r/Hedgehog

I have a 5 month old hoglet and wondering why is she super clingy. I'm still not used to the spiky girl trying to crawl up and down and trying to burrow into my shirt. She doesn't bite, snarl, hiss, pop and she's okay to me picking her up from any position as long as she hears my voice. My only problem is she is super spiky to be this affectionate. Do hedgehogs know they are too spiky to be fluffy. Do they have concept of life and death as she tries to climb up and down at me when I pick her up. Her name is peppa btw cuz soul devourer was vetoed by my wife. My past experiences with exotics are snakes, monkeys, birds, reptiles, and piranhas. This is actually the most tiring as I know how to pet proof a cage/room but not myself.

I took in a new baby on Saturday, she was living with her previous owners in improper conditions (her enclosure was small and included no fleece liner just dog cotton potty pads on the bottom, small running saucer, one plastic hide, a water and food bowl, and one small plastic tunnel, that’s it). I was told she also hadn’t had a real bath her whole life, only feet baths here and there.

She’s obviously missing an eye as seen in the last photo (previous owners say it just popped out). It looks to have healed very well! She’s very active, her poops don’t look too bad and honestly she’s pretty open to human interaction (aside from her wake up grumpies), I think she was a little underweight at 260g. But my main concern right now is all of her itching! She stops every couple of minutes to scratch herself, I know hogs are prone to sensitive skin, what can I do to mediate this?

I’ve done one oat bath so far, but I don’t want to over wash her and irritate her skin more, I have an appointment at the vet on the 28th (earliest I could get with my exotic.) anxious to get this solved for her and make her feel more comfy in her new home!

Also any tips or suggestions are welcomed, I’ve jammed my brain with info since I saw her living conditions and was determined to take her in, but I’m sure there’s more to learn! Thank you in advance hog helpers <3

I’m getting my pet hedgehog next month when he’s old enough to leave, I get updates etc on him so I know what he looks like. He has mainly white quills and is classed as a snowflake hedgehog because of it. He looks like one of those chocolate snowball snacks that have coconut flakes on them. I wanted to maybe try to name him something associated with snowflakes or those chocolate snowball things but I can’t think of a good name that would suit him.
I will also wait to see what his personality is like too before naming him but I wanted some good name ideas before I have him. Any ideas?

Two weeks ago I had to make the very difficult decision to say goodbye to my precious Dumpling. She was around 5-6 months when I got her and I had her for close to 4.5-5 years. I got her at a dark time in my life and had a very strong bond with her. Unfortunately, because I was going through it when I got her- I got her from Uncle Bills. Very, very bad choice on my part. She was sick within two weeks of having her. Thousands down in vet bills but we found oral steroids worked well for her. She had some sort of gastritis without an official cause or source (lots of scans and tests to figure this out). So from the start of having her, I didn’t know how long she’d be with me. We tried weaning off steroids but she’d throw up, lose weight, etc… so she was on steroids her whole life. Well, Dumpling was a stubborn little hog and ended up living to be five years old. However, she developed tumors which progressed in the last year and symptoms that mimicked WHS (I did not get her tested after death). The vet said likely but did not officially diagnose. She started having obvious struggles with her back legs in April and by July could not really use her back legs at all or stand. It looked like WHS, but again, she was older and did not test her after death. Her tumor on her right arm also progressed. In July I started contemplating quality of life and potential euthanasia. The vet’s office was incredible during this time. Spoke to me through messaging system, calls, and gave me a quality of life score to fill out on Dumpling daily. I used my hand as a wheelchair for her back legs as she still used her front and would guide me around. My coworker actually 3D printed me a wheelchair but she wanted no part of that. She started having difficulty eating her food so we switched to the critical care formula. I got her out throughout the night (as I’m a night nurse/owl). When I was at work, my fiance would give her rampage time. But the start of August, she began ti slow down, did not want to eat or drink one night and seemed like something in her mouth was bothering her, and her tumor was growing. I knew it was time as much as it broke my heart. I’m so thankful for all the time I had with her since she was sick from early on. People always asked me before if I would get another, and I didn’t know. I signed up to foster hedgehogs almost a year ago, but none have needed it. I didn’t know if I’d want to actually adopt another. That being said, being without Dumping has made me realize how much I do want another hedgehog. It will never be her and I will never get the love she gave me back, but hogs have such a special place in my heart. I’ve been stalking this page, facebook groups, anywhere to see or hear other people’s little spiky gremlins. I love rescue and would still want to rescue, but with Dumpling having so many health issues, genetics are very important to me. Again, I got her from where I shouldn’t have, and a lot of her health issues could have stemmed from unethical breeding. I really want to prioritize getting a healthy and young hedgehog since lifespans are already short after losing Dumpling. I found a breeder a few hours away who has exceptional education, pedigree, and policies on who she adopts out to. I reached out a couple days ago expressing interest for one possibly in a few months since I just lost Dumpling. This is where I need advice though. I can’t stop thinking about it. All the time. I would love one now but I’m not sure if it’s too soon. I don’t want to erase Dumpling. I know ultimately, I know myself and my grief, but I’d love some advice from the hog community. Thank you for reading and letting me write about Dumpling. And thank you for future advice

I’ve had mine for 2 months now — she’s 5 months old! I’ve noticed her behavior is a little introverted. She loves lying under her mat and in her hideout, and doesn’t come out much except to play on her wheel. She’s also not really the snuggly type — whenever I put her on my bed, she goes under the blanket. Sometimes she seems to shake a bit? I’m not sure if it’s because of the cold or if she feels threatened. I live in Malaysia, so the weather here is quite hot. I try to interact with her for at least 15 minutes a day. I also try to let her free-roam outside, but she just stands there shaking. Is there any way for me to change or improve this, or should I just accept that this is how she is?

where are you guys finding heating pads/mays for your babies? I want a new one that specifically doesn’t auto-shut off after 24 hours so I feel better leaving my girl overnight but I’m having trouble finding one. Hog picture for tax.

Moonie has the sweetest face, and loves to explore our shirts after they’ve been to work with us!

Found this little guy (well, my dog spotted him!) at the side of the road in the middle of the day on my lunch time walk. His back legs weren't working. Took him home, called our local rescue centre who told us to take it in to get checked out. Poor thing had to be put to sleep as he had broken legs/pelvis. Felt so upset for it, but I'm glad it isn't still suffering at the side of the road.

Our local rescue centre has over 70 in at the moment 🥲

I went out to water a sunflower that grew from some bird seed and saw this guy in the dark. Definitely a great way to end the night.

In anticipation of some actual rainfall in the UK I have deployed the Hog Anti Damp Device. To ensure customer enjoyment whilst dinning this evening.

Further to my post earlier about another (5) rescue. The little hoglet has had plenty to eat and drink and is now in a VERY deep slumber, so far everything is looking good for the little guy / girl❤️

No.5, it seems like every time I take a dog for a walk they find one of these babies that is in need of urgent help. Fingers crossed for this little one.

He / she was in the middle of a footpath curled up. Off to vets again as our local rescue seem to be unreachable and have never retuned a call.

We discovered a hedgehog nest in our garden, and these adorable babies have been coming out to eat the cat food and drink the fresh water we’ve put out for them.

We named the mother Dorothy, and so far we’ve seen three babies, which we’ve named Star, Sky, and Bernard.

Poppy decided it is no longer acceptable to just eat the food, she must become the food.

hi guys! i just revamped my girls cage. this is her new setup. i have a ceramic bulb to heat her but wanted to see what others with a similar setup do to keep their hedgies warm!

You’d thinking he was starving

Just for clarification purposes, he can reach the food perfectly fine, he climbs into the dish to be picky and choose what he’s going to eat first 😭

A young female hedgehog that lives in our garden has started spending a long time “pawing” in the water bowl and constantly moving her mouth as if she is eating even when not at the food or water. She didn’t do this when she was first released in our garden and this water bowl isn’t new to her. She seems to be the only one that does this. She appears to be drinking. She does go to the food but I’m not sure she is eating much of it - there are several other hedgehogs that do eat so it’s refilled every day.

Does she maybe have something stuck in her throat that she is trying to flush?

If she needs to see a vet I can get her there (I’ve done it a few times already) but if this isn’t an abnormal behaviour or a problem I’ll just leave her alone.

England Berkshire- has been hot but interesting this seemed to start after the temps dropped back to normal.