r/Hedgehog

Hello Everyone!

Two days ago I posted about this little hedgehog that suddenly appeared in my room, I asked about it here and it was revealed to me he would not survive the winter below 600 to 650 gramms. I found him to be about 370 gramms.

While I was still researching in a diffrent room since I fed him cat food and wanted to leave him be as to not stress him out my sister kicked him out after ChatGPT said he'd be fine because he's 'acting normal'

Me and my neighbor were looking all night last night hoping to find him without success.

Now this night just a couple minutes after I was outside my neighbor called saying he found him! I couldn't believe it, but its actually the little guy, weight confirmed it. He's now again within my care.

Ive been suggested to hand him over to a rescue, unfortunately within my range there's only two that take in hedgehogs and both are very overrun and dont take in any animals anymore.

By law im allowed to keep him over the winter but have to release again when hibernation is over, atleast that what I think what it means because it just says you can't keep them 'permanently' not that I wanted to do that anyways.

So now that it looks like he'll stay with me during the winter I have a bunch of questions id like answered as soon as possible, since I can't ask the rescues until Monday because everything is closed during Sundays. (Not that I won't try to reach them)

So here's my questions.

What would the ideal setup look like?

Can I feed him solely on cat food or is it more of a substitute to what he should actually be eating?

What should he be fed if cat food is not a permanent solution?

Do i give him access to as much food as he wants to eat until hibernation or should it be twice a day like with a cat or dog?

Do i still feed him during hibernation?

How do I tell if he went into hibernation or not?

What are signals for disease i should look out for?

What is the right time to release him again?

Also, ill take name suggestions, my sister named him/her Fred but after throwing him out I think she's lost all rights to name him or her.

Is it possible to figure out the gender without disturbing them much?

Thank you for all and any help you guys can give

Hi everyone. Meet Quillow!
I made a previous post, but after some time I have a lot more questions! I rescued a hedgehog a little over a week ago from a bad situation. I took her to the vet, and they diagnosed her with dental disease. Until her next appointment, how and should I aid this? She eats most of her kibble, which I weighed 15-18g in my scooper and she never eats it all, but a lot more than when I first got her! She’s on hedgehog precision mixed with wellness complete chicken. Should I grind it up? Can I buy a coffee grinder for this?
I bought a 4x2x2 enclosure that’s arriving Sunday. Any set up pics are appreciated, I want what’s best for her! She has everything she needs, and I’ve done a LOT of research prior to even finding her in those conditions. I am learning to sew so I can make cage liners and accessories. Tips for that is welcome as well! I’ve bonded so well with her the first week, and I’m excited to continue to build trust. Pic for attention (and her first night home. She was so sweet immediately!)😊🦔

Harriet had her vet appointment today! She had to get the sedative shot in her butt fat because she wouldn’t unroll (again).. Doctor says she’s perfect and has adorable teeth and nose 😂 ketamine is taking a while to wear off so she’s still pretty out of it

I know hedgehogs typically get their food at night when they’re most active, but Fritter gets out for a bit and always eats before going back to sleep in the morning, so I don’t know if swapping to a nighttime feeding schedule would be a good fit

However, this petite hog can really chow down and sometimes he doesn’t have enough food to last the night

Would it make sense to just split the food in half so he doesn’t run out? It seems obvious, but I wanted to make sure lol

I can’t really switch it up right now because someone will be watching him in a few days and I don’t want to stress him more than it already will be for him.

Found this poor guy thrown out in a dumpster. He looked severely neglected and had some serious medical issues. I rescued this precious fella and warmed him up as he had entered torpor.

After he came out of it and, by the next morning, was walking about exploring.

I took him to the local animal shelter as he clearly needed medical attention. I put my name down to be the first in line to adopt him if he makes a recovery, but he has a large mass in his mouth so might not be adoptable and be euthanized if he can't have a good quality of life.

Check my comment below for a link to my original post for full details!

He’s pretty comfortable around me I just don’t know if anyone has had any luck with getting their hedgehog to come to them or is able to get them to understand/respond to their name