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Post by Shelly on Oct 1, 2013 10:30:41 GMT -8
Its been a while since I pet a chinchilla  How does the hedgehog feel? Are they like really sharp, are ther bellies soft? |
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Post by Shelly on Oct 1, 2013 10:31:06 GMT -8
Its been a while since I pet a chinchilla How does the hedgehog feel? Are they like really sharp, are ther bellies soft? |
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Post by Casey on Oct 1, 2013 12:45:44 GMT -8
hedgies are pretty sharp. their quills are hard. their bellys are warm, and fuzzy, but not very "soft". their belly fur is soft, but still stiff and thick
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Post by Shelly on Oct 1, 2013 14:54:21 GMT -8
do you have a picture on hand? i think they are so cute!! |
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Post by Casey on Oct 2, 2013 20:41:27 GMT -8
i gots a video of me giving her a bath in our bathroom sink  pardon the rust stains, they're from the tenants who lived here before us and they dont wash out  shes blind now though, and shes old and grumpy lol but she likes being brushed with her toothbrush. we bought that one just for her and she loves it lol |
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Post by Shelly on Oct 3, 2013 4:51:18 GMT -8
That is adorable!! Her quills look like they stick together in the water  are they nice pets? Are they cuddly at all? |
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Post by Casey on Oct 3, 2013 21:45:09 GMT -8
most are not known to be cuddly. some can be, if socialized properly and if they have that personality. some like to play more, some like to run around more, some like to do silly things with toys.... then we got poke a roo who hates most things and doesnt like to play or try new foods lol she's old and set in her ways. basically, baths are about the only time we can interact with her without her freaking out. she is not very happy to be picked up and held or even bothered with, and she doesnt really like coming out of her cage.
they're fairly easy to care for as pets. they do well on cat food or hedgehog diets, both are proven fine and healthy. they need insects and fresh veggies supplemented into their diet, but of course pokie here doesnt like veggies, but she loves her mealworms lol. they need a temperature no lower than 72F, so they might need a heat source if your house isnt warm enough year round. but no higher than 80F because of heat stroke. they are nocturnal so you wont really see them during the day. they cannot handle falls, even from 12 inches... they can injure themselves. they need regular nail trims (not fun, or easy), they need baths once in awhile. they are a messy, dirty pet in my opinion based on the fact that they are not really potty trainable. so you cant expect them to be litter trained like a cat, rabbit, hamster, chinchilla, etc. they dont choose a corner to go usually. they normally do their bathroom business while running on their wheels, which is SUCH a smelly joy to clean. yuck! they do have a sensitive respiratory system too, like birds and chinchillas, so scented products are a no no for them as well. but a weekly cage clean is usually all that is needed, along with fresh food and water for basic care. they arent "hard" to care for, just different. they need their exercise though, so they need a good horizontal cage for running around. otherwise, they arent too much different than the proper care for a rabbit in terms of difficulty.
they dont usually bite, but some do. poke a roo has bit once, and that was my husband's armpit. for some reason she thought it was tasty, it was not even a mean bite, she was literally tasting him lol but her teeth are dull and she's kinda snaggletoothed so it doesnt even hurt. she's got my finger once when taking a treat from me.
i love poke a roo, but i would not get another hedgehog myself. they aren't for me, but pokie is a rehome from a very good friend of ours. she had poke a roo for 2 years but traveled too much for work and didnt have the time to clean her cage often or care for her. so she asked if we would take care of her since we take good care of our pets. if it had been any other person besides this friend, we would have said no. but this friend has always been there for us, especially my husband when he was a kid, so it was the least we could do. plus, pokie is kinda cute in her own ornery way. we love her dearly and would never part with her and we give her the best life she could have, but i would not go out of my way to get another one. just not my type of pet.
she's gone blind though in her old age, so she doesnt really do much anymore aside from eat, sleep, and have baths lol. she cant run on her wheel anymore since she just walks into it, so she doesnt have one of those anymore. she doesnt really like to be handled, nor can she safely come out of the cage because she is blind, nor does she really like it. so she just happily lives out the rest of her days doing as she wants in her cage.
they dont live long compared to other pets. 3-10 years is the life expectency, most only making it 4-6 years. 3 years old a lot of them will start showing aging signs, like poke a roo did. blindness is a common old age issue with hedgies, seems a lot go blind after their 3rd year. poke a roo is 4, going on 5.
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Post by Shelly on Oct 4, 2013 4:26:10 GMT -8
They round kind of similar to hámsters... Nocturnal, doesnt líke be held, etc. I had a hámster once and She was kind Of a boring pet but i do want to get an other i would líke to get a Guinea pig more them any thing because i had 5 when i was litros and i misa them |
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Post by Casey on Oct 5, 2013 17:44:21 GMT -8
guinea pigs are soooo cute lol we rescued a couple someone left outside in a park. both were so very sweet. we found them homes though
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pardon the rust stains, they're from the tenants who lived here before us and they dont wash out 
are they nice pets? Are they cuddly at all?