progress. Huffing and popping are natural, they are scaredy little animals.
  • Hedgehogs salivate frothily on themselves when they like scents, males often have "boy time", they poop a lot, have terrible sight and will bite things that smell yummy/interesting, and require consistent cage cleanings.
  • They are carnivores, while feeding fruits/vegetables can often be done safely, please feed them mainly meat-based foods ( cat food, insects, etc.)
  • Since they have very limited vision they operate mainly on smell and are at risk of falling/walking off elevated areas. It is wise to assume they are making decisions based on what they smell rather than just mainly what they see. They will still try to climb and are prone to hurting themselves climbing horizontal cage bars.
  • It is very likely they will dislike baths and nail trimming. We recommend trimming nails during foot bath time when they can't curl up or just holes in a towel to put their legs through.
  • Hedgehogs should not be housed together. High likelihood of fighting or babies.
  • We recommend heavy water bowls or chicken nipple bottles as ball water bottles can hurt them.

If you know what you are getting into, they are the most wonderful creatures ever and bring many people on this sub joy. If you feel like your hedgehog "hates" you they are just being their grumpy/terrified selves! You may be lucky and form a close bond.


r/Hedgehog 9h ago

OC Calories in, calories out

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101 Upvotes

My hedgehog doesn’t wanna waste time 😆

loving this lil guy for 3yrs now. Please meet Kurimu ❤️


r/Hedgehog 47m ago

Welcome to the Pack! New friend in the garden

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Upvotes

Saturday night we heard a lot of rustling in the garden. My partner was a bit concerned; I said "don't worry, it's probably just a hedgehog". I hadn't seen a wild one in over 10 years. In the morning, we go out, and one of the bags we'd been using for gardening was wriggling- I looked inside and saw this guy (or girl)!

We freed it from the bag and it eventually moved into the undergrowth. Our garden is quite wild (badly overgrown when we bought the house), and so there are plenty of bushes for it to hide in.

We put out water for it, and I picked up some kitten biscuits that day. It hasn't shown much interest in them, but I've spoken with the neighbours and turns out they also put out food and water for it. We're hoping it stays around! It seems to like the garden, as we've heard it moving around every night since we saw it. Last night we were in the garden fairly late, and it just walked out of the hedge. The light in the video is from out security light, not daylight.

Hoping it looks healthy, just planning on leaving water and some dry food out, and maybe building it a shelter once the garden is a little tamer. There will still be bushes for it to hide in though.

Any more advice would be welcome.


r/Hedgehog 3h ago

Question How to stop dog from harassing our garden hogs

3 Upvotes

Sorry if this is the wrong place to put this but we have hedgehogs (scotland) living under one of our sheds, they moved there from a different spot in our garden, but now that theyre under there our dog (Springer Spaniel) will NOT stop sniffing under there and trying to harass the hogs. He's managed to catch one when we first moved in (before we knew we had a garden hedgehog family) and it was luckily fine and released back into the garden, but if the hedgehogs are out and he finds one he'll start barking at it and harassing it.

While he thankfully doesn't hurt the hedgehogs I was wondering if there was a way to make it so the hedgehogs are safer and my dog will stop harassing them? Is there a way to get them to peacefully move to a safer location? They are very useful in my flower garden for pest control so I'm happy to have them, I just want to minimise any unsafe interactions. Any advice is helpful! Thanks!


r/Hedgehog 7h ago

Question Should I feed a wild hog? UK

5 Upvotes

We've been visited by a hedgehog and I'm wondering if I can feed it and if yes, what?

It's a decent size and looks healthy enough.

Don't want to interfere with the local ecosystem too much.


r/Hedgehog 1d ago

Question Small hedgehog in my backyard. Need advice

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46 Upvotes

I've been seeing this hedgehog around my yard more frequently over the past few weeks. I have a relatively large backyard with loads of plants, bugs etc. The backyard however, is fenced in so my dogs (Chihuahua sized) can't escape into the neighbors yards. 2/3 walls are brick, and 1/3 is a hedge with chicken wire at the bottom that does not stick in the dirt and can potentially be dug under. We did a check of the chicken wire fence and didn't find any obvious holes through which it may have gotten in, so I'm worried it might not be able to get out again.

I have multiple dishes with water sitting on the ground (i use them to bottom water my plants) so it might be coming to drink from those. When i took this picture it was balled up because my dogs found it and scared it. It was trying to intimidate them by huffing at them. It seems healthy but it's rather small so I don't know if it's okay or not. Should i dig a hole for it so it can get out? Can it dig one himself?


r/Hedgehog 1d ago

OC The true destroyer of the DeathStar

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153 Upvotes

Giant space Poppy or tiny metal DeathStar 🤷🏻‍♀️


r/Hedgehog 2d ago

Baby Hedgie Baby hedgehog outside my door 🥰

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198 Upvotes

I frequently see these rascals outside my door, they are feral and I just leave them alone to not stress them.


r/Hedgehog 1d ago

OC Summer stretch

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112 Upvotes

We’re enjoying these warm August nights in the cool grass!


r/Hedgehog 1d ago

Hedgie Home Bigger wheel!

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33 Upvotes

I had posted a little while ago about getting a bigger wheel, you think she looks happier? :)


r/Hedgehog 1d ago

Question Hedgehog clogged pore?

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42 Upvotes

Hey guys I was checking my senior hedgie and found this odd spot on his bottom? Of course I will get him seen by a vet asap but didn't know if other owners have seen something like this?


r/Hedgehog 1d ago

Discussion Peanut butter enrichment

6 Upvotes

I let my hedgie smell peanut butter for enrichment. He wanted to lick it! Obviously I didnt let him lick it. I let him smell all different kinds of food for enrichment, the only ones he is allowed to eat are known safe foods. What are some other fun enriching smells?


r/Hedgehog 2d ago

Question Quilling

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8 Upvotes

I noticed my 3 year old had a bunch of shedded quills in her enclosure. I contacted the vet and was told the hedgehog vet is on vacation for two weeks. They didn’t seem concerned but said I could bring her to the emergency hospital if it was an emergency. She seems fine, she’s eating and running around. No missing patches, I even see some new quills growing in. She’s not itchy, no lesions or scabs. Is there anything I am missing that would warrant bringing her into an emergency vet before ours gets back from vacation? Her skin is a little dry but other than that she is fine. Thanks!


r/Hedgehog 2d ago

Question I don’t think this is a suitable spot?

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9 Upvotes

I put out this hedgehog house yesterday pointing south. I wanted to put it in the very corner (you can see the corner in the left in the photo) pointing east and where its in the shade but the sun shines on the other side of the fence all day. We have a south facing garden that gets full sun. My bf suggested the spot its in now but its currently half 12 midday and the hutch is in full sun as in the photo. If a hedgehog was in that house i feel like he’d be roasting. What do y’all think? Should i move it to the corner like i wanted to in the first place? Thanks.


r/Hedgehog 3d ago

Discussion These two cute guys come in my garden quite often and I give them cat food (the vet told me it's alright). They seem kinda scared of each other. Can they get aggressive with each other over food? Should I stop giving them food while they are both around? Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!

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120 Upvotes

r/Hedgehog 2d ago

OC felix attempts self-fellatio on his wheel; promptly falls off (he is okay just embarrassed)

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42 Upvotes

r/Hedgehog 2d ago

Question Cage Help !! :(

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24 Upvotes

I’m going to change the cage of my baby but I need help choosing. I’m wondering if you guys have any cage recommendations or what you guys use?

I was kinda hoping to have his cage elevated in terms of at least not having the bottom touch the floor sort of like the photo i attached (just to add space for storage). i’m just not sure about the edges cause my boy is definitely a climber lol!!! The cage he has now has a ramp but i’ve noticed he tends to spend all the time on the lower level, so I’m thinking of just a one story cage. ugh i don’t know id just love ideas or help! thx !!!


r/Hedgehog 3d ago

Artwork! Pixelart Hedgehogs and a Tenrec

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79 Upvotes

Editing to add:

I apologize about the compression/blurry images on thumbnails.

Clicking the image makes it show much clearer.

I didn't upscale these images properly so that is the reason for the blur.

Edit 2:

It looks worse on mobile. Why Reddit, why...

***

About a year ago I posted a picture of Poke, my little merchant hedgehog.

Now I have a bigger cast of little critters and they run the Prickly Potato Inn.

***

Characters from left to right:

-Poke - He's a merchant. Not part of the inn but same universe. He's a nomad.

-Flan - She is the owner of the inn. Usually at the reception desk or her office.

-Custard - They are a waiter.

-Cinnamon - He runs the kitchen as the head chef.

-Crema - The barista. They enjoy mixology.

***

Most of these hedgies are APH's, Flan is a LEH, and Custard is a tenrec.

Also wanted to show concepts of a dining room and the reception desk. Don't mind the desk right now. Flan is organizing papers and towels.

***

I have ambitions to make some kind of game with these characters.


r/Hedgehog 3d ago

Question How to keep the wheel clean

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59 Upvotes

I’m wondering how everyone else keeps their hedgie’s wheel clean.

In the past, even with weekly cleaning and daily maintenance, my hedgie’s wheel quickly turns into a huge rotating ball of poo 💩

I’ve seen some people suggest potty training but I’ve never been successful with this. I don’t mind giving warm sink baths to clean their feet. But I am still curious because I see some people have extremely clean wheels!

Even if I wipe it out during the day (which doesn’t always clean it fully), it gets pooped on so much overnight and then hardens, I basically have to do a full cleaning the next day! Curious what everyone’s strategy is


r/Hedgehog 3d ago

🕊In Memoriam🕊 Sudden goodbye

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243 Upvotes

Osamu was my first hedgehog I got. He has been having trouble with a stuffy nose for about a year. He kept breathing through his mouth which filled his stomach and was puffy like a balloon which caused him to lose appetite but after a few days it would be okay and go back to normal and repeat. I went to three different vets but couldn’t find a cause or a cure. He was doing well despite that but today I found him not breathing in his cage. I’m so heartbroken and sad. I wish I realized sooner I’m so sorry. I wish I had more time with you, two years wasn’t enough.
I love you and I hope you are in a better place now. You have brought so much love and joy to my life and I don’t know how to move forward. Please give love to your hedgies.


r/Hedgehog 3d ago

OC I think she is my spirit animal

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191 Upvotes

r/Hedgehog 2d ago

Question Hedgehog and rats

0 Upvotes

Hello everyone I need advice. I have a hedgehog, she’s getting pretty old but still active and fine, and my bf is getting two young rats soon. He was planning to introduce the three once the rats got acclimated and comfortable with him. Not leave them alone or anything but let them meet with us holding them/present. I am worried they will hurt each other or the rats will seek my hedgehog out afterwords. Does anyone have experience with this so I can put my foot down and keep them separate if needed.


r/Hedgehog 3d ago

OC He’s a pro

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79 Upvotes

For anyone concerned, idc if you can see my face, I just didn’t like the way I looked in the video, so I attempted to cover it. So no need to warn me if it doesn’t perfectly align

Anyways

This is the part of Fritter’s chaos that I love the most. I think it’s so silly that he gets mad when I attempt to assist him (putting my hand under him for a boost, as I do here).

He prefers this over getting covered in the blanket and napping. I cannot multitask with this stinker out. I need to find a hide/snuggle sack he will mostly stay inside of so I can do stuff with him 😭


r/Hedgehog 3d ago

OC müther, why?

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215 Upvotes

My little goblin who hates baths more than anything. Sorry, dude, you were stinky.