Hedgehogs As Pets - An Amazing Idea

Are you searching for the perfect pet? Look no further, I have the solution, it has the cute factor, is cheap to buy, is even cheaper to keep, provides lots of entertainment, doesn't take up too much space and did I mention that they are ridiculously cute?

I'm talking about an African pygmy hedgehog, they literally are the perfect pet (in my completely biased opinion). The entertainment provided by these little cuties can last for hours, they are so curious and intelligent that just watching them is entertaining. Whatever you put in their cage will be sniffed, pulled around, licked and combined with other items to create some form of havoc. Mine has realized that if he puts his wheel up against his food bowl he will never knock it over, yet he doesn't seem to care that it makes it ridiculously noisy.

Keeping hedgehogs as pets is an awesome idea, you can pick one up from a good breeder for around £100/ $150, and once you have that initial outlay they cost barely nothing, they eat dry cat food and sleep on wood shavings. Of course if you feel like treating your hedgehog you can buy meal worms or scramble some eggs for them, at a minuscule extra cost. The toys that they play with can be anything from toilet roll tubes to a bit of string tied to the roof of their cage.

The cuteness comes in whenever your hog is awake, they will literally sniff everything you put in front of them, and there is not a cuter site in the world than when they like the smell of something and start licking it. It's ridiculously cute.

There are other things to consider before getting hedgehogs as pets, such as health, quality of breeder, these are things that require an article in themselves but we will deal with that later.

For now though, more reasons why you want one, watching them play with their toys is a sheer joy, my little boy Anderson loves running on his wheel, it is almost as if he knows when you are watching because he will run around in circuits, on his wheel for a minute, around his house, into his tube, over for a drink of water, then around his food bowl and back onto the wheel to repeat the exact same circuit. However when I am not watching, he will run around on his wheel for hours on end.

I highly recommend hedgehogs as pets.

How to Choose a Cage for Your Sugar Glider

You're considering getting a sugar glider as a pet. Great - a very unusual choice as they are enchanting little creatures and will bring you a great deal of pleasure, as they enjoy interacting with their owners - you can carry him around in your shirt pocket. They are very affectionate and bond well with their owners as well as with each other. If you are thinking seriously about this however, be aware that you need to have at least two sugar gliders - they are social animals and need to be among their own kind. They are considered exotic animals and as such, have special needs which must be met in order for them to thrive.

Be aware too, that some states have laws against keeping sugar gliders - in their native country of Australia, it is illegal to own one unless you have been approved by the state and are specially licensed. Sugar gliders can live for eight to fifteen years in captivity and taking a close look at your life-style will tell you whether you are equipped to take on such a responsibility for what could be many years. When you acquire a pet, you have it for life - a forever home!

Of course, you have given a great deal of thought to providing a proper home for such an exotic pet. You already know their habits and the fact that they are nocturnal. Providing an appropriate enclosure for them would be your first concern - and there are many ways to build or buy sugar glider cages. Building one might be a better choice, because you are better able to fit it in the spot you have chosen for it.

Its dimensions are important; for a pair, you will need a minimum of twenty-four inches for width and depth - but the important thing is the height of your sugar glider cage as these little animals are climbers. Thirty-six inches high would be the minimum and more would be better to accommodate their climbing instincts. The mesh used to build sugar glider cages should be no more than half an inch wide and if you put some branches and ropes inside, they will remain strong and healthy with climbing exercise. 

Some toys perhaps; they love an exercise wheel. It should be a large wheel with a solid surface so that tails and legs don't get caught. And how about those clear plastic globes which you can put your sugar glider in - he can roll around the house. How about a length of PVC pipe - this would give them a place to hide, as well as play.

Add a couple of platforms for them to climb on. Fixing a few horizontal bars on the inside of the mesh walls will help too because these little guys love to climb and jump - it's what they do! If you add branches, be certain that they are free from pesticides and fertilizers as well as being from non-toxic plants. Coniferous tree branches such as pine and cedar should also be avoided as they have sticky sap in them.

Consider placing your sugar gliders' cage inside a large plastic tray as this will catch any material which falls outside the cage - it's not easy to house-train them. A secure latch is essential as sugar gliders are pretty smart and can figure out how to open the cage door themselves. In the bottom, put a thick layer of shavings - aspen or fir is perfect as you can clean it out a couple of times per week. Avoid using cedar as it is toxic to small animals.

Your sugar gliders' cage should be placed in a spot which is free from drafts and where the average temperature is above a normal room temperature of 73 degrees F. Your sugar gliders' cage should also have a nest box in it and it's suggested that you place this against the ceiling of the cage so that they can't use the top of it as a bathroom. Best of all is a pouch (they are marsupials, after all) made out of a washable cloth, such as corduroy, which you can attach to the mesh wall of your sugar gliders' cage. 

You can make these at home - make a few of them so that you can change them frequently. Another great benefit is that you can remove the pouch with the gliders inside to make it easier for them to bond with you. Place their water bottle high in the cage too as they are happier at the top of the structure - they live high up in trees when in the wild.

Enjoy your sugar gliders but remember please - these are social animals and need their own kind to bond with. When you finally get your sugar gliders, get them both at the same time so that they can hang out together in their own new territory which you have provided for them.