What I Eat & What I Require
As a hedgie, I have specific food requirements. This is not just because I am picky, although that is a big part of it too. :) When my slave selects food for me, she has to keep several things in mind. Even though I would be an insectivore in the wild, I need a balanced selection of foods when I am in someone's home. I need hard food, fruits, and I demand insects every so often as a treat. (my slave doesn't give me nearly enough of these...<huff>)
I eat a mixture of things. In my bowl is a combination of Select Diet hedgehog food, Science Diet Maintenance, and Kitten Chow. (the kitten chow though is only because I am a growing boy. When I get older, I won't eat it anymore) These three foods give me a variety, which I like, and it also gives me a more balanced nutrition than just one food would.
In my favorite bowl, my treat bowl, I get all sorts of fun things. Every day, I get a different kind of baby food. Most of the time it is fruit, but sometimes it is vegetables, and every so often a meat product. About every other day she also gives me crickets, which are the best! These don't go in my treat bowl though, because I like to hunt them around my house. I only get these every other day though because they are high in fat. (my slave worries about that) I also get fresh and dried fruit, cooked veggies, popcorn, and anything else my slave thinks I will eat.
Basic Hedgie Health - And How to Tell if Something is Wrong
Hedgies have very specific care requirements. New slaves need to understand that before they get a hedgie. I am much harder to take care of than a dog or a cat, but I am worth it. Remember though, I am NOT a vet! If you should have doubts at all about your hedgies health, take them to a vet! One of the first you things you should do as a hedgie owner is find a vet in your area who will treat them.
First off, I need several things that other small animals wouldn't dream of demanding. One of my favorite things are hedgiebags. These are cloth bags with normal cloth on the outside, flannel on the inside, and no exposed seams or loose threads. This is very important, because I can get hurt if something get wrapped around my little hedgie legs or toes. In the same manner, anywhere I run around in should be free from hair or anything else that can be wrapped around my feet. Some hedgies have been known to lose legs because of hair that got wrapped around them too tight!
Me in My HedgieBag - Aren't I cute?!?
I like my hedgiebags for a couple of reasons. First off they make me feel more secure. Hedgehogs in the wild are burrowing animals, so I feel more at home in an enclosed, dark space. Also, it helps to keep me warm when my slave has me out of my warm house. Keeping warm is very important to me. I have a heating pad under the plastic and bedding floor of my house, with is kept on at low all the time. This and a hedgie hut over that spot to hold in the heat keeps me nice and toasty when it is bedtime. And as you can see, my flannel lined hedgiebag keeps me warm outside of my house. Hedgies need to be kept between 65 and 80 degrees. The reason for this is that hedgies will try to hibernate if it gets too warm or too cold. While this fine for our relatives in the wild, domesticated hedgies are not prepared for hibernation, and could die if they attempt it. As a general rule, if you are comfortable with the temperature in your environment, hedgie probably is too. If you think is it too cold, watch hedgie for signs of hibernation. If the temperature is cold, and he is being unusually sluggish, get him warmed up right away!
I need a bath every so often, even though I hate them. My slave gives me a bath once a week in Johnson's & Johnson's Bath Shampoo. I bathe in the kitchen sink, in water about an inch lower than my nose. I am not in the bath very long, just long enough for a good rinse, and a chance to get my feet washed, as I tend to get them dirty. I like to see how quickly I can crawl out of the sink. :) Hehehe The most important thing about hedgie bathing is making sure they are dry as soon as possible afterwards. I like a warm blowdryer, and then a cuddle on top of a towel that is set on a heating pad. This keeps my clean and happy. Also, a cricket after after my bath cheers me up, cause I tend to get pretty cranky. That whole bathing thing annoys me.
Another think to watch for is dry skin. Hedgies are prone to this, but a couple of drops of cod liver oil in his food once a week should prevent this. Also, if his ear get too dried out, they could get tattered. Put Cocoa Butter on them once a week, and he should be fine.
One of the more common serious concerns for hedgehogs is mites. If your hedgehog is scratching more then usual, and appears to have extremely dry skin, you could have a mite problem on your hands. A good way to test for this at home is to put the little one on a black clothe, and let him run around for a minute. Now, look closely at the clothe. Does there appear to be white spots on it? When you look at the white spots with a magnifying glass, do they seem to move? If the answer if yes, get your hedgie to the vet to test for mites. In advanced cases of mite infestation, your hedgie's quills will fall out, and it could eventually be deadly. Please take care of the problem as soon as you spot.
Another concern, although a mostly preventable one, is a condition called Fatty Liver Disease. This is found mostly in overweight hedgehog, but has occasionally happened in seemingly healthy ones as well. This condition is caused, as the name suggestion, by the presence of excess fat in the body. One of the best ways to prevent this is to get your hedgie a wheel, so he has plenty of opportunity for exercise. If you think you have an overweight hoggie, look under his arms where they join to the body. If there is a pocket of yellowish fatty material, you have cause for concern. You would need to change his diet to lower his fat intake, and take him to the vet.
Me In My Wheel (My Slave
Cheated to Get These Pictures!) 
One of the least common, but scariest illnesses in a hedgehog, is something called "wobbly hedgehog syndrome". There is no known cause for this, and subsequently, no known cure. The symptoms of this are, essentially, a wobbly hedgie. Most commonly, the hedgie will lose control of his back legs first, than his front, and eventually will not be able to eat unaided. While there have been reports of hedgies displaying these symptoms, and miraculously getting better, the sad truth is that this mostly often is a fatal disease. Hopefully, with more time, and research, we will be able to beat this disease. In the mean time, just keep an eye on your little one.
I am sure that after reading all of this, you think that hedgies are fairly fragile animals. However, if you use common sense, a lot of love, and keep a good observation of your little one, things should be fine. Like I stated earlier though, if you have any doubts, take them to the vet. Better safe than sorry. Trust me, once one of these little guys has found it's way into your heart, all the time and care will seem well worth it.
Where I live What I Eat & How to Take Care of Me Where I got all my Wonderful Things
Other Hedgie Slaves Resources Strange Things I Do Pictures of Yours Truly