Your Information Source for Small Exotic Pets
Hedgehogs: Tips from Toby
| Choosing Your New Pet |
When choosing a hedgehog, make sure your new pet comes from good bloodlines which have been bred for temperament. It is also best to get your new pet at as young an age as possible. The younger he is, the more readily he will bond with you.
If a hedgehog can't roll up into a protective ball, then he's overweight. Never get an overweight hedgie thinking you can "slim him down." He's likely to have other problems resulting from bad breeding practices or poor diet. |
Choose a hedgehog with clear eyes and never buy an animal in a dirty cage. Also, be sure to check for good quill and skin condition. Missing quills and flaky skin are signs of an unhealthy animal.
Even litter-mates can vary in temperament, so take time to handle several different hedgehogs and find one that is especially friendly.
A good test is to hold the hedgehog on his back and see if he rolls up. If he doesn't, the animal is almost guaranteed to be super-friendly. However, if he rolls into a tight ball and won't come out, he may never become very social. A grumpy hedgehog won't be a very interesting pet, so it'd be best to pass on this guy!
Both male and female hedgehogs make good pets.
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| Up All Night |
As you may already know, hedgehogs are nocturnal animals. This means they sleep during the day and are active at night. Hedgehogs have been nocturnal for millions and millions of years. It is a survival stragety that works extremely well for them. Despite what some reference suggests, it is highly unlikely you'll ever successfully "switch around" a pet hedgie!
Although you'll never get you pet to be active all day every day, usually you can successfully adjust your pet's sleep cycle somewhat. By setting a schedule for feeding and playtime - and sticking to it - most hedge-humans are able to acclimate their pet to waking up in the early evenings.
| The Journey To Domestication |
To be considered domesticated, an animal has to be bred in captivity for an extended period of time. In most cases, selective breeding of the animal has occurred. In many cases, this selective breeding has resulted in appearance, temperament and other traits which are significantly different from the wild counterpart of the animal.
Even though hedgehogs have been bred in captivity only since the 1980's, some of these defining characteristics of a domesticated animal are beginning to appear. So, although still considered exotic, hedgehogs have begun the journey to domestication.
Two examples of this are the selective breeding now occurring for temperament and color.
- Hedgehogs have been bred for color almost since the beginning. This selective breeding has resulted in nearly 80 different currently recognized color variations.
For more on this topic, visit Color Me Hedge. - Here at PAWPRINT, we always bred for temperament. In the last several years, many other breeders have also discovered temperament is a breedable trait. In fact, it is now almost guaranteed that friendly parents will have friendly babies.
Another example of this journey to domestication can be seen in social behavior. Solitary by nature, the first few generations of captive-born hedgehogs were extremely territorial. Today, with most pet hedgies several generations from the wild, female hedgehogs can often be housed together. In fact, some seem to actually prefer a roomie!
Although captive animals often act differently than their wild cousins, these different factors suggest that it may not be long before the pet hedgehog could be considered domesticated.
| What's In A Name |
Pet hedgehogs are often referred to as African pygmy hedgehogs. We've also heard them referred to as miniature African hedgehogs and other variations. These aren't accurate terms.
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It should be noted that pet hedgehogs are a result of cross-breeding two different wild species. As such, this animal didn't exist until "created" in captivity. The term African pygmy hedgehog was coined by breeders who thought it sounded appealing and would help sell animals, not to be accurate. |
African hedgehogs are smaller than European hedgehogs, but they are not in the same immediate zoological classification. So, it isn't accurate to compare sizes between them.
Miniature refers to an animal which has been selectively breed over successive generations to be smaller than the standard size, such as a miniature donkey.
African hedgehogs are their size naturally, not as the result of selective breeding. So, this is not an accurate use of the term. Also, there are now breeders working on selectively breeding a true "mini hedgie."
The use of these terms can make it difficult to be sure you are referring to the same animal as someone else. Avoiding this is the main reason scientific names were established.
So, what should you call Spike? Here at PAWPRINT, we think hedgehog works just fine.
| Live Long And Snuffle |
When hedgehogs first started becoming popular as pets, it was commonly stated that they lived 8-10 years. However, its unlikely they ever routinely lived that long. In fact, wild African hedgehogs rarely live more that two years. It should also be noted that when this lifespan was first being reported, hedgehogs had only been bred and kept as pets for around three years! So, at best, this 8-10 year lifespan was a guess.
There are occasionally reports of especially long-lived hedgehogs. In these rare cases, genetics undoubtedly plays a role. Also, animals generally live longer in captivity than in the wild. So, combine a pre-disposition to longevity with a captive life and you could reasonably end up with an unusual long-lived hedgehog.
More significant to questions of longevity, though, is hybrid vigor. This occurs in the first generation after subspecies are crossbred. Hybrid vigor results in longer lifespans, higher productivity, and generally hardier animals in the offspring of the founder animals.
Hybrid vigor lasts for only one generation. Then, the improvements either disappear or "average out." Occasionally, the hybrid animal ends up with a shorter lifespan, lowered immunity, and lessened productivity.
What does this all have to do with pet hedgehogs? Well, as already noted, pet hedgies are hybrids. There did seem to be a peak in productivity which has since decreased. Also, there does seem to be more health problems in pet hedgehogs then there once was. However, the loss of hybrid vigor alone may not completely address this.
Although empirical evidence is lacking, there are a few different possibilities that all combine to address the longevity question:
- The initial hybrid vigor is gone. So, dramatically long lived hedgehogs are less likely than they once were. There will, however, probably be an occasional hedgehog genetically pre-disposed to an unusually long life.
- Pet hedgehogs live longer than their wild counterparts. This isn't hybrid vigor, though. Assuming an adequate diet and appropriate environment, this is expected. As already noted, most mammals live longer in captivity.
- It would seem many hedgehogs don't make it much past 2.5 years. For those that do, 4-7 years isn't uncommon. This is much longer than they would live in the wild. With longer lives comes new health problems. Cancer, for example, is most often a disease of old age.
- Unfortunately, poor breeding practices and bad genetics are likely to be factors. If you choose to breed, use only animals with known histories - at least all four grandparents. Also, use only animals with good traits worthy of being passed to a new generation. An animal with past health problems or an unknown background should never be bred.
- Some people may not have accurate records, or may be prone to exaggerate the age of their pet.
To help assure a long, full life for your spiny friend, start at the beginning by getting your pet from a reputable breeder known for healthy, quality animals. Then, be sure to provide a quality diet, an adequate environment and ample opportunities for exercise.
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