Articles on basic care and considerations for new or prospective owners.

Vet/Health Care

Articles pertaining to health, nutrition, and veterinary care.

Breeding and Development

Articles and pictures about hedgehog breeding, growth, and development.

Advanced Care Issues

Articles for people who already own a hedgehog or want to know more than just the basics.

Colors

Learn more about hedgehog colors!

Purchase a Hedgehog

Wondering where to buy a hedgehog? Start here!

Hedgehogabilia

Where to purchase hedgehog supplies and collectibles.

Our Herd

Meet the hedgehogs of Hedgehog Valley!

Other Critters

Meet the other critters that call or have called Hedgehog Valley their home!

What’s Better:

A Boy Or A Girl?

For many species, males are more aggressive than females. Because of this, females are typically viewed as more desirable pets than males. This tendency, however, is not true of  hedgehogs. Male and female hedgehogs show no consisten temperament difference in how they react toward humans. There are, however, several things to consider when deciding to go with a boy or girl for your pet hedgehog.

If you want to house two hedgehogs together, it is extremely rare for two males to get along together. We experimented with this before anyone knew much about keeping hedgehogs as pets, when it was clear that hedgehogs might not be entirely as solitary as early literature stated. While we did have some males who were very happy companions, we decided never to house males together past weaning after one poor male was violently mauled by his roommate.

It has been our experience that many females enjoy, or at least tolerate, a roommate. We house our retired females in groups and will typically keep our girls in pairs when they are resting between litters. They typically all pile in and sleep together, even when provided the opportunity to sleep in their own hut. Occasionally we have a female that does not get along with others, so you should keep in mind that any time you have two hedgies, you can’t guarantee they’ll get along.

We do not recommend housing a male and a female together, other than for breeding purposes. You might not see babies, but unless one is infertile there is a strong chance that they will have them and eat them. You do not want to see what that looks like!

There is often a concern about scent marking with male hedgehogs. In a normal household environment without females around, a lone male is unlikely to do much scent marking. If he gets a whiff of other hedgies, especially a female, you may see some occurring- the judging table at a hedgehog show is a great example of that. Overall, I have not found that one gender is smellier than the other.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a good pet who will be housing alone, gender of the hedgehog should not be your primary consideration. If you look for a hedgehog that is friendly and responds well to you, you and your hedgehog will be happy.

Note: If you aren't sure if your hedgehog is a boy or a girl, check the underbelly. If it looks like it has a "belly button" then it's a male. Males have a large urogenital gap, while females do not.