HEDGEHOG FOOD PRETTY SCARLET BROWNS PET SUPPLY

promising change.My thanks to Christi Cantrell for this information. In general, the change appears to be mostly the removal of the red coloring and changing the shape, but with no changes to the actual ingredients (according to what is listed on the package).

Over the past few months I have heard numerous complaints about the Pretty Pets food (both old and new forms). One very common side effect appears to be very smelly, soft stools from the hedgehogs eating it. Another aspect of it is that many (most) hedgehogs, just plain don’t like it. They will eat it if nothing else is available, but it usually gets put at the bottom of the preference list.

As of mid to late 1997, I have heard some comments that suggest Pretty Pets have changed their formula yet again, although I have no confirmation of this. Given that they appear to be trying to improve things, I do have to give them credit. If anyone has further details I would welcome hearing them.

There is also a hedgehog food available from Vitakraft, thanks go to Tirya for the following information on it:

Wheat, Rolled Oats, Raisins, Peanuts, Cod-Liver Oil, SunflOver Seeds, Shrimp, Sugar Beet Syrup, Dried Pork Meal, Ground Prawn, Corn Meal, Puffed Corn, Soybean Oil, Rice Flakes, Honey, Dehydrated Carrots, Nutmeg Fine, Calcium Propionate.

Under feeding suggestions, they say to offer "1-2 tbsp. daily as the basic meal to which you may add cooked lean beef or veal (chopped or cut up into very small pieces). Beef and/or poultry heart may also be added. The hedgehog loves poultry and hard-boiled eggs. For dessert, sweet fruit such as pear and banana may be given. The hedgehog also enjoys eating mealworms." (news flash! ::grinz::)

Tirya did have some questions about it, mostly because of it being ‘new’, although the ingredients do suggest a primarily vegetable base which has left a number of people (including Tirya) who have voiced questions on it because of this.

Laura Jefferson passed along the address for Vitakraft to me for anyone who might want it:

The Vitakraft strongly resembles muesli, containing grain, cod-liver oil, dried shrimp, and honey, among other things, and they really like it. They guarantee protein of 17% and fat 15%.

I’ve heard both good and bad things about the Vitakraft food. The good comments seem to center around many hedgehogs liking it (no mean feat), though I’ve also heard many negative comments which seem to focus on the fact that it is primarily vegetable based, whereas hedgehogs are primarily carnivorous by nature. It would appear that Vitakraft may is not a complete food, but rather one that needs to be supplemented with meat (remember, cooked only!), or cat/dog food to cover all the bases, rather than being given as a staple on its own.

One actual warning I heard, is that the peanuts in it can get stuck in a hedgehog’s mouth, so be careful and maybe either remove the peanuts or break up the peanuts into smaller pieces before feeding it to your hedgies.

That said, it is probable that the fiber content is much higher than the other hedgehog foods currently available—a fact that is quite important, as it is becoming clear that hedgehogs need more fiber in their diet than we are generally feeding them.

It does seem to be becoming quite widely available, and between the lack of being a complete food (not clearly noted on the packaging) and the peanut problems, it does create the potential for some nutritional and other health problems, though these can easily be offset by crushing the peanuts and supplementing the food. I have heard that Vitakraft are working on solving the peanut problem (and in the future they will likely either be crushed or removed entirely), though I don’t know if the food basis itself will be improved to where it can be a staple on its own. The fact that they are looking to improve this is definitely a point in their favor.

Janet Jones has also provided the following information on yet another source for hedgehog food:

I attended an exotic animal show [recently] and found a company that is now carrying "Zoo Fare" aka "Hedgehog Fare" diet. I spoke with David from Pawprint last night to find out if they would shipped outside of Washington State and was told that would be no problem.

Unfortunately, true hedgehog food is not available everywhere, and recently there have been suggestions that it might not be the best thing, at least on its own, so the next best widely available thing is to feed your hedgehogs high quality cat, kitten, or ferret food, such as Hill’s Science Diet, or Pro Plan (don’t use IAMS with hedgehogs that don’t have and use wheels—see below, though even then it can lead to problems). Both dry and canned food should be provided, as this most closely matches what their natural diet would be like.

Most breeders I have talked to use cat food with very good results, so while it may not be the most optimal diet for hedgehogs, now that other options are coming available, many happy, healthy, long-lived hedgehogs have thrived on cat and dog food since the dawn of pet hedgehogs.

Up to this point, it has generally been felt that using a diet composed mainly of dry foods is best to help avoid tooth problems such as tartar buildup, and even abscesses. Research into other animals has recently begun to point out that problems such as tartar appear to be more related to the pH (acidity) of the food being used, rather than how hard and crunchy it is. My thanks to Leslie H. for reminding me that this almost certainly applies to hedgehogs as well as other animals. As she also pointed out, the issue of hedgie teeth wearing down (which can happen in some cases), is likely as much or more of a concern as tartar, and is much harder to deal with, when it happens.

Dietary needs for hedgehogs are finally starting to be addressed. One such study, that recently took place, demonstrated that hedgehogs need more fiber in their diet than we have been tending to give them. Unfortunately, while the study pointed out that more is needed, the question of how best to provide the extra fiber is still up in the air.

In general, it is likely wise to offer your hedgehogs some fruit and/or veggies which are high in fiber, as a supplement to the basic diet you are currently using. I can only suggest that you try a variety and see what, if any, your little friends will decide qualifies as a food item. As with any such experimentation, moderation is a good idea—at least until more is known. The good news is that we are learning, and hopefully hedgehog nutrition will start to move out of the dark ages.

Recently information has come to light about problems with feeding IAMS brand cat and kitten food to hedgehogs. Apparently, long term feeding of IAMS cat or kitten food can result in severe and often terminal liver problems in hedgehogs. The exception to this rule appears to be hedgehogs that have and use wheels—almost no reports of problems have appeared in hedgehogs like this that are getting plenty of exercise (just a nightly run on a bed is not enough). I have had one report where the autopsy showed fatty liver disease, where the hedgehog ate IAMS and also ran on a wheel regularly, but so far, only one such case has come to my attention. I do want to stress that this is still largely speculative, and reflects my own observations of the cases I am aware of. I will keep researching this issue, and keep things updated here.

The problem appears to be limited to IAMS brand as far as research has been able to tell, at this point, and I want to STRONGLY stress that IAMS is just GREAT for cats (as all 5 of mine will attest to), but was never intended for hedgehogs. If I learn more, I will pass along any additional information.

My source for this information is somewhat nervous about potential legal repercussions if they came out and officially stated the problem, due to the position that they hold. This tenuous position will likely remain, at least until having done much more extensive research (actual direct research into the problem would require the cost of numerous hedgehog lives, I might add, which is one reason why none has been done). As a result of all of this I have agreed not to list their name(s). That said, I will acknowledge that my source for this information IS a well-respected hedgehog expert. I leave it to you to decide based on some of the comments that were passed to me.

The first sign of trouble in hedgehogs that have been fed this food for extended periods of time is yellowish looking fat deposits under the front "arm-pits". Virtually every one of the animals that has been necropsied after death has died of impacted fatty liver disease. If taken off of IAMS and given a [different] quality cat or kitten food, they will recover. A good food should contain a minimum of 30% fat and 17% protein. Both the fat and the protein should be derived mostly from poultry.

[I] have heard of this serious problem from more than 100 owners and it has been documented by vets.

If you have been using IAMS, don’t panic—as was pointed out, changing the food will lead to any of the effects clearing up. Also if a wheel is offered and used, the problem is likely to dissipate quickly.

Note: the information above appears to be contradictory at first with the recommendation of a 30% fat level, while fat appears to be one of the key parts of the problem. From what I’ve heard, the problem is due to the types of fat, and possibly in conjunction with certain additives, rather than just the absolute level of fat in the food. My thanks to Christine Porter for pointing out this confusion.

As noted above, the problem only occurs with hedgehogs that don’t get enough exercise. Increasing the exercise seems to allow hedgehogs to burn this fat that would otherwise build up in their bodies, culminating in Fatty Liver Disease. While all hedgehogs should probably have a proper wheel [5.6], a wheel is likely critical to those that are eating IAMS, and can’t be switched to a different food.

I should also point out that if, indeed the problem is due in any part to the additives, or the type of fats, rather than just the quantity of fat, then use of lite, or canned food would have no effect on avoiding problems.

The following information, from Elizabeth Galante, is somewhat speculative with respect to hedgehogs, but may have some bearing on the fatty liver problems. She described a problem that resulted in the death of one of her cats a few years ago from fatty liver disease:

The fat in his body started to accumulate in the liver and the liver could not function normally, because it was overloaded with fat deposits.

I guess for a hedgehog if it gets too much fat too quickly then it gets deposited under the arms. If the owner decides to put the hog on a diet then the fat gets processed through the liver. If it gets overloaded it shuts down and eventually the kidneys will also causing the animal to die.

It is not unreasonable to consider that a slight diet, or drop in food intake at the wrong moment could trigger the problem. It might be wise to ensure that you don’t put your hedgies on a diet at the same time as switching them off of IAMS, or at least to phase it out, rather than going cold turkey. Again, this is speculative, but with so little information to go on in this area, anything can be useful to consider at this point.

Hedgehogs are insectivores, and as a result are essentially carnivorous, as opposed to Guinea pigs, rabbits, and most small rodents, which are generally much more vegetarian in nature (although many are somewhat carnivorous, often in the form of insects or scavenging to some degree).

An average adult hedgehog will eat "a couple of teaspoonfuls of dry food in the morning, and the same at night, along with a spoonful of wet food and a vitamin supplement (Vionate)."

[Nathan has since suggested that adults get] just wet and dry food in the evening. The two feeding schedule seems to be useful for young animals, but our adults started getting plump on it.

Vitamin supplements are very important for hedgehogs to avoid ear, skin, and other problems. The vitamins included in commercial cat and dog food, while good, are not adequate for what hedgehogs really require. It can take some imagination to find a suitable supplement in some places (remember, those intended for rodents are probably not adequate) but the results of a happy, healthy hedgehog are well worth it.

Another diet that has been suggested is to use high quality dog food (especially frozen varieties), with cottage cheese as a supplement.

Cottage cheese also makes for a good treat on occasion, even if you don’t use it as part of the standard diet.

I was very glad to see you mention ferret food, as commercial ferret food is far closer to an insectivore/carnivore diet than feline science diet - either growth or maintenance. I like a modification of the diet used by the San Jose Zoo (published in the Journal of Small Exotic Animal Med) - I substitute Bird of Prey diet with the ferret chow (three different brands).

Since this time I have learned that some brands of ferret food ‘can’ cause allergic reactions in hedgehogs.

The reactions to ferret food are the same as they are with any food that a hedgehog may be allergic to. They break out in a rash. It sometimes appears over the back and can be mistaken for mites or ringworm, but it usually shows up on the underbelly. Nice big, sore red spots all over.

Obviously, if any sign of these symptoms does appear, discontinue feeding the ferret food you are using immediately. It would also be prudent for your hedgehog to visit a vet at this point, as allergic reactions can be quite problematic.

This does not imply that all ferret food should be avoided—far from it—but that you should be watchful when you start using a particular brand.

Here are some more thoughts and suggestions from Nathan Tenny on food and supplements:

They should eat fruit, but many don’t want to; various fruit-based baby foods seem a little more palatable. Cottage cheese is a good semi-regular source of calcium, but seems to cause diarrhea if they eat too much too often. We haven’t yet gotten ours to eat crickets, but we’re assured that they will if we keep offering them, and they’re supposed to be very good for them. They’ll also eat earthworms and pinky mice, and possibly mealworms (though the last are reputed to cause intestinal blockages).

Other sources and hedgehog owners I’ve heard from frequently offer mealworms as treats with no apparent ill effects, but I suspect they might not be a good recommendation as the sole source of food for a hedgehog.

Mealworms are used as a treat. So far she won’t eat crickets and earthworms cause anointing. She will eat the occasional flake of oatmeal, which is substrate for the mealworms, and will chew and then spit out Kale.

While we are discussing mealworms, a number of people have expressed worry that it might be necessary to cut the heads off or otherwise kill mealworms before feeding them to hedgehogs. This is due to the fact that feeding them to various herps, who swallow their food whole, can result in the still live mealworms causing injury or death by biting into or through the stomach lining. This doesn’t apply to hedgehogs as hedgies will chew up mealworms quite thoroughly—the chances of a hedgehog swallowing a still live mealworm are nil, as anyone who has watched an apparently ravenous hedgehog tear into a mealworm treat. Did I remember to say watch out for your fingers...?

The following thoughts on proper diet for hedgehogs were sent along to me by Willard B. "Skip" Nelson, DVM. While I agree with his suggestions, including limiting cat food, I would also like to point out that all of the breeders I’ve talked with, and heard about have had their herds thrive on a diet of cat and dog food. Also, the N.A.H.A. recommended a diet of cat/dog food. I think the answer is to aim as close to the ideal as you can, but know that your hedgehog can do quite well on the basic cat/dog food diet, just watch out that your hedgehog doesn’t become a hedgeball. That said, let’s take a look at what Dr. Nelson has to offer:

Zoos have worked for years on insectivore diets and have yet to agree on the best mix, but they do not bother trying to raise, breed or maintain hedgehogs on cat food, as is being touted around currently. Indeed, they rarely use more than 20 or 30% cat food, even in small cat diets, but that hasn’t stopped the ferret and hedgehog people from trying. I see obesity as the main problem in cat food diets, but one day we will have more data. Dr. Anthony Smith recommends a mix of bird of prey diet, diced fruit, vegetables, some dog or cat food, crickets and mealworms. He notes diets including mice and other exotic ingredients, and cautions feeding proper Calcium Phosphorous ratio of 1.2-1.5:1.

Pet trade magazines attempt to promote cat food, claiming that "although insectivorous, the hedgehog could be considered as a carnivore under captive conditions." What does it do, change its dietary needs when brought into a domestic setting? I doubt it!

Drs. Wallach & Boever describe their diet including a variety of insects, worms, small vertebrates, carrion and small roots and plant material. They recommend zoo diets with a maximum of 30% commercial cat or dog foods. The rest is meats, insects and mice.

But I don’t recommend that clients write for information and then try to decide whether or not to feed it. The public is being hoodwinked into believing that they are PHD’s in nutrition and can read a label list of ingredients or a crude analysis and make meaningful decisions, it’s much more involved than that, and I don’t know who has written any good material on the "pop nutrition" craze to put it into proper perspective.

Dr. Nelson’s final comment is even easier to apply to other pets, and even ourselves. It’s probably best to look for recommendation by a veterinarian association, when trying to determine quality, rather than trying to second guess what is good based on what "someone who wants to sell you something" says. Also, remember, what’s healthy for you, might be really bad for your pets (and, um, er, vice versa—just in case it isn’t obvious).

One thing you should not feed hedgehogs is raw meat. Hedgehogs have an amazing tolerance for naturally occurring toxins, such as those produced by salmonella. This means that if you feed your hedgehog food that is or becomes tainted by salmonella by accident, it probably won’t bother your prickly little friend any. However, the chance then exists, that your hedgehog might self anoint and you then hold him, or he might lick your hands, the result being that you come down with it. If you do, this is NOT the hedgehog’s fault, it’s yours for not taking proper care. Sorry for being a bit testy about this, but if anyone remembers the outcry over salmonella carrying turtles in the early 70’s when turtles were banned everywhere, and many died for their dangers (they, unlike hedgehogs, seemed to be much more of a natural carrier, and it proved virtually impossible to avoid it in turtles—this is NOT the case for hedgehogs), we don’t want the same thing happening to hedgehogs, just because they are naturally protected where we are not.

One last point, feeding a hedgehog a purely vegetarian diet is nothing short of deliberate cruelty. The proteins and nutrients necessary to keep your hedgehog healthy cannot be gotten from a purely vegetarian diet, so please don’t try it.

One of the most difficult times for hedgehog owners comes if a new mother hedgehog rejects some or all of her babies, or otherwise can’t manage to provide for all of them. Unfortunately, it is fairly common for hedgehogs to eat their babies, and/or reject them, especially if it is a first litter, or if the mother was disturbed (mother hedgehogs need considerable peace and quiet). Many hedgehog owners are bothered quite badly by these actions on the part of the hedgehog, as they are extremely foreign to humans, but they are (sadly) perfectly natural and normal amongst hedgehogs.

All that having been said, what do you do if you decide you need to hand feed baby hedgehogs? The first thing is to convince yourself that sleep is an undesirable luxury, as you will be feeding the babies every 2-3 hours (yes, that means night and day) for about 3+ weeks. If you’re still up to trying, what do you feed them, and how?

I’ll address the easy part first—how. For this, among the best items are plastic syringes (without needles), eyedroppers, or plastic pipettes (the type with the suction bulb at the end). The idea is to be able to provide a minute but reasonably available stream of ‘milk’ to the baby in a controlled manner.

Next is the question of what to feed them. Generally, the rule about avoiding or limiting cows’ milk for adult hedgehogs also applies to babies, and maybe even more so. That having been said, I have heard of one little tyke who wouldn’t drink anything else, and at last word was doing just fine.

Robyn Gorton, who is studying hedgehogs in New Zealand, passed along the following information on caring for babies. Although her work is with European hedgehogs, the information is quite applicable to African Pigmy hedgehogs as well.

I find that caring for the young is simple enough as long as you have good milk to feed them. I have discovered that sheep’s’ milk is the closest in composition to hog milk and acts as an excellent substitute when mixed with raw egg. It may for the first few days cause swelling of the anus, but as soon as they start teething (3 weeks) you can add mashed banana for fiber and their problems clear up. It’s a very high protein diet but one must watch for a vitamin B deficiency, which can be caused by too much raw egg. I had my two hoglets suckling on a syringe for the first week and 1/2 until their teeth erupted (this takes three days for a full set to emerge!!) then simply start using a saucer and they will naturally feed from it themselves.

I’ve also heard of using goats’ milk, similar to what Robyn suggested above.

What do you do if you don’t have a friendly goat or sheep, or can’t easily find sheep’s’ or goats’ milk? Many pet stores and pet supply stores carry KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement—I think I got that right?). It’s usually in powdered form, which makes it handy for the small quantities you will need. I’ve seen quite a few articles from breeders who have used this with great success, some go on to recommend that most hedgehog breeders should keep a container of KMR around, just in case.

I’ve also heard of Esbilac (human baby formula) being used successfully, to offer yet another option. Anja van der Werf pointed out to me that when you are trying to use human formula, make sure it is soya-based rather than based on cow’s milk.

One thing to watch out for in feeding baby hedgehogs, is that after each feeding you must stimulate them to defecate and urinate, otherwise their bladder and bowel will swell up and can even burst. To do this, simply stroke along their tummy towards the anus, which simulates a mother licking and grooming her babies. You can also do this with a warm damp tissue or cloth. The idea isn’t to squeeze anything out, just to stimulate the baby to do its business.

Remember that hand raising baby hedgehogs is very difficult, and if you try and meet with tragedy, remember that you gave them much more of a chance than they would have had without you. Whatever happens, don’t give up and decide that hedgehogs are bad, or that it’s not worth having hoglets—it’s just hedgehog nature, and next time may well be nothing short of magical.

There are a number of different things that can be given to hedgehogs as treats—but all in moderation. Among the things that hedgehogs like as treats are occasional small amounts of fresh fruit, and from personal experience I can tell you that all of my hedgehogs, will kill for a mealworm or a small taste of cream, and love raisins (but Velcro generally just chews on them rather than actually eating much).

Other ideas are crickets, hardboiled egg which is finely chopped, pine nuts, and cottage cheese. Mealworms are available from many pet stores and are also available by mail order (at least in the U.S.) from companies like Rainbow Mealworms [2.1], and GrubCo.

You can "enrich" mealworms by feeding them fruit or a vitamin supplement for a few days before you feed them to the hedgehogs.

You can also "gut feed" mealworms by feeding them for a few days on dry cat or dog food before feeding them to your hedgehogs.

While small amounts of these are great as treats, beware that they should not be given as the mainstay of the diet, nor too often, as they do not provide all the necessary proteins and nutrients needed to keep your hedgehog healthy.

It is also possible for a hedgehog to briefly suffer from diarrhea after imbibing too much in these treats. This is generally not harmful, but indicates that too much of a good thing isn’t. If the condition persists, consult a veterinarian.

Subject: I’m having problems litter-training my hedgehog. What should I be doing?

I wish I knew the answer to this one! Velcro insists that one’s so called master is there for the express purpose of feeding tasty tidbits then cleaning up the results wherever he decides to leave them. As for the litter box, well that’s just a playpen for digging in, isn’t it? On the other hand, Sprocket and Hocus as well as Pocus seemed to just naturally seek out and use a litter box, so there was no training involved. Now if I could get them to teach Velcro some manners!

That having been said, the recommended approach (which has not received the Velcro stamp of approval, I might add) is to add some of the droppings to the litter box while cleaning the cage or pen. The thought is to give the hedgehog the idea that the litter box is where this stuff is supposed to go.

In all seriousness, I suspect that hedgehogs which are taught from birth to use a litter box, will generally do so quite happily, while those that have not been taught, or didn’t receive adequate training while quite young may not be keen on using the litter box, but persistence may pay off eventually.

For what it is worth, cleaning up hedgehog droppings is not exactly a difficult or messy task. In a pen with pine or aspen shavings it is simply a matter of quickly sifting though the shavings with a cat litter scoop to clean up the droppings. Fortunately, there is virtually no odor, and the droppings are big enough to clean up easily.

In addition to everything above, here are some interesting and very promising tips on litterbox training:

I had the same problem [as I described with Velcro, above—ed.] with my hedgehog Quincy. To resolve the problem, and he still misses the mark at times, I built a cardboard enclosure with a small entrance opening to fit over the litter pan in the corner of his cage - He has one of the small animal corner litter pans. Unable, to resist a small opening, Quincy soon began doing his business in there. I put him in there every time he finished eating, and it didn’t take long before he got the idea. Before, I added the cardboard cupboard, he would only use the litter pan as a "sandbox," and could often be spotted sitting in the pan, eating the corn cob pellets. Thankfully, he doesn’t do that anymore either.

Given the appeal of small openings to hedgehogs, it’s a wonder why nobody thought of using that for any number of hedgie herding or training actions. My thanks to Michelle for this—I’ll definitely give it a try with my ill behaved bunch.

Hot on the heels of the idea above, came the following suggestion from Melissa-Lee:

Neither of my hedgehogs were litter trained when they came home, but I figured out how to train them. My male was easier to train because I just put some of her [the female’s] waste in his litter pan and of course he had to cover up someone else’s smell, and he never stopped using it. The female just naturally took to the litter box when I but it in the corner where she went and she took to it.

This is another fine example of why didn’t I think of that! I suspect this would generally work best with males, who tend to be somewhat more territorial than females, but the idea of using a different hedge’s droppings to coerce one into knowing where to go has a lot of merit.

Some of the literature I’ve seen suggests that you should not bathe a hedgehog unless it is absolutely necessary, because there is a chance of drowning. This is especially critical for babies and young animals. However, I have been told by a several of hedgehog owners that not only is it not a problem to bathe adults, but that they can often enjoy swimming in a pan or tub of shallow water (preferably on a warm day).

If you do bathe your little friend (say, because your hedgehog got into something he shouldn’t have), you must make very sure he has a warm, dry place with no draughts to dry off in (after you do your best to dry him off with a towel first). The bath water should be shallow enough for the hedgehog to be able to stand and keep his nose safely above the surface, and should be at room temperature, not warm or cool. One good thing about hedgehogs in water is that rather than quilling up, they generally put their quills down smooth, and for the majority who dislike baths, concentrate on trying to get out. It’s probably best to just gently lOver the piggy hog into the water and slip your hand out from underneath. As far as shampoo goes, if you really must use one, make sure it is formulated for pets, preferably something like puppies or kittens, which will ensure it is very mild and safe. Make sure you don’t get any shampoo into their ears or eyes. I find using an old toothbrush works well to work the shampoo into the quills. Finally, make sure that you rinse him thoroughly, so that there is no soap left on him, then as mentioned above, dry him completely and ensure he stays warm enough. One quick warning: do NOT use a hairdryer—this is almost guaranteed to leave your hedgie severely stressed (besides, if he was that fashion conscious, he wouldn’t have gotten into this mess in the first place).

It is occasionally necessary to clean their ears. This is best done by a Q-tip moistened with mineral oil. It is also preferable to have a patient (or is that tolerant) hedgehog. If you do clean their ears, you must be very careful.

Speaking of ears, one of the most common problems in hedgehogs is tattered looking ears. There are a number of suspected reasons for this, but in most cases the actual ragged appearance itself is due to a buildup of a waxy deposit (though the causes for this buildup vary), which develops a cracked and tattered appearance at the edge. The good news is that it doesn’t appear adversely bother hedgehogs who have it.

Recent research seems to point to a number of possible causes for this buildup, with fungus being the most likely and most common. That said, there is no single cause which always the reason. Most likely it is exacerbated by some minor dietary problem (either too little or too much of something), but the problem often happens to just some animals getting the same diet as others. As noted, the most common trigger/cause seems to be due to fungus, while other cases are traceable to mites, but it has also been found in animals that have been tested and found to definitely have neither—in such cases dietary supplements seem to solve the problem. Among the suggestions I’ve received on dealing with it are:

(A) Probably the best solution to the ragged ears comes from Dawn Wrobel, who has had excellent success treating the problem with Panalog (antibiotic/antifungal cream), or with Panalog mixed with Ivomec, which cleans the ears up quite quickly, and seems to prevent reoccurances. This cause/treatment has by far the most research behind it, and seems to be the most effective, overall. The other suggestions, below, offer help in keeping it from coming back.

[Our veterinarian] suggested we try the cod liver oil for two weeks just to see what happens. Bandit seems to like it (which is such a surprise since he is the most finicky eater!!)

(D) Using either mineral oil, isopropyl alcohol (carefully), or possibly commercial ear cleaning lotions. (though this obviously doesn’t solve the cause of the problem).

As noted, ragged or tattered ears can also be caused by mites, even in hedgehogs that have been thoroughly treated against them. The problem is that the bloodflow to the ears is limited enough, that medications such as Ivomectin, given either orally or by injection, just don’t get to that area in adequate concentrations to completely get rid of the mites. The solution can be to use it topically, on the ears directly (after softening and removing the waxy buildup).

Tiffany Mross also passed along the following suggestions on cleaning up tattered ear buildup, after some discussions on the hedgehog mailing list about using cocoa butter:

There is a product called Lansinoh. It is medical grade purified Lanolin and mothers can nurse without washing it off. If it is safe for newborn babies to ingest, I would think that it would be ok for hedgies as well. It seems to really aid the healing of dried and damaged nipples. It also works great for chapped, lips and other skin abrasions.

While not something that has been tested, it certainly does have enough promise to warrant looking into.

Hedgehog nails can get quite long and if your hedgehog doesn’t manage to wear them down naturally, they may need to be clipped. As with any health-related concern, the best cure of all is prevention. It is likely a good idea to provide your hedgehog with a rough surface like a flat rock that will work like an emery board as he scurries around. This may not guarantee you won’t have to clip his nails, but it can certainly help.

Okay, let’s say your attempt at a natural manicure doesn’t do the job—how do you go about doing it the hard way?

Hedgehogs’ nails do, indeed, need to be trimmed occasionally. The crescent-shaped nail clippers that are used for dogs [and cats] work well. The hard part, of course, is getting to the nails---you have to seize the hog’s foot and hold on for dear life, letting it struggle to its heart’s content. It will put up a terrific fight, but it won’t hurt itself.

It’s a good idea to keep a septic pencil or stick on hand when clipping hedgehog nails, just in case you accidentally cut too close to the quick and find your little friend bleeding. These can be found in most drug stores amongst the shaving supplies. This can be somewhat awkward to use on a squirming hedgehog however and alternatives also exist.

A better idea that we discovered in a pet store recently (which we have unfortunately had to use—Velcro throws a total fit when getting his nails clipped), is an "antiseptic first aid cream" made by Hagen, for just this purpose. It stops bleeding and coats the injury, working extremely well. Given how profusely hedgehogs can bleed, this worked very well indeed.

There is also a powder called "Quick-Stop" designed exactly for this purpose, that apparently works very well. Many pet stores will carry it at or near where nail clippers or grooming supplies are kept.

Steve Turpin has passed along the following tip, that you can also use cornstarch to stop bleeding quickly and painlessly.

By the way, speaking of painless, or not. I have it on good authority that Quick-Stop hurts like #$%! If you’re foolish enough to try it yourself (fortunately, I wasn’t—I have much too low a pain threshold for that).

Now, what you do about doctoring your hands (which, no doubt, have been severely prickled) is beyond me... :-) This is probably one of the few times that sometimes justifies wearing gloves while handling your hedgehog, but keep in mind that you should avoid gloves any other time unless absolutely necessary.

Rather than always trimming nails, there are some things you can do to try and help wear them down naturally. There are some suggestions about using fine sandpaper on the surface of wheels in section. Another idea comes from Kelly Hodge, along with tips on how to trim the nails:

One suggestion: get him a clay flOverpot. I bought a clay flOverpot for Jimmy for 36 cents and he LOVES it! It is slightly bigger than he is, and he sleeps in it all the time. If I take him to visit friends, I MUST take his flOverpot in the travel cage. He always scratches in the flOverpot and this keeps his front claws quite short. He doesn’t scratch nearly as much with the rear feet, so those claws are longer and I trim them occasionally. Hold him in your hand, fingers slightly spread. When one of his legs falls through the fingers, clamp the fingers together to trap the foot and have someone else clip the claws before he can snatch his foot back. It helps to do this when he’s sleepy, but be warned, he may treat your hand as a porta-potty.

Most hedgehogs rarely if ever bite, however, as with any animal, it does happen, and some just ‘are’ biters. Many young hedgehogs will nip at almost everything—it’s their way of testing the world around them, so they can learn what is and what isn’t food. Others will nip if they want to be left alone or are feeling a bit stressed (this often occurs just after they arrive at their new home—don’t be discouraged if it happens).

Regardless of the reason, if your hedgehog nips you, you want to discourage it. Here are some tips on how to curb little nippers before they get carried away.

Wayne Clendenin sends along the following advice on whether hedgehogs bite and other useful advice on hedgehog as pets:

[Hedgehogs] seldom bite, it’s not a usual trait. The short teeth and dog-like mouth don’t cause any damage, unlike a hamster or gerbil bite. We have found that a pup will usually lick before tasting a finger or hand...but we also have a real mean female. Maybe she’s overly protective, but she bites without the warning lick. (She also spent her first 6 months unhandled in a pet shop). We usually don’t recommend hhs as pets for kids under school age...those spines can be sharp to tender little hands. I’ve never had a pup "nip" or even an adult "chomp" ...break the skin...but, I wouldn’t bet on that with a very young child.

If your hedgehog isn’t the overly nervous type, one suggestion you can try for hedgehogs that nip or bite is to blow gently into their face either when they do it or, if you can tell, when they are about to. This doesn’t hurt the hedgehog any, but they don’t like it and it can have the desired effect of stopping the bite and being gentle punishment.

One of the most effective ways of curbing biting comes from Dawn Wroble, who has dealt with numerous rescue cases, many of which were quite upset, nervous and hence prone to biting. She recommends using a Q-Tip dipped in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol applied to the end of the nose. This won’t hurt the hedgehog, but they dislike it intensely and will let go. Dawn suggests that at most 3 or 4 applications will usually dissuade even the most insistent biter.

Linda Wheatley, an experienced breeder and hedgehog lover, provided the following advice on hedgehogs and biting:

It is not common for a hedgehog to bite, but it does happen. There seem to be 3 reasons for biting. One is for tasting and this is the one usually preceded by licking. Another is due to stress. If the animal is new to a situation, and is not left alone to get used to or familiar with it they will bite but it is the animal’s only way of saying "leave me alone!" The last type of bite seems to be certain animals’ way of identifying people (as painful as it may be). I had a male hedgehog returned to me due to its habit of biting. It did not bite me for a few days and then one day it really latched on. He attached himself to a meaty part of my hand, which was not too painful, so I let him hold on. He let go after 30 seconds. He did this a couple more times with no reaction from me and that was the last he ever bit. I have had some more hogs do this with the same scenario.

If a hedgehog bites, don’t pull back, which, of course, would hurt more, but instead push whatever it is biting towards it. This causes them discomfort and they will let go. If the biting has caused the owner to be hesitant, I tell them to get an inexpensive pair of work gloves. Put one glove on and rub your other hand on it briskly to put your scent on it. Do the same with both gloves. Then pick up the hog and hope that it bites! If it does, then push back—not hard but firmly. I personally do not like the idea of blowing into a hedgehog’s face to discourage biting. This would seem to cause a shy hedgehog to be even shyer.

Hedgehogs are experts at hide-and-seek. They like to sleep under pieces of clothing, in jacket sleeves, pants legs, etc. They may even crawl into a sock (and get stuck)! Don’t move heavy objects that might injure a hiding hedgehog. Check furniture before sitting on it—especially sofabeds. Many wall units, bookcases, and even built-in cabinets have a hollow base. The back of the unit may allow access to the base. This is a favorite hedgie hiding place.

If your hedgehog makes a huffing/hissing noise when he is disturbed, you can use this to your advantage. Carefully disturb potential hiding places and listen for a huff. Knock on the base of furniture and cabinets, holding your ear to the base to listen for a startle response. Repeat several times. One escaped hedgehog was found inside a stereo speaker because he huffed when his owner walked by (luckily, before he was blasted by loud music)! If you find your hedgehog in a difficult place you may opt to wait for him to come out on his own, rather than risk injuring him (or your back!). Blowing the scent of his favorite treat into the hiding place may help lure him out, but only if he’s calm and ready, and, most importantly, warm enough to function.

If you cannot find your hedgehog, or need to wait for him to voluntarily leave his hiding place, consider whether he might get cold. If he could be in an underheated place (e.g. near an outside wall, on a cold floor) TURN UP THE HEAT. Make it downright tropical if you have to. If he gets too cold, he may enter into a dangerous semi-hibernation state, and will not be able to wake up and come out. (Of course, make sure he’s not hiding in heat vents or behind radiators before you do this!)

*** Things hedgehogs say and do ***

Self-anointing. What is it? Why do hedgehogs do it?

My hedgehog snuffles and hides a lot. Is that normal?

Is he just asleep or hibernating?

My hedgehog sneezes. What should I do?

My hedgehog’s gone ballistic? Is this normal?

Basic hedgehog repertoire

*** Basic health care ***

Do I need to spay/neuter my pet? What health risks should I worry about?

Vaccinations, etc.

Mites (or mites, not?)

*** Problems to watch for and related information ***

What warning signs of disease should I watch for?

My hedgehog’s had funny-looking stools for a couple of days. What’s wrong?

My hedgehog’s not eating. What should I do?

How did I get fleas in my home? How can I get rid of them?

*** Wild hedgehogs ***

Caring for visiting hedgehogs

Hedgehog housing

Hedgehogizing your garden

Wild hedgehog health

Watching out for hibernating hedgehogs

*** Things hedgehogs say and do ***

I have mentioned self-anointing (or self-lathering, as it is sometime called, in at least the U.K.) repeatedly throughout the FAQ, so now it is time to explore the hedgehog’s one truly unique trait. Nathan Tenny provided a good description of this interesting and perplexing hedgehog habit:

If you smell really interesting, your hedgehog will lick or nibble on you, back off, and suddenly contort itself, start foaming at the mouth, and lick the foam onto its spines. This "self-anointing" has to be seen to be believed, but it’s perfectly normal. It’s not known for sure why they do it, but it probably has something to do with self-defense; hedgehogs are highly resistant to most toxins, and when they encounter something that might be toxic, they get it in their mouths, foam, and cover themselves with the toxic mixture. The result is a toxic hedgehog, which is really something to reckon with. (Incidentally, the toxin resistance of hedgehogs is truly prodigious and has been the subject of some research; they are one of the few animals that can safely eat giant toads (_Bufo marinus_), for instance.)

One more last note: We don’t know why this happens, but even without the benefit of self-anointing, their spines seem to have a mild toxic/irritant effect; when you prick yourself on one, even slightly, it hurts more than it should, and for a little bit longer. No big deal, just sort of strange.

One of the most effective ways to provoke a session of self-anointing is to pick up your hedgehog when you have sweaty hands, or after having used hand lotion, or a different type of soap.

In any case, once you have witnessed this entertaining act, and you have calmed down enough to understand your little friend doesn’t have rabies after all, you will likely be convinced that hedgehogs do not have backbones. It’s really hard to believe something as round as a hedgehog can twist itself into that contorted a position. It’s also a bit disconcerting to learn just how long that tongue is!

Yep. If he doesn’t, are you sure you have a hedgehog? The snuffling or snorting (or snurfling, as my wife calls it), while having the head tucked down, is part of the defense mechanism that has kept hedgehogs around for a very long time. It basically leaves them with their quills protecting every bit of visible surface, but still allows the hedgehog to move. The snuffling and snorting is usually accompanied by sudden lurches in the direction the hedgehog believes its potential enemy is in, to try and give it a good warning prickle.

The more your hedgehog comes to know you, the less you will get the sharp shoulder treatment. One exception to this is if your hedgehog is sleepy. A sleepy hedgehog can be very insistent about not being disturbed.

Getting your hedgehog to become familiar with you takes a lot of patience, but it is worth it. If your hedgehog tends to be somewhat shy or unfriendly towards you, try spending more time holding him—chances are he just doesn’t associate your smell with being a friend, yet.

A quick note here: this section applies to African Pigmy hedgehogs, rather than European hedgehogs (which do hibernate, primarily between January and March).

A common concern is whether or not pet hedgehogs hibernate—especially as winter starts to arrive. The answer is generally no. However, if the temperature where they are kept drops too low (below about 20 degrees C or 68 degrees F), they can start preparing for hibernation and will certainly go into hibernation for brief periods, if the temperature drops much below this—at least until the temperature returns to a comfortable level. If your hedgehog seems to be sleeping too soundly, and you are worried, any kind of movement to his or her bed will usually earn you at least a brief spate of unhappy snuffling. If this happens, then you can probably assume you’ve just disturbed a sleepy hedgehog. If this and nudging at him don’t have any effect, and he’s been in quite a cool (for a hedgehog) temperature, he may have slipped into the beginnings of hibernation, and should be gently (and slowly) warmed up, which should let him awaken.

Hedgehogs will also tend to slow down and get somewhat grumpy if they are kept at a temperature that’s too cool for their liking. If you’re finding that your previously energetic hedgehog is acting a bit slow and grumpy, and cool weather has started to arrive, then you may want to take steps to warm up your hedgehog.

Another sign that a hedgehog that is too cool is its going off its food. If your hedgehog isn’t eating, and is walking a bit funny, it may be because he is a bit cool.

The first thing to do is to check to see if the animal is warm enough. Feel its legs and belly. If these feel chilled the animal needs to be immediately warmed up. A chilled hedgehog will walk as if it is drunk. A variety of methods can be used to warm them. The one that I use is to put the animal in the cut off sleeve of a sweatshirt. I then put it in a box (I actually have an 8 litre cooler that I use) with a jar of hot water. Close the lid of the box (or put the lid on loosely to allow for air in the cooler). They usually warm up in about an hour or so. When I put the animal back in its own cage, I make sure I give it a sleeve to keep warm in. Some animals are more prone to chills than others.

In general, the likelihood of hibernation happening is quite low, so if your hedgehog isn’t making its home in the refrigerator, and you don’t like living in subarctic conditions indoors, you probably shouldn’t worry. That having been said, I have heard of several instances of it happening (briefly, and all fully recovered when warmed up), so some caution is worthwhile.

Recently, another cause of hibernation, or more commonly, partial hibernation has shown up. It appears that hedgehogs are quite sensitive to the short daylight hours, or even low light, as can happen during the winter months. If your hedgehog is warm enough, but still shows indications of wanting to hibernate, try leaving a light on to extend the ‘length of the day’ for him. I’ve seen this help with my own hedgehogs, and my thanks to both Dawn Wrobel and Sharon Massena for bringing it to my attention.

Probably more worrisome is the chance of pet hedgehogs going into aestivation. This is similar to hibernation, but is done when things get too warm. In their natural habitat, this is to let the hedgehog wait things out until cooler and/or damper weather returns. African Pigmy hedgehogs are more likely to slip into this state, especially in light of heatwaves in recent years in North America, than they are to wind up hibernating. The problems and side effects of aestivation are largely the same as for hibernation.

You should not let a pet hedgehog hibernate, or aestivate. As pets, hedgehogs do not stock up on food, nor put on the necessary extra body fat needed to get through hibernation. A pet that is allowed to hibernate extensively will likely wake up very sick and very weak—if at all.

Occasional sneezes are normal. When you consider the amount of exploring that hedgehogs like to do, in combination with just how busy that little nose is, it’s pretty easy to understand that the result will be an occasional sneeze.

Extended sneezing fits, or nasal discharge, however, indicates a problem, and a trip to the vet is in order.

You’ve just introduced your hedgehog to a nice new big pen and all of a sudden it’s like he’s going crazy, running madly around the cage, trying to get out of every little nook and cranny, and generally driving you up the wall. Yes, this is quite normal (for the hedgehog—you being up the wall, I can’t comment on).

Hedgehogs appear to do this when they get into a new environment, and will usually settle down in a while, once they decide that (a) they can’t actually get out (which given the slightest chance, they will), and (b) they have decided this is now home. Some hedgehogs will literally climb the walls just to check whether you remembered a roof or not. Pocus, my youngest female, is a fine example of this. She will climb anything, anywhere, anytime, to any height.

Some things you can do to reduce the chaos and chances of reoccurrence are to provide a familiar nest or burrow for your little beast, and to install a wheel for exercise (all that energy is pretty normal in hedgehogs

One other answer here is to simply enjoy the fact that you have a healthy, energetic hedgehog.

As far as sounds go, officially, the only sounds that hedgehogs are supposed to make is their snuffling and snorting when they are feeling threatened, and some squeaking as babies. That said, I can tell you hedgehogs have an amazing number of little sounds in their repertoire. I have it on good advice and from personal experience that there are a number of other hedgehog vocalizations that occur in both babies and adults.

One time that hedgehogs completely abandon their silent ways is when it comes to mating. This is particularly true of males who will often end up sounding like a video game gone wild with an amazing series of squeaks and chirps as they vie for the favours of the lady.

At least two of my younger ones have kept this ability [nursing type squeaks] and can shriek quite loudly when startled or angry. This will wake the deepest sleeper.

All the hedgehogs I’ve known have made a quiet twittering noise when they were relaxed and exploring.

I’d like to thank Mike McGary, with some commentary from Nathan Tenny and Znofyl, for sharing thoughts on the virtuoso singing of hedgehogs here to give people an idea of some of the extremes that can be reached. I would also like to note that the loudest thing that has ever come out of Velcro, other than his nervous snufflings, is a contented slurp when he’s buried his nose in a container of cream.

The books all say that hedgehogs don’t make much noise. They do squeak for their mother when they are still nursing and make snorting and snuffling noises as adults....one account says that they can snore quite loudly.

My young male (Adam) has been known to scream when frightened. This isn’t a small squeak, but a full-fledged rabbit-caught-in-a-trap scream. But the real oddity has started recently. We have one of those beep-beep-beep-beep alarm clocks. We normally set it for 6:00 am, but keep pushing the snooze button every time it goes off (sometimes for a long time). After the alarm goes off, Adam starts to make this eeeeh-eeeeeh-eeeeeeh sound like he is imitating the alarm clock. He does it every morning and you can get up and watch him....he doesn’t move....he just sings.

The following from Znofyl and Nathan are about as good an answer to this mystery as we’re likely to get without growing quills ourselves:

I wonder whether the hedgie isn’t responding to this alarm noise thinking it is another male. My males are VERY noisy when breeding.

This sounds really likely to me. My male’s mating noise is a sort of breathy "squeeEEEEEk-squeeEEEEEk"---is that the general tenor of Adam’s morning ditty?

From my own experience, when Velcro first learned about the arrival of his first girlfriend, Sprocket, he put on the most amazing little session of barking and squeaking. She, in turn, frequently squeaked, especially if she was trying to nudge her way out from between someone’s fingers to get to the rest of the world.

We have also had the experience of Mike McGary’s "rabbit-caught-in-a-trap" squealing, shortly after bringing home Hocus and Pocus. The den they share only has one entrance/exit, and apparently one of the girls was blocking the door from the other one. It was quite a scary sound to hear, but the girls appeared none the worse for wear by the time we arrived seconds later, out of breath from a mad dash.

Sonic purrs, like a cat! He only does it when he’s eating something wonderful - usually a chicken or turkey stick (I always hold him when he gets these) and I can hear him making short bursts (2-5 seconds) that sounds and feels (the vibration) like a low cat purr. I’m assuming this is good, since he devours the stick like he’s starving, although he always has dry kitten chow (yes, he eats it) in his dish.

While I haven’t had this experience, it certainly sounds like quite the thing.

The gist of this whole section is really to let readers know that hedgehogs are capable of making a wide range of sounds—if and when they want.

Given that hedgehogs are not overly social except during mating, (and even then it can often be a tentative truce at best) it is unlikely that spaying/neutering is anything you need to worry about. In addition to this, I suspect you would be hard pressed to find a veterinarian who could (let alone would) do the operation.

As a cautionary reminder, hedgehogs as young as 6 weeks old can, and will, mate. If you do have babies, remember to separate them before this age, or you will have even more hoglets on the way, and probably not as you would want.

In short, altering your hedgehog is not a worry, although Velcro would have me believe that it might be worthwhile—he’s made his desires towards my females abundantly clear, and would have me overrun with hoglets in no time given half the opportunity (the ladies, however, have defended their virtue admirably).

Hedgehogs have an amazing immunity to most things that are toxic. Quantities of many toxins that would kill a human hundreds or even thousands of times over will often have no noticeable effect on a hedgehog at all. This trait has inspired both legends and scientific research, with no conclusive results other than acknowledgment that it is true.

This means that should your hedgehog accidentally encounter any of the numerous poisons that exist within every modern home, chances are your little friend will wander off none the worse for wear, while if it had been another type of pet, it may have been in dire need of a visit to the vet.

However, just because hedgehogs are considered to be all but poison proof is no reason for you to take chances. They are immune to many toxins, but there could always be an exception. You should supervise your hedgehog’s wanderings and keep dangerous substances tucked safely away.

As I pointed out in, Pat Storer’s books discuss blood chemistry and what kinds and doses of various medicines have been used successfully to treat hedgehogs. I strongly suggest you get a copy of one of these books, if for no other reason than to bring with you to the veterinarian, in the case of an emergency, so he or she knows what to expect and what to do about problems.

They can get worms---it’s probably a good idea to have them wormed regularly, once or twice a year. Oral Ivermectin works; I don’t know what the dosage is, but the vet has indicated that it’s a little higher (per unit of body weight) than for most animals.

Courtesy of ‘chvall’ who found the answer on the "Exotic Net," apparently listed by Dr. Evan Blair, the standard dosage for Ivermectic is 0.1 cc per 10 lbs. You should always check the label of particular package, as it is always possible that it might be offered in different concentrations.

I’d like to add the following, courtesy of Eloise Campbell by way of her veterinarian, that the dosage of Ivermectic listed above is on the "low end" of the scale. This is probably a good thing for the audience that this FAQ is designed to reach, erring on the side of safety in this case, but it does provide some slight leeway for serious cases, or for accidents where a slightly stronger dose happens to be given. For safety’s sake, I won’t attempt to offer any guidelines on what a higher end dose might constitute—that’s something only a trained veterinarian should be dealing with.

Hedgehogs are also susceptible to fleas, which you might want to be concerned about if you have other pets, especially if they are indoor/outdoor pets. Treatment of fleas is well described in the Flea and Tick FAQ, and most safe commercial flea treatments should work. One possible caveat is that bathing hedgehogs can be problematic, and for young hedgehogs, quite dangerous. A number of books and articles I’ve seen warn strictly against it, while others recommend it as something that adults can enjoy. My own experience has been that my hedgehogs definitely don’t like it, while other people I’ve heard from say their hedgies love bath time. Fortunately, since most hedgehogs are likely to be indoor only pets, this often greatly reduces the chances of them ever getting fleas.

Far more of a problem than fleas are mites which are a fairly common pest among hedgehogs.

I would also like to add a quick reminder here about using solid wheels, and to pad the spokes to prevent injuries.

One other area of concern is obesity. Hedgehogs can easily become overweight, partially due to their potential for hibernation, they can, and will, pack on weight in preparation for a lengthy hibernation that never comes. Letting them hibernate is NOT the answer—a diet and exercise are. If your hedgehog is getting too plump, just cut back on his food a bit, and try to encourage activity by letting him run around, or giving him a wheel.

With respect to medical problems, there are a number of serious medical conditions that can appear in hedgehogs, though, thankfully, not that frequently. These range from pneumonia, to tumors and cancers.

Pneumonia rarely happens on its own. Instead, it usually appears following some sort of injury, or other medical problem, or due to extended or repeated bouts of partial hibernation. If caught early, it can be treated by a knowledgeable veterinarian. Here are some of the signs of pneumonia:

The warning signs for pneumonia are bubbles coming from the nose (this can also signal an upper respiratory infection) and irregular raspy breathing, lethargy and an unwillingness to eat (because they can’t smell?).

Unfortunately, hedgehogs are quite prone to tumors and cancers, especially in the 3-4 year old range. Whether this may be due in part to dietary factors, or just because they rarely live to that age in the wild, and we are just seeing the effects of bodily systems run amok, is not known. About the only advice I can pass along is the suggestion that came from the 1997 "Go Hog Wild" Veterinary Seminar, where the doctors gave the advice to have any tumors removed ASAP, as being the best possible course of action available at this time.

Although this could fit into the previous section, I felt it deserved a section of its own. After taking my herd of cats in for their annual shots, I found myself wondering about what shots, if any, a hedgehog should have. Primarily, the biggest worry in North America is likely rabies, but there are other potential fungal/bacterial/viral infections as well.

After talking with my (non-hedgehog oriented) vet, I took my questions to the appropriate source (thanks Cathy Johnson-Delaney, DVM). It turns out the answer is quite simple, yet complicated (don’t you just love it when answers are like that?).

As a general rule, for indoor hedgehogs that are not exposed to the dangers of outdoors, there is no need to worry. What complicates this is that local authorities may not see it that way, and especially in areas where diseases such as rabies exist, and they might be VERY insistent on vaccination—even though no vaccine has been approved for hedgehogs yet. So, you don’t need to vaccinate your hedgehog, unless otherwise required—clear as mud, right?

Here are some words of wisdom from Cathy to help clear things up a bit, and to try and cover the problem areas of what to do when you DO need to vaccinate a hedgehog, or get treatment otherwise. Remember, this is primarily her professional opinion, and not a set of absolute truths.

At present, there are no vaccinations for pet hedgehogs. They are not susceptible to dog/cat diseases, or as far as I know, really any of the major agricultural/livestock disease problems (well in North America anyway - we don’t vax our livestock for Foot & Mouth, which hedgies can get, but North America is FM free). Theoretically, they can get sick with many of the bacterial diseases of livestock, but the chances of them being exposed as indoor housepets is just about nil, unless you take them outside and let them mingle with pigs, chickens, cows, horses in breeding/dirty environments and let them feed on dung (I think they would risk getting stepped on first).

The only exception to this might be if you were housing your hedgies outdoors in caging part of the year and rabies was a threat in your area - then I might recommend vaccinating with a killed rabies vax (Imrab) as a precaution, like we do for pet bunnies housed outdoors in rabies endemic areas. Realize that:

2. Since it is not a recognized vax and is a non-domestic species, the FDA or Public Health Service/Dept/CDC (or Canada’s equivalent) will not recognize the animal as being vaccinated so if the hedgie bites anyone, the animal will just be euthanized and tested. NO ifs, ands, or buts....

So the best all round precaution is not to let others handle your hedgie lest he bite someone, and that someone gets his/her physician, public health dept, etc. involved.

The actual risk from rabies in an indoor pet hedgie is, in my opinion, non-existent, but public health people have regulations and hedgies fall into the blanket category of non-domestics so all rules apply.

One of the most common problems that pet hedgehogs can suffer from is mites. Kathleen Close sent along some thoughts from her veterinarian regarding mites, and how common they can be:

He said 90% of the hogs he’s seen do [have mites]. It looks like a white crusty coating on their quills. The doc just gives them a shot. It won’t bother the hog, but will poison the mites when they bite.

How common mites are may be related to where you live. Also, it’s quite common for a hedgehog to arrive already having mites. Indeed, many breeders may not even notice it, since it is rather easy to pass off as being ‘normal’ when it is not too bad.

Some of the signs of mites are crusty deposits, especially around the eyes and at the base of the quills, and loss of quills. Don’t panic if your hedgehog loses occasional quills—they’re much like our hair like that (although for some of us, this comparison might not work—if you’re like me, don’t wait until there are no quills left thinking it’s normal). If your hedgehog seems to be losing quite a few quills, more than you think is right, it’s probably time to do something about it.

Treating an average case of mites can be done at home, using a mild flea or Tick spray (for example Adams Flea Spray). Make sure you avoid the long lasting sprays, and spray your little friend down along his back from front to rear, making sure you avoid the head. Repeat this in a couple of days for 2 or 3 treatments and that should curb the mites. You will also need to completely clean out the cage when you do this or the mites hiding in the bedding will just wait until the spray wears down, and hop back on.

One quick note, the bedding can often be the source of the mites. It is possible to get mite infested packages of bedding. You might want to switch to another package, and preferably another brand of bedding to be on the safe side. Most reputable brands of pet bedding attempt to treat their bedding products so they are pest free, but it is always possible that some managed to get through. In an emergency, you can use shredded newspaper to carry you through until you get new bedding.

Here are some cautions to help you decide if the can of flea spray you’re looking at will do the job and be safe:

One important note: make sure that the insecticide listed is pyrethrin. Pyrethrin is the natural insect repellent (well, it comes from a flOver).

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Adam’s, it’s an alcohol based mist. When you first spray it on an animal, all you can smell is the alcohol. (whew) It dries very quickly and after it dries, it has a pleasant smell.

I suspect many such sprays are going to use an alcohol base, so beware that you don’t get too much overspray in the air—it isn’t good for your hedgie (or you) to be breathing it.

If you are in any doubt as to the safety of a spray, try a small amount sprayed on the rump. If there are any adverse effects, wash your hedgehog quickly and make tracks to a veterinarian, taking the can with you.

Treating a serious case of mites can require a trip to the veterinarian. While it’s not particularly difficult to treat, the problem can become serious if left untreated. To give you a perspective on mites, ‘mange’ is caused by a type of mite.

Here are a few cautionary words from Todd Reeves, courtesy of his veterinarian, on treating hedgehogs for mites:

Just a little note tomorrow I’m giving all my hedgies a mite BATH. I had a little discussion with my new vet, she has a little bit of experience with the little pin cushions, she says that the ingredient that they use to dilute the ivermectin (Propolyne Glycol) [this is the most commonly used medication for treating mites—ed.] is extremely toxic and it is the main source of the deaths in a lot of animals that are treated with it. If I were to give them invermectin injections she says the solution would have to be pure and not diluted. Of course this makes for incredibly small dosages almost impossible to administer. As an alternative she has given me MITABAN, which is even more toxic, but it is in a liquid form that is diluted in water and administered as a BATH. I have to put an eye ointment on them first......I’m sure I’ll have lots of entertaining attempts at this. I know that at least 3 of my hedgies will allow me to do this but Sahsha will have a little fit.

Recently, Michael (knuckles) passed along the following information care of his veterinarian (note: this describes a pretty thorough mite infestation):

We were so unsure as to whether he had them because hedgemites live under the skin [note: in many bad cases they can be seen moving along the quills, if you look carefully—ed.]. Their waste is usually the first sign you’ll see of an infected hedgehog because mites leave their waste as white-brown circular crusts surrounding the base of the hog. Using a pair of tweezers, I removed one of the suspecting crusts and looked hard at what I had between the prongs. Crawling around the crust and onto the tweezers were tiny white specks. These specks appeared to be two-parted, meaning the middle was almost a clear line from side to side. My wife suggested the mites looked like a pair of Mini-Wheats (cereal) from 1,000 feet up [glad I’m not a morning person, I may never eat breakfast again—ed.].

The reason why I say the white-brown crusty waste is the first sign is that prior to seeing this, my long and hard looks at Iggy’s skin showed no sign of movement from the mites. Just lots of dandruff. You could put him on a black towel, roll him around, and it would look like it had just snowed on the towel.

Iggy took the injection quite well. We let him curl up into a towel, I held the towel against my chest and she stuck the needle into his rump. He didn’t even flinch. I expected him to burrow through my chest and into the wall behind me.

Michael also expressed relief over his vet opting not to use a mite powder. While I don’t know if it would be dangerous if used carefully, powders can cause problems in hedgehogs if they get in the eyes, or end up being inhaled. Using either injections (from your vet), or a spray (where chances of inhaling it are over quickly, and it’s far easier to protect against, and these can be flushed away from eyes much easier in the event of an accident), are safer options.

NOTE: I am not a veterinarian. I haven’t even owned (been owned by?) a hedgehog for many years. Hedgehogs tend to be very resistant to disease once they reach adulthood; this makes for relatively easy care. As with all pets, any change in normal behavior, or eating, drinking, sleeping, or litter habits may indicate a health problem that bears looking into. At the moment there is little I can offer beyond this as far as warning signs.

Hedgehogs are small. While they generally enjoy very good health, any kind of disease or disorder can be fatal in only a couple of days, so if you suspect a problem, see your vet immediately.

Another type of problem that can occur in hedgehogs, though not that commonly are tumors or abscesses inside the mouth, and various dental related problems. Feeding them a diet which involves a substantial amount of dry (crunchy) food may help avoid some of these problems (though tartar buildup might be more related to the pH of the food. Often these problems can be handled without complications, by a vet if caught early.

Another problem that occurs in female hedgehogs is mammary tumors. Again, if caught early enough, a vet can surgically remove these. Fortunately, this isn’t a common problem, but it is a life threatening one if and when it does occur.

Subject: My hedgehog’s had funny-looking stools for a couple of days. What’s wrong?

Normal hedgehog droppings can range from almost pellet-like to quite soft and sticky. Color is usually very dark brown, almost black. Depending on diet, especially treats, they can vary quite a bit. If your hedgehog is leaving unusual droppings after having had a treat or change in diet a day or so before, then it is probably related to what he ate. If the problem continues (assuming the hedgehog is back on his normal diet), or if your hedgehog is suffering from severe diarrhea, see your vet, immediately.

I have received some info from my vet about diarrhea in hedgies. He said that one of the best ways to cure it was to feed yogurt with Lacto Bascillus such as Alta Dena. He also said that most hedgies LOVE pina colada flavor.

Some hedgehog food (though this now appears to have been changed to avoid this and possibly other problems) can affect the color of the droppings for a week or so. If you have just started feeding your prickly friend hedgehog food, the red colored droppings are normal, and are not a sign of problems.

There are, however, some serious problems that are indicated by funny looking stools. Remember that if you’ve fed your hedgie something odd, that is likely the cause of the problem, but if he’s been on his normal diet, and changes in his stools happen, it may be a warning sign. For example:

A good sign that there’s something definitely wrong with your hedgie is stinky black tarry looking stool. If anyone’s hedgie shows that it’s [potentially] an internal lesion and the hedgie should be rushed to the vet IMMEDIATELY.

The vet said he had necrosis of the kidney, mineralization of the heart, a lesion in his lOver stomach and a touch of pneumonia or the flu (they think he got that the last day he lived, just another infection setting in). They think that it was his kidney’s malfunctions that brought that all about, and they think that it was something he may have been born with.

While similar symptoms in your hedgehog might not indicate the same problem, a trip to a knowledgeable vet is probably worthwhile. In general, serious kidney problems in hedgehogs are probably not easily treatable, but catching such problems early might make a big difference.

This is often the sign of either a sick, depressed, or especially a chilled hedgehog. Assuming your hedgehog is warm enough, and there is no likelihood of unusual stress (which can also put a hedgehog off eating), you may want to have a vet check for sickness, but clearly the thing that’s needed is to get your pet back on its dinner. About the only suggestion I can offer is to attempt out and out bribery; offer your hedgehog his favorite treats, and try some cooked chicken or turkey. If possible, make sure he is drinking, and if necessary resort to using some thinned chicken broth, or even something as exotic as Gatorade (to help restore electrolytes). Other suggestions for bribery snacks are chopped hardboiled egg, and cottage cheese, and mealworms.

Related to this is the problem of not drinking, or not drinking enough, resulting in dehydration. If water is available and accessible, this is usually not a problem, but if for one reason or another this does occur, it is important to get fluids into the hedgehog as quickly as reasonably possible. This might involve a vet visit and intravenous or similar fluid replacement. In less dire cases, you can use electrolyte enhanced drinks, such as many of the sport drinks now available, or better yet, Pedalyte, a form intended for children, which is quite a bit ‘safer’ for sensitive digestive systems. Because of the cost, and quantity, this is not always an economical choice, however, as suggested by Sheri, you can get it in a powdered form under the brand name Kaopectalyte.

Remember, given a hedgehog’s small size, not eating or drinking can become deadly in very short order. If the situation persists for more than a couple of days, consider taking your little friend to a vet.

Even if your hedgehog is never outdoors, you can bring in fleas or flea eggs on your shoes or clothing.

In general, most products that are safe for use on kittens are likely safe for hedgehogs. Keeping in mind that bathing baby or young hedgehogs can be dangerous and should be avoided if possible. It is better to spray on such products.