by Millermeade Farms | Behavior & Personality, Bonding, Handling
Are hedgehogs truly grouchy, or are they simply misunderstood? Understanding Hedgehog Behavior “I’d rather be alone.” One of the biggest misconceptions about the hedgehog is that this naturally shy animal is “grumpy” or “grouchy.” The reality is that hedgehogs simply...
Read More
by Millermeade Farms | Accessories, Bedding, Behavior & Personality, Cages & Accessories, Care
Litter pans are a great accessory to any cage as it is well worth your effort to try and litter train your hedgehog. A litter-trained hedgehog will save you cage cleaning time, decrease the amount of bedding needed, and increase the freedom you have with your pet....
Read More
by Millermeade Farms | Behavior & Personality, Physical Characteristics
Physical Gender Differences A male hedgehog is called a boar. His penis retracts within a penile sheath located in the middle of his abdomen. The external portion of the sheath most closely resembles a belly button. His testicles are located in the abdomen and are...
Read More
by Millermeade Farms | Behavior & Personality, Handling
Understanding Huffing, Puffing, Clicking and Popping When you first pick up your hedgehog, it may have its spines erect, and it may make some defensive noises. Huffing and puffing is a way for a hedgehog to say, “I’m big and bad.” It is a sign that your hedgehog is...
Read More
by Millermeade Farms | Behavior & Personality, Hedgehogs As Pets
Misconceptions Hedgehogs are not like dogs or cats. However, many people purchase hedgehogs expecting them to behave like common household pets. Do not expect your hedgehog to come when called, learn tricks (or at least not ones that you WANT them to learn), play...
Read More
by Millermeade Farms | Behavior & Personality, Handling
Some hedgehogs do not display outward signs of affection, while others can be quite affectionate toward their owners. Hedgehogs do not typically come when called nor actively seek out human interaction. They are NOT like cats and dogs, whose personalities enable...
Read More
by Millermeade Farms | Behavior & Personality, Biting, Biting Behavior, Handling
Scent & Taste Hedgehogs are very scent oriented and use their sense of smell to search out food. Sometimes you might smell good enough to eat! If you smell good, and taste good through licking… watch out! Sometimes hedgehogs will lick salt from sweaty hands and...
Read More
by Millermeade Farms | Behavior & Personality, Dry Skin
Bed Head Hedgehogs often scratch a bit when they first wake up or after they are handled. One might compare this scratching to fluffing out a “bed head” hairdo. Hedgehogs’ skin may also feel tight or need to be scratched when their spines are out of alignment. Some...
Read More
by Millermeade Farms | Behavior & Personality
Hedgehogs do not spray or scent-mark their territory like other animals. Males do not have a stronger odor than females. They can only be physically distinguished from females by the differences in their genitalia. Some male hedgehog owners do report that their pets...
Read More
by Millermeade Farms | Behavior & Personality
Introduction Self-anointing is probably the strangest and most unexplainable of all hedgehog behaviors. It is completely normal and causes no harm to your hedgehog. Some references refer to self-anointing as “anting”. This term refers to a similar behavior in birds,...
Read More
