It depends. If you're looking for a small, amusing pet and your apartment won't allow cats or dogs, then probably yes. Hedgehogs are low-maintenace, clean, easy-to-feed pets. But if you want an animal that will cuddle up to you and show affection, a hedgehog may not be your best bet.
Most people feed their hedgies on a stable diet of catfood (I use Science Diet) but they like treats too. A big favorite is mealworms, which you can get at the pet store. They also like cottage cheese and hardboiled eggs, and if you let them run loose in the yard (with supervision, of course!) they will probably find a tasty bug or two. After all, they are insectivores.
Not usually. When a hedgehog is frightened, it curls up into a ball, sticking its spines straight up. Then they hurt. But when the hedgie is relaxed, they lay their spines flat.
Agnes (my hedgie) has never bitten before, but she does like to nibble. If you have a particularly intriguing smell on your fingers, she will sniff it, then lick it, and then try to eat your fingers, thinking they are food. Normally though, I get my fingers out of the way in time. Supposedly, they do bite when they are angry, but I have never seen that. If however, you are bitten by a hedgehog, I have heard that a drop of rubbing alcohol on their nose will cause them to let go immediately.
I've heard many different answers to this question, ranging from 5 years to 12 years; I think the average lifespan is around 8 or 10.
That depends on what your definition of clean is. They don't bathe themselves like cats, but they can be trained to use a litter box. I placed the lid of a square Tupperware container in Agnes' cage, filled it with cat litter, and after a week or so she accepted it as a bathroom.
I've heard mixed answers to this question, but I would probably say yes. They don't like it, but there's really no other way to get them clean. I filled a shallow pan with warm water, placed my h.h. in it, and scrubbed her with a toothbrush (an old toothbrush!). Then I wrapped her in a warm towel to dry off. Unfortunately, I think it was a slightly traumatic experience for her, so don't expect your hedgie to take to the water like a fish.
If you have any other questions about hedgehogs, email me and I will try to answer them.
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