Hedgehog Care

Nutrition:

Pet hedgehogs are susceptible to obesity, making it crucial to assess both the nutritional value and the quantity of food they receive. We believe that the optimal diet for a hedgehog consists of a blend of high-quality cat kibble that contains appropriate levels of fat and protein. A variety of different cat kibbles offers our hedgehogs a diverse protein source. Our Coastal Quills Premium Hedgehog Diet Mix supplies our hedgehogs with various protein sources, including chicken, salmon, turkey, crickets, and black soldier fly larvae.

As insectivores, hedgehogs also need insects in their nutrition. Alongside the dried insects present in our kibble, we provide live insects such as mealworms, super worms, Dubia roaches, and crickets. Additionally, we enhance their diet with frozen thawed pinkies, unseasoned lean meats, and eggs. Hedgehogs cannot break down fruits or vegetables; they obtain plant nutrients by consuming insects that have been fed such produce.

Straying from our dietary guidelines may affect your baby’s health guarantees.

We provide approximately 2 tablespoons of our premium nutritional mix to each hedgehog each evening. Modify the portion based on your hedgehog's body condition.

Note

Commercial hedgehog foods like Mazuri, Vita Prima, or Exotic Nutrition brands do not offer sufficient nutrition for your hedgehog, except for Hedgehog Precision kibble. Most commercial hedgehog foods lack whole meat as the primary ingredient and contain excessive fillers that hedgehogs are unable to digest. Feeding commercial hedgehog food can lead to malnutrition, stunted growth, a weakened immune system, foul-smelling stools, and a significantly reduced lifespan for your pet.

Water bowls can significantly lead to health problems. They can be easily overturned, creating excessive humidity that fosters bacterial growth, and may also become contaminated with urine and feces, increasing the risk of internal infections. We find that poor dental health in hedgehogs is not necessarily related to water bottles; it is often associated with behavioral issues, genetic dental problems, inadequate early nutrition, or the presence of biofilm that accumulates in unclean bottles and bowls.

We do not recommend feeding commercial hedgehog food or using bowls to provide water, as it voids our health guarantees.

Coastal Quills Premium Hedgehog Diet consists of:

• Purina Naturals: Indoor with Real Chicken & Turkey (Chicken & Turkey)

• Nutrish: Indoor Complete (Chicken with Salmon)

• Purina ONE: Tender Selects Blend (Chicken)

• Natures Menu: Chicken and Brown Rice (Chicken)

• Cat Chow Sensitive Stomach Gentle Dry Cat Food (Turkey)

• Dried black soldier fly larvae, probiotic powder, ground flaxseed, and cricket flour

If you are only going to feed your hedgehog a single brand of cat food, we would recommend using the highest quality cat formula you can find, or Hedgehog Precision kibble. Nature's Menu chicken and brown rice or Chicken Soup for the Soul Classic Indoor Cat Dry Food Chicken & Brown Rice would be our choice for a single formula cat food.

Your new baby will currently be eating our Premium hedgehog diet. When purchasing a hedgehog from us, we will provide a free 6 oz sample bag of our mix. The sample should last you about a week so that you can gradually transition them over to whichever mix of adult cat foods you wish to feed. If you purchase a starter cage from us, we will upgrade your food sample to a 2-pound bag that can last up to 3 months.

Creating a Cozy Habitat

Hedgehogs thrive in a consistent temperature of 74°F to 78°F. Too hot or too cold and they can either attempt to hibernate or suffer from heatstroke. You can spot a hibernating hedgehog if they're wobbly, sluggish, and cold to the touch. On the other hand, an overheated hedgehog may lie flat on its belly in a "splooting" position. Keep them comfortable with heating equipment like a CHE bulb and a thermostat.

Emergency Warming & Cooling Methods

During a winter power outage, hand warmers can prevent them from getting too cold. Tuck these warmers into a sock or a snuggle sack. If you don't have hand warmers, your own body heat can do the trick! In the summer, cooling tiles can be placed as well as frozen water bottles. Remember, it is easier to cool or heat a smaller space, so you might want to keep a 15-quart ventilated storage bin handy for such emergencies.

Bedding Basics

Kiln dried pine and Aspen bedding are good options. We use and recommend Kiln Dried Flake pine, this allows for natural burrowing behaviors, our hedgehogs have the best start in life, they're expected to have strong noses and good immune systems. Spot cleaning the bedding daily is a must to maintain a healthy environment, and deep clean once every 2 weeks. Do not use cedar bedding, hedgehogs are highly allergic to it. Liner diving will happen if you use fleece and collectively, we see more injuries from fleece cage setups (toenail rips, poor absorption of odors, ingestion of stuffing, hurt teeth, urine burns, fungal infections) throughout the hedgehog community than we do from pine or aspen flakes. Paper bedding, and potty pads will swell in the digestive tract if ingested. Use of paper, potty pads, and cedar voids our health guarantee.

Exercise and Fun

Keeping your hedgehog active is important. Bucket wheels or the Kaytee Giant comfort wheel can help them get their daily exercise. They can run up to 6 miles a day, so don't forget to clean the wheels regularly! Hedgehogs enjoy toys like ping pong balls, crinkle balls, mini solo cups and small rubber ducks, sand baths, and dig boxes, too, for additional enrichment. It's important to remember hedgehogs have tiny sharp nails anti pill fleece is the only safe to leave in cage fabric as their nails can get caught in tiny towel loops (try microfiber towels for bath time) Hedgehogs have soft paw pads, sandpaper tracks on wheels are not safe and cause injuries. We ask that you regularly inspect all hedgehog toys and cage items to ensure they're safe and not damaged. a cracked solo cup toy can cause a mouth injury, loose threads can wrap around limbs or get ingested, please check your hedgehogs over regularly for any injuries as they are easier to treat the sooner they're discovered.

Bonding Time

Daily socialization is vital for a happy hedgehog. Routine cuddles, positive reinforcement, and your familiar scent can help them bond with you. Be aware that neglect can lead to stress-related behaviors. Always be gentle, consistent, and loving.

Cleaning Tips

Using a good cleaner like dawn dish soap, white vinegar, diluted bleach, or chlorohexidine 2% will keep their space spick and span. Make sure everything's dry before bedding goes back in to prevent bacterial growth and over humidity.

Bathing and Hygiene

A monthly bath with mild soap keeps your hedgehog fresh. Give them time to dry thoroughly with a microfiber towel

before returning them to their home. some hedgehogs can take 45 minutes to get full dry. We like an antifungal and

antimicrobial shampoo at least once every 3 months especially for homes with smaller children and adults with

weakened immune systems to keep your hedgehog squeaky clean!

We Also Offer: The Complete Setup

Avoid the guesswork. Pick up your custom Coastal Quills wheel, food blend, and habitat right alongside your new companion.