# African Pigmy Hedghog



## KlassyKlaws (Mar 12, 2013)

My daughter is getting a African Pigmy Hedgehog in a few weeks does anyone have any advice, tips or knowledge about keeping them?
Thanks


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

Hello Klaws

I have 2 hogs they are good pets but hard work they need cleaning out daily and do stink even then.

They wheel all night long so arnt suitable to be kept in a bedroom.

Food wise they need a variety of live bugs daily which makes them expensive to keep and the bugs also take up room.

I would also say only get a UKAPH registered hog so you know it's not inbread and should be healthy or rescue.

I would reccomend this site for general reading African Pygmy Hedgehog Club UK and their Facebook group for any queries you might have.

Also as children can't legally be held responsible for looking after any pet you wil need to be prepared to carry out tasks like nail trimming, one of my hogs has to be so e every 3 weeks, so you will need to be very confident in handling hogs.

1 more point is males have a dirty habit of sucking themselves - I don't know how old your girl is but this might need explaining before getting a male.

Sorry for the bombardment of random comments just wanted to post before bed.

Would love to see some photos when you get your hog


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## KlassyKlaws (Mar 12, 2013)

Thank you for your reply.

My daughter is 17 so no need to explain to much lol
The hedgehog has been reserved from a Autherised breeder he will be registered and we will get his papers so hoping this is ok.

We have got him a rather large indoor guinea pig cage but was wondering what should we use to cover the floor is wood shavings ok?
Also as for litter training do we use cat litter in a tray? 

Sorry for all the questions but no one in my area knows anything about Hedgehogs x


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

You can use acrylic sheets with cable ties to make the cage safe to stop them climbing the bars otherwise they have been known to climb and then have accidents. Cages need to be a minimum 3feet by 1.5feet but bigger is always better. 

Heating these types of cages is more difficult. You will need a heat mat 1/3 the size of the cage with a mat thermostat. You can use ceramic heat emitters but they have to be on a clamp stand. 

For bedding I find ecobed which is cardboard squares the best. You can buy a huge bale size bag from equine shops for £7 so very economical will easily last 1 hog 6 months.. Shavings can cause respitory problems and get stuck in man bits. Some people use fleece cage liners.

In the litter tray I use kitchen roll and back to nature paper pellets (like cat litter). Most cat litters are not suitable as their are either clumping which can cause problems if ingested or pine based. You can buy this in pampered pets.

The breeder you are getting him from should be able to give you lots of advice too. 

Also just a point I would like to make from personal experience... at 19 I went off to uni and wasn't able to find accommodation for all my small pets and me so they all stayed at home with family. At 17 your daughter will probably be making a lot of life changes a lot of hogs are living into 4 years so its worth just heckling she and you want to commit for that long. You could rescue an older hog instead


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## KlassyKlaws (Mar 12, 2013)

Thanks for all your information, do you know where I can get a heat mat or anything to keep the cage heated?


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

Livefoods.co.uk I've always found them helpful


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## Babbo (Feb 6, 2013)

great advice


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