Most hedgehogs live happy solitary lives. Sometimes two females can live very well together, especially if they are relatives, or they have been antiquated since they were young. When having two females together, make sure you keep a good eye on them and watch for signs of conflict (huffing at each other, charging or dominating food/wheel) and if these are present, separate them to prevent injury. Putting two males together is asking for trouble; they are very likely to fight over territory.
I had a mother and daughter that lived amazing together for years, so it is definitely a option for females.
The main difference between a hedgehog and a porcupine is size. A hedgehog can fit in your hand, but in contrast a porcupine is the size of a small dog. Another difference is porcupines have quills that are
No, this misconception is typically formed after seeing animals who were attacked by porcupines. As I have addressed, Hedgehogs are not the same as Porcupines, and neither "shoot" their spines. Porcupines have the unique ability to release their long quills in a predatory situation, but in this occurs by the porcupine charging at the attacker and leaving them in a prickly situation. Hedgehogs on the other hand, do not have this capability. The only time in which hedgehogs will loose their spines is a developmental time in their teenage years called "quilling". This is much like humans loosing their baby teeth and growing permanent adult ones. This quilling period should be the only time a hedgehog looses its spines.
Hedgehogs do not typically stink, although their cage can become stinky after about a week of not cleaning it. If your hedgehog smells, you can give it a bath! Hedgehogs are hearty swimmers, although they typically don't enjoy baths, its a good way to get your hedgehog exercised and clean at the same time! When giving your hedgehog a bath, you should only give it about two inches of water to prevent them inhaling water and possible respiratory infections. Many hedgehog owners will tell you different ways to bath your hedgehog, but I use Kitten Shampoo (because it is gentle to their skin) and a hedgehog-only toothbrush to scrub their quills
Most people are not allergic to hedgehogs, they are supposed to be hypoallergenic. As someone who has lots of allergies to common pets, I have not had trouble with owning them, although I have met some rare people who do. If you seem to be having issues with allergies to your hedgehog, try changing the bedding type before deciding to re-home your pet, as many people have allergies to the dust of wood shavings.
Hedgehogs do not make vocal sounds, and are very quiet creatures, Although they are primarily active during during the night and love, love, love, to run on their exercise wheel. So investing in a quality, noise free wheel is KEY.
No, although hedgehogs may remind you of your friends pet gerbil, but they are actually apart of a distinct group of spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae.
Hedgehogs have a unique instinctive behavior called "self-anointing" this is similar to the way cats will clean their fur. Hedgehogs will exhibit this behavior when they have come across a new smell or taste that intrigues them. This can be anything on your hands or in their surroundings. This is why it is important to avoid wearing pungent unnatural lotions or perfumes when handling your hedgehog. They will lick the newly-encountered smell and mix it with saliva and then place the strange broth onto their quills. Scientist are uncertain exactly why hedgehogs self-anoint, but it is very common for humans to have a small reaction to it.
When you handle your hedgehog, you will most likely get small pokes from their spines, which causes your skin to be exposed to small amounts of their saliva-mixture (from self-anointing; discussed in the above question), and this can cause little reactions. This is not a reason for concern because washing your hands afterward to remove the saliva should make the small rash disappear in a few minutes
Most animals will not mess with hedgehogs because of their spiny exterior, but to be on the safe side, keeping pets away from your hedgehog would be smart. If it is inevitable that they will cross paths, then slowly introducing them under supervision may be the best option.