Enrichment

Hedgehogs are nocturnal (active at night) and in the wild spend most of their night walking, digging and exploring in search for food. If needed they can run quite fast!

A pet hedgehog needs to be allowed out of the cage every day to exhibit these behaviors.

If you have space a good option is to buy/make a wire cage with a solid floor which is larger than his housing cage where your hedgehog can be placed at night when they are most active. If you do not have space for a large cage then a solid based wheel  (ie not bars) is another way to provide exercise, and many hedgehogs will run for hours.

Within their enclosure hedgehogs need toys for stimulation ie cat balls and a digging or forage box.  This is a cardboard box filled with hay/shredded paper or bedding material such as ‘Carefresh’ or ‘Eco bedding’ for your hedgehog to dig and explore as well as hide. You can place special treats e.g. a meal worm, for your pet to hunt and find.

Small dog or cat enrichment toys can also be used with your hedgehog. Place just a few cat biscuits inside and let your hedgehog work hard to get them out.

Parrot foraging toys can also often be used for your pet hedgehog to hide biscuits in.

If you can purchase some sterile potting soil place this in a cat litter tray and allow your hedgehog to dig for treats.

You can also buy at low cost plastic tubing from a local hardware store which hedgehogs love to run through. In our Pet Product shop we sell cardboard tubes and hay wrapped tubes which are suitable for your hedgehog to play with and run through.

If you exercise them on the floor in your home please be aware of any other pets which may attack your hedgehog or anything he chew which may cause him injury e.g. electrical cables.

Most of the products needed to provide enrichment for your pet Hedgehog are available in our Pet Product Shop.