Are Hedgehogs Good Pets To Have
Before we start analyze your circumstances.
Are hedgehogs good pets to have. The only sounds you might hear are when your hedgehog is moving things around its cage at night and flipping over the water dish. The short answer is yes hedgehogs are some of the loveliest pets in the world. All that is obvious about hedgehogs are their horns and quills. An estimated 40 000 americans have found themselves smitten with these tiny spiny creatures.
They need a committed owner. So cuddling might not be a thing for hedgehogs as pets. Even in the wild hedgehogs are territorial and will only seek company during the breeding season. In such cases they quite often stop eating and become ill.
African pygmy hedgehogs also known as the white bellied or four toed hedgehog are growing in popularity and are sometimes wrongly portrayed and misunderstood as making suitable domesticated pets. The question as mentioned earlier is among the most frequent questions that are asked by most of the people. African pygmy hedgehogs are bred in captivity and are also the only species happy to live in captivity. If you re allergic to pet dander the hedgehog is the right pet for you as hedgehogs have no dander.
Hedgehogs are territorial animals unlike other pocket pets like rats or bunnies hedgehogs are solitary animals and should be housed alone. They are adorable and easy to take care of. We have spoken before of the pros and cons of having a hedgehog as a pet in this article we ll focus only on the joys of having a hedgehog as a pet. All other species of hedgehogs are wild animals and no attempt should be made to keep them as pets.
These little animals can make terrific companions when housed and fed appropriately and their popularity appears to be increasing. However they re not easy to deal with. Before becoming a pet parent it s best to understand the challenges. Wild hedgehogs will get stressed if kept captive.
But hedgehogs are not meant for everyone. While african pygmy hedgehogs are considered to be a docile low maintenance animal they re not good pets for everyone. And it s no wonder since they make wonderful pets. An average healthy pet hedgehog will live between five and eight years but they are prone to certain diseases just like dogs and cats are prone to rabies and distemper.
Most north american pet hedgehogs typically called african pygmy hedgehogs were bredfrom african species and are considered domesticated.