Hedgehog Care Guide

The pet hedgehog is the four-toed or African pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris), a solitary, nocturnal insect-eater from dry, open country in central and eastern Africa (Merck). It is not the European garden hedgehog. Keeping one comes down to steady warmth, careful portion control and patience with an animal that may take weeks to stop balling up at you. Legality varies: some US states and cities require a permit, others ban hedgehogs outright, and California prohibits them as pets (Merck; California Department of Fish and Wildlife).

Care requirements

Need	What to provide
Enclosure	Solo, lidded, well-ventilated cage of at least 2 × 3 ft (61 × 91 cm) floor space, with a hide and 3–4 in (8–10 cm) of soft bedding to burrow in (Merck)
Temperature	75–85°F (24–29°C) is optimal; acceptable range 72–90°F (22–32°C) (Merck)
Humidity	Low, under 40% (Merck)
Lighting	A 12-hour light/dark cycle; they avoid bright light (Merck)
Diet	Commercial hedgehog or insectivore kibble, about 3–4 tsp (15–20 mL) a day, plus 1–2 tsp of insects or moist food and about 1 tsp of vegetable/fruit mix (Merck)
Lifespan	4–6 years (Merck; VCA)
Social needs	Solitary; house one per cage (Merck; VCA)
Legal notes	Illegal in California; permit-only or banned in some other US states and cities. A USDA permit is needed to breed, sell, transport or exhibit (Merck; California Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Warmth and the torpor trap

African pygmy hedgehogs don’t hibernate the way wild European hedgehogs do. Kept too cool, they slip into torpor instead. Merck’s disease chapter says torpor can start below 68°F (20°C), and sometimes in very high heat. A hedgehog in torpor barely responds, its heart and breathing slow, and it may be more open to infection. Merck’s management chapter says torpor is believed to suppress the immune system and can lead to organ problems or starvation. VCA notes that hedgehogs become less active below 60°F (15.5°C) and that hypothermia can be life-threatening.

So aim for 75–85°F (24–29°C) around the clock. Merck suggests a heating pad under the enclosure or a ceramic reptile heater. Whichever you use, run it through a thermostat and put a thermometer at hedgehog level. A cold snap, a power cut or a heater switched off overnight is how many pet hedgehogs end up in torpor.

If you find your hedgehog cold, limp and unresponsive, move it somewhere warm, raise the cage temperature and call an exotics vet.

Feeding without obesity

Merck says obesity is “very common” in pet hedgehogs. Fat hedgehogs can’t roll fully into a ball, and fat builds up in the armpits and around the rump. The fix is measured meals, not a full bowl:

• Main diet: commercial hedgehog or insectivore kibble. If you can’t get any, Merck suggests a good weight-management cat food. Give about 3–4 teaspoons (15–20 mL) a day, adjusted to weight and activity.
• Daily extras: about 1–2 teaspoons (5–10 mL) of gut-loaded insects such as crickets or dubia roaches, or moist food such as canned cat food or cooked meat or egg. Add about 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of a vegetable and fruit mix (Merck).
• Go easy on fatty extras. Mealworm-type larvae, pinky mice and egg are high in fat (Merck).
• Weigh weekly on a kitchen scale and adjust portions (Merck).
• Make them forage. Hide kibble and insects in the bedding (Merck).

No vitamin or mineral supplement is needed on a balanced commercial diet. Hedgehogs are slow to accept new foods, so change diets gradually (Merck).

A wheel, a hide and a ball of spines

Healthy hedgehogs are very active at night. Wild ones may travel miles to forage (Merck). An exercise wheel is “highly recommended”, but it must have a solid metal or plastic running surface, because legs get caught in wire or mesh wheels (Merck). Use a cage with a solid plastic base and closely spaced bars, or a large ventilated plastic tub. Glass aquariums don’t ventilate well enough, and widely spaced bars can trap limbs (Merck).

When alarmed, a hedgehog raises its spines, hisses and huffs, and pulls its spiny skin closed into a ball (Merck). Merck says that with patience most hedgehogs learn to accept handling and rarely bite. Handle daily, in the evening when it is awake, scooping from underneath and letting it unroll on your lap. Never force it open. Hedgehogs can carry Salmonella while looking healthy, so wash your hands after every session and after cleaning the cage (VCA).

Gotchas

• Letting the room cool at night. A hedgehog that “seems sleepy” every winter morning may be going into torpor. Keep the cage above 72°F (22°C) at all times (Merck).
• Free-feeding. Obesity is very common and is managed by rationing food, not leaving a full bowl (Merck).
• A wire or mesh wheel. Toes and legs get trapped; use a solid-surface wheel (Merck).
• Housing two together. They are solitary and are kept individually (Merck; VCA).
• Ignoring dandruff. White or brown crusts at the base of the spines and around the eyes can mean mites, which Merck says are very common in hedgehogs.

Avoid

• Glass aquariums, which don’t ventilate enough (Merck)
• Wire or mesh wheels and widely spaced cage bars (Merck)
• Rough, dusty or scented bedding; string and loose cloth fibres that wrap around toes (Merck)
• Raw meat and raw egg (Salmonella risk) and milk, which causes diarrhoea (Merck)
• Unlimited food and fatty treats such as mealworms and pinky mice (Merck)
• Heat sources without a thermostat, and rooms that drop below 72°F (22°C) (Merck)

Signs to see a vet

Hedgehogs hide illness, and Merck recommends a full exam with blood work every 6–12 months. Get help promptly for:

• A cold, unresponsive hedgehog: possible torpor (Merck).
• Wobbling or dragging the back legs: possible wobbly hedgehog syndrome. Merck describes it as a progressive nerve disease with no successful treatment yet, but other causes such as spinal disc disease need ruling out.
• Lumps, weight loss or mouth swelling: cancer is extremely common in hedgehogs. In one survey over 80% of tumours were malignant (Merck), and VCA lists dental disease and oral cancer as common in older animals.
• Crusting, spine loss or scaling (Merck).