Hedgehogs are pudgy little creatures, but that doesn’t mean that a pet hedgehog doesn’t need any exercise. Proper hedgehog care necessitates that you find ways to encourage your hedgehog to exercise because it is possible for your adorable little pet hedgehog to become obese. In order to do this, you have to get a little creative with your hedgehog care routine.
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Hedgehog Exercise in the Wild
In the wild, a hedgehog gets his exercise by digging, so he doesn’t require any special hedgehog care measures. He digs under hedges and underbrush to find food. All of that digging takes energy. Once a hedgehog has its tunnels dug, he may run around the tunnels trying to find more food. You must realize that hedgehogs in the wild are only active at night in the wild, so you probably aren’t going to see your pet hedgehog exercise unless you watch him while it is dark. In order to facilitate proper hedgehog care, you must try to mimic these conditions for your hedgehog.
Pet Hedgehog Exercise
There are a few techniques that you can encourage your pet hedgehog to exercise. To ensure good hedgehog care, you will offer more than one way for your pet hedgehog to stay active. As part of a good hedgehog care routine that encourages your hedgehog to exercise, you will have to try to mimic the activities he would do in the wild.
Choose a Good Substrate for Your Pet Hedgehog
Since hedgehogs like to dig, proper hedgehog care guidelines dictate that you have to provide your pet hedgehog with a substrate suitable for digging. In the wild, he would dig in the dirt, but you don’t have to put dirt in his cage. Three of the best options that meet pet hedgehog care guidelines and are budget-friendly are a recycled substrate, a pellet substrate, and aspen shavings. When you put the substrate in the cage, it needs to be at least three inches thick, but thicker is better to give hedgehogs as pets plenty of room to dig and stay active. As part of a good hedgehog care routine, you must change this bedding out weekly or more often if it gets soiled.
Buy an Exercise Wheel for Your Pet Hedgehog
Hedgehogs like to run, and an exercise wheel is one of the best ways to encourage the pet hedgehog to run. When you choose a wheel, it should meet hedgehog care guidelines, and it should be large enough to accommodate the pet hedgehog, but you must ensure that the hedgehog can run on it. An ideal wheel for use as part of an exercise program for wonderful hedgehog care is one that is made of plastic and has a solid wheel frame. If you choose a metal wheel, you have to make sure that the space between the metal spokes isn’t too far apart. This is because hedgehogs as pets may injure themselves while running if their paws slip between the spokes, and you want to keep your pet hedgehog healthy, so you have to get your hedgehog care at the veterinarian’s office for a hurt paw or other injuries.
Fun Toys for Your Pet Hedgehog
Plastic Easter eggs with a yummy treat inside are a fun way for the pet hedgehog to get some exercise. He will have to figure out how to open the Easter egg, and they are smart enough to figure it out. This is a fun way to get a few laughs out of your hedgehog care routine.
Give him some tunnels made of paper towel rolls. You can also put some toilet paper rolls or cut up paper towel rolls in the cage. Your pet hedgehog will probably play with these instead of trying to run through them. For added fun, place a cat ball with a bell inside of it in your hedgie’s cage. You are sure to get a smile from this element of his hedgehog care routine.