Hedgehog bedding is a basic part of hedgehog care essentials. Bedding plays a vital role in keeping our little pet happy as well as healthy. The frequency in which their bedding is supposed to be changed is often a matter of concern among Hedgehog owners. I did some research and consulted my veterinarian friends. Let us learn more about the same in detail.
Spot clean your Hedgehog’s cage every other day. You must get rid of the entire bedding once every month. The frequency of the bedding change varies on several factors, such as the size of the cage, number of Hedgehogs living in the same cage, and amount of mess your Hedgehogs create.
Also, if you do not change your Hedgehog’s bedding regularly, the cage may start to smell like a dead fish.
An unhealthy living environment can lead to some severe health complications in our Hedgehog. Also, the rotten or bad smell can cause stress in our little ones.
How Often Should Hedgehog Bedding Be Changed?
It is crucial to change your pet’s bedding regularly to keep your Hedgehog’s cage smelling fresh and your Hedgehog healthy.
You must spot clean your Hedgehog’s cage regularly, once in a day if your pet soils it more often. Deep cleaning the cage every month is essential.
I would advise you to use a dustpan and brush or a small vacuum cleaner to spot clean the poop around the enclosure. You must do it once in 2-3 days.
In addition, replace the heavily soiled bedding near your Hedgehog’s food bowl or water bottle with fresh ones. You can clean the heavily soiled bedding once a week.
Get rid of the entire bedding once every month days. This time, you should clean the whole cage, including all the toys and hideouts.
Do Hedgehogs Need Bedding?
Bedding plays an essential role in a Hedgehog’s cage. Besides keeping your little one warm and comfortable, bedding also keeps them dry and healthy.
In addition, Hedgehogs spend quite a lot of time in their cage. Therefore, they need an excellent bedding material that is not only highly absorbent but soft and cozy too.
Furthermore, proper bedding helps to cushion against Hedgehog’s feet. It also protects from any liquid and odor.
Bedding also provides Hedgehogs with something to burrow in, where they can feel safe and comfortable in their daytime naps.
What Is The Best Bedding For A Hedgehog House?
Each type of bedding has it’s own pros and cons. If you are in a hurry and just want the quick list of best guinea pig bedding then here you go:
Paper-Based Bedding
Paper based beddind are one of the most reliable, long-term, cost-effective, and comfortable bedding for your Hedgehog’s cage. Although paper based bedding can be a little expensive in the long-run, it is best-suited for our Hedgehogs.
After trying out a dozen of available brands and all different types of paper-based bedding, these are some of my favorites:
- Clean and cozy bedding is safe for small pet including rabbits, hamsters, guinea...
- Absorbs 6x its weight in liquid
- Highly absorbent
- Tasty, nutritious treat
- Small Pet Bedding: Our clean, white natural paper fiber bedding blended with 25...
- Pillowy Soft: Comfyfluff natural paper bedding made from scratch is blended with 25...
- Small Pet Bedding: Our natural paper fiber bedding makes the softest, driest most...
- Pillowy Soft: Comfyfluff natural paper bedding made from scratch is gentle on...
Aspen Bedding
Aspen bedding is one of the safest option if you do not want to go for paper-based bedding. The aspen bedding is entirely safe as it contains No odor or oil in it. Aspen is actually the only hardwood that is non-aromatic in nature. We can use it safely in our Hedgehog’s cage.
However, aspen bedding is not super absorbent like paper bedding. Aspen bedding can pinch your pocket in the long run. Furthermore, this bedding needs frequent cleaning as compared to other bedding options available.
Kaytee Aspen Bedding is the best option if you want to go for wood shaving bedding.
- Hard wood bedding
- No aromatic oils or inks.
I would definitely recommend you to follow through and find out which one is best suited for your Hedgehog’s cage and you as their parent.
Hedgehog Bedding To Avoid
Not all types of bedding material are safe for Hedgehogs. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful while choosing the perfect bedding material for your little pet.
Here is a list of bedding that you must altogether avoid in your Hedgehog’s cage:
- Pine/Cedar Shavings: One must never use pine or cedar shavings in their Hedgehog’s cage. the pine and cedar shavings have lots of dust, oil, and fragrance in it. These might not be a great deal for us, but for Hedgehogs, it can be a deal-breaker.
- Straw/Hay/Leaves: All these bedding materials has nearly zero absorbent properties. While it doesn’t absorb any pee and debris, everything lies there like a pool of feces and urine, which creates a horrible environment for your Hedgheogs to live in.
- Corn-Cob Bedding: Although the corn-cob bedding is inexpensive, it is not at all suitable for our Hedgehogs. Also, there are high chances that this type of bedding will turn mouldy in no time.
- Cat Litter: Cat litters should never be used as beeding material for Hedgehogs. It may seem like excellent bedding to you in terms of odor control but it should be avoided at all costs. If your little pet ever ends up gulping a part of the bedding, it may lead to severe health complications.
Related Queries:
How Often Should You Clean Your Hedgehog Cage?
It is important to spot clean your Hedgehog’s cage every day, followed by a deep clean once every week. However, the cage might need deep cleaning more often or maybe less often, depending on the size of the cage and how well your Hedgehog is litter-trained. Also, if you have more than one Hedgehog in a cell, it will need to be cleaned more often.
Refer to this article: How Often Should I Clean My Hedgehog’s Cage? : A Quick Guide, for a detailed guide.
How Often Should A Hedgehog Be Bathed?
Hedgehogs do not require regular baths. A bath once in a month or so is ideal for them. However, you might need to bathe your Hedgehog more often if they are filthy or if the vet has advised doing so for medical reasons. I usually prefer bathing my Hedgehog once in 45 days.
For a detailed guide, refer to this article: How Often Should I Bathe My Hedgehog? (Full Bathing Guide)
