You can use shredded paper for your hedgehog! It’s a tried and accurate animal care staple. But did you know shredded paper can help keep hedgehogs’ snouts clean? Many people find that their hedgehogs love adding shredded paper scrunched up into a ball to help them remove grit and dirt from their quills.
Do not use un-shredded paper, as it will damage your hedgehog’s quills. The best thing about this method is that you can make the paper ball in one step without having to tie knots like traditional store-bought shavings for your pet! It’s easy, fast, and looks cool too.
Factors To Consider When Making Hedgehog Bedding
- Make sure that the ink on your shredded paper is safe for animals.
- Use a thick layer of shredded paper to ensure your hedgehog doesn’t get cold at night.
- Use a thermometer to ensure it’s not too hot or too cold in the cage, as nighttime temperatures drop and rise differently than daytime temperatures.
- When keeping baby hedgehogs, be careful with any loose pieces of paper that could cause suffocation.
- Hedgehogs love to groom themselves, but paper is not a suitable material for their bedding.
- When you finish putting together your new ‘herd,’ make sure you take off all the shredded paper before placing your hedgehog in it to give it room to move. And remember, just like humans, hedgehogs need a lot of variety in their day-to-day living and will often do better with more than one type of bedding.
How often should you change a hedgehog’s bedding?
It would help if you changed the hedgehogs’ bedding once or twice a week. They should have comfortable and soft bedding to snuggle.
You should ensure the bedding is washable, which can be done with regular laundry detergent.
If you’re using newspaper, ensure it’s the unprinted side or a paper without toxic dyes. If you’re using blankets, wash them regularly, or they will smell after continued use.
It would help if you never used fabric softeners on any bedding because they harm hedgehogs.
Hedgehogs thrive on a good supply of hay, but it’s essential that their bedding is changed regularly to stop mites and other parasites gaining a foothold.”If the bedding becomes wet and muddy as it does in winter, hedgehogs cannot move about quickly, resulting in accidents.
Your hedgehog hates wet hay. It will make it extra prone to slip and fall. Make sure you replace the grass when your hedgehog rummages through its bedding (which happens a lot).
You can put in a bit more than usual to be on the safe side.
Hedgehogs are spotless animals and will generally ‘self-groom or groom themselves whenever they feel they are too dirty. So, make sure to wash their bedding once or twice a week.
You’ll need to rinse it well and then give them new bedding.
Materials For Constructing a Hedgehog House.
To make a hedgehog house, you need one 2x2x2 foot box made of wood or cardboard. It would help if you also had the newspaper, hay, straw, shredded paper, or other absorbent material for bedding in the bottom of the box.
Add strips of corrugated cardboard along the ground outside walls to provide extra shelter from wind and rain. You can also add a cardboard tube around the bottom edge of the house to protect it from the ground.
Make a hole in the corner for your hedgehog’s entrance and at least two sides-to-side for ventilation, but be sure you have one spot on the roof where your hedgehog is likely to come out.
You can use an 18-inch cardboard tube to line the inside with or use toilet paper and newspaper.
You will need to remove the paper from the bottom, but I recommend using newspaper or a similar absorbent material.
If you insulate your house from the ground, you don’t need to line it with straw and hay, but you can add extra insulation.
Place your hedgehog in its new home after about a week or two. What is the best bedding to use for a hedgehog?
Best Options for Hedgehog Bedding
Shredded Paper Bedding
If you already use shredded paper on your floors or in your home, this is also an excellent option for your hedgehog; This should be dark paper with no printing on it because hedgehogs cannot digest ink at all; if they eat ink, they will likely die.
Shredded paper also makes an excellent hedgehog bedding because it absorbs moisture and can repel water, so it will not make your pet sick.
Shredded Paper Bedding with a Layer of Hay
If you want to mix paper shreds and hay into your bedding, there is no need to go for the same material. You can add shredded paper to the layer of grass if your hedgehog likes building nests.
The great thing about hay is that it is very absorbent but will not hold onto the moisture, so your pet will be less likely to get sick.
Paper Pellets
If you need bedding that will last a lot of time, paper pellets are a great choice; This can work well if you have young hedgehogs and want to ensure they are comfortable and warm.
These pellets also provide a deeper layer of protection than shredded paper, keeping your pet warmer.
Even though these may be more expensive, they can last a long time while ensuring your pet stays at an ideal temperature with the extra layers of bedding.
What can I use for hedgehog litter?
Tine
This option is recommended because it clumps well, is easy to use, and doesn’t require much time or effort to clean up. Plus, it’s affordable and doesn’t have a bad smell!
Clumping cat litter
This option is good because you can use it wherever you want without worrying about it being messy. It’s also nice because it works well with hedgehogs. It’s not too messy and not too hard to clean up.
Sand
Each sandbox has a different shape and size, but for the most part, it’s pretty self-explanatory to use. You can either buy some sand in bulk or find a big bucket of sand at home.
Make sure it’s sand because loose cat litter can be dangerous for hedgehogs.
Wood shavings or hay
This option is popular because it provides bedding for hedgehogs and lets them dig in the box. Plus, it doesn’t get too messy, so you can use it wherever you want!
Those are some of the most popular options people usually think of when they have a hedgehog in their home, but there are also so many more options!
Soda bottles
This option is another popular one for obvious reasons. You can use it for an indoor or outdoor box because it’s a relatively simple product.
Just make sure to clean it regularly in case of any accidents.
Final Thoughts
If you want to use shredded paper for hedgehogs, the best thing is to try never to give them writing that has been waxed or oiled. The minimal amount of oils and waxes mixed in with the paper are not harmful, but they make it very difficult for your hedgehog to chew on a piece of paper.
Consider the tips given above when using shredded paper for your hedgehog bedding.
