Comments | hedgehogs: Hello!

ststepdown in hedgehogs

Hello!

Nov 25, 2009 19:27

Hi! Im Cob, and I am a fairly longtime lurker and I have a ton of questions! I am hoping to get my first hedgehog on monday! I have been researching Hedgehogs since July, and was preparing to purchase one from a breeder, but then my older brother sent me a link to one that needed a home (for sale on craigslist no less...) and I contacted the person ( Read more... )

supplies: cages, supplies: food, breeder vs. pet store, supplies: c&c cages

Comments 40

lobotomysoup November 26 2009, 00:43:46 UTC

My opinion - you're not buying it directly from the store, but from a person who is trying to dump 'em on anyone who isn't himself, so I'd go for it before someone who has NO idea what they're doing gets 'em because OMG SO CUTE I WILL PUT IT IN MY CLOSET CAUSE IT SMELLS! :D

Also, go with what you've read, not what the pet store says. I've been told to use cedar wood and bird food for my rats. That is a huge no no.

ststepdown November 26 2009, 00:57:16 UTC

Okay, that was my thinking! I was mostly concerned because this WILL be my first hedgehog, so I am glad people agree.

:) Thanks for the input! I was mildly stressed about getting flamed for some reason haha

craze_176 November 26 2009, 00:52:37 UTC

1. Adopting this guy 'undoes' the owners mistake of buying him from a petstore. He needs a home and potentially could end up in a shelter/rescue. It's one less creature that needs a home if you take him in. I also may be getting a hog from craigslist, but the owner turned out to be a customer of mine ( ... )

lobotomysoup November 26 2009, 00:55:02 UTC

Jesus shit pet stores are STUPID about rats!

craze_176 November 26 2009, 01:00:26 UTC

I know, eh! Those stories were from 2 different stores and at yet another store, I was looking at a hay holder for my guinea pigs (when I still had 2 :[ )and an employee asked about it. I guess I was feeling chatty so I told her what I was looking at and what for. Mistake-she started suggesting a bigger ROLL AROUND ball for them, so I could 'put them outside and they won't escape!'

Even though those balls are cruel for a nervous creature like a guinea pig, they have been known to break their backs and legs, and I know my pigs and know they won't run away when placed outside as they're too busy eating and I'm prepared in case they get spooked. The hay ball was about 6" across, did she REALLY think I was trying to stuff a 5lb guinea pig in there?! Haha Spike is a foot long!

lobotomysoup November 26 2009, 01:35:30 UTC

We actually had an outdoors guinea pig. He wasn't caged in anyway, but still hung out in the back yard and came running every time we went outside.

They told me to put my rats in a ball and I was like Uh no. They know their names, they come to me. How about don't put your animal and the ground and ignore it?

I also got a "talking to" from a manager when they learned I was buying meal worms for them to eat. Rats don't eat meat of any kind! What? What the .. . They're omnivores. Yes but they don't eat meat.
:/ Please stop selling rats, you're a moron.

Thread 27

sterlingspider November 26 2009, 01:32:53 UTC

I use the superpets my first home extra large cage (I have two boys so space is kind of an issue, they stack nicely though) and then have a more open pen set up for excursions.

ststepdown November 26 2009, 01:42:34 UTC

Thanks for the suggestion! I will check that out!

crystal_ness November 26 2009, 02:08:43 UTC

1. Yup, that's a good idea. I'm not against that at all.

2. I've heard that cat food such as Wysong and Blue Buffalo and such are good choices (I need to do that with my hedgehogs soon). I also heard that there's this 8in1 hedgehog food (not the treats, I've heard it was bad for them because the sunflower kernels get stuck in their teeth and they hate the stuff anyways) that they like, but other than reading the FAQ, I don't know too much information on that.

3. Yeah, aquariums aren't too good for them because of lack of ventilation and air flow...I have a cube and coroplast cage for mine and they absolutely love it. You might need a lid on it though, because some hedgehogs will try to get out of it (but I solved this problem by taping the sides not covered in coroplast with packing tape. It does look tacky, but ever since the tape was there, they never got out). You'll have to make it yourself, but it's a lot cheaper than getting a regular cage.

Congrats and good luck with your hedgie!

ststepdown November 26 2009, 02:12:53 UTC

Thanks very much! Any suggestions on the cube/coroplast route for me? That seems to be the route I want to go :)

silver_apples November 26 2009, 03:37:25 UTC

If you have access to a car, some time on your hands, and live near several pet shops and vet offices that sell food, I recommend shopping around to see who has trial sizes of the different food. Some places have free sample bags if you ask and others have 1 and 2 lb bags for a few dollars. That way if your hedgehog likes the food, you can buy more, and if he doesn't you haven't spent $15 on 10 lbs of cat food ( ... )

ststepdown November 26 2009, 07:27:02 UTC

http://www.evopet.com/products/default.asp?id=1500

Is this an acceptable cat food?

silver_apples November 26 2009, 16:17:06 UTC

The ingredients are excellent, but the fat content is very high, and the protein might be too much too. The various Natura brands are a good place to start (Evo, Innova, California Natural) though. I think it's okay to use one high-fat food, so long as the other foods are much lower in fat and the high-fat one is only a small part of his diet.