Are Hedgehogs Good Pets?

These are such special little critters.   We fell in love with them!!!  They are not rats, hamsters, gerbils, ferrets.  Nice and soft and cuddly.  They have quills that fill with air if startled and they are prickly.  Nothing horrific or even bothersome once you learn to scoop them up properly.  

We cannot disturb the mom under any circumstances for the first two weeks of whelping.  We leave her alone.  Carefully add food and water and just leave her alone.  Once the first 2 weeks have passed we get to peek at the babies.  Between me and the girls and Alli their friends we will be giving them tons of attention.

We don't think small kids or toddlers are a good idea.  They are prickly if their quills are up or you disturb them from sleeping.  Small children can squeeze them, step on them and drop them.  It's the same thing with puppies.  Just makes sense doesn't it?  Kids under 9  may not be a good match.

As we stated before.  These are living animals.  If you cannot handle cleaning up after them don't get any animal.  Minimal work but necessary.  Cage must be kept clean.  If you do what we do you will not have smells nor any sick hoglets.  

We adore their clock.  We pick them up in the day along with their hiss and hold them and at night if we are up we play again.  If not, they play all night and never disturb us thanks to the most incredible wheel ever made.  We hands down love these adorable loving pets.  After they are use to you they don't even quill up.  Love it! They enjoy living alone.  So one is happy and fine.  No roommates please.

African pygmy hedgehogs prefer living one to a cage.  They don't care for company.  This can be perfect actually.  Don't have to feel bad that they are alone.  They Love It.  They prefer it.  Cannot put a girl and a boy together for obvious reasons.  Two males will fight and two females will also fight.  One per cage is the perfect home sweet home.