Quote:
Originally Posted by Bina
I do believe that what you saw were the domesticated African Pygmy hedgehog which has been bred for the pet industry for many years now.
Quite a while ago I had 3 of them and enjoyed them, but it is wise to get a youngster that you can more easily work with. A bit of handling every evening would go a long way in having a hedgie become more tame.
They like to sleep alot during the day, and love to have a large place to forage.
During warmer weather a plastic kiddie pool works fine indoors because it gives lots of space.
These animals sometimes get skin mites which we used to treat with ivermectin.
They love to eat LIVE insects, crunching on June bug beetles, mealworms, etc.
A daily base food is usually something like a low fat-high quality cat kibble, supplemented with bits of fruit and veg.
I'm sure there is more up to date info on web sites.
Hedgies can live for a few years, make fun pets and are quiet, no fur shedding either.  |
THANK YOU BINA,
I did do a bit of googling after posting this. It seems there are several "hedgie" enthusiasts out there. People claim they make really lovely pets, and that you can make them guite tame and "cuddly" (well as cuddly as something with spikes can be...lol) with time and patience.
I'm going to research and THINK on it awhile.
I'm sure cost wise its feasable. as they seem to be fairly low maintance (from what I"ve read so far). I think my only "issue' is I'd rather get one from a "breeder" and not a pet store...as they are more reputable and they are more "handled" than the petstores.
But..I'm not sure if there are any in this area.
. We'll see. I'll keep ya posted.
