# hedgehog



## nickyp0

here is my little hedgie






i thought i would show him to you guys

nickyp0


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## yen_saw

Ah cute, your little hedgehog left behind a mealworm. How old is this little ball with spikey hair


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## robo mantis

i always wanted one but i thought their spikes were poisonous


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## wuwu

nope, they're not, but i wouldn't suggest stabbing yourself with them. in fact, i believe no mammals are poisonous except for a species of mole or shrew and the platypus.


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## Rick

Interesting. Heard they didn't make the best pets.


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## OGIGA

Wow, so cute! ... maybe until it hurts someone.


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## Ian

Awesome! We were going to get an african pygmy at one point, however we never did make the actual purchase!

Nice photo.


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## yen_saw

I have had this a while ago. They are easy to deal with when bought as baby and used to human contact. Otherwise they get very defensive and will turn into a needle sharp ball with all the spine pointing out when alert or disturb. It is nocturnal species and active at night.


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## nickyp0

it really does not hurt to bad it just makes you jump cuz you don't know what to expect a mantid bit hurts worse then him lol. i have had him for 3days and he has come around alot. he still spits and pops. it is interesting when you work for a pet store and someone drops it on you. but he is a cute little guy and no he is not venomous lol . right now i am holding him untill i can find him a good loving home and no i will not just give him to anyone.

nick


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## OGIGA

A mantis bit you before? Hmm, I had a mantis attack me before, but it didn't start trying to eat me. The attack didn't hurt at all.


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## Rick

> A mantis bit you before? Hmm, I had a mantis attack me before, but it didn't start trying to eat me. The attack didn't hurt at all.


I've been bit by one before or I should say chewed on by one. Been attached many times but thats usually when they are grabbed. The sharp points on the end of their front legs can give a nasty prick.


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## sterlingspider

> it really does not hurt to bad it just makes you jump cuz you don't know what to expect a mantid bit hurts worse then him lol. i have had him for 3days and he has come around alot. he still spits and pops. it is interesting when you work for a pet store and someone drops it on you. but he is a cute little guy and no he is not venomous lol . right now i am holding him untill i can find him a good loving home and no i will not just give him to anyone. nick


You wouldn't happen to be in NY would you.  

Hedgehogs are pretty varied in personality, but sometimes they're just downright grumpy. My Elric has been getting better over time, but he's still decidedly of the grumpus variety. You learn how to handle them pretty quickly, the worst is stepping on a quill in the carpet or getting stuck in the middle of a "angry hedgehog death ball" since they curl up pretty tight and don't like to unroll.

Here's my guy the first week I got him (in October).

http://pics.livejournal.com/sterlingspider/pic/0001pr8r

and pretty much what he looks like now

http://pics.livejournal.com/sterlingspider/pic/0001eyp4


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## nickyp0

wow they are cute sorry, but i am in NH. you seem to know what you are doing with them. i am learning fast, sonic like to puff at you as you enter the room but quiets down when you talk to her. ( i think its a she ). Very picky eater. hates mealworm but loves the beatles, and seems to have a fasination with my mantids lol.

nick


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## robo mantis

make sure your mantids don't get out!


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## sterlingspider

> wow they are cute sorry, but i am in NH. you seem to know what you are doing with them. i am learning fast, sonic like to puff at you as you enter the room but quiets down when you talk to her. ( i think its a she ). Very picky eater. hates mealworm but loves the beatles, and seems to have a fasination with my mantids lol. nick


I'm pretty thorough about researching my pets, but that's why I'm here in the first place  

There's a fabulous forum called Chins and Quills http://www.chins-n-quills.com which is where I get most of my info. They're really helpful and the site is pretty well organized.

Elric gets huffy when you first bother him (his nickname is Death Potato for a reason), but he likes curling up on me to sleep and he's tolerating more and more handling as time goes by.

Sometimes it takes them a while to start recognizing things as food so keep offering, I think Elric would give a leg for a tub of mealworms :lol: some babyfoods are really good as treats as well (my guy really likes anything with sweet potato or chicken in it). People don't often get the whole story on their food requirements so I put together a food specific caresheet, if you're interested in it let me know and I'll post the link.

If you look at her tummy see if she has what looks like an outie belly button in the middle of her stomach. If the tummy is smooth you got a girl, if there's a "belly button" (it's not a belly button, I'll give you three guesses as to what it actually is) you've got a boy.


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## nickyp0

i am interested in it  right now i am reading on the forum hedgehog world.

they really don't have to much info and can be realy nasty to new people.

do you know the can and can't haves for food?

nick


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## sterlingspider

> i am interested in it  right now i am reading on the forum hedgehog world.they really don't have to much info and can be realy nasty to new people.
> 
> do you know the can and can't haves for food?
> 
> nick


Easy peasy:

http://tangled-web.us/randomhidden/hedgehog_food.doc

And really I can't say enough for chins and quills

If you're interested in a book don't bother with anything but The Hedgehog Primer http://hedgehogvalley.com/primer.html Read through the site a bit and you'll get a lot of general care info. I'm not totally in agreement in regards to feeding, but ultimately you have to make your own decisions anyway and varied opinions at least give you a choice. The way I see it feeding them is so cheap when it comes down to it you might as well feed the best stuff you can.


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## captainmerkin

> Interesting. Heard they didn't make the best pets.


I have had a few of these round the house in my lifetime, but the house really is not the place for them.

Found 5 babies (few days old) by a railway at school years and years ago, the mother was bisected on the rail line  

took them all home and nurtured them till they were around 6 months old and they became very sociable and would follow me around a lot, then released them into our garden (2 acres) and had the great pleasure of having them visit on a daily basis for the next 5 years or so (some may have been their offspring).

I would not advise keeping them indoors as they do like to roam a good distance, but if they are free roaming they will settle down ok but do cause a real stinky mess and are VERY prone to parasites, fleas all the time and ticks were a nightmare despite them only being outside a few hours a day when I was feeding the ducks etc..

lovely critters very very charismatic and gentle as heck if they get used to you (did cause the dogs lots of confusion however)

if you do get them make sure not to feed them milk (common mistake) and always check piles of leaves and wood before sticking a fork in or setting it on fire (they love to hide in piles of stuff like this)


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## Way.Of.The.Mantis

Nice to see them, scurrying around for once, and not flat on the motorway


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## Asa

> Interesting. Heard they didn't make the best pets.


I don't think they do.


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## Way.Of.The.Mantis

Nothing that a thick gardening glove cant solve..


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## HempKnight

My ex-girlfriend had an albino hedgehog. It wasn’t very nice but that is only because it wasn’t handled a lot.


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## Way.Of.The.Mantis

How long do their spines stay relatively soft after birth? a week?


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## captainmerkin

somewhat longer than that for my experience, they seemed to develop at slightly different rates with each one.. between 2 weeks - 1 month roughly, but even then they did still seem slightly soft but still good and sharp.

I have heard from some other people with simular experience that it can take over 3 months in some individuals but not from my experience.


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