An African pygmy hedgehog lives alone, in a warm room of about 24–29 °C, with a solid wheel to run on. The MSD Veterinary Manual’s minimum floor is 2 x 3 ft.
Pet
Hedgehog
Your cage against each minimum
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Cage size
The MSD manual’s professional edition recommends at least 2 x 3 ft (0.6 x 0.9 m) of floor for one hedgehog. RVC says wire-bottomed enclosures will injure their feet, and it puts nest boxes and branches in the cage.
Keep one hedgehog to a cage: RVC, VCA and the MSD manual all house them alone, as they’re solitary in the wild.
Temperature
RVC keeps these tropical animals at 24–30 °C. The MSD manual gives 22–32 °C, with 24–29 °C (75–85 °F) as the best range. VCA gives 21–29 °C and says heatstroke can occur above 29 °C (85 °F).
Bedding and wheel
The MSD manual keeps the substrate 3–4 in deep in at least some parts of the cage, for burrowing. More on bedding for small pets.
The MSD manual highly recommends an exercise wheel with a solid metal or plastic running surface, since hedgehog legs can get trapped in wire wheels. See wheel sizes by pet.
Everyday food
The MSD manual’s ideal diet is a hedgehog or insectivore kibble, 3–4 teaspoons a day depending on weight and activity, or a weight-management cat food if there’s none. RVC gives 2 tablespoons of reduced-calorie cat food and 1–2 tablespoons of mixed vegetables each night.
The sources differ on vitamins: RVC sprinkles a vitamin and mineral powder on the vegetables, while VCA says a hedgehog on a properly balanced diet needs no extra. The MSD manual says not to feed raw meat or eggs, and that milk can cause diarrhea.
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