An African Pygmy Hedgehog - We have added a new pet to our family recently. A beautiful animal, made with a very cute face and a beautiful yet adorable nature through their shyness.
They are an unusual pet, but are becoming more and more common as time goes by. The African Pygmy Hedgehog comes from northern Africa and was first domesticated in the late 1980s - that's almost 30 years! I was only aware of a few months ago where pets. They are not so much as a pygmy bit smaller than the standard European Hedgehog, and they come in many different color variants at a price that is not too reasonable - shop around though and you can get som real bargains!
"They do not have fleas?" was the first thing my mother asked when I broke the news that we had a different animal. Do not do it! Savages do, but captive-bred domesticated animals are free from these pests. Of course, if another animal in the house she gets a cat or a dog maybe, then the parasites latch on your hedgehog.
As pets, they are fantastic. You make some very strange noises - they "hm" and "pumph" how disturbing it, curling and make their sharp spines rigid handle. A word of warning: handling your hedgehog with care, as the spines are extremely sharp and hurt, so use a towel or glove to handle your pet and avoid injury. This said, within about a minute to protest, your hedgehog will come round and curiosity to get the upper hand (if it takes longer, then your hedgehog could be stressed or ill) and it will stretch and start sniffing. Put it on the carpet, and let you explore it. You have to keep your eyes on where your pet is to keep going - like hedgehogs are nocturnal, they are searching for the darkest spot they can find and make it in!
The spines are like milk teeth fall at around 3 months old, and then a few months later. This is no cause for concern. Replace their spines as we replace teeth, but they are a bit thinner if they fall out and therefore sharper! Speaking of teeth, hedgehogs are a nice full set of teeth that are not sharp, and when they bite to lock! To let go, there are a few things you can try - blowing a sharp burst of air can directly work in their face as they can in cold water divining.
You can have a hedgehog in the house in a relatively small cage (36 "x 24" x 18 ") to hold, although some people prefer to go to the city you are very curious and intelligent beings who need to keep their minds occupied -. A tube (old carpet roll), a ball, a toy with a bell in it are all welcome at about 3 months old can be the introduction of a large wheel (for rat or chinchilla / degu), so your hoglet to train -. they will run around 7 miles every night Easy to feed - they eat fruit, vegetables, cat food (bet quality), wet food, chopped unseasoned chicken, beef, turkey, mealworms, morioworms, crickets, etc. - pretty much everything so ask! Ensure that you add the essentials to their diet, such as vitamins and essential oils, which can be purchased at your local pet store.
With regular treatment, your hedgehog will be used to get you used to the sounds and smells of the house and venture out when you least expect it! They are less "huffy" and more social and like to take mealworms from the hand (watch the teeth) and allow you to pet without spiking you! This is great, and you will very quickly fall in love with your new pet, because they are so adorable. They will be bathed, although they are not so keen on the method used baby shampoo and warm water, followed by a quick dip in olive oil and warm water nourish the skin - otherwise they suffer with dandruff.
One last thing to say is that they are easily litter trained - it took 2 days to train our union. The secret? Line the litter box with a soft paper towel, the first time that poop (which they very much do), you move it and put it in their litter box. You will then associate this with the toilet, and within 24 hours you will find your hedgehog uses his toilet and nowhere else.
Are you really have a lot of fun, and once you have that you can look normal. Ours is pink - because, as the singer she has blonde spikey hair and is full of attitude and the boy has to adapt her! With best wishes have what you choose, Pet...
