Can /an/ talk me into or out of getting a hedgehog? I want to

>>2371701
>Yes I know about wheel poop

I don't, what is that?

>>2371701
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JJab12n1UE

Should probably watch this first. She gives some good info about them.

>>2371716
hedgehogs poop on their wheels while they run and spread it everywhere

>>2371701
hedgehogs are great pets but just make sure you get from a good breeder. they can get WHS which is like hedgehog MS unless its bred out of them, which responsible breeders do. they are also prone to cancer later in life. they are absolutely really great pets though. cute personalities, funny to watch, low maintainance and dont smell etc. be sure to just do your research though and be prepared to have it for 4-6 years or even more

>>2371804
I had highly accurate wheel pooping rodents,
Be careful out there dude.

>>2371716
They poop non stop and also nocturnal = noisy at night

>>2372086
My mom had a pet hedgehog that her dad took out of the forest for her. Apparently it made so much noise at night that the whole house got insomnia and after a week they were all begging the dad to take it the fuck back to the forest.

>>2372087
Where is your mom from?

>>2371701
Whatever you do don't call him Sonic.

>>2372212
Russia

My roommate got one, and it was a mean ball of hate no matter what she did. No love whatsoever. That's all I know.

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Mine isn't exactly cuddly, but he's ok with being handled. Poop becomes much easier to deal with when they've grown up. It was awful when he was young and eating a ton of food. Lots of shitting outside of the cage, and he liked to shit by pressing his butt up against the wall and plastering the turd vertically.

He's a huffy little fucker and hard to pick up initially, but is great once he realizes your hand is not death descending upon him. Their vision is complete shit.

Washing him is more fun than I imagined. Like everything, he initially hates it, but becomes relaxed eventually and allows you to wash his feet.

Do it. They're fun animals.

Found 2 baby hedgehogs in our yard a few years ago. They were walking around in daylight which was already a redflag. Super cute tho. Wish I could have kept them as pets but they were both sick and one of them died overnight. We then brought the other one to a lady who raises orphan animals.
Kinda want a hedgehog now but the poop thing sounds annoying.

One big thing is to make sure they stay warm. The domesticated hedgehogs in the US are mostly African pygmy hedgehogs. I ended up getting one from a friend of mine, I live near the Canadian border, and she didn't last the winter.

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>>2372886
Why don't Americans keep European hedgehogs?
>better suited to the climate
>bigger
>less shy

>>2371701
If you do, make sure they're good breeders. I've wanted one for a really long time, so I've researched them a shitload. In doing so I've heard a lot of stories about shitty breeders and unhealthy hedgehogs.

I finally found a very reputable breeder near me. They have a website with a facebook and instagram showing pictures, DOB's availability date, and other info. I can tell they care a lot about their hedgehogs from all of the policies and info on their site, plus I've been speaking with them for a couple days now. All of their customers speak super-highly of them and they even have a warranty against WHS, which they have completely bred out.

So I'm totally sold, I reserved him last week. Got his cage already set up and everything. I'm picking him up on Sunday, so excited!

If you can find a breeder like them, I'd say go for it OP. They're a pretty low maintenance pet, so as long as you're somewhat responsible, you should be fine.

The breeders I'm getting him from ship as well, so if you want I can link their website.

Just know that they'll refuse to sell you a hedgehog if you don't give them proof that you have a cage, hide-away, wheel, bedding, heating elements and other essentials that are to their specifications.

Hedgehogs are not fun as pets. They don't care about humans. They don't care about you. They are as prickly to their owners as they are to total strangers. They not only spike up, but they'll jump into your hands to ensure that you're poked.

If you want the whole hedgehog-owning experience, get an RC car, duct-tape broken glass all over it, and then give the controls to someone who hates you.

>>2373233
Sounds like you just got a shitty hedgehog. That, or you're just a shitty owner.

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>ywnb this comfy

>>2373373
>Sounds like you just got a shitty hedgehog
All hedgehogs are "shitty" then, aren't they?

Anyone else have more experience with hedgehogs? I'm sure you freaks of nature have some

>>2372273
Honestly just the shit alone is enough to put me off. I'd rather have a rat or some other small rodent that doesn't shit half as much and doesn't smear its turds on walls.

Hey op dont listen to these asses saying that they are prickly and mean, i have had many hedgehogs and used to live with a breeder. They're the same as any wild animal, if you approach them with fear/uncertainty, they will remain defensive(spiked) around you but if you pick them up from underneath WITH CONFIDENCE so they dont think youre going to freaking drop them with your half-scared feeble grip then they will warm up to you. I have lived with many hedgies and sometimes they do wake up at 4-6 am to play in the wheel but it definitely never created "house-wide insomnia" or anything close in my experiences

Also when they love you they will anoint themselves with your scent which is super cute and respectable, if you treat them like an angry death ball then youll be responsible for perpetuating that behavior, they are absolutely the type of pet where you get out of it what you put in but if you are willing to not be a bastard and treat them right and take the time to play with it and tame it then it can be an incredibly rewarding experience but if you look at it through glass once a day and barely take care of it and treat it like its dangerous or gross then why wouldnt it hate you and close itself off?

>>2372927
Illegal

Nocturnal and less personal than a hamster. Which are already solitary animals that express affection less often than a bearded dragon.

I wanted one for a bit, then realized it would be the equivalent of a spiky fish I could hold in a certain manner every now and then and clean its poop after.

>>2375693
But why?

African hedgehogs are dumber than a brick. European hedgehogs are bros.

>>2371701
I had one but I got sick of feeding it chili dogs. Also it kept trying to take my wedding ring off my finger

Good luck catching it if it gets out of its cage, too. fuckers are the fastest thing alive

Whenever i woke mine up to play, i would just play with it in the cage for 20min and it would usually poop and pee then i could take it out and 95% of the time have her on my bed for a few hours with no incidents but i did put a special blanket down for her just in case

>>2375714
Better suited for the climate = higher chance to survive when released in the wild and become an invasive species

>>2375758
We have so many invasive species here in the US already. I open my door and see a forest of ailanthus and norway maple and pawlonia with japanese knotweed and mimosas in the understory. I kick over a log and non-native isopods, centipedes, beetles and japanese crickets scurry out. Then some european sparrows, starlings and pigeons fly by. And then my neighbors walk by and I see another invasive species too- humans.

So we might as well have the cool animals like hedgehogs too.

>>2373030
>heating elements
That's a bit much isn't it? We just provide ours with blankets and are careful about placement. Worst case we drape a heavy felt blanket over the cage if it's particularly chilly for some reason.

Truffle's a happy little girl and has been for a long time. Took her into a vet once and was told she's the friendliest/happiest Hedgehog they've had the pleasure of examining.

>>2371701
>wheel poop
Ever had a fresh one shot at your face that stuck? I keep mice in aquariums now or refuse them a wheel. They can aim.

>>2376324
They're not 100% necessary, but they're good to have just to be safe. As long as you're monitoring the temperature and it's comfortable for her, you're all set.

Some hedgehogs prefer higher/lower temperatures than others, but I think mostly depends on the temp your breeders raised them in, since that's what they're going to be used to. The ones I got mine from kept theirs from 78-80, which is pretty high, so if my room goes down to 73-74 on a cold day, I feel that's it's cutting it close, so that's when I'll kick on the heating lamp to bring it up a couple degrees.

I'm no expert, but I'd assume that it's more of a drastic temperature drop for long periods of time are what force hibernation. So for example, if your hedgehog was raised and is comfortable at 74, then a drop to 70 wouldn't impact her as much as it would mine.

Like I said, it's not necessary, and it varies. If your vet says she's a happy and healthy girl, then you're obviously doing something right, so keep it up :)

>>2375514
>Rats
>Shit half as much

Dude, rodents shit way more than hedgehogs. A lot of people don't know, but most hedgies naturally potty train themselves.

I have a pan under his wheel, and that's always where he shits, I barely ever see any poops on the fleece anywhere else in the cage, and I don't even remember the last time he had an accident while I was handling him, it's really rare. Sometime's he'll even squat over the wheel and let it drop straight into the pan like a fucking toilet, it's pretty incredible.

Apparently, this isn't an exception, since most owners will tell you the same thing.

I remember when I bought him from a breeder 2.5 hours away, when I got home from the long drive, I opened up his travel carrier and it was clean as a whistle. I got him out, handled him for a good 15-20 mins, and finally put him in his cage for the first time, no accidents. The next morning when I woke up his poop was all in his wheel and pan, and the hideaway and the rest of his cage were immaculate. Been the same ever since.

Fucking love this lil guy.