Care guide
Caring for African pygmy hedgehogs
Hedgehogs live 4 to 6 years, live alone, are active at night and need steady warmth: a cold hedgehog may try to hibernate, which can kill it. They take patience to tame.
Keep them warm
Keep their enclosure at about 23 to 27°C day and night, using a ceramic heat emitter with a thermostat. If your hedgehog is cold, sluggish or wobbly, warm them gently against your body and call your vet.
Enclosure and diet
A large, solid-floored enclosure with a hide, a large solid wheel and paper or fleece bedding. Feed a quality low-fat insectivore or cat food with live or gut-loaded insects.
Hedgehogs run many kilometres a night and gain weight easily; let them run, and measure their food.
Health and taming
Wobbly hedgehog syndrome is an inherited, incurable nerve disease. Ask the breeder about their lines and whether any related hedgehogs have had it.
Young hedgehogs lose and regrow quills (quilling) and can be grumpy. Handle daily and gently; most come to tolerate it well.
Local rules
Hedgehogs aren't allowed as pets in California, Hawaii or Pennsylvania (for sale), need a licence in Georgia, and are banned in some cities. Check before you buy.
Further reading
General information to help you prepare, not veterinary advice. Every animal is different: ask an experienced vet about yours. Reviewed by PerfectPal on October 14, 2026.