If you want a funny animal hedgehog to live in your house, read what you need to feed it, in what conditions it should be kept.

Hedgehogs are small, rather good-natured animals, so it is not surprising that they are sometimes kept at home. These mammals love to visit summer cottages, in the gardens they destroy pests, find food for themselves. People often feed these forest guests, they especially love fish and milk. Unlike some other animals, these are not allergic to it.

Choosing a breed

If you want a little prickly friend to live in your city apartment, you can buy a hedgehog. The seller must be asked to see a veterinary report, as there are cases of rabies among hedgehogs. For this reason, it is better not to take a wild forest dweller, moreover, they are often infected with helminth eggs and may be carriers of leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is an acute infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. The disease is characterized by damage to the capillaries, often damage to the liver, kidneys, muscles, intoxication, accompanied by undulating fever.

Pictured African Pygmy Hedgehog

• Algerian;
• Somali;
• South African;
• White-bellied.

• Chinese;
• Daursky.

• Eastern European;
• Amur;
• European or Common.

• Indian;
• Collared;
• dark needle;
• Apodal;
• Ethiopian;
• Eared hedgehog.

In the photo, bathing a hedgehog

On top of the filler, lay a bedding of a small amount of straw, moss and dry foliage in the cage. Clean the cage 1-2 times a week, but don't do it more often, as this can stress the hedgehog. If the animal is frightened or afraid, do not play with it, as then it may bite. And not only people, but also other animals in the house, for example, a cat.

Sometimes a hedgehog needs to be given the opportunity to run, for this, fence off part of the apartment area so that it does not run away, otherwise you will have to look for it later. It is likely that the hedgehog will hide well and announce that he is here with a loud night stomp.

You need to know that hedgehogs have sharp claws, this can harm the floor, so lay cardboard, newspapers on it to keep the parquet and laminate in order.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal inhabitants. In the wild, they sleep during the day and are active at night. Not all family members will like this habit of a new pet, so you can change the hedgehog's daily routine. To do this, feed him during daylight hours. Then he will be awake during the day, and not interfere with your sleep at night.

In their natural habitat, hedgehogs feed throughout the warm season, accumulating fat. When the hedgehog hibernates, the fat helps it survive the winter. Therefore, if you want hedgehogs to hibernate safely, control your pet's weight. It must be at least 800 grams.

Sometimes hedgehogs hibernate in the apartment. At the same time, their body temperature drops to + 1.8 ° and the heartbeat slows down. You can wake up your pet. To do this, wrap it in a towel and put a bottle of warm water next to it.

The diet of hedgehogs: food

Talking about what hedgehogs eat, it should be noted that the main part of their diet is animal fats. In the wild, these are rodents, midges, worms, beetles. At home, an ordinary hedgehog will be happy to feast on lean meat (poultry, beef, veal), fish, which should make up a third of the diet of hedgehogs. This is a very important product for these animals, as it provides them with the necessary trace elements and vitamins. Meat, fish can be served both raw and boiled. It is best to scald the meat with boiling water, cool it, turn it into minced meat, mix it with boiled buckwheat or rice and feed it to the hedgehog in this form.

Add fruits and vegetables to the menu of hedgehogs, but in small quantities. Prepare a vitamin mixture for the hedgehog, this will require raw carrots. Rub it, add egg powder, a little crushed crackers, mix. When the years of May beetles begin, they are collected, crushed and one part of the powder from these insects is added to two parts of the carrot-rusk mixture. Sometimes you can pamper a hedgehog with freshly squeezed fruit juice, but infrequently.

An adult hedgehog, which weighs 800-1000 g, is fed twice a day - 50 g at a time.

Video on how hedgehogs are bathed:

Video about African eared hedgehogs - care and maintenance:

Pictures of spiny animals: