Can you train hedgehogs

Poppy Wooster. Next arcticle —. You May Also Like. Read More 11 minute read. Read More 4 minute read. Pet hedgehogs are becoming more and more popular around the world. Despite this, there are still a lot…. R Resources. Read More 8 minute read. The number of people who…. Read More 6 minute read. Giving your hedgehog a bath is an important part of being a responsible owner. Pets are great to have, hold, hug, play with, and love.

And some can learn to do some basic tricks. However, they are not generally as pliable in this regard as dogs or similar animals. As a smaller animal, they tend to be more defensive and concerned about their surroundings, and are not as outgoing or immediately trusting of humans or other animals. All of these factors combined can make it difficult to teach them tricks, though it is definitely possible. So, how can you train your hedgehog to do hedgehog tricks? Rather, spending quality time with them, playing and interacting, should be considered the main reward.

Tricks, if they can learn them, are just icing on the cake. One note of caution here before we go any further: before you even think about trying to train your hedgehog to do tricks, you should first get them acquainted and comfortable with playing with you, outside of their cage. You should acclimate them to being held, and being around humans. First, before you can even think about training your animal, you have to get to know them.

Being able to pick up on their quirks, their moods, and their responses is very important to successful training. Any particular tendencies they have and demonstrate on a regular basis, if you can pick up on those, can be used to help train them more effectively. If you can spot when your hedgehog is feeling down or depressed, or is grumpy or anxious, then you can also determine when they are not in those moods, and are more likely to be receptive to training attempts.

The next important step that any owner should take is some research in to how to teach a pet. Many people think they know the basics of training a pet, but make simple mistakes that can complicate the training process or even be counter-productive.

This is true whether your pet is a hedgie or any other kind of animal. Try to think how you would communicate or respond if someone, speaking a totally foreign language, using foreign gestures, and so forth came up to you and tried to teach you how to do something. In essence, you try to provide a command to your pet, and when they successfully complete the action, you reward them with a treat.

Choose a corner for their designated bathroom area and place the litter pan there. Line the entire cage with yesterday's news or some other safe litter option. The hedgehog will most likely relieve themselves everywhere and anywhere, so give this process about a week, spot cleaning as needed. This is important to associate the activity of relieving themselves on your chosen litter bedding. Again using the most agreed upon factor, place old waste inside their litter tray. On about day 3, clean the entire cage out but save some moistened and soiled areas to again be placed inside their litter tray.

Only a few pieces of waste and urine will be necessary. Using a paper towel to soak up some urine is best practice, and please never handle the waste with your bare hands. Clean the cage as normal and replace a small section of the cage with a different lining. The most popular lining option among hedgie parents is multiple layers of fleece. On day 5 replace more of the litter lining with fleece after you've cleaned the cage and changed the litter.

Always remember to keep up with placing a few pieces of old waste inside of their tray. On day 6 continue doing the same thing so that by day 7 the entire cage, except for the litter area, should be covered in a different bedding material. By day 7, your hedgehog should habitually use the Yesterday's News inside of their litter box as a lavatory.

Clean and discard the litter box bedding at the end of each day. You'll know it is time to stop re-locating waste into their litter tray if there is no longer any waste to relocate. Add a sand bath inside the cage by giving them a little bath house! This promotes enrichment for their little souls and gives them a chance to clean out their poop boots!

We are not talking about dust, we are strictly recommending non-toxic children's play sand. This can be an area placed right in their cage or an activity you have for them outside of it, but inside the cage works best.

A foot bath is just a little bit of water placed in a tub or sink with some mild soap allowing your hedgie to walk around in it letting the water soak off the poop boots! This process is even easier if you place a sponge or washcloth in the bath for them to walk across. Many find this to be a great tip for encouraging your hedgie to relieve themselves before handling them. Just remember to never run or drain the water as they are in it, and keep the water temperature at about Offer some worms and or dubia roaches after as a reward, which positively reinforces their good behavior.

Hedgehogs can learn behaviors and utilize their hedgie senses to help them remember things. Every smell has a distinct emotion and memory for them, so use this to your advantage. Use one spot for them to go in and always use the same litter you started with during the training phase. Never place the litter and food close to each other because fecal matter may get mixed in and consumed. The hedgie may associate their wheel with going to the bathroom if their litter is placed below it or they might not.

The consistent tactic common among all three methods mentioned above is to always place stray excrement inside their litter tray. Avoid letting the litter box get too soiled helps as well. And, being diligent with doing so will promote your efforts further. I've tried this and they have used it as a blanket to hide under : But if you have good luck using a paper towel, this would be a good but costly replacement.

Reply 7 years ago on Introduction. I am a husband and I approve this potty training method. I also like fluffy towels and longboards. By emiro Follow. More by the author:. About: Lalalalala More About emiro ». Did you make this project? Share it with us! I Made It! A Literal Handbag by Tatterhood in Halloween. Chameleon Mask by hugheswho in Halloween.

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