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Introduction to African Pygmy Hedgehogs

Categories: Atelerix, Hedgehogs
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About Course

Are you captivated by those tiny eyes and quivering nose? Thinking about bringing an African Pygmy Hedgehog into your life, or already have one and feeling unsure where to start? This beginner-friendly course is designed to guide you through every essential aspect of hedgehog care.

From their natural habitat and behavior to housing, handling, diet, enrichment and common health concerns, you’ll gain practical knowledge and confidence to give your hedgehog a safe, enriched and healthy home.

This course is perfect for new or aspiring hedgehog owners, but also serves as a thoughtful refresher for those wanting to improve their care. Let’s build a deeper understanding of these sensitive creatures, because caring for a hedgehog is not just cute: it’s a commitment.

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What Will You Learn?

  • Understand natural habitat and behavior of African pygmy hedgehogs.
  • Learn how to set up a safe and enriching enclosure.
  • Discover the essentials of daily and weekly hedgehog care.
  • Know what to feed your hedgehog and what to avoid.
  • Recognize common health issues and how to respond.
  • Gain insights into proper handling and bonding techniques.
  • Understand signs of stress, pain or discomfort.
  • Learn how to keep your hedgehog mentally stimulated.
  • Know what temperature and lighting conditions are ideal.
  • Become confident in cleaning, hygiene and cage maintenance.
  • Understand the basics of breeding ethics and legal considerations.
  • Know when and how to find a good exotic vet.
  • Build a routine that keeps your hedgehog healthy and happy.

Course Content

Course Introduction
Get started with everything you need to know before beginning the course. Learn what to expet, how the course is structured, and how to get the most out of your learning journey.

1. Species Overview
Discover the origins, natural behavior, and physical traits of the African pygmy hedgehog. This chapter explores their evolution, how they live in the wild, and what makes them unique among hedgehog species.

2. Legal & Ethical Considerations
Learn the legal and moral responsibilities of owning an African pygmy hedgehog. This chapter covers regional laws, permit, ethical sourcing, conservation concerns, and what to do if rehoming becomes necessary.

3. Choosing Your Hedgehog
Learn how to select a healthy African pygmy hedgehog from a responsible source. This chapter helps you spot health indicators, avoid unethical sellers, and understand the risks of wild-caught hedgehogs.

4. Preparing The Enclosure
Set your hedgehog up for a safe and healthy life with the right housing. Learn about cage size, temperature, lighting, bedding, enrichment, and why hedgehogs should be housed alone.

5. Daily & Weekly Care Routine
Build a consistent are routine to keep your hedgehog healthy and happy. From daily feeding and bonding to weekly cleaning and health checks, you'll learn how to make good care a habit.

6. Feeding & Nutrition
Learn how to meet your hedgehog's nutritional needs with the right balance of kibble, insects, and natural foods. This chapter covers safe foods, feeding schedules, common health risks, and special diets like raw or BARF.

7. Handling & Bonding
Discover how to build a trusting relationship with your hedgehog through safe handling, daily routines, and an understanding of body language. Learn how to overcome fear, recognize their cues, and prepare them for health checks without stress.

8. Health & Hygiene
Learn how to keep your hedgehog health through proper hygiene, early symptom recognition, and preventative care. This chapter explores common illnesses, chronic conditions like WHS and IVDD, and how poor breeding can impact long-term health.

9. Veterinary Care
This chapter helps you navigate veterinary care with confidence, from finding an experienced exotic vet to understanding routine check-ups, recognizing emergencies, and planning for costs. Learn how to communicate effectively and advocate for your hedgehog's health.

10. Enrichment & Play
This chapter explores how to keep your hedgehog active, curious, and mentally stimulated. Discover safe toys, exercise essentials, stress-reducing setps, and how to build and enriching weekly routine. Including tips for supervised free roaming.

11. Understanding behavior
This chapter helps you decode your hedgehog's body language, sounds, and activity patterns. Learn the difference between normal, neutral, and abnormal behavior, recognize the signs of stress or stereotypical habits, and understand how age, health, and enrichment influence behavior over time.

12. Seasonal Care & Hibernation Risks
This chapter explains how temperature and seasonal changes affect African pygmy hedgehogs. You'll learn to recognize hibernation triggers and symptoms, how to respond safely, and how to prevent hibernation attempts through proper care and environment control.

13. Traveling With A Hedgehog
Learn how to safely and comfortably travel with your hedgehog, whether it's a short trip to the vet or a long journey. This chapter covers preperation, carrier selection, minimizing stress, post-travel recovery, and important legal considerations for domestic and international travel.

14. Your hedgehog journey continues
As you reach the end of this course, it's time to reflect on all you've learned. This final chapter brings everything together with a course recap, a final exam to test your knowledge, and practical next steps to deepen your understanding of hedgehog care. Whether you're a new owner or an aspiring expert, this is just the beginning of your journey. You've built a solid foundation, now it's time to continue growing.

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Student Ratings & Reviews

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Lizl Van Vreden
Lizl Van Vreden
2 weeks ago
This is a great course, not only for first time owners, but also a great refresher course for the seasoned owners. As a seasoned hedgehog owner myself, this course showed me how quickly one can become overconfident and forget about certain fundamental subjects. Everything is well explained and neatly compiled.
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