Bringing a Hedgehog Home as Pet: Are You Ready for It?
Three (3) Basic Points to Consider When Bringing a Hedgehog Home.
After you’ve decided that a hedgehog is right for you, have found the right place to adopt your new pet hedgehog, and have picked him out, it’s time to bring it home.
There are a few things to keep in mind before this happens as well as some things to be aware of to help him get settled in a comfortable and easy way.
Get and Prepare a Carrier Cage
The best option for taking your hedgehog home safely is with a caring cage, similar to the ones used for cats.
Layer the carrier with a few small blankets or fleece fabric to allow your new hedgehog to snuggle in and get comfortable during the ride.
Since you will most likely pick it up during the day, they should sleep through the ride.
They are small nocturnal mammals and sleep in the daytime.
One thing to know is that they can become car sick on a bumpy ride and may be nervous in the new cage environment, so be more cautious when driving.
Buy Enough Food Supplies
When you pick up your hedgehog, ask for a few weeks’ worths of their dry food, or ask what brand to purchase beforehand so that you are not feeding unfamiliar food immediately.
After a couple of weeks, it’s okay to transition your hedgehog onto a portion of different dry food.
You can learn more about what types of food to feed your hedgehog for long-term hire.
Bonding with Your New Pet Hedgehog
The key to helping your hedgehog adjust to the new environment is allowing them to bond with you, and whoever else will commonly take care of him.
Starting a socializing routine with your hedgehog will help make bonding easier.
Routines will help keep your hedgehog’s stress levels down and allow them time each day to become more comfortable with you.
You can bond with your hedgehog by spending about half an hour per day holding it in a blanket on your lap, petting him, or allowing him some supervised playtime in a pen.
Try not to spend too much longer than a half hour per day in the beginning so that they don’t become overwhelmed by new sensory input.
Another essential part of bonding with your pet hedgehog is getting him used to your scent.
You can do this by putting a worn t-shirt into his cage for snuggling and using the same soap when washing your hands before holding him so that he can get used to a familiar scent and relate your scent to being safe.