African Pygmy Hedgehog Diet
African Pygmy Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and so should not be given diary products. They should also not be given advocado, chocolate, citrus fruits, garlic, fish, grape or grape products, onion, or nuts and seeds. If it doubt, please check with a reputable vet or ask good breeders or keepers such as those found on good African Pygmy Hedgehog forums.
A varied diet is important although some African Pygmy Hedgehogs can be picky eaters.
Your breeder should supply you with some of your hedgehogs existing food, so this will enable you to make any changes to diet gradually to avoid a stomach upset.
Water
Fresh water should be available constantly, tap water is fine offered in a shallow dish or bottle. If the latter, it is important to supply a bowl as well until you are certain your African Pygmy Hedgehog is accustomed to the bottle.
Cat foods
These need to be non-fish based, dry cat food biscuits. It should have a minimum of 30% protein and no more than 10% fat. This should be constantly available.
Food marketed at European hedgehogs is not suitable for African Pygmy Hedgehogs.
Insects
African Pygmy Hedgehogs are insectivorous and so should be offered items such as mealworms, crickets, locusts and cockroaches. These are available live which provides the most environmental enrichment but can also be purchased dried or canned.
Cooked and fresh
Your African Pygmy Hedgehogs diet can be supplemented with cooked foods such chicken, beef or lamb mince, boiled rice, or scrambled egg (without milk). They may also appreciate fresh vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, mashed potato, peas, sweetcorn, mashed swede.
Some fruits are also suitable such as apple, apricot, banana, mango, melon, and strawberries.
African Pygmy Hedgehog Behaviour
African Pygmy Hedgehogs may ball up if unhappy or startled and can raise spines also when upset. They have a wide range of sounds such as popping, sniffling, huffing with some contented hedgehogs even purring like a cat. Huffing sounds are a sign of distress and so are often accompanied by raising spikes.
Although some African Pygmy Hedgehogs may be content to be sat there are also hedgehogs that will be interested in exploring. They can also like to forage, with some keepers hiding mealworms and other treats in a deep tray full of substrate for digging.
Quilling
At the age of 4 weeks an African Pygmy Hedgehog has its first quilling - this is where it will lose its quills and replace them with new ones. Other quillings occur at 6, 9 and 12 weeks. The 9 week quilling is where adult colouration comes in and it is from this point that a proper colour identification can be made. The adult quilling may last around 2-6 weeks.
Whilst quilling an African Pygmy Hedgehog may become quite grumpy, huffy or even aggressive. It is important to still handle your African Pygmy Hedgehog during this time, although you may need to take extra care as the quilling process can be quite painful for your hog.
During quilling it can help to give your hedgehog a luke-warm bath with a moisturising oatmeal shampoo. This helps soften the skin, allowing the new quills to break through the skin easier.
Annointing
If an African Pygmy Hedgehog comes across a new taste or pungent smell it may trigger an odd behaviour known as annointing. This is where they froth at the mouth and then lick this frothy saliva all across their back. Although there is not yet a clear explanation for why they do this, it is a natural behaviour and nothing to be worried about.
Overview of African Pygmy Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs are not rodents, and are insectivores in the family Erinaceidae. African Pygmy Hedgehogs are a hybrid created by breeding the White-bellied or Four-toed Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) and the Algerian Hedgehog (Atelerix algirus) together and never existed as a species in the wild. They are considerably smaller than a wild European hedgehog, do not have fleas and would not be able to tolerate living outside. African Pygmy Hedgehogs now come in a range of colours.
You should research and consider a decision to get an African Pygmy Hedgehog very carefully. They do not make good pets for everyone and require some specialised care - such as a careful diet and heating during the winter months. They cannot be kept outside, and must be handled and their vivarium cleaned frequently.
The best place to get your African Pygmy Hedgehog is from a registered breeder. A good breeder should have handled the litter from a young age and be able to offer plenty of advice and lifetime care. You can also consider getting an adult from a rescue such as the National Exotic Hedgehog Rescue.
African Pygmy Hedgehogs live around 4-6 years and do require daily interaction to keep them accustomed to you. They can also be quite messy to clean although some hedgehogs can be litter-trained. They require a cage of at least 3ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft, complete with a solid-based large wheel, beds and other items. See our section on African Pygmy Hedgehog environment for more details and example setup.
Although it is uncommon, it is still possible to have allergies to your hedgehog and some people do not like handling their hedgehogs. If you have concerns over this, the best option is to find a good breeder and arrange a visit to see if hedgehogs are the right pet for you. African Pygmy Hedgehogs also have some unique behaviours which mean they are not a suitable pet for everyone.
Picking up your hedgehog can be difficult at first, especially if your hedgehog (or yourself!) is not used to it. An unhappy hedgehog may make huffing sounds, a bit like a minature train, and could even ball up completely with no head showing. You will need to handle your African Pygmy Hedgehog every day to keep them accustomed to you and well socialised. Sadly a lot of African Pygmy Hedgehogs are being rehomed or sold on due to their owners not having the time for them.
A healthy African Pygmy Hedgehog should weigh between 300-500g with males typically being smaller. It is a good idea to keep a record of your hedgehogs weight so you can notice any problems, although it is worth bearing in mind that a recent toilet can mean a difference of around 10g. It is important to feed a varied African Pygmy Hedgehog diet and be aware of what foods you must avoid.
African Pygmy Hedgehogs are solitary and should not be housed together as they can even fight to the death. If breeding, the pair should only be kept together for mating and then separated - although it is worth noting that breeding African Pygmy Hedgehogs is not easy, and it is not uncommon for mums to reject or even eat their own young. It is also very important to only breed females at the right age and weight as otherwise the chances of her litter and herself surviving labour are not high.