Care
Daily care for Hedgehogs is minimal compared to pets like cats or dogs. A bare minimum is a spot clean of the cage (removing droppings and uneaten food), and replenishing food and water. Also a daily handling session is important for your hog to remain tame and friendly. Once a week the cage should be given a through clean in which all the substrate and bedding should be replaced and the cage washed with a animal friendly detergent, I always keep some of the old bedding to place in the cleaned out cage so it doesn’t smell entirely different. Hedgehogs have a very keen sense of smell, as can be witnessed if you hold a mealworm close to them and watch them sniff it out.
Your hogs should be kept at a temperature between 18 degrees and 24 degrees Celsius if the temperature gets too low your hogs may try and attempt to enter hibernation which is extremely dangerous as your hog will not be prepared for this and may die. If you hedgehogs gets too cold (feel his belly area if it is cold to the touch he is too cold) he should be warmed up gently by placing him near a heat source such as a heat lamp, he should be monitored so he does not get too hot. Most houses are a suitable temperature for hedgehogs but you should monitor this using a thermometer just to make sure. If you house is too cold them additional heat should be supplied, as a back up source we use heat pads of the type used for reptiles this is connected to a thermostat which switches on the heat pads if the temperature gets too low.
If your hogs is well bred and cared for, he or she should be tame and steady when you get him. It is natural for your hog to curl up or freeze when you approach, some will tuck their heads in and snort and huff at you even trying to jab you with their quills. If you slide a hand under the hog and scoop him up (taking care not to drop him) he should uncurl and start showing an interest in you. In order to get him confident around you try offering him a treat when you approach the cage, mealworms tend to work well. Before long he will associate you with something pleasant and be keen to see you.
Hedgehogs sometimes require a bath, especially if they have access to a wheel as they tend to poo on the wheel and run through it. I have found the best way to bath them is in the bath in just enough lukewarm water to enable them the hog to stand up in. He should use a mild puppy shampoo and make sure that the shampoo is well rinsed out. Be aware once in the water it usually causes the hog to poo which can get messy! Some hogs allow you to blow dry them on warm setting other hogs hate this and you will have to towel dry them gently.