Nemesis Hedgehog questions :)

[Nemesis]

hello guys ! im a newbie in hedgehog keeping and he is a albino hedgehog i have these following question for you guys to answer ^^

1.my hedgehog bite me after i feed him mealworm from my hand it hurts but it didn't draw any blood will i still have rabies?
2.my hedgehog is a escape artist i think he fall down for about 3 feet but he is sill fine and energetic should i still be worried? and i put several green plastic screen wire to cover his cage because he can manage to escape through it.
3.what is a good staple diet for my hedgehog?
4.and when i about to hold him he is like sneezing when he knows im there is it normal for him?
5.and he is always sleeping in day and at night he wakes up at 8-10 pm and 2-5:30 am is that normal for a hedgie ?

thats about it i will ask more if something is wrong with him ...thank you im hoping that you will answer my question.

 

[charlie]

Welcome to the group! There is a search function at the top where you can type in a particular word to find many of the answers to the questions you have posted. Sometimes that is faster than waiting for one of us to answer.

1. I would probably feed him mealworms by offering them in a dish (so that you do not train him to bite) but no you will not get rabies as hedgehogs don't carry it. Wash your hands after handling your hog as a best practice anyway.

2. Escaping is a common problem, glad to hear you are preventing that. That is a big fall for him, if you notice any limping, decline in appetite, issues chewing, you should get him to a vet. HAve you found a good vet (best to find one now before issues arise)?

3. Good food suggestions can be found in the threads from this link (and there are many of them):

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=50

Be sure to introduce new food very slowly, especially if he is new to you.

4. Sneezing can indicate illness which if it turns into an Upper Respiratory Infection (UTI) can be deadly. That being said not all sneezes mean this. Is there any discharge? Is it happening a lot? Do you wear perfume or strong smelling deodarant? Are you using a strong smelling laundry detergent? These guys are sensitive (think of a kid who can't have strong smelling anything near them).

5. They are nocturnal so his schedule seems normal. Eating properly and pooping regularly and with good colour help us to determine if there is an issue so you should montior these to help you know if there are issues.

Again welcome to the site, lots of info here, hope it helps!

 

[Hammie]

I think the sneezing you're referring to is what we call "huffing." Is he just breathing really hard through his nose? It's what hedgehogs do when they are scared. Consider reading through this. http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=43 It's the frequently asked questions by new owners. It will have some of the basics you need to know. Research is the best thing you can do for your hedgie. The second best is asking questions, just like you have! Welcome to hedgiehood!!! :welcomewagon:

 

[Nemesis]

thanks for answering my earlier questions, my hedgehog again escape and i saw him in the grounds of my backyard fortunately there's no cat patrolling in there and he fall maybe 3 feet again but he didn't show any bruises and weird acting infact i gave him a mealworm and he munch on it ...now i transfer him in a 2.5 gallon holding tank because im planning to put more green wires on his cage he is now sleeping....and btw how can i keep ants away from his cage because those little pest keep on coming any tips on how to control those pest.

 

[Nemesis]

his tank looks like this the dimensions of it is 29x20x10 and he keeps falling because he wants to climb the wires and escape should i get a pillow and cover it with wood shavings? it looks exactly as this

and he is not actually sneezing but when im about to touch him he does that chinggling thing.

 

[charlie]

How is he escaping? You should have a lid on the cage and the bars should not be spaced apart enough to let him through. Are you keeping him outside? Ants are tricky, but I believe some of our members have dealt with them before using a natural deterrent (was it a ring of salt around the room?...). I do not know, hopefully someone can advise you. It is important that you prevent him from escaping as the fall is NOT good. Please take a look at some of the housing ideas in the housing section of the forum.

Sent by iPad

 

[Cara]

Nemesis Hedgehog questions
hello guys ! im a newbie in hedgehog keeping and he is a albino hedgehog i have these following question for you guys to answer ^^

Hi Nemesis

Firstly congratulations on your new hedgehog, did you do any homework before getting one of these amazing creatures? They have to be kept at Temperature is the most important consideration when deciding if a hedgehog is a suitable pet for your household.
Hedgehogs are from tropical climates and they MUST be kept ABOVE 72F (22.2 Celsius) at all times.
Even this is not warm enough for many hedgehogs. 75F – 76F (23.9C – 24.4C) to be a good temperature that agrees with most of them. This is a must. If you do not keep your hedgehog warm enough he will get sick and die. The easiest way to keep your hedgie warm is to turn up the heat in the room hedgie is kept in..


1.my hedgehog bite me after i feed him mealworm from my hand it hurts but it didn't draw any blood will i still have rabies?

I would reccomed feeding your hedgehog in a bowl until you are both more used to each other, is your hedgehog a pygmy? They can bite, they can sometimes give you an indication they are going to this by licking you first. Try holding your your boy without food & slowly get used to each other, put him on your lap, encourage him to have a wander around the sofa you are on. Or whereever you may be sitting. It does take time to them to get used to us & us to them. I highly doubt he has rabis, what makes you say this?

2.my hedgehog is a escape artist i think he fall down for about 3 feet but he is sill fine and energetic should i still be worried? and i put several green plastic screen wire to cover his cage because he can manage to escape through it.

I would reccommed putting wire around his cage, not chicken wire but another. Then he wont be able to escape.


3.what is a good staple diet for my hedgehog?

There is a huge debate on what is best but i have found A good quality cat food to be best, i use catbiscuits.


4.and when i about to hold him he is like sneezing when he knows im there is it normal for him?

I am not sure on this one, do you wash your hands before touching him? They have a really good sence of smell, so it could be something he dislikes. It could also be huffing, this is a strange noise it reminds me of a train when my girl does it. Each have there own unique sound though. I am hoping someone else can answer this one better for you.


5.and he is always sleeping in day and at night he wakes up at 8-10 pm and 2-5:30 am is that normal for a hedgie ?

Perfectly normal.. A hedgehog is nocturnal, they sleep all day & wake up at night. They may appear in their cage in the day but it would be best to leave them be, he could be going for food ect.

I hope i have helped you in some way