Petting a hedgehog isn’t common but many like to do something different. However, being an exotic pet, there is often less information and more false information about these exotic pets. Hedgehog lovers are always curious to know more about this pet. One of the common questions is about their smell.
Do hedgehogs smell? No, hedgehogs don’t smell. Hedgehogs are born odorless, meaning they won’t have any smell. However, a hedgehog may get stinky if they live in a stinky environment. If kept in a clean environment, hedgehogs won’t smell.
To answer another similar question quickly if owners want to know, do hedgehogs stink? No, hedgehogs don’t stink.
Do hedgehogs smell?
Do Hedgehogs Smell?
Do hedgehogs stink? A healthy hedgehog has no body odor that is apparent to a human, although sick or poorly maintained hedgehogs may have body odor. Hedgehogs tend to get fecal matter on their feet when running on exercise wheels at night.
When do hedgehogs stink? The type of bedding used for hedgehogs can cause odors. The best bedding is recycled paper material or soft towels. Hedgehogs fed poor-quality diets can also have body odor. The animals are insectivorous and require a diet formulated for them. Kitten food is not effective.
A hedgehog with a skin infection or other illness may smell bad, and simply bathing a smelly hedgehog may not correct the problem. A visit to a veterinarian may be necessary.
How to bathe a stinky hedgehog?
How to get rid of hedgehog smell? By bathing a hedgehog, owners can properly clean their pets. Things the owner will need when bathing a Hedgehog: Baby shampoo, a towel, and a soft-bristled toothbrush. Following are the steps the owner should follow when bathing the hedgehog.
Prepare a small bathtub and place a mat inside the bathtub. If the owner doesn’t have a bathtub, the owner can also bathe them in a sink. Placing a non-slip mat is important because hedgehogs have sensitive skin and tend to slip a lot. A non-slip mat will ensure they stay in place and don’t get hurt.
Fill the sink/tub with at least 3 inches of water. Make sure the water is moderate. Avoid water that is too hot or too cold. The water should only cover the feet of the hedgehog. Avoid immersing the pet in water.
Take a dime-sized shampoo and gently work it into the pet’s fur. The owner should be very gentle, as their spiky feathers could hurt the owner.
Work into a lather and spread it to the abdomen, bottom, back, and legs of the hedgehog. Make sure the shampoo doesn’t get into their eyes.
Take a toothbrush and start removing the skin and quills very gently. Always rub in the direction of their feathers and not against them, as doing so can hurt them.
Now the owner should fill the cup with warm water and rinse the hedgehog. Make sure that no shampoo remains on the skin or anywhere on the body, as it could cause a reaction later on.
Now take them out of the bathtub/sink and wrap them in a towel. Dry them very gently.
Note: Hedgehogs often get nervous when the owner tries to bathe them, so they might poop in the tub/sink. Therefore, it is better to be patient and let them calm down first. Start by pouring in some warm water so they know they are out for a bath. If they poop, clean the area and then start bathing them.
The first thing the owner should take into account is the diet with which the owner feeds their hedgehog. It is normal for feces to smell if the pet is consuming a diet lacking in vital nutrients.
Another common reason for hedgehogs to smell is a lack of cleanliness. If the owner has confined their hedgehog to a cage and does not clean the cage regularly, the poop and urine accumulated inside can start to smell.
While the amount of ammonia released from their feces is less, not cleaning up their poop right away can increase the ammonia present and make the cage smelly.
Once the crate starts to smell bad, so will the pet, as they tend to wander around the crate and feces/urine lying on the floor can stick to their feet, fur, and face, also making them smelly.
Also, it is important to note that the urine of a male hedgehog is stronger than the urine of a female hedgehog. This means that you should clean a male hedgehog’s cage more often than a female hedgehog’s cage.
Do Hedgehogs Smell Worse Than Guinea Pigs?
Do hedgehogs stink worse than a guinea pig? No, a Hedgehog does not secrete any smell from its body unless the poop of the hedgehog is in the cage. However, that is not the case with guinea pigs.
A guinea pig has a natural smell that can get worsened if they are not taken care of properly. Do hedgehogs have a strong smell like rats? No, hedgehogs don’t have a bad smell.
Do Hedgehogs Smell Bad?
How bad do hedgehogs smell? If the hedgehog is cared for properly, they are kept in a clean environment, provided healthy and clean food, and a hedgehog won’t smell except for the poop they excrete.
Why Do Wild Hedgehogs Smell?
Why do hedgehogs stink in the wild? Because a wild hedgehog often lives in a dirty habitat, it can be possible that they may smell. Otherwise naturally, hedgehogs don’t carry any smell other than the smell of their urine or poop.
How Smelly Are Hedgehogs?
Do hedgehogs stink? Hedgehogs are not smelly at all. A hedgehog doesn’t have any odor present in its body naturally. When do hedgehogs stink? A hedgehog will stink in a dirty environment.
How Do You Keep A Hedgehog Cage From Smelling?
The owner can keep the cage of a hedgehog free from any smell by providing good care, regular cleaning and maintenance of the cage. It is recommended to clean the cage two times every week. The owner should change any bedding that is old enough or any food particles or any poop.
Furthermore, the owner is also recommended to deep clean their pet’s cage at least once a month.
Do Hedgehogs Smell Worse Than Hamsters?
Do hedgehogs stink worse than a hamster? No, on the contrary, a hamster has a natural smell, which can change from time to time but hedgehogs are naturally odorless and they won’t smell like hamsters unless they absorb the smell from a dirty environment. If a hedgehog is kept in a clean environment, it won’t stink.
Do hedgehogs smell?
Do Hedgehogs Smell When They Die?
Do hedgehogs stink when they die? Hedgehogs just like any other animal will smell when they die. The more time they are kept dead in the open, the more they will stink.
Do Hedgehogs Smell Like Hamsters?
Do hedgehogs stink like a hamster? No, hedgehogs, unlike hamsters, are odorless. A hamster has a natural scent present in its body while a hedgehog is odorless. The owner shouldn’t expect their hedgehogs to be stinky, unless they aren’t taken care of properly or when they poop.
Do Hedgehogs Smell Food?
Yes, the smelling sense of a hedgehog is pretty decent. A hedgehog can smell food 3 inches deep in the ground. Hedgehogs like many other animals will use their nose to track their food.
What Do Hedgehogs Smell Like?
A hedgehog doesn’t have any scent glands meaning that there is no smell associated with these creatures, unlike other pets. A hedgehog doesn’t stink, which means that they don’t have a scent, when they are clean, which can be described. However, if a hedgehog lives in a dirty environment, it will pick up the stinky smell.
Do Hedgehogs Have A Good Sense Of Smell?
Are hedgehogs sensitive to smell? Yes, a hedgehog has a good sense of smell. A hedgehog can smell 3 inches deep in the ground. They mainly use their nose to search for their food and roam to find new places to sleep and hibernate.
Do Pygmy Hedgehogs Smell?
Do hedgehogs stink? No, pygmy hedgehogs don’t smell. Hedgehogs are odorless animals meaning that they don’t have any smell except if they are kept in a dirty environment. A hedgehog may also stink if their poop or urine isn’t cleaned in captivity for too long. Otherwise, a hedgehog won’t smell.
Do Wild Hedgehogs Smell?
How bad do hedgehogs really smell? Because wild hedgehog lives in a dirty place most of the time, they often smell. However, an average hedgehog is naturally odorless but when they live in a smelly environment, they may start smelling.
Do Pet Hedgehogs Smell?
Does hedgehogs smell? No, pygmy hedgehogs don’t smell. Hedgehogs are odorless animals meaning that they don’t have any smell except if they are kept in a dirty environment. A hedgehog may also stink if their poop or urine isn’t cleaned in captivity for too long. Otherwise, a hedgehog won’t smell.
Do Dead Hedgehogs Smell?
Do hedgehogs stink when they die? A dead hedgehog would naturally smell. Just like any other animal, their body is prone to being rotten, which will lead them to smell more and more as they are exposed to the open.
Do Pet Hedgehogs Smell Bad?
Do pet hedgehogs stink? If the owner doesn’t maintain the cage of the hedgehog or if the owner doesn’t clean their terrarium, the hedgehog would naturally smell.
However, if the owner keeps their pet clean and hygienic, they won’t smell because they are naturally odorless.
Do House Hedgehogs Smell?
Do hedgehogs smell reddit? If the owner keeps the cage of their pet clean and keeps their pet always clean, only this step will make sure that a hedgehog doesn’t smell.
When a hedgehog is kept in a clean environment in captivity, they won’t have any smell because they are naturally odorless.
Do African Pygmy Hedgehogs Smell Bad?
Do hedgehogs stink? No, African pygmy hedgehogs don’t smell. Why does my hedgehog smell so bad? Hedgehogs are odorless animals meaning that they don’t have any smell except if they are kept in a dirty environment.
A hedgehog may also stink if their poop or urine isn’t cleaned in captivity for too long. Otherwise, a hedgehog won’t smell.
Do All Hedgehogs Smell?
Do hedgehogs stink? No, there is no Hedgehog Smell because they are naturally odorless. Some hedgehogs that live in dirty places will smell bad. Otherwise, because they don’t have any scent glands, they don’t carry any smell.
Another question that you may have is do baby hedgehogs stink? No, baby hedgehogs don’t stink because they are naturally odorless.
How To Keep A Hedgehog Cage From Smelling?
The owner will be required to keep the cage clean as much as possible. Cleaning the cage of any rotten food, urine, poop, or any other dirt, should be taken away and cleaned at least two times a week. Once a month it is recommended to thoroughly clean the cage so that there is no dirt or any residue.
How Can You Make A Hedgie Cage Smell Less?
Many owners are often seen complaining “My room smells awful all the time with hedgehogs around”“. Well, if the hedgehog or their cage is smelling, the owner can follow the steps given below.
Train them
When the hedgehog has spent some time with the owner and has adapted to the environment, it will be easy to tame them. Although hedgehogs and taming don’t go hand in hand, a good bond with them can help the owner teach them a few things.
What the owner has to do is keep a close eye on their routine. Create a schedule, that is: give him his food at a specific time. Now, watch their routine and figure out when they poop. It is natural for hedgehogs to follow a routine. This can help the owner understand when it’s time to poop.
Once the owner figured out their routine, the owner needed to be there before they pooped. Now, the owner can take their pet to the bathroom to poop or place a container inside the cage and hold the animal on top of this container so that it can do so. Repeat this for a few days and they would get used to repeating the process.
This way, the owner won’t have to clean the entire cage. The owner can simply take out the container, empty it, clean it and put it back inside. It’s less of a hassle than cleaning the entire cage 4-5 times a day.
Give the hedgehog a proper diet
If the owner wants to keep their hedgehog in good health and make sure he doesn’t get an upset stomach that can make his stools stink, here are the foods you need to feed him:
The diet of a hedgehog should consist of two things: low in fat and high in protein.
Proteins: 28% – 32%
Fats: Less than 10%
Fiber: More than 4%.
Opt for dry food over canned food, as the latter does not have all the vital nutrients. Also, avoid giving them fish or fish-flavored foods because they could upset a hedgehog’s stomach.
Never feed pet hedgehog raw meat, even if he seems to enjoy it. Always give them roasted, boiled, grilled or cooked meat.
Hedgehogs love to eat insects like worms, crickets and caterpillars. The owner can add insects to their diet, but be sure to include other things like them. A bug-only diet can be bad for a hedgehog and make it stink, too.
The owner should include fruits and vegetables in the diet as well. Some good options include:
apples
Cantaloupe
cherries
Plum
Pear
Banana
Watermelon
Broccoli
cooked carrot
Corn (small amounts)
Green beans
non-spicy pepper
Do Hedgehogs Poop Stink?
Does Hedgehog Poop Smell? Yes, the hedgehog poop smells bad. Though it doesn’t smell too bad, it can be bad. Sometimes when urine and poop accumulate in the hedgehog terrarium, even the hedgehog can smell bad. However, if kept with proper hygiene and cleanliness, a hedgehog won’t smell.
Do Hedgehogs Smell In The Terrarium?
Does Hedgehogs Stink? No, a hedgehog won’t smell. Hedgehogs are rather odorless, naturally. They don’t have any smell. However, the environment they live in can sometimes make them stink. If the owner wants to keep their pet hedgehog smell fine, they should always keep their pet and their terrarium clean and hygienic.
Do Hibernating Hedgehogs Smell?
Hedgehogs don’t smell generally, but if they are around an area that is too dirty, they will also absorb the smell out of that area.
Do hedgehogs smell? Do hedgehogs smell in the yard? Do hedgehogs smell as pets?
Final Verdict – Do Hedgehogs Smell
Do hedgehogs smell? No, hedgehogs don’t smell. Hedgehogs are born odorless naturally. If a hedgehog is kept in a clean and hygienic space hedgehogs won’t stink. However, if they live in a dirty or unhygienic place, the smell coming from a hedgehog is normal.
So, if the owner wants to keep their hedgehog away from the smell, they should take extra care of keeping the hedgehog environment clean.
Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️
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