zombiezeatbrain
Philosophically inclined?
I'm just curious
Which is harder to take care of in general? A chin or a hedgie?
- Thread starter zombiezeatbrain
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Riven
Bad Chin
I've had both and am a foster home for HWS. I prefer chins myself. I find that in general they are more outgoing, although I know some hogs are. I think that hedgies require more "rear end" cleaning depending on what kind of set up/bedding you have.
Either I think are great alternatives to ferrets, who are great in personality but I just can't get past the musk!
Either I think are great alternatives to ferrets, who are great in personality but I just can't get past the musk!
LovinHedgies
Well-known member
I feel the opposite! My hedgies are much easier to take care of - minus trimming nails, but that depends on the hedgie. Hannah sits nicely in my lap and I just trim her nails, but Harrold has to be in a bath to get his nails trimmed.
My chin is much messier than my hedgies. I have to vaccum her cage, shake out her liner and scrub her chin chiller every night (since she pees on it) and of course change food and water. Plus her hay is super messy - it gets all over.
All I have to do with my hedgies is fill food and water and wipe down their wheels. Of course I like to do more every night, but for me the basics are harder for my chin. Maybe because I've had hedgies longer??
My chin is much messier than my hedgies. I have to vaccum her cage, shake out her liner and scrub her chin chiller every night (since she pees on it) and of course change food and water. Plus her hay is super messy - it gets all over.
All I have to do with my hedgies is fill food and water and wipe down their wheels. Of course I like to do more every night, but for me the basics are harder for my chin. Maybe because I've had hedgies longer??
I would say chins are more high-maintenance. Both require lots of poop picking-up. Hedgies are typically loners, where as chins will use you as their jungle gym. Chins also require A LOT of attention during play time due to their incessant chewing habits, whereas hedgies do not chew nearly as much. I lost my hedgie to WHS last October at 1 1/2 years and it was certainly heartbreaking, so be careful when adopting one! Chins tend to make much more of a mess due to their high activity level and numerous droppings everywhere! ( I recommend a good, hand-held vacuum for that- I use Dyson). I suppose it really all depends on what you are looking for in a pet and what you consider a lot or more difficult!
Encantadora
LvL Chinchillas
I've had both and chins were a better fit for my lifestyle. And had less odor.
PetoftheDay
Well-known member
As others have said, it depends on the individuals involved, each human, chin and hedgehog has it's own personality and needs, likes and dislikes!
Either are good pets, and great for the right person.
Either are good pets, and great for the right person.
starrynight0621
Well-known member
I prefer chins. My old roommates had a hedgie and it's spikes hurt. Also, they didn't know much about hedgie health and it got too cold and froze to death
Chinessa
Well-known member
I don't think that allowing a hedgie to freeze to death is reason enough to say that it is harder to take care of. :/ That's more a fault of the owner...
My friend has a hedgie, and in comparison it seems easier to clean up after a hedgie than a chin. So I agree with the comments saying chins are a little more high maintenance, although I love their need to "use you like a jungle gym!" Haha! :]
I think chins are harder to keep happy. My hedgie needs her sleeping box,her wheel and her food and she's good. She really doesn't like any other toys. My chin on the other hand needs a constant supply of chewies and gets poop and bedding all over everything. Bathing the hedgehog is more difficult than the chin though, and they may not poop as much but its a lot bigger and stinkier! They each have their own set of challenges, it's kind of hard to compare the two.
akane
Well-known member
Hedgies are muuuch easier to take care of. Aside from some daily wheel scrubbing they don't require much. Ours rarely need bathes of any kind. Maybe every 4 months so I don't know why someone would say they need a lot of cleaning. Bathes are a cake walk. Mix some oatmeal in the water to avoid dry skin, pour it over the hedgehog's back, scrub their little feet to make sure they don't have poop boots, and dry them. Maybe 5mins. We use fleece and just wash it all once a week. Take out the wheel, food dish, and water dish, dump them in the bathtub for scrubbing, roll up the fleece and hedgie bag together, toss in washer, repeat until all cages are done or washer is full, clean, dry, replace. The chins require every other day fleece changes with many items to remove and scrubbing shelves. Occasional sanding of wood items.
Hedgehogs also don't need much in their cage. They don't play with toys really. They need a wheel, food, water, and a place to sleep that's dark and they are happy. You can give them things like cat balls but they don't really need them and most will just bulldoze past them like they aren't there. Chins need toys, branches, houses, ledges, hay which requires more cleaning from the wasted stuff, their wheels are insanely expensive compared to a hedgie bucket wheel... Setting up a room for 5 hedgehogs cost me 1/10th what 4 chin cages are going to cost to setup not counting the cost to get the cages. Friday we are ordering the next set of bass pans for the 2nd cage and I have a custom order on hold with someone to make chin houses and mountable tunnels for $60 without shipping. Next I'm buying feeding ledges. Then we have to start saving for wheels.
Every other day we quickly chin proof and then let them in the bathroom to exercise and take dust baths while we clean their cage. Then we have to sweep the whole bathroom and turn on the exhaust fan because of the dust everywhere and some chin poop. The hedgies when we get them out might pee or poop in the exercise pens but a quick paper towel wipe fixes that and often we can have them out on the bed or couch for hours with no mess and without them running off. We don't have to hedgehog proof an entire room in order to get them out of their cages.
Hedgehogs also don't need much in their cage. They don't play with toys really. They need a wheel, food, water, and a place to sleep that's dark and they are happy. You can give them things like cat balls but they don't really need them and most will just bulldoze past them like they aren't there. Chins need toys, branches, houses, ledges, hay which requires more cleaning from the wasted stuff, their wheels are insanely expensive compared to a hedgie bucket wheel... Setting up a room for 5 hedgehogs cost me 1/10th what 4 chin cages are going to cost to setup not counting the cost to get the cages. Friday we are ordering the next set of bass pans for the 2nd cage and I have a custom order on hold with someone to make chin houses and mountable tunnels for $60 without shipping. Next I'm buying feeding ledges. Then we have to start saving for wheels.
Every other day we quickly chin proof and then let them in the bathroom to exercise and take dust baths while we clean their cage. Then we have to sweep the whole bathroom and turn on the exhaust fan because of the dust everywhere and some chin poop. The hedgies when we get them out might pee or poop in the exercise pens but a quick paper towel wipe fixes that and often we can have them out on the bed or couch for hours with no mess and without them running off. We don't have to hedgehog proof an entire room in order to get them out of their cages.
Shooper
"Ellie Mae"
I have both and the chins are way more time consuming than hedgie!
3CsMommy
My babies Rock!
Having taken care of both, I found that the chins are easier. Hay, pellets, sweep the tile floors, water bottle check every night with a dust bath twice a week and we're good to go. Even with 3 cages I only need 20 min. to get to the snuggles every day. The hedgie *had* to have shavings which was a bigger mess than the chinnie hay/poop, his urine was stronger smelling so I had to clean a lot more, he was grumpy and chucked cat food everywhere, and he needed to be warm which is uncomfortable for me and made me worry. I also never saw the little stinker except when I forced him out to clean his hide and his feet (ew, poo boots), so it wasn't the best fit. Maybe when the rats we have now are gone my Other Half will want a hedgie, but that'll be up to him to clean and such.
akane
Well-known member
I have the opposite experience. I have 8 hedgehogs right now due to weaning babies in a spare bedroom with the door shut and the fleece hasn't been washed since last weekend. There is no smell when you walk in the room.
The chins are in an open air livingroom and within 24hrs of changing the fleece you can smell pee when you walk in the door.
The chins are in an open air livingroom and within 24hrs of changing the fleece you can smell pee when you walk in the door.
DanceswithElvis
House Hobo
During my undergrad, my university biology dept. had a hedgie someone gave to us (I never got the whole story on how exactly we came in possession of him). His name was Dinsdale. I loved taking care of him, he was such a sweety. Unfortunently we only had him about 9 months before he passed away. He had a cancerous tumor in his jaw/throat. We made him as comfortable as possible until it was time to let him go.
To be honest, since I've gotten Nibbler my chin...I really haven't noticed a huge difference in care between the two. I can't use the pine shavings because of my allergies, but to be honest, I love taking care of the little guys. It's like my dogs. I four. I really don't see the difference in taking care of my 150lb dog vs my 6lb dog, there's a joy to it. It's hard work, but it brings me peace and I find it fun.
To be honest, since I've gotten Nibbler my chin...I really haven't noticed a huge difference in care between the two. I can't use the pine shavings because of my allergies, but to be honest, I love taking care of the little guys. It's like my dogs. I four. I really don't see the difference in taking care of my 150lb dog vs my 6lb dog, there's a joy to it. It's hard work, but it brings me peace and I find it fun.
Frewrz
Member
I prefer chins but hedgies are easier.
Never had one of my own but took care of a few.
Now I miss them
Never had one of my own but took care of a few.
Now I miss them
We have had two much loved hedgies and now have our first chin. I can say without a second thought the Chin is so much easier to take care of. Both have needs as far as temps are concerned. That is on the owner not the animal. You need to know how to care for them. I found the Hedgehogs to be so much messier then our chin is. Both are wonderful animals to share your home with you just need to do research to see which one will fit in with your lifestyle. The truth is any animals has specific needs and wants and it is up to us to take responsibility for those. I have just found the chin to be more interactive with us then the hedgies were. Jacoby seems to enjoy our time with him and wants more once it is over. The hedgehogs are more independent imo, though I do feel like they enjoyed interacting with us as well. When our last Hedgie passed I cried for days so she was loved very, very much and missed greatly.
Shooper
"Ellie Mae"
I say the chins are easier. For the simple fact that hedgie poops in her wheel everynight and I have to scrub the wheel and soak her poopy little feet daily!
I own a chinchilla and one of my really good friends owned a hedgehog. Each animals has different aspects of care that is harder or easier than the other.
Poop wise, chinchillas win! Chin's poops are small, hard and odorless. Hedgehog's poop is much bigger, softer and smellier.
For temperature you need to keep a chinchilla cold so A/C in the summer can be spendier. For hedgehogs in the winter they have to be super warm or they can go into hibernation and it can be dangerous so that would be annoying to be worried about. But it's also annoying keeping your house super cool in the summer.
Hygiene is way easier for a chinchilla, they bathe THEMSELVES in baths.
Cages have to be much bigger for chinchillas so that may be a negative. Also, chinchillas could possibly ruin wooden furniture from their super strong teeth!
I think owning a chinchilla is harder but....I may be bias owning a chinchilla, but who wants to snuggle a mini porcupine? Not me, i'll stick with the world's softest animal! :chin3:
Poop wise, chinchillas win! Chin's poops are small, hard and odorless. Hedgehog's poop is much bigger, softer and smellier.
For temperature you need to keep a chinchilla cold so A/C in the summer can be spendier. For hedgehogs in the winter they have to be super warm or they can go into hibernation and it can be dangerous so that would be annoying to be worried about. But it's also annoying keeping your house super cool in the summer.
Hygiene is way easier for a chinchilla, they bathe THEMSELVES in baths.
Cages have to be much bigger for chinchillas so that may be a negative. Also, chinchillas could possibly ruin wooden furniture from their super strong teeth!
I think owning a chinchilla is harder but....I may be bias owning a chinchilla, but who wants to snuggle a mini porcupine? Not me, i'll stick with the world's softest animal! :chin3:
