Our Hedgehog Setup

We have been asked about housing for our African Pygmy hedgehogs, so we have taken a few pics to show what we use.
Basically they are 100cm x 55cm indoor rabbit/guinea pig cages, we provide a bedroom/nesting area at one end the cage, the roof of which is also the feeding area with a ramp for access. We like this arrangement as it keeps the water and food dishes away from the substrate thus preventing contamination.
With the breeding female’s accommodation the lid is hinged which allows easy observation without disturbing the sow or babies.
A wheel is essential for exercise, as are other toys to provide stimulus and prevent boredom

(The hedgie in the pics is our adult male to give a better idea of relative size)

Good set up John. I would add a wheel is not only essential for exercise, wheels and toys help to prevent repetitive behavior and stress induced mental problems and anti social behavior through frustration and depression. As I've said many times over numerous posts on forums over the years, these are a must in order to keep the animal mentally fit as well and physically. Theres far more to keeping them healthy then just a good diet.

Also, one tip for ramps & platforms, hogs have no depth perception and even a small fall can cause injuries so adding a wall along a ramp and also a platform will help to herd the hog in the right direction and reduce the risk of any little short cuts that may lead to an injury, keeping it high enough to prevent them climbing over it can make all the difference. Just a little something I did years ago with ramps and IMO is an easy & safe.

Tan wrote:Also, one tip for ramps & platforms, hogs have no depth perception and even a small fall can cause injuries so adding a wall along a ramp and also a platform will help to herd the hog in the right direction and reduce the risk of any little short cuts that may lead to an injury, keeping it high enough to prevent them climbing over it can make all the difference. Just a little something I did years ago with ramps and IMO is an easy & safe.

Thanks Tan
The side of the ramp and the edge of the platform did cause us some concern initially, however after watching the male negotiate the ramp and roof without any hesitation we came to the conclusion that he did in fact have a very good perception regarding edges etc. If he had fallen (and we have never seen him or any of the females fall off ramps or roofs) the greatest fall would be no more than 5" and the landing would be onto three inches of soft shavings.
Of much greater concern to us is their lack of ability to climb back down the bars when they have climbed up. (you commented on this to JoeR) but as you said they do roll well!
Cheers
John

Thanks so much for this John and Tan, your posts are excellent!
I'm really warming to these fellows right now!
What kind of things should you put in as 'toys' bar the wheel?
Do they chew on things?, what i mean by that is would they benefit having a piece of wood or special product specifically for them to chew on? like you do guinea pigs and hamsters to keep there teeth short?

No, they are not like Lagomorphs whos teeth are open rooted, these guys are like us, adult set are for life and dental hygiene is important. I've spoken of this in the past if you look over some old posts here.

They are all individuals and some wont ever play with toys, others will and I have had one female who had a nest buddy in the form of a little teddy bear she would bring to bed with her if you left it out of the hide. This is seen now and then and is a little like chimps playing with twigs as dolls, it's a comfort thing too and shows they can and do (some of them not all) enjoy the company of another.

Sorry John, my comments are aimed at others who may read this and not yourself as I know you know only too well how to look after them but so many people come along and think ah they're cute, nothing to it and get it so wrong and end up with injuries or through incorrect husbandry, shorten their life span dramatically (you know how defensive I get over the hogs :( ). A sudden fall in these thin legged hogs has resulted in brakes even when there is good padding so this is for those who are new to them or never thought about it before. Chances are they wont hurt them selves but they can.

Bar climbers or spider-hogs as I call some of them are brats arent they lol they usually just let go and fall back which is a purposeful move. If you saw some of the things our natives do many people would go OMG I didn't know they did that or could do that etc...I had babies escape before because they just passed through the bars and had a field day running round the house

On a totally separate note I've started to see dead hogs on the roads again, still too early and cold for so many to be up now, always makes me SO sad seeing them.

Oh also, I should add for Joe, cat toys with bells inside, you know the type, plastic and loads of slots, NEVER ever use them, hogs have had some serious injuries to the face, neck and throat with deaths in the US due to heads becoming stuck. One thing to keep in mind is they can always go forward but never ever in reverse when inside something as this will literally pull the spines from the body, ripping flesh and muscle too so the likes of Johns set up with the tunnel there gets a 100% as it is a safe, sensible fun enclosure for a hog. You can use tunnels, pipes and balled up kitchen roll and make it really fun even in a smaller space although I wouldn't go smaller then johns cage. What you see there is a perfect example of size, base, substrate (sieve shavings to remove dust as much bas possible) and the best ventilation you can provide which is the only one I recommend, a rabbit or guinea cage and the little wooden hut John has, I use these two but opt usually for the two story as some of mine are pure snobs and need a penthouse nah the possibilities are endless and they do enjoy a play.

Thanks a million Tan, i'll go back through all hedgehog related posts and read EVERYTHING i can!! :)
They sound fantastic and if (When!) I get the go ahead for one i'll have a set-up sorted and i'll upload pics before i even look for one for sale just to be safe!

Good stuff Joe. My advice, avoid the net, the most messed up info is out there and hard to know what's correct and also books arrrrrrrrr I won't start where books are concerned, anyway John & myself can give you info if and when and sorry John for the hijack

Thanks so much guys, great info there and plenty to think about!

Thanks for the info John & Tan, off to amend I go :)

I see your wheel attaches directly to the side of the cage...ohhhhh....have to source one of those! Mine is free-standing but one that hovers is more appealing to me.

morelia wrote:I see your wheel attaches directly to the side of the cage...ohhhhh....have to source one of those! Mine is free-standing but one that hovers is more appealing to me.

Sorry I should have said that the wheels we use are from the Rabbit hutch shop (link below) they are ferret/rat wheels and come with a stand which can be removed and the wheel attached direct to the wire cage.
The make is a 'Giant Comfort' wheel and costs £16.49 plus £2.95 postage .
Cheers
John

the-rabbit-hutch-shop.com

There is a lot to be said for free standing sometimes Karl. The noise difference between one directly on the cage and one standing can be significant. Also the hogs weight will play a part more so with direct attaching ones.

I'd say get one, suss it out and tell us if you noticed a difference. I use different wheels, many hand made for different hogs and also have disabled wheels (patented).