Please tell me all about having hedgehogs as pets

[PricklyJo]

In a flat with a 5 and 9 year old?
Are rescues or domesticated APH better?
We all love animals but always discounted pets as we both work and wouldn’t be able to dedicate enough time to them. Also worried about the flat getting destroyed.

I like the idea of sweet cuddles at dusk and dawn (DP gets up early, we both go to bed late).

But im wondering if a wheel is really enough to keep it active and happy at night?
Could this work? Anything else we should know or consider? Is it really that hard to clean the cage daily?

Pet rock it is then

We would never get a pet unless I was sure it we could give it a happy life. Hence asking here and not buying from whoever comes first on google or believing everything they say.

We love animals but this is the first time we looked into having a pet (ie we’re not reckless). Thank you Happy, Missing and all helpful posters for sharing your knowledge/experience.

Pet rocks can be really rewarding, if you pick the right one. Make sure you go to a reputable breeder though!

Is a cat out of the question op? (Rescue cat obviously!).

If you're on the ground floor a cat flap probably won't be an issue. I used to live near someone with a cat flap in a first floor window and a Heath Robinson ramp affair to enable it to get to ground level. If you google there a lots of cat ladders about - meowlifestyle.com/swiss-cat-ladders-for-apartment-cats/

To update:

Can’t have cats or dogs (listed building)

I believe you when you say rats make great pets but I can’t make the switch from vermin to loving pet, sorry.
The only rodent that doesn’t look like a rodent are GPs but they need bigger cages than APHs, should be kept in pairs and apart from exotic vets and temperature/heating requirements their caring needs are fairly similar (not thrilled about having to feed live insects mind!).

DP and I had cats (DP) and dogs (DP and I) as pets when we were kids so have absolutely zero expectations when it comes to ours being involved in caring for a hedgehog.

Yes, up until now it hasn’t felt right to keep an animal as an indoor pet or not in their natural habitat. But what can I say, we’ve changed our minds and do want one . Having thought about it, this is probably due to having decided it would be ‘wiser’ to not have more children.

After doing a lot more research on APHs (you almost convinced me it would be a bad idea), the only thing that I feel I need to look into further is the smell. Tbh MN is the only place where I’ve seen this mentioned as an issue so far. I know that choice of bedding and frequency of cleaning will affect how smelly the cage gets (the wheel will be kept in a litter tray).

Still, nothing will happen before our summer holiday, plenty of time to keep researching and confirming we can keep a hedge alive and happy

And Pantailamon is 😍

I loved my Dora.

But I probably wouldn't get another, she was a great one off pet. But they dont live very long either.

Such a cutie 😍
We’d like to start travelling with the kids when the eldest is 14ish so a hedgies typical lifespan would work well I think.
If it’s ok to ask, wouldn’t you get another?

Like all pets really, they require a lot of time and attention, they smell quickly and really bad lol, they need a really good quality cat food and a live diet. I was abit squeamish feeding her the live insects.
They sleep a lot during the day, often burrow and hide, so I dont think they're recommended as a pet for children as they can just play with it when they want to, it's when she awake they can play which is often in the evening.

That was my experience but everybodys will be different :)

This gets better - you’re even more keen on an APH now you’ve learned that it will die in time for you to go travelling with your kids?

We fostered some hedgehogs from a sanctuary before they were well enough to return to the wild.

They stank.

Lovely little creatures, but not pets.

They are not a pet you can handle once a week you know?

You have to clean their wheel every day without fail. They tend to poo whilst they exercise and it stinks. A lot.

So you need to soak the wheel good and give it a good scrub. You will also need to give a good spot clean every morning too.

You must handle them every day to keep them friendly. They revert back to huffing and puffing very quickly, so you need to keep handling them.

You need to bathe them a lot, which they don’t like.

Honestly, they are not a pet for the faint hearted.

They require a lot of maintenance.

We have a hedgehog called George and we absolutely love him! Although our four month old cannot work him out but it's so funny to see them two together! (Don't worry, they don't play together and little man doesn't hold George! I hold baby while hubby baths George so we all have family time)
He's the perfect family member for us! ❤️

I hold baby while hubby baths George so we all have family time

Good grief

THEY'RE NOT PETS. Show some responsibility. Feed them in your garden. Leave out water. But don't indulge yourself and keep them as pets.

Bagelbaby - apparently these aren't wild hedgehogs. They're a type bred specifically to spend their lives in cages for the entertainment of humans.

Nice.

Just no

I have an APH that was abandoned by its previous owner and found alone in December !!

I have had him for about two years and they do not make good pets especially for children.

They do smell and need very regular cleaning. They can also be very antisocial. Hedgehogs are solitary animals and mine is not interested in me one bit unless I have worms to give him.

They are also nocturnal and the majority of their activity is at night. Mine occasionally potters out in the day for a drink and a wee then goes back to bed, he tends to come out as soon as we've gone to bed.

They can also bite and be aggressive and it really hurts. I would not have bought a hedgehog as a pet but this one needed a home after being abandoned. His finder couldn't keep him and as I'm trained in caring for European hedgehogs I took him.

They are very cute but the reality of owning one is very different.

And a note on lifespan I've known people have them up to 7 years !!!

They're a type bred specifically to spend their lives in cages for the entertainment of humans.

So poorly bred that 10% have a genetic neurological disorder which is degenerative. But they're cute so awwwwwwwwww.

Wobbly hog syndrome is not as common as you think.

Most breeders are registered with APHUK and if one is noted to have any WHS in the blood line, they don’t breed from them.

I wouldn’t buy any hog who was registered. That way I can track its genetics

My friend has one. Its a right grumpy little thing. It spits and hisses at everyone. It has cost her a bloody fortune as it has a glass cage with a uv lamp, heated spots, and she buys it some special food.

But, for me. It just makes her place smell awful. It really pongs all the time. Then she takes it out to give it a pet, waking it up mind as now this is in the day. The thing hisses and bites and she says to it 'ooh later you will have a nice bath.' A BATH? Glad I am not around for that, seems more like an endurance sport than a nice gentle bath.

She does have a good handful of different pets, she lives in a large area where the other animals roam and live well. But this is my least favourite of all of her pets. Even the geese are more friendly that this hedgehog.

Yeah most hogs don’t like being bathed but it’s needed.

They are messy creatures and need help staying clean

They also have dry skin so a bath helps to keep it moisteriesd

Even the geese are more friendly that this hedgehog.

Can you blame it? Sounds like it has a horrific existence.

Yes, I don't agree with having it as a pet.

They are becoming quite common as pets here though.