African Pygmy Hedgehogs are becoming an increasingly popular pet, but there are unfortunately still very few manufacturers who create supplies targeted towards hedgehogs in particular. This means that the hedgehog owner community has had to get pretty creative in how we house our prickly friends. In this cage guide, I will breakdown the requirements for a hedgehog cage and also show you my cage setup that I use for our hedgies.
What Kind of Cage Does a Hedgehog Need?
- Hedgehogs need a cage that’s at least 4 Sq Ft (the bigger the better!).
- It needs a solid base to prevent climbing on the walls.
- Look for an easily cleanable material like plastic, vinyl, or glass.
- The cage needs ventilation to allow for easy airflow.
The majority of hedgehog owners use wire cages with solid bases to prevent your hedgehog from climbing the walls. Large aquariums are also an option; you will need a tank of 35-40 gallons to have enough floor space for your hedgehog. Glass tanks of that size can be priced at $80-120 so I do not typically recommend aquariums unless you or a family member already own an oversized tank.
The cage cannot be made of any porous material such as wood because they can harbor insects like mites and are extremely difficult to clean. The cage floor also needs to be a solid material. Wire floors are not safe for tiny hedgehog feet as they can get stuck or fall between the wires.
DIY Plastic Storage Bin Hedgehog Cages
Another kind of very common cage set up is DIY cages that can be created using plastic storage bins! I rehomed a hedgehog a few years ago who was housed in one of these setups and there are some definite pros and cons to consider. Two plastic bins can be connected by cutting a hole in the side of both bins and connecting the two with a thick PVC pipe fitting. This pipe creates a tunnel where your hedgehog can walk back and forth between the two areas. You can see an example of this setup here. You can also cut a hole in the side of the cage for the hedgehog’s water bottle spout to poke through.
Plastic bin cages are cheap and easily put together but it can be tricky to safely heat them. If you have two bins connected together you will need two separate heating lamps to heat the entire area. Be sure to take care in placing your heating setup when using plastic bins. Plastic storage totes are not heat-safe and if the heating lamp is placed too close there is a risk of the plastic off-gassing which is very dangerous and unhealthy for your hog.
The brand Sterilite is an extremely popular and cheap manufacturer of storage bins and you can find them at many big box stores (Walmart, Target, Kroger, etc). Per Sterilite’s Q&A page: “Our products are made of polypropylene and polyethylene that are safe for food storage. No PVCs, Latex, Teflon, Phthalates chemicals, fungicides, Bishphenol A (BPAs), or antibacterial chemicals are used in our manufacturing process.” For the above reasons, I recommend that you buy a Sterilite brand storage bin if you decide to go the plastic route for your hedgehog’s cage. They are very affordable and available almost everywhere in the United States (and online!).
Please be aware that some types of plastic can release harmful chemicals when put under constant heat. The safest plastics for repeated use are #2, #4, and #5. Be sure to carefully look at the kind of plastic used in the bin you are considering purchasing.
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What Kind of Hedgehog Cage is Best?
| Different Cage Builds: | Pros | Cons |
| Aquarium | Easy to clean, heat-safe, escape-proof! | Expensive, heavy, and harder to move. |
| Wire Cage | Very affordable, easy to assemble/store, also heat proof + easy to clean. | Precautions may be necessary to prevent climbing. |
| DIY Plastic Tote Cage | Cheap and supplies are easily found. | Risk of plastic offgasing from heat & multiple totes are needed to provide sufficient space. |
The MidWest Guinea Habitat Guinea Pig Home is my holy grail cage recommendation for new and old hedgehog owners alike. It’s the cage that I currently use for our hedgies and I vastly prefer it over the aquariums and DIY plastic bin setups that I have used in the past. It’s a whopping 8 Square feet which will give your hog tons of room to explore and house all of their cage accessories. Watch my walkthrough video below to see it in action:
It’s sold at numerous pet stores, or you can buy this hedgehog cage online with free shipping at Chewy.com. The regular is $56.99 and the Plus variety is $69.99 (at the time of publishment). The Plus is the exact same size, it also comes with a lid and divider for the cage. The lid is useful because you can safely set ceramic heat emitters directly on top without clamping them to something else. But the lid and divider are definitely not must-have items so if you’re on a budget feel free to go for the base model.
How to Prevent Your Hedgehog from Climbing the Cage Walls
Hedgehogs love to climb but they are unfortunately not skilled at descending once they climb up something. They have close to zero depth perception so they will easily fall down if they manage to climb the walls of the cage. If there is not a solid base to your wire cage the hedgehog can climb up the sides, get a foot or leg stuck in the wire openings, and fall which can lead to injuries or even broken limbs.
You can prevent your hedgehog from climbing their cage walls by creating a solid barrier along the bottom edge of the cage. Aim for at least 6 inches of the barrier. The MidWest cage that I use for our hogs has a solid vinyl bottom that reaches up the sides of the cage to prevent any climbing attempts. If you need to create a barrier you can cut sheets of chloroplast like these or use plexiglass to line the sides of the cage. You could also use old plastic placemats, or even pick up some flexible cutting boards from the dollar tree and cut them down to size. Cardboard can be used in an emergency but this can’t be used long-term as it will get dirty easily and your hedgehog may chew on it. You can use zip ties to easily attach the siding to the cage and then clip away the excess zip tie material.
