Many people don’t like the idea of raising hedgehogs as pets; to them, the nocturnal animals are unusual pets. However, it’s worth noting that there are a lot of benefits attached to raising a hedgehog as a pet. One of them is because of their amazing attributes, which include being quiet, affectionate, and inexpensive to maintain.
Yes, unlike many pets out there, hedgehogs are very inexpensive to care for and maintain. For instance, it only costs a few bucks to get enough food, such as mealworm, chicken leftovers, crickets, boiled egg, boiled meat, vegetables, and many more, for your hedgehog. Furthermore, according to experts, hedgehogs can even survive for days and weeks without food and water.
Hedgehogs can be left alone at home for the weekend. According to experts, hedgehogs are typically solitary animals; meaning that they find more advantages in having their territories to themselves. However, before leaving your pet hedgehog at home alone, ensure to provide it with enough food and water.
Do hedgehogs like to be left alone? Is it okay to leave your hedgehog alone at home for the weekend? How long can you leave your pet hedgehog alone? How many days can hedgehogs go without food and water? As you read through the rest of this article, you’ll find answers to the frequently asked questions above.
Do Hedgehogs Like to be Left Alone?
Yes, you can always leave your hedgehogs alone for hours or even days. That’s so because the small nocturnal animals don’t always require too much emotional contact from their owners, which is unlikely for most pets.
Generally, hedgehogs make excellent pets for people who have an interest in them. They are active, curious, quiet, and inexpensive to raise. Besides, hedgehogs are also known to be affectionate; they bond pretty well with their owners, especially when they get used to their owner’s scent.
Getting your hedgehog to bond with you isn’t an easy and quick process. It requires a lot of your time and patience. Well, the reason for that is because hedgehogs are typically solitary animals. Yes, they love having their territories to themselves.
According to animal experts, hedgehogs only like socializing in the wild when they are in their breeding seasons. Besides that, they prefer to be left alone in other seasons.
That said, because of the general solitary nature of hedgehogs, they, most times, tend to find it hard to warm up to their owners. Because of this, it’s safe to say that hedgehogs can always be left alone for days without being supervised.
The bottom line is that hedgehogs like to be left alone. They don’t require much emotional contact because of their nature. They are solitary animals and prefer staying alone in their territories.
Can I Leave my Hedgehog Alone for the Weekend?
You can always leave your hedgehog alone for the weekend. Your pet should most likely be able to cope without you for days. However, before considering leaving your pet alone for the weekend, you need to consider putting a couple of things in place.
For instance, your hedgehog needs to feed regularly and drink water from time to time to remain healthy and fine. Don’t get it twisted; hedgehogs are capable of staying without food and water for weeks. However, this isn’t a good reason to starve it.
So, before you consider leaving your hedgehog alone at home, ensure to provide it with a dependable water source and enough food. It costs less to feed your hedgehog. As such, you’ll most likely not find it hard to provide your pet with enough food and water.
In addition to leaving enough food and water for your hedgehog, another thing you need is to visit your vet before heading out for the weekend. The purpose of visiting a vet is pretty simple; you’re simply going there to check your pet’s health condition and be sure it’s safe to leave them for days. By visiting your vet, you can also vaccinate your pet and get their necessary medications.
The bottom line is that your hedgehog will most likely not have any issue with you leaving it alone for days. However, for you to ensure its safety while you’re away from home, you can always have your friend check up on it, change its water and food, if necessary.
There are lots of reasons why you need to have someone check up on your hedgehog while you’re away. One of them is that your pet can hurt itself while you’re away. This is especially true if you have more than one hedgehog.
Another reason why you need someone, probably your vet, babysitter, or friend, to check on your hedgehog while you’re away is because your hedgehog is capable of escaping.
How Long Can I Leave my Hedgehog Alone?
You can always leave your hedgehog alone for days or weeks. Apart from supervising your hedgehog, two main things you need to do before leaving your pet alone is to provide it with enough food and water. Interestingly, hedgehogs can always survive without water and food for many weeks.
Since hedgehogs can always survive without water and food for days and weeks, it means you can also leave your pet alone for that long. However, to ensure the safety of your hedgehog while you’re away, ensure to have someone check up on it once in a while.
How Many Days Can Hedgehogs go Without Food?
According to animal experts, hedgehogs can always survive without food and water for so long. To be precise, the nocturnal species are known to be able to last for up to 10 weeks with food and water.