African Pygmy Hedgehog — behavior & socialization (nocturnal, solitary, activity)

African Pygmy Hedgehog — behavior & socialization (nocturnal, solitary, activity)

Source: first-hand owner-practical care pages, saved to source_file; every claim below is a C1 byte-substring of it.

Claims (verified C1 substrings of source_file)

• African pygmy hedgehogs are solitary, wild animals who are nocturnal, meaning they're active at night.
• This includes providing the animal with every opportunity to display normal behaviour such as foraging and roaming.
• They climb, dig, swim, and often go for night runs for miles on end.
• The lifestyle of a nocturnal pet may mean that you’ll want to keep your hedgehog’s enclosure away from your bedroom, especially if you are sensitive to noise.
• Therefore, if you have more than one hedgehog, it is best to keep them in separate cages, especially if they are both male, since they are likely to fight.
• the African pygmy hedgehog is a wild animal and, compared to some other species that are kept as pets, caring for them is very difficult
• Because of this, your hedgehog’s enclosure must be big enough to enable their natural behavior.
• African pygmy hedgehogs are naturally nocturnal and so must be left alone during the daytime.
• We have concerns about the trade and keeping of wild animals as pets, known as 'exotic' pets.
• African pygmy hedgehogs travel large distances in the wild – they need space to roam.
• Hedgehogs are not very social in the wild, except during breeding season.
• To keep a wild animal in captivity, you may need a licence.

Source: pdf-raw/owner-care/hedgehog_behavior_combined.txt · RSPCA pet care advice (rspca.org.uk) / Long Island Avian and Exotic Veterinary Clinic