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17/06/2022

The cutest little yawn.

11/06/2022

Hedgehog stretches are life 😍
Got a cute stretch to share?? Give me a tag...I'd love to see it!

21/05/2022

I swapped to fleece from shavings when our Hugo got sick because it helped me better track when he was vomiting, so miss Juniper's new home is also fleece.

She loves to dig, though, so these fleece strips are awesome to help meet that need!

I'd love to try a bioactive enclosure for her someday but need to research them more...have you ever given them a try?

Meet our new hedgehog! Miss Juniper was meant to be a foster butttt...we fell in love 😍🙈. She's a sweet, shy little girl...
07/05/2022

Meet our new hedgehog!

Miss Juniper was meant to be a foster butttt...we fell in love 😍🙈. She's a sweet, shy little girl and we are so excited to get to know her better!

Happy Friday! Enjoy the weekend with your hoggos. ❤🦔
09/04/2022

Happy Friday!
Enjoy the weekend with your hoggos. ❤🦔

Thank you Red Fox Multimedia for this new logo! I adore it! 😍
07/04/2022

Thank you Red Fox Multimedia for this new logo! I adore it! 😍

01/04/2022

I can't stop watching this video clip 🤣

Someone needed a midnight snack today but also didn't want to get out of bed.

This is the life! 🦔

What silly things do your hogs do??

25/03/2022

Happy Friday!

Hope your weekend is THIS good! 🤣

Continuing with the last biological needs from Maslow's Hierarchy. If you missed the earlier posts in the series, they'r...
23/03/2022

Continuing with the last biological needs from Maslow's Hierarchy.

If you missed the earlier posts in the series, they're saved to the highlights! These are the first level of needs you need to meet before you can progress to less basic needs, such as bonding.

🏠 Shelter - hedgehogs love to have lots of hides and generally prefer a more cluttered cage where there are lots of easily accessible safe spaces.

⛑ Safety - this can include things like keeping other pets out of your hedgehog's space, but it is also important to look at it from your hedgehog's view. Do THEY feel safe? If interactions involve constant huffing, biting and balling up, it's likely they don't feel safe.

🌡Temperature Control - hedgehogs NEED to be kept warm and to have the temperature steady and regulated in order to be healthy.

✂️ Gentle Grooming - hedgehogs don't need a ton in terms of grooming but do need their nails trimmed and p**p boots cleaned up (if you know, you know) to stay comfortable.

🥼 Gentle Veterinary Care - a good vet is essential for ensuring your hedgehog stays healthy and comfortable.

Once these biological needs (from this post and the last) are met, you have a very firm foundation to move onto the next. Stay tuned!!

Happy Monday! We are going to dive back into Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, starting with the most basic level - Biologica...
22/03/2022

Happy Monday!
We are going to dive back into Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, starting with the most basic level - Biological Needs.

What do these include? How can they be applied to a hedgehog? I'm going to break this into two separate posts, so stay tuned for part two to come tomorrow!

🐛 Proper Nutrition - this is a crazy hot topic and I'm not even going to try to tackle it. Do your research, consult a variety of sources and do your best. There is very limited information available regarding hedgehog nutrition, which is so frustrating, so hopefully we will see more in the near future.

💧 Fresh Water - most people recommend bowls for hedgehogs. Make sure you change the water often and give the bowls a good wash to get rid of bacteria.

🦔 Sufficient Exercise - hedgehogs NEED wheels! Make sure you research safe, hedgehog appropriate wheels that suit your hog's size.

🌬 Fresh Air - some cages make this easy, some make it more difficult. Make sure your hog's home has good air circulation and minimal dust from bedding.

💤 Sleep - hedgehogs are nocturnal and do need a quiet place to sleep during the day.

I'll finish up with biological needs tomorrow! If you missed the intro post on why addressing each of these is important, I have it saved to my highlights.

🦔 What biological need from this list do you find the most difficult to meet for your hedgehog? 👇

21/03/2022

Here we have both hedgehog and human enrichment. 🙈

I'm slowly getting braver dealing with bugs because his enjoyment of them just makes it all worthwhile. Yesterday we got a couple of crickets to see what he thought and it was a success, so I guess I'll be getting more and really try to encourage him to use his hunting instincts.

What bugs do your hedgehogs love??

19/03/2022

Someone was full of beans last night!

Abraham Maslow created a hierarchy of needs, in which he theorizes that needs lower on the pyramid must be met before on...
18/03/2022

Abraham Maslow created a hierarchy of needs, in which he theorizes that needs lower on the pyramid must be met before one can focus on needs higher in the pyramid (this is a gross oversimplification of the theory, but must suffice for this space!). Linda Michaels later created a version of Maslow's Hierarchy for dogs, which we can then expand and utilize for hedgehogs (pyramid pictured in the next photo 👉).

As caring hedgehog owners, the majority of us do our best to ensure that our hedgehog's biological needs are met (keeping their cage temperature up, providing them fresh water and proper food, trimming their nails as needed, etc). Often though, we tend to jump right from biological needs to social needs, without ensuring that our hedgehog's emotional needs are met, then we find ourselves confused and frustrated when we can't seem to bond with our hedgehog.

Imagine that the one place in the world where you feel safe is your cage and you learn that at any point, someone you don't know or trust could wake you up, remove you form this safe place and take you to wherever they wanted, despite anything you do. This is likely to make you feel quite unsafe and distrustful! Now imagine how unlikely you'd be to feel any desire to bond with the person who has put you into this seemingly "unsafe" situation (in your eyes) and we can begin to see why so many hedgehogs are rehomed because they're "grumpy" or because they bite.

It is not fair of us to expect our hedgehogs to bond with us if they do not feel safe and secure or if they do not feel like they can trust us. Of course we have their best intentions at heart, but they often don't know this and our well intentioned attempts at befriending them often erode any sense of safety or trust.

So what's the solution? How on earth do we increase our hedgehog's sense of security and build their trust in us? I'll share more tomorrow but wanted to get the wheels in your mind turning in the meantime! If you have any thoughts, let me know in the comments!

The hedgehog startle response is a quick tuck of the head, perhaps accompanied by a huff, grumble or a hiss and a raisin...
17/03/2022

The hedgehog startle response is a quick tuck of the head, perhaps accompanied by a huff, grumble or a hiss and a raising of the spines. The hedgehog likely doesn't feel like it is in immediate danger, but was likely surprised by something. A human equivalent would be when you walk around a corner and are surprised by someone standing there, then realize it is just a family member that you didn't hear approaching.

I witness this behaviour most often with my guy when I accidentally move too fast or surprise him by coughing or sneezing. He usually recovers quickly and is back to sniffing around, exploring or eating.

🦔 Does your hedgehog startle easily?
🦔 Do you have other hedgehog body language questions?
👇 Let me know in the comments!

The short answer...no!So many people are upset because their hedgehog frequently bites them or are hurt because their he...
16/03/2022

The short answer...no!

So many people are upset because their hedgehog frequently bites them or are hurt because their hedgehog isn't a snuggler.

The fact of the matter is that hedgehogs are not instinctually social animals. Even in the wild, hedgehogs live alone and only come together to mate. Some pet hedgehogs will be more social than others (especially those hand raised by a trusted, ethical breeder), but even still, each hedgehog will have their own personality and preferences.

So what does it mean when your hedgehog bites? How can you show love to a bitey, hissy creature covered in spikes?

Stay tuned! I'll be answering these questions and much more! Make sure to follow the account to stay in touch.

🦔 Do you have any questions regarding your hedgehog's behaviour? 👇

15/03/2022

Meet Hugo!

We adopted Hugo just over two years ago after he was surrendered for biting. Although he isn't a snuggly, cuddly hog, with time and patience he has become a curious, inquisitive little guy that we love hanging out with.

Hugo has been dealing with some mysterious health problems for the last several months so he's a bit skinnier than other hedgies, but still a hungry, active boy.

Do you have a hedgehog?
What is his or her name??

Hi! My name is Luisa and I love hedgehogs! My husband and I love adopting the grumpy, bitey hogs that often get overlook...
13/03/2022

Hi! My name is Luisa and I love hedgehogs! My husband and I love adopting the grumpy, bitey hogs that often get overlooked and giving them a loving home where they can feel safe.

I've spent time in multiple hedgehog groups on Facebook, browsed forums and read websites and am often so disheartened by reading about how many people think their hedgehog hates them or how many think their hog is being "cute" when it is in obvious distress.

A couple of years ago, I completed a two year apprenticeship in animal behaviour and I love learning more, applying this knowledge to hedgehogs and helping people better their relationship with their prickly potatoes.

I'm so glad you're here and I can't wait to get to know you better!

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Videos

The cutest little yawn.

Hedgehog stretches are life 😍 Got a cute stretch to share?? Give me a tag...I'd love to see it!

Juniper
Juniper

I swapped to fleece from shavings when our Hugo got sick because it helped me better track when he was vomiting, so miss Juniper's new home is also fleece. She loves to dig, though, so these fleece strips are awesome to help meet that need! I'd love to try a bioactive enclosure for her someday but need to research them more...have you ever given them a try?

Breakfast in Bed (Hedgehog Style 🦔)
Breakfast in Bed (Hedgehog Style 🦔)

I can't stop watching this video clip 🤣 Someone needed a midnight snack today but also didn't want to get out of bed. This is the life! 🦔 What silly things do your hogs do??

Happy Friday! Hope your weekend is THIS good! 🤣

Here we have both hedgehog and human enrichment. 🙈 I'm slowly getting braver dealing with bugs because his enjoyment of them just makes it all worthwhile. Yesterday we got a couple of crickets to see what he thought and it was a success, so I guess I'll be getting more and really try to encourage him to use his hunting instincts. What bugs do your hedgehogs love??

Someone was full of sass and beans last night 🤣
Someone was full of sass and beans last night 🤣

Someone was full of beans last night!

Meet Hugo
Meet Hugo

Meet Hugo! We adopted Hugo just over two years ago after he was surrendered for biting. Although he isn't a snuggly, cuddly hog, with time and patience he has become a curious, inquisitive little guy that we love hanging out with. Hugo has been dealing with some mysterious health problems for the last several months so he's a bit skinnier than other hedgies, but still a hungry, active boy. Do you have a hedgehog? What is his or her name??

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