If you want a funny animal hedgehog to live in your house - read what you need to feed it, in what conditions it should be kept. Hedgehogs are small, rather good-natured animals, so it is not surprising that they are sometimes kept at home. These mammals love to visit summer cottages, in vegetable gardens they destroy pests, find food for themselves. People often feed these forest guests, especially they love fish and milk. Unlike some other animals, these are not allergic to it.
Choosing a breed
If you want a little thorny friend to live in your city apartment, you can buy a hedgehog. The seller must be asked to give a look at the veterinary opinion, as there are cases of rabies among hedgehogs. For this reason, it is better not to take a wild forest dweller, moreover, they are often infected with helminth eggs and can be carriers of leptospirosis.
Leptospirosis is an acute infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. The disease is characterized by damage to the capillaries, often damage to the liver, kidneys, muscles, symptoms of intoxication, accompanied by a wave-like fever. If you are wondering what breed to buy a hedgehog, Wikipedia will help you figure it out. To make it easier for you, we present the classification of these animals here.
Pictured African pygmy hedgehog The genus African hedgehog includes:
- Algerian;
- Somali;
- South African;
- White-bellied.
To the genus Steppe hedgehogs:
- Chinese;
- Daursky.
Here are the representatives of the genus of Eurasian hedgehogs:
- Eastern European;
- Amursky;
- European or Common.
The genus Eared Hedgehogs is:
- Indian;
- Collar;
- Dark-needle;
- Apodal;
- Ethiopian;
- Eared hedgehog.
Keeping hedgehogs at home
In order for a hedgehog to feel comfortable at home, he needs to create certain conditions. A prickly pet is not so fussy, settle it in a fairly spacious cage, which will have a place for a small house, tray, feeder. Hedgehogs brought home often spill water that you pour into a saucer, as they stand in it with their feet. Therefore, a stable container is needed, you can purchase a bowl designed for feeding kittens, guinea pigs. In addition to this, hang a special drinker on the side of the cage, the animal will gradually learn to quench its thirst with its help, and the cage will not be wet because of the water.
In the photo bathing a hedgehog To avoid an unpleasant smell, put a filler on the bottom of the cage, it is better if it is corn for cats. Some house hedgehogs are trained to walk in the litter box, so add some of the litter here as well.
Place a litter of straw, moss, and dry foliage on top of the litter. Clean up the cage 1–2 times a week, do not do this more often, as this may stress the hedgehog. If the animal is scared or afraid, you do not need to play with it, as then it can bite. And not only people, but also other animals in the house, for example, a cat.
Sometimes the hedgehog needs to be given the opportunity to run, for this, fence off a part of the apartment area so that he does not run away, otherwise then you will have to look for him. It is likely that the hedgehog will hide well and announce that he is here with a loud nocturnal stomp.
You need to know that hedgehogs have sharp claws, this can harm the floor, so lay cardboard, newspapers on it to keep the parquet and laminate in order. Hedgehogs are nocturnal residents. In the wild, they sleep during the day and are active at night. Not all family members will like this habit of a new pet, so you can change the hedgehog's daily routine. To do this, feed him during the day. Then he will be awake during the day, and not interfere with your sleep at night.
Keeping hedgehogs in the country
In the summer, you can take your pet to the dacha, creating comfortable living conditions for him there. To do this, build an aviary for him. Also put moss, straw, leaves there. From these natural materials, he himself will build a shelter. To keep it dry during the rain, make a waterproof roof over part of the enclosure. If you live in the countryside all the time, dig a burrow for it so the hedgehog can survive the hibernation. At the same time, keep in mind that it must be of such depth that it does not freeze. Usually it is 1.5 meters. For summer residence, a burrow depth of 50 cm is sufficient. Get out of the burrow no more than 1–2 times a month, so as not to frighten the animal.
In their natural habitat, hedgehogs feed during the warm season, accumulating fat. When the hedgehog hibernates, the fat helps to survive the winter. Therefore, if you want the winter hibernation of hedgehogs to pass safely, control the pet's weight. It must be at least 800 grams.
Sometimes hedgehogs hibernate in the apartment. At the same time, their body temperature drops to +1, 8 ° and their heart rate slows down. You can wake up your pet. To do this, they wrap it in a towel and put a bottle of warm water next to it.
Diet of hedgehogs: nutrition
The pet needs to grow up healthy, so everything you need should be in its diet. In fairy tales, cartoons, you can often see that these animals carry mushrooms and apples on thorns. But this is an accident, hedgehogs do not specifically prick these products on needles. To get rid of the parasites, they start rolling on the grass, under the apple tree. Wild juice is an excellent product for hygienic procedures. At the same time, some of the fruits themselves are put on needles.
Talking about what hedgehogs eat, it should be noted that animal fats make up the bulk of their diet
In the wild, these are rodents, midges, worms, beetles. At home, an ordinary hedgehog will gladly feast on lean meat (poultry, beef, veal), fish, which should make up a third of the diet of hedgehogs. This is a very important product for these animals, as it provides them with the necessary trace elements and vitamins. Meat and fish can be served both raw and boiled. It is best to scald the meat with boiling water, cool it, turn it into minced meat, mix it with boiled buckwheat or rice and feed the hedgehog in this form.
They also love dairy products, give them kefir fermented baked milk, cottage cheese and milk
Insects, which these animals also enjoy eating with pleasure, can be purchased at a large pet store. There you can also buy crickets, mealworms, Madagascar cockroaches, which hedgehogs also eat with pleasure. If it is not possible to purchase such food, buy food for insectivorous birds. Mix with raw quail or chicken eggs before serving. This mixture is not only useful, but also very popular with thorny animals.
Add fruits and vegetables to the menu of hedgehogs, but in small quantities. Prepare a vitamin mixture for the hedgehog; this will require a raw carrot. Rub it, add egg powder, a little crushed breadcrumbs, mix. When the years of the May beetles begin, they are collected, crushed and one part of the powder from these insects is added into two parts of a carrot-rusks mixture. Sometimes you can pamper your hedgehog with freshly squeezed fruit juice, but not often.
An adult hedgehog, which weighs 800-1000 g, is fed twice a day - 50 g at a time. If you properly care for hedgehogs, provide them with comfortable living conditions, feed them with tasty and healthy food, pay attention, then a real devoted friend will settle in your house, who will bring a lot of joy, positive emotions to both adults and children.
Video how to bathe hedgehogs:
Video about African eared hedgehogs - care and maintenance:
Pictures of thorny animals:
