Help on hedgehog please?!

[featherfinder]

So after much consideration i have decided to sell my snake. She was a gift to my BF and he doesnt give her near the attention she needs and plus we moving in january and can not take her with. I put her on craigslist and someone contacted me saying they had a hedgehog they were trying to sell so they could buy a snake and asked me if we could just trade. I have a friend that has been trying to find one for months now but she said she wouldnt be able to buy him from me till the end of december which would be perfect for me. The thing is i have no clue how to take care of one. I know its a male and 1 year old. He is all white with red eyes so im guessing albino? I meet him and he was friendly. Jumps when you first put your hand in but will let you pick him up and hold him and run on your hands. Does this sound like a good trade or how one should act? If i do, do the trade how do i take care of it and what does he need? Special food, heat light, suplements, water dish, ect...?

 

[CupOJoe42]

We had a hedgehog and ended up giving it to a friend who has had them in the past and loves them. Don't get me wrong, I really liked him, but thought she could provide a better home for him. They are fairly easy to take care of... food, water, a closed-in wheel to run in, etc. They puff up and roll in a little ball when they are scared, but we handled ours frequently enough that he would calm down quickly. They do tend to be prone to cancers. You can google them and find out more about care and feeding. I know someone who was paying over $250 for a hedgehog from a "breeder." That was a bit over the top IMHO. To each his own. I would rather have a cat, dog, chinchilla, or chicken.

This site might help you: http://hedgehogcentral.com/care.shtml

 

[featherfinder]

Thank you for the site. I just read it and found alot of info i did not know. He should only be with me for a couple of months but i want to make sure he has a good home during those months. I will make sure his permanet owner sees that site as well. I think she has already done her home work on them though.

 

[ChickenWisperer]

As far as exotics go, hedgies are fairly - and I say fairly in comparison to some of the other animals - easy to take care of. But do please trade that animal if you intend on selling him again; it becomes very hard on them when they are rehomed multiple times. It's simply not fair to the animal. And I'm not sure on the care intensity snakes need, but hedgehogs have to be handled at least 5 minutes every day to stay well socialized and happy as a pet.

Yes, he is an albino. That sounds like fairly good behavior, but be warned that could (and probably will) change when or if he's brought into the new environment. He will most likely get very grumpy until he adjusts; this will include hissing, growling, clicking, and possibly even popping if he feels threatened enough.

On his condition - make sure his eyes are clear and bright, he's active and quick, he has even and thick quill cover, there are no parisites, and that his poos look normal (no blood, mucus, not green, etc). You need to know where the hedgehog came from as well. If the hedgehog came from craigslist, don't buy it. If the hedgehog come from a backyard breeder, out of animals that have no pedigree, don't buy it. Hedgehogs are susceptible to cancer and WHS - two absolutely awful diseases that you do not want to have to watch them perish from.

Here's my page on hedgie care. It's condensed to cover the basics mostly. If you have any questions I'll follow the thread or you can PM/e-mail me. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have

 

[featherfinder]

Thank you for the info. He came from a pet store and they were not sure where he actually came from they told his owner now a breeder. Snakes require about 10 mins everyday. I usually have her out for longer though. She is fine wrapped around my arm or waist while I read or watch tv so i have the time to give him the attention he will need. His final home will be the girl buying him from me in a couple of months. Trust me i am not one for rehoming a bunch of times. I had a problem with a couple of birds but thats in the other section.


I read the grumpy stage lasts for about a month after bringing them home. Are they known to bite during this stage? Should i buy gloves or deal with the nip to the hands?

I did look him over and saw nothing that stood out. He was very active when taken out and wanted to play with the guy handleing him. I did not see him poop and he was in a clean cage so i have no way of knowing what that looked like. I was kinda afraid to touch him because when the guy told me how to pick him up as soon as i put my hands in to scoop him up and i touched him he would jump. It threw me off guard because i am not use to animals doing that.

I am hoping to go look at him again tonight and make the final decision. If i get to attached i might just keep him though. Or if my friend keeps saying she is not going to pay the propper amount for him we agreed (she wants to half it) and doesnt want to pay for him 2 months of care i will be providing.

Does this sound like and hedgehod you would buy?

 

[xchairity_casex]

to keep him from becoming to stressed out about movingfrom you to your freidn couldnt you have her come around as often as possable to handle him as well? just a thought

 

[featherfinder]

Quote:
Already planned on that. She said she will come over a couple times a week to play with him and clean the cage.

But those are just words. As the day has progressed I am thinking less and less about letting her buy him from me as planned. We have been talking and she is trying to change our original plans.

 

[ChickenWisperer]

Now that I'm writing this for the 5th time on chrome after firefox crashed again and again...

If he's from a pet store, I wouldn't adopt/buy/trade him. Pet stores are worse than irresponsible breeders; not only are they poorly bred but they're barely socialized and what socialization they do get is poor. If you do get him, be prepared to watch him die from WHS/cancer. He'll probably die young. And absolutely no real breeder ever sells their hoglets to a pet store!

Yes, that's about right. I wouldn't worry about it if you're using proper handling techniques. My second hog was barely socialized and she never bit me. In fact, I've never been bitten (knock on wood). They just don't normally bite. I can go more into detail about handling if you like.

It's pretty common for hedgies, especially those who require more socialization. Any hedgehog, including mine, will do that if they are unsure what is going on. It's their way of saying "I'm scared" and "go away". It will never go away but with socialization, he will go into a relaxed stage much quicker. Knowing this I'd say know he probably needs at least 15 minutes of socialization a day, plus holding for better/faster results. I forgot to tell you, look at his skin. If it's dry and flaky, it could present a problem, but that can be fixed with oatmeal bathes and olive oil most likely. But it could be a sign of mites (also treatable but something I do not care to go through again).

You can tell her hedgehogs do not cost that much to take care of. Around two tablespoons of kibble a night, buy a $8 jar of freeze dried mealies that will last forever and feed one a night as a treat, misc fruits or veggies offered, "free" tap water, and a bedding change once a week (or less if you have a litter box, or a wash once a week if you use fleece).


To be honest, no. I would not buy the hedgehog, wasting my hard earned money on a animal that will likely die at 2-3 years old, that I will likely have to hand feed and water every hour for weeks when they do begin to suffer from WHS/cancer (which is very, very likely). Then, of course, when you can no longer stand to see them suffer or their suffering becomes to great you pay the vet bill to have them put to sleep. If they need a good home to live the rest of their life in, I am of course welcome to rescuing - but not to buying. It is totally up to you though - you might get lucky and get a hog that won't suffer from either, but I don't like to take that chance.

 

[featherfinder]

PM'ed you.


Sorry about the computer trouble