| Pet Hedgehogs

Finding the right supplies for hedgehogs can be difficult and requires a lot of research for the unitiated. Fortunately I spent a lot of time looking at different hedgehog supplies to see which ones were suitable.

What supplies do I need for a hedgehog? The main supplies hedgehogs need are:

Cage
House
Exercise Wheel
Food/Water bowl
Heat Pad Mat or Heat Lamp
Thermostat
Bedding
Cat Food
Insects
Sleeping Pouch
Litter Tray
Playpen
Bath
Cage cleaners
Nail Clippers

The choice of a cage is a personal preference as some owners may decide to use a vivarium. A house to sleep is essential, as it provides a dark place to not only sleep but to hide.

Running wheels are necessary for exercise. Heat mat pads or heat lamps are essential for hedgehogs to keep warm, along with a good choice of bedding and liners.

The right type of food to remain healthy like dry cat biscuits is a must for hedgehogs, to keep obesity away.

The biggest expense after buying a hedgehog will be the cage or a vivarium depending on preferences. A house to sleep and hide is the next thing I’d look at, with some form of heating like a heat mat pad or a heat lamp. It’s important to ensure the temperature is controlled and this can be easily done using a thermostat that uses a thermometer to check the temperature.

Bedding choices are important, as some owners prefer fabric type bedding that’s reusable as it easily washable. Whilst other owners prefer using disposable bedding like wood shavings or paper based bedding.

Hedgehogs need exercise and a running wheel is a must, along with a good diet of dry cat biscuits to keep them healthy and stop them becoming obese. Let’s take a look at some of the hedgehog supplies out there.

Cages

We use a ZooZone Habitat Large cage as it was the biggest cage at the time of buying our hedgehog and now if we had a choice we would choose the Amazons Basic Small Animal Cage in the Jumbo Size as shown below:

This cage in it’s jumbo size is 40 inches (124 cm) long, 27 inches (68 cm) wide and 21 inches (52 cm) high. With it’s 3.33 feet length and 2.25 feet width, this cage has enough room for a hedgehog to comfortable live in. It’s important to make sure any cage you choose is not only big enough for your hedgehog but is big enough to take all the additional items like a hedgehog house, exercise wheels, feeding to drinking bowls.

With this Amazon cage, the dimensions are adequate enough for these additional items but if you were thinking of putting a litter tray in this cage aswell as the other items then this might be a tight squeeze. To be honest, I don’t think a litter tray is really required and we can vouch for that, as we don’t use one. It’s still easier to clean the cage without a litter tray, as good bedding will make it a breeze when it comes to cleaning time.

There are also other cages you could opt for and the ones below make good choices as they are big enough for hedgehogs.

Houses

Hedgehogs need a safe place to hide and sleep where they can relax and feel safe. An Igloo type house makes a perfect addition to any cage and we bought the Kaytee Igloo Hideaway, like the one below. It’s pretty sturdy and even though you can see the hedgehog through the plastic, our hedgehog still finds it a safe place to hide and sleep.

Sometimes when we bring him out of his cage and he’s a bit shy when it comes to eating, we find when we put his food in the igloo house, he relaxes and chomps away at his dry cat biscuits. The igloo house is very easy to clean especially as sometimes our hedgehog may poop near the outside and this can dry up on the igloo house. However, some warm water easily shifts this poop off.

The plastic isn’t toxic to hedgehogs and there’s no overbearing plastic smell, so our hedgehog doesn’t get overly worried about any smells and scents coming off the igloo housing. After a while, the hedgehogs own smell will radiate in the igloo house and this will mean they will be at ease and comfortable in a surrounding that has a familiar smell.

There are also other housing options you could choose and the ones below make good choices as they are big enough for hedgehogs.

Exercise Wheels

Hedgehogs need exercise and what better way than to use a running wheel. Our hedgehog runs like a maniac on his wheel every night, periodically coming off the wheel to feed and quench the thirst he’s built up. I reckon he must be covering over 2 miles worth of running a night.

The Exotic Nutrition Silent Runner at 12 inches (30.48 cm) is the perfect size for a hedgehog to run on, with the added bonus of being designed to not make too much noise. The effective silent running is great for households where the noise of a wheel spinning around at night might be a little too distracting.

Exercising on these wheels combined with a good healthy diet, will keep hedgehogs fits and help them live longer as pets. Allowing them to avoid the perils of obesity type diseases like diabetes and heart conditions.

There are plenty of good alternatives for exercise wheel, like the Kaytee Comfort Wheel shown below but do make sure you get the Kaytee wheel in 12-inch size and not 8.5 inches.

Food/Water Bowls

You’ll need a food dish that’s heavy enough to not get tipped over, to serve food and water. The POPETPOP 3 piece Ceramic Feeding Bowls are strong enough to withstand biting and heavy enough to withstand being knocked over. I’ve found with ceramic feeding bowls how easy they are to clean, as a little soaking is all that’s needed to remove dryed on food and poop stains. These feeding bowls come in random assorted colors.

For UK and Europe, check out Rosewood Naturals Twin dish (check price on Amazon UK).

Heat Pad Mats

If you have a plastic cage then using a Heat Pad Mat is essential in keeping your hedgehog warm. For UK and European customers the Petnap Heat Pad Mat is available (check prices on Amazon UK).

If you’re on the move or need a temporary heating source, then a portable heat mat pad could be ideal.

Heat Lamps

For vivarium owners, a heat lamp (ceramic heat emitter) can keep the hedgehog warm, however, I would still suggest a heat pad mat for their housing area.

For UK and European customers the Vansuky 100W AC220V-240V Reptile pet appliances flat-type Infrared Ceramic heat lamp is available on Amazon UK (check prices on Amazon UK).

Heat Lamps need a compatible heat lamp holder.

With a guard to make sure your hedgehog is protected, should the heat lamp become loose?

Thermostats

Heating needs to be controlled and automatically switch on when the temperature drops below a safe level. For the UK and Europe the Swiftair Hydroponics Thermostat is a good choice (check prices on Amazon UK)

Bedding

Paper-based bedding options include:

Fabric based bedding options include:

Cage liners are a great option as they can be easily replaced once they have been soiled.

Cat Food

Dry cat biscuits for indoor cats should be the staple diet for hedgehogs. For UK and Europe, check out Go-Cat for Indoor Cats with Chicken and Added Garden Greens Dry Cat Food (check price on Amazon UK).

Treats are great and in moderation, they are loved by hedgehogs.

Wet Cat Food (canned cat food) can also be used but as it’s not as nutritious as dry cat biscuits, it should not be used as a hedgehog’s main source of food.

Insects

Hedgehogs love insects and as an occasional treat there’s no harm in giving them insects.

Do check to see if there have been no recent recalls, just to make sure the quality of any food is not compromised.

Sleeping Pouches

There are plenty of accessories for hedgehogs, designed to bring comfort, play and be useful enough for things like bathing.

Litter Trays

Some owners prefer to use a litter tray in the cage.

Playpens

It’s great to bring your hedgehog out of the cage once in a while and let them roam free in a safe environment like a playpen.

You can also make your own playpen using tiles like these:

Baths

We use a storage bin as a bath:

Don’t forget some oatmeal to add into an old sock and use for moisturising.

Or use a commercial moisturising bath wash:

How about a sand bath, so they can do some burrowing and playing?

A good hand sanitising gel is essential to keep your hands clean and germs at bay:

Cage Cleaners

We use a portable cord-free vacuum cleaner:

Cleaning the cage without a vacuum:

Nail Clippers

Hedgehogs nails need to be clipped every 3 or so months as long nails can get caught in bedding and cause injury. Long nails cause the hedgehog to make more noise on the running wheel.

Vivariums

Choosing a vivarium instead of a cage for a hedgehog needs a large vivarium like the one below:

In the UK and Europe, you can choose the following vivarium:

Miscellaneous

	Living World Deluxe Habitat (click image for latest Amazon prices)
	MidWest Homes for Pets Wabbitat Deluxe Rabbit Home Kit XL Size (click image for latest Amazon prices)

	Oncpcare Winter Warm Small Animals Bed (click image for latest Amazon prices)
	Twin Critters Handcrafted Hedgehog Cave Bed KubbiHog for Hedgies (click image for latest Amazon prices)

	PetnapUK Flexiguard Metal Pet Heat Pad Mat, Heated Bed (US Plug Adaptor) 3 Sizes (click image for latest Amazon prices)
	K&H Pet Products Thermo-Peep Heated Pad Tan 9″ x 12″ 25W (click image for latest Amazon prices)
	KANE Pet Heat Mat; Electric Heated Pad/Warmer Bed (click image for latest Amazon prices)

	Inkbird Heating Thermostat Temperature Controller Dual Stage Timer Switch (click image for latest Amazon prices)
	Zoo Med Digital Thermometer (click image for latest Amazon prices)