African Pygmy Hedgehogs (Erinaceus albiventris) are small domesticated hedgehogs which originate from Africa where they can be seen walking around in the wild. The average life expectancy for the breed is from 2 years old up to 4 years old, some have lived up to 7! With the correct care they can live a long and happy life. Both males and females have the same average life expectancy.
Daily Needs.
The daily needs of the hedgehog are fresh clean drinking water, and a good quality cat biscuit for food. Cat biscuits are a basic food for then, it is nice to accompany the biscuits with some fresh cooked meat and vegetables, such as chicken. Lamb peas carrots. It is also nice to feed fruits for extra vitamins and minerals in their diet. They need to be kept at temperatures of 21°c - 25°c and they need to have a minimum of 12 hours of daylight a day, the temperatures and light hours are important to avoid your hedgehog entering the state of Hibernation as this is bad for the breed as they are not a hibernating species. They need good ventilation but need to be able to hold heat and let light in. Bedding ideas can be fleece liners, wood shavings (do not use pine or cedar wood shavings as these can be bad for their health due to toxins and dust) you could use shredded paper or paper sheets. Their enclosures should be spot cleaned every day removing poop and wet patches also cleaning wheels as hedgehogs have the tendency to poop and wee as running. A wheel is essential for hedgehogs as they run up to 5 miles in one night; they also need playtime outside of their enclosures every other day or at least every other day. Hedgehogs are relatively healthy animals but as with all animals problems can occur such as respiratory problems, urinary infections or cancer. A trip to the vets is recommended if you notice any change in behaviour as hedgehogs are very good at hiding their health problems! If you see any blood it could be a sign of urinary infection or just a nail broke when running on their wheel.
Mon Apr 15, 2013 12:13 pm
