Asking for trouble?

[mutt]

Hey everyone!

My husband and I are currently caring for our very first hedgie: Kitta :hearts: . She's 8 months old now and seems to be resonably content, but I sometimes worry about her getting a little bored or lonely. I know that must sound pretty stupid, especially since it's generally accepted that hedgehogs are solitary animals, but even the breeder who sold us our girl seems to think that hedgies are much happier with a same-gender roommate... even males! Eventhough she was speaking in terms of litter mates, we have been considering the possibility of getting a second girl. I know it's impossible to say for sure as hedgies' personalities vary so much from hog to hog, but any feedback would be very much appreciated.

[paris26]

It's a 50/50 chance. Either they will like and tolerate each other or they will attack each other. I have 5 females and only 2 live together because they are siblings. They've been together since birth and I've had them for 3 months now, and I still check them over every night to watch for signs of fighting. My other 3 females are singles and do just fine on their own. I do however let all of my girls play in the playpen at the same time. That way they can interact if they want to and still live separately.
There is no guarentee that two girls will get along and I would NEVER put males together! There was just a thread on here about a breeder who had two brothers living together and one turned on the other one and they both had injuries that were treated by a vet. Not worth the risk in my opinion
http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81713

[mutt]

hmmm... yeah, I kinda thought introducing a new hedgehog after our girl's been on her own for awhile would be trouble, but thought I'd ask anyway. Thanks for the advice!

[HedgePigLove]

Check out the latest (or second latest?) issue of the Hedgehog Welfare Society's newsletter (you can download it from http://www.hedgehogwelfare.org) - there's an excellent article on hedgehog co-habitation.

I've had excellent luck with co-habitation myself - right now I've three girls (all different ages, not related, and added to the habitat at different points in their lives) and one neutered male sharing one large (14-sq ft., two stories) habitat. Key to their happiness seems to be plenty of food to go around, enough wheels and hiding/sleeping places for each, and lots of room in which to explore. I keep their habitat well-stocked with stuff for them to investigate, such as logs, rocks, boxes, pigloos, sleepy bags, hedgie hats, wheels, different foods in different bowls, water in several different bowls, stuffed animals, balls, tp tubes, PVC-pipe, ferret funnels, etc.

During the day I also add one elderly female to the habitat for sleep time (she cuddles with the neutered male who sleeps on his side with a paw flung over her back); at night, though, she's in her own habitat as she's on a specialized diet and because the younger girls can get a bit rowdy on the wheels and with the tp tubes on their heads.

Basically, take it slowly, let them get to know each other in a neutral space, make sure they have plenty of room and distractions, and go from there.

[paris26]

Thanks for that link Laura! It is a great article!

[Titanium]

I have two girls that live together. They get along great. They share a 24 square foot four level cage. They mostly stay out of each others way during the night, but sleep in the same igloo during the day.

[HedgePigLove]

Thanks for that link Laura! It is a great article!

:) My pleasure, Tawana. I'm continually impressed with the newsletter's articles but really liked that one. (And not just 'cause I had input, I swear! :p )