Bathing
Hedgehog Care
The best "soap" to use is a gentle oatmeal body wash - Aveeno and St. Ives both have something along those lines. Make sure it's unscented. Avoid anything with "shampoo" in the name, including shampoos for babies or cats/dogs - any kind of shampoo is too harsh to use.
To bathe your hedgehog, fill a sink or bathtub with several inches of warm water. It should feel a little bit warm when tested against the inside of your wrist - not cold, and also not too hot. If the bath takes more than a few minutes, you should monitor the water and drain it when the heat is gone, then refill it with warm water again. About a dime-sized dollop of the body wash is enough. Lather it onto your hands and then stroke your hands along your hedgehog's back (in the direction of the quills, not against them) and stomach. Another option is to add the bath wash directly to the water to make suds, and scoop these up to rub onto their back and stomach. A toothbrush can also be used to lightly scrub at the quills if necessary.
Make sure the water coming out of the faucet is the right temperature before rinsing the soap off. Be careful to avoid getting water in the ears or nose.
After the bath, they should be cuddled in a small towel or a blanket until they're dry. It's a good idea to have several available and to switch them to a dry one after the previous blanket/towel becomes damp. Make sure your hedgehog is completely dry before going back into the cage - a damp hedgehog can easily catch a chill, which can cause a URI or a hibernation attempt.
Hedgehogs generally don't need to be bathed more often than every other week, although it depends on how messy the individual is. Some can go 1-2 months without needing to be bathed, and others will need a weekly bath or they'll start to smell funky.Frequent baths can exacerbate any dry skin that's already present, or occasionally cause it if the air is already very dry (because of location or time of the year). Normal dry skin remedies (covered below under "Hedgehog Ailments") can be used every few days or after each bath to prevent dry skin. Therefore, there is no reason to not give a hedgehog a bath whenever they need it. Some hedgehogs will enjoy baths and have fun swimming, but for others it's a stressful and unpleasant experience. Regular bathing (about once a week) will help your hedgehog get used to it, so it's less stressful, whereas if you put off bathing for as long as possible, it will be more of a "big deal". A bath is also the perfect time to check your hedgehog's nails and clip any that are getting long.
Foot baths can be given daily, and most hedgehogs need them at least a few times a week. A foot bath involves very shallow warm water in the sink or a medium-sized tupperware container. Any poop on the feet (which is common) will be loosened from the water as the hedgehog walks around, and you can use a toothbrush for any stubborn bits. A damp paper towel or a baby wipe can also be used to clean the feet.
Diet
Commercial hedgehog foods should be avoided. Most of them are made primarily of "filler" ingredients, and some even include ingredients that are dangerous or toxic to hedgehogs (i.e. nuts/seeds, raisins).
High quality dry cat food is the best choice for the dietary needs of domestic hedgehogs, and a mixture of at least two kinds is recommended. Hedgehogs can be very picky and stubborn, and if they're given only one food, food strikes are not unheard of if the food suddenly changes due to a recall or a change in the recipe. Many owners also like to offer variety by giving kibble that have different protein sources. (Note: foods with fish as the primary protein source can cause smelly poops in some hedgehogs.)
When choosing cat foods, some things to look for are:
» A meat or meat meal (i.e. "chicken" or "chicken meal") as the first one or two ingredients.
» 28-35% protein (30-33% is ideal).
» Under 15% fat (10-12% is ideal).
» Minimum "filler" ingredients (corn, corn gluten meal, etc); healthy grains are acceptable.
Most adult hedgehogs will eat 1-2 tablespoons of kibble per day. Young hedgehogs (under 6 months) will sometimes eat more. The amount of food, the fat content, and activity level should all be considered as part of keeping a hedgehog a healthy weight. While some hedgehogs can do well being "free fed" (having as much food available as they want to eat), this isn't true for all of them, and some hedgehogs can become overweight if their food isn't restricted. However, 1 tablespoon is the minimum that a hedgehog requires daily, and food should never be restricted further than that.
In addition to cat food, a hedgehog's diet can be supplemented with fruits and vegetables, cooked meat (unseasoned), baby food, insects, and other treats. These are recommended for variety, but they are not necessary as long as your hedgehog is eating good quality cat food.
Mealworms and crickets are the most common insects fed to pet hedgehogs, and can be offered daily in addition to the staple cat food. Freeze-dried insects can sometimes cause constipation or compaction, especially in large amounts, because the freeze-drying process removes the moisture and makes them more difficult to digest. Live insects are much more nutritious as well. Keep in mind the fat content of whatever insects are offered. All insects should be bought from a pet store or similar - "wild" insects are likely to contain pesticides and other things that can be harmful to a hedgehog over time.
Housing
Hedgehogs require a minimum of 3-4 square feet of floor space. The cage must also have a flat (not wire) bottom and adequate ventilation.
When choosing a cage, heating should be a main consideration. Solid-sided cages (like large plastic bins) retain heat better than more open wire-top or C&C cages. Larger cages in general will require more effort to keep at the correct temperature. (For heating with a CHE set up, they may require higher wattage bulbs or more than one CHE.)
More space is great if possible, but bigger cages come with some drawbacks as well. In addition to being more difficult to heat, larger cages can be intimidating to hedgehogs, because they feel more secure when they have more cover. Most hedgehogs are most comfortable if between 2/3 and 3/4 of the floor space if filled with "stuff". In addition to the mandatory items (wheel and litter tray, hideaway, bowls), additional space can be used for multiple hideaways of different kinds, tunnels and PVC pipes, fleece strips, blankets, and various hedgehog-friendly toys or pieces of "furniture". If a cage only has the bare necessities in it, the typical hedgehog will be happier in a large bin (approx. 3.5 square feet) with not much open space left over, rather than in a 2x3 C&C cage (approx. 8 square feet) with a large amount of open space.
Hedgehogs can be very good climbers, but only when they're going up. Falls from climbing can easily result in broken legs or other serious injuries, so climbing should be prevented. Cages with wire sides may have to be modified with coroplast (corrugated plastic/sign board) or something similar to create 8-12" of flat walls.
Cages without ramps or second levels are best. Some hedgehogs will do fine with shallow ramps and additional levels that are fairly low to the ground, whereas taller cages designed for ferrets aren't a good option. Ramps and lofts may need to be modified to keep them enclosed, if necessary to keep the hedgehog from falling.
Some of the popular cage choices are large, clear Sterilite bins (105 quart or bigger), C&C cages, flat-bottomed small animal cages (18"x30" or bigger), Ferret Nation or Critter Nation cages, and modified vivariums. Tanks and aquariums should not be used because they are designed to keep in moisture and do not provide adequate ventilation, which can lead to respiratory problems.
Hedgehogs are solitary animals by nature, and should generally not be housed together. There are exceptions, such as mother/daughter or female siblings that are bonded - but a new hedgehog should not be put into another hedgehog's cage with the assumption that they will get along.
Heating
A hedgehog's cage must be kept between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. For most hedgehogs the optimal temperature is 74-76, although an individual hedgehog may prefer it a little warmer or cooler than that. Temperatures lower than 70 degrees are considered "cold" for hedgehogs and can result in a hibernation attempt, which can be fatal.
A sudden drop in temperature, even if it doesn't get below 70 degrees, can still trigger a hibernation attempt or cause other health problems. The cage should be kept out of drafts for the same reason.
If the cage gets above 80 degrees, they may show signs of being too hot, such as "splatting" with their stomach to the floor and legs splayed out. In the summer, a ceramic plant pot or floor tile within the cage will give them a way to cool down. Hedgehogs can tolerate temperatures up to about 90 degrees, but it is not comfortable for them and should be avoided if possible.
Even if a room or house is kept in the correct range according to a thermostat, a thermometer MUST be in the cage itself to keep track of the temperature. Cages kept on the floor will be as much as 5-6 degrees cooler than the air higher up in a room.
Central heating, space heaters, and ceramic heat emitters (CHEs) are the most common choices for heating the cage. Small animal heating pads can be used as supplemental heating, but should not be the primary heating source because they do not effectively heat up the air of the cage. Reptile heating lamps are not a good choice because they emit light as well as heat, and most hedgehogs won't come out at night if there's a light source nearby.
The best choice of bedding is fabric liners. These can be as simple as a piece of fleece cut to the correct size, or they can be several layers sewn together. Fleece doesn't need to be sewn because the edges will never fray, but other fabric types (flannel, etc.) have to be sewn to prevent any loose threads that could catch on a hedgehog's feet. Liners should be spot-cleaned daily and changed 1-2 times per week, depending on how messy the hedgehog is.
Wood shavings (aspen or pine) or paper-based bedding (Carefresh, Yesterday's News) are acceptable, but all of these have the same flaws. They can harbor mites, cause allergies, dry skin, and respiratory irritation, and pieces can get caught in a male hedgehog's penile sheath. Cedar shavings should NOT be used, because the oils in cedar wood can cause respiratory issues and other health problems.
Bedding
