Do Hedgehogs Make Good Pets? Pros, Cons, & Everything You Need to Know

However, being a good pet doesn’t mean being an easy pet. Thus, take special consideration and prepare yourself first to welcome your new friend.

Are you truly passionate about having a hedgehog as a pet? Then, you may have done your homework and must know how to care for a pet hedgehog, hedgehog food list, hedgehog carrier, toys, species, and the list goes on. Not yet or want to know more? Must visit and take a closer look at hedgehoged.com

Let’s Look at the Pros of owning hedgies as pets for more convincing!

Benefits of Pet Hedgehogs

Ease of Care

First up hedgies are easy to care for pets. You can provide them with any DIY wooden or fiber bedding or go for store-bought bedding. To own a hedgie as a pet, you just need to have temperature controls in your living space.

In terms of hedgehog diet and food, their diet is straightforward. You can give them almost everything except dairy. Hedgehog’s favorite food includes bugs and insect treats. Moreover, you can serve them cat kibble, fruits, and vegetables. Must add plenty of water to their diet.

Low Maintenance Pet

Being naturally clean and easy to handle mammals, hedgehogs require little to no maintenance.

You don’t need to worry about constant cleaning, caring, checkups and so. You can clean the hedgehog cage together with their essentials, food & water bowls, toys, and hedgehog wheel once a week.

Solitary Creature

Hedgehogs are solitary animals and don’t need any company to play with. They can enjoy themselves. So, they don’t mind if you spend much time with them or don’t play or cuddle with them. However, make sure to enjoy some bonding time with your little pet hedgie.

Bonus Tip: Don’t keep two or more hedgehogs in a single cage to avoid mess. Besides, provide them with the right hedgehog wheel size to allow them to run as much as they want.

Hedgehog Pets are Adventurous

Timid and cute hedgehogs remain active and energetic all the time, especially at night hours. You rarely find them relaxing. So, pet hedgies are great to add a little thrill and adventure to your routine life.

Let them settle with their new space and they’ll become fond of you. Once they become friendly to you, they’ll cuddle with you, jump on you, and play hide and seek with you.

Other Noteworthy Pros

Here are some more reasons to emphasize you to bring a hedgehog:

• Unlike rodents, they don’t chew or damage your surrounding and property.
• The pricky animals are not aggressive and don’t bite or hurt you.
• Unlike cats, dogs, and other animals, hedgehogs are hypoallergenic.
• Hedgehogs don’t require frequent routine checkups and vaccination. You have to visit clinics or veterinary when requires.
• Hedgehogs are not stinky animals.

Downsides of Having Hedgehogs as Pets

Having an exotic pet doesn’t involve any smooth sailing. Although hedgies are adorable, cute creatures, they can give you a tough time as a pet. So, be sure you are ready to experience various downsides with them. Let’s highlight some of them to know whether a hedgehog is the right pet for you or not.

• Being noisy and nocturnal animals, they may disturb your sleep cycle and interrupt your schedules.
• As mentioned earlier, hedgies need to be kept alone due to their solitary nature. Besides, they don’t like to interact with other pet animals.
• Many hedgehog species including African pygmy have a self-anointing habit that many people don’t like to witness.
• Another offsetting issue is these exotic pets don’t crave human bonding and interaction.
• Hedgies prefer a stable environment and don’t fond of long trips or outdoor adventures.
• They’re costly as compared to other pet animals like fish, cats, hamsters, or even dogs. You must consider additional expenses while opting for an exotic hedgehog pet.
• Hedgehog is not a universal pet as they aren’t legal in many states. So do check your state law before adopting the one. Otherwise, be ready to pay high penalties and fines.
• Above all, hedgehogs can contract and transmit numerous diseases to other animals and even humans. It’s the main cause for concern while having this exotic pet. However, regular medical checkups and vaccination keep them healthy and safe.

Keep all the points in mind before you adopt or bring a pet hedgie into your home. If you already own this cute mammal, make sure to follow proper safety precautions and keep their enclosure clean. Besides, must wash your hand after handling your pet.

We wish you a happy time with your cute and active hedgie!

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