You may have noticed recently that we are lacking hedgehogs at Pet World. Trust me, I’m just as sad about it as you are. During the winter months hedgies have a hard time breeding because their tiny little bodies are working overtime just to keep themselves warm. When they do breed in the winter they tend to have smaller litters making it super hard for us to get our hands on some, and when we do they sell out in 24 hours! Whoa! We are working hard to get as many as we can as frequently as we can, but, until it warms up, supplies will be limited. Demand is high so they will sell out very fast. We’ll always keep you guys updated on when we are getting hedgies through our facebook and twitter accounts!
For now, here are a few tips on keeping hedgies healthy in the winter months!
Pet hedgehogs are a sensitive to temperature change. They prefer to be in the range of 70º- 80ºf. Some European hedgehogs will attempt to go into hibernation if they get too cold. But the domestic hedgehogs in the U.S. pet trade are African and not capable of hibernation. Their little bodies aren't prepared to go days upon days without food. If a hedgehog is too cold, it will walk around like it's drunk. It will be wobbly and probably stumble a lot. He might stop eating as well. In the case of pet hedgehogs, remember, this is not an attempt to go into hibernation (which they can't do); it's a symptom of temperature related illness.
If your hedgehog gets too cold, warm it up slowly. Use your own body heat or a warm cloth in the cage to get them warm. We keep our hedgehogs in a glass tank with an undertank heater to insure that we never run into this problem! And to make things convenient for our customers, we sell the exact same kit that we use at the store!
Lastly, to keep your hedgies fat and happy you can feed them mealworms along with their everyday diet! Hedgies go crazy for them and it’s kind of fun to watch them eat!
See you soon!
