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MyHedgeHogCare

Independent

Owner-run since 2017

Hedgehogs are good pets for the right person, and a small disaster for the wrong one.

This is the site we wished existed when we got our first one. Honest care guides — housing, diet, health, behavior — written by people who own hedgehogs and reviewed by exotic vets. No pet-store optimism, no affiliate-driven recommendations.

Browse the guides Common questions
Mochi the African pygmy hedgehog at 8 weeks, first night home

The library, by topic

Eight hubs. One animal.

Each hub holds a pillar guide and a stack of focused articles underneath it. Start where you are — pre-purchase research, a 3 a.m. health scare, or trying to figure out which wheel is worth the money.

Hub 01 · Hedgehogs 101

Species, habitat, the basics.

What an African pygmy actually is, where they came from, and the things people get wrong before they ever bring one home.

17 guides

Hub 02 · Getting a Hedgehog

Adoption, legality, real cost.

Whether you can legally own one in your state, what a good breeder looks like, and the honest first-year price tag.

22 guides· + 50 state pages

Hub 03 · Housing & Cage Setup

Cage, heat, light, bedding.

What a captive African pygmy actually needs at 72–80°F. The pet-store kits don't get you there.

19 guides

Hub 04 · Diet & Nutrition

Insectivore, not omnivore.

High-protein cat kibble works. Mealworms aren't candy. Avocado will kill them. The full list and the reasoning.

28 guides

Hub 05 · Supplies & Gear

What's worth buying.

Wheels, heat sources, hides, carriers. We say when something isn't worth it. Affiliate links are disclosed.

14 guides

Hub 06 · Behavior & Handling

Why they do that thing.

Huffing, balling-up, foaming at the mouth, bonding patiently. Most behavior questions aren't questions.

21 guides

Hub 07 · Health & Vet Care

Vet, illness, when to worry.

Finding an exotic vet before you need one. Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome. The 2 a.m. checklist.

19 guides· vet-reviewed

Hub 08 · Breeding & Babies

Babies, gestation, ethics.

Why most owners shouldn't. If you're going to anyway: gestation timelines, hoglet care, and what goes wrong.

11 guides

Searching at 11 p.m.?

Quick answers.

Six things new owners Google in their first month. Each links to the full guide if you want it later.

Most-read this month

Featured guides.

If you’re new, start with the first-week checklist on the left. The rest assume you’ve already brought one home.

A printed hedgehog care sheet on a sunlit wooden desk beside a folded grey fleece liner, a digital kitchen scale, and a pen, with the edge of a running wheel behind

Hedgehogs 101 · 3 min read · Updated May 2026

Hedgehog Care Sheet: The One-Page Quick Reference

A one-page hedgehog care sheet: temperature, cage size, the diet ratio, wheel, daily routine, and the vet-now warning signs. Built to print or save as a PDF.

A hedgehog first-aid kit laid out on a wooden counter: styptic powder, gauze, non-stick pads, rust-colored vet wrap, tweezers, a digital scale, a folded towel, and a handwritten notecard

Health & Vet Care · 4 min read · Updated May 2026

Hedgehog Emergency Care: First Aid for Wounds and Skin

Hedgehog emergency care: bleeding and wounds, skin injuries, the cold-and-floppy hypothermia emergency, and when to get to a vet. Vet-reviewed.

An adult's hands holding a calm hedgehog on a fleece liner while a child observes from the background — supervised handling, not solo

Hedgehogs 101 · 8 min read · Updated May 2026

Are Hedgehogs Good Pets for Kids? The Honest Parent's Answer

Mostly no for kids under 12, sometimes yes for teens with parent backup. The handling failure modes, the supervision required, and the safer alternatives.

Getting a Hedgehog · 7 min read · Updated May 2026

Your First Month With a Hedgehog: Week-by-Week Guide

What to do days 1–30 with a new hedgehog. Acclimation, handling, health watch, and the common new-owner panics that are actually normal.

An African pygmy hedgehog held in cupped human hands on a fleece blanket, eyes alert, quills relaxed and flat — the moment of evaluation before commitment

Getting a Hedgehog · 9 min read · Updated May 2026

How to Pick a Healthy Hedgehog: What to Look For Before You Buy

The physical exam, behavior signs, and red flags experienced owners check for. Walk-away criteria included. Use this at the breeder, rescue, or pet store.

An overhead flat-lay of hedgehog cage-cleaning supplies on a wood surface — vinegar-water spray bottle, microfiber cloth, unscented baby wipes, freshly washed fleece liner, soft brush, and unscented dish soap

Housing & Cage Setup · 9 min read · Updated May 2026

How to Clean a Hedgehog Cage (Daily, Weekly, and Monthly)

The realistic cleaning routine: daily spot-cleans, weekly fleece swaps, monthly deep cleans. What products are safe, what's toxic, and the wheel problem.

A small ceramic dish of dry brown cat kibble beside a smaller dish containing three mealworms and a pea-sized piece of fresh fruit, with a kitchen scale visible in the background — the evening feeding setup

Diet & Nutrition · 7 min read · Updated May 2026

Hedgehog Feeding Schedule: How Much, How Often, When

The realistic daily, weekly, and life-stage feeding routine. Adult kibble portions, insect rotation, treat frequency, and how to weigh-and-adjust each week.

Where we stand

Positions we hold, and won’t soften.

Most pet content lies by omission. We’d rather lose a reader than send them home with the wrong animal.

  • Position 01

    Hedgehogs are not starter pets.

    They're nocturnal, solitary, temperature-fragile, and require an exotic vet. They're a great pet for someone who's done the reading. They're a poor gift, and a worse surprise.

  • Position 02

    One hedgehog. Not two.

    African pygmies are solitary in the wild and stay solitary in captivity. The cute videos of two together are usually one tolerating the other. Two males will fight.

  • Position 03

    Skip the pet-store kit.

    The starter cages sold next to the hedgehogs are too small, often unheated, and come with the wrong wheel. Build a real setup before you bring one home or wait.

Lifespan

3–8yrs

Captive. Genetics and weight management matter most.

Active hours

9pm–4am

Strictly nocturnal. Don't fight the schedule.

Cage temperature

72–80°F

Below 70°F they may try to hibernate. In captivity, that can kill them.

Adult weight

12–25oz

350–700 g. Weigh weekly. Sudden swings warrant a vet call.

An African pygmy hedgehog cradled in cupped hands

A note from the editor

I started this site because I couldn’t find one I trusted. The pet-store pages were selling. The forums were arguing. The vet pages were too short. So we wrote down what we’d actually learned, asked our exotic vet to check the medical bits, and posted it.

Priya Sharma

Editor · Hedgehog owner since 2017