How to Litter Train your Hedgehog
by Jennifer L. Plombon, with advice from Norma and Skeezix

Set reasonable goals

If your goal is to never find poop or urine anywhere but in a litter pan, you will most likely not succeed. The majority of hedgehogs do eliminate while running on their wheel, or when first awakened for a cuddle. The wheel elimination makes perfect sense; since it seems to the hedgehog as if they are running away from what’s behind them, it would also seem that the poop and urine would be left far behind; who needs a litter pan if you are running away from it? The newly awakened in-your-lap elimination also makes perfect sense; when your hedgehog is first awakened, their metabolism gears up, and peristalsis and muscle action increase; thus bowels and bladder start to do their jobs of elimination. While some rare hedgehogs will actually stop running on their wheel and hang their little butts over the edge to catch the litter pan, that would be an exceptional hedgehog indeed. And while most hedgehogs really would prefer not to poop or urinate on the person they love, it is almost impossible to ignore the muscle actions that kick in when they are awakened, and if they are on your lap, they cannot quickly get to the litter pan; thus, you must watch for the “tail-up” sign and get them to the litter pan.

Therefore, your goal more reasonably should be that inside the cage or container, poop and urine will be either on the wheel (it’s usually easier to wash the wheel than wash the cage liner, or change the bedding), or in the litter pan provided under the wheel. Outside the cage, poop and urine should be in the litter pan you take your hedgehog to after they are awakened, or should be in litter pan(s) provided in the room where they free roam.

Work with natural instincts

Very, very few healthy animals, given any room at all, will choose to eliminate where they eat or sleep. Not only is the smell of waste unpleasant, but it can attract insects (not necessarily bad from the hedgehogs’ point of view, perhaps) and predators, as well as harm the animal’s skin if they sleep in it or are covered in it. Observations of pets, in confined areas such as a cage or kennel, will show that almost all choose a particular place to eliminate, and use that spot fairly routinely.

Furthermore, most animals, when encountering their own or another animal’s waste, will add their own to the spot; either because it’s familiar, because they are telling others they have been there, or to mark a spot as “theirs”.

USE these traits, they are useful! Since almost all hedgehogs do eliminate on or under their wheel, place a litter pan under the wheel. The waste will fly off as the wheel turns, landing in the litter pan, in an area they already associate with waste, and they will then associate the use of litter in that area with waste, a double benefit. As they associate litter with a place to eliminate, you can place litter pans in other areas, re-enforcing the use of litter, and providing quick access for a hedgie running free (or on your lap), suddenly stricken with the urge to go. Seed the litter pan(s) with used litter, soiled paper towel or bedding, and pieces of poop, to take advantage of the “marking” trait. If you use the hedgehog’s own waste, they will use the pan because it’s familiar; if you use another hedgehog’s waste, they will usually feel compelled to mark the pan. I had very good success, when I had 2 hedgehogs, with placing used litter from the “senior” hedgehog (who was litter trained), in a pan for the “junior” hedgehog. The junior hedgehog immediately used this pan, probably because she was responding to the intruder she sensed. This use of used litter is a very great incentive; the few times one of my hedgies “missed” the litter pan when free roaming, I had just changed the litter in the pan, so it was completely fresh and had no waste in it; I now reserve a bit of used litter to sprinkle over a fresh pan.

Use the correct litter

NEVER, EVER, use clumping type litter with your hedgehogs! When wet, this litter forms hard balls of litter that stick to things; with cats, who often use this litter, the balls stick to the pan, or possibly the cat’s feet; but with hedgehogs, whose private parts are approximately ¼” – ½” above the pan’s surface, these balls of compacted litter stick to the hedgehog, causing blockage of poop and urine, and in the case of male hedgehogs, getting pulled up into the penile sheath, where they can trap the penis, block urine, cause sores and infections, and be deadly if not removed.

Clay type litters are equally hazardous; some clay litters are the clumping types, but even those not listed as clumping will indeed clump up when wet; furthermore, they are very dusty, and hedgehogs’ noses are just as close to the pan’s surface as their private parts are; clay dust can cause severe respiratory disease.

Use of pine or aspen bedding as litter may be safe, provided that the pine has been treated with high heat to remove volatile, and deadly, softwood gases. Be aware, though, if you use aspen or pine either as litter or as bedding, that many hedgehogs attempt to eat these shavings, or to carry them about the cage to form nests, and wood shavings can and do get stuck it the throat, teeth and gums, causing potentially great harm. NEVER, EVER use any type of cedar litter or bedding or sprays for any pet; cedar exudes gases that cause severe respiratory disease and death in pets; at least one state has banned the use of cedar bedding and shavings for any pets in pet stores, rescues, or shelters.

The best litters I have encountered are Care Fresh and Yesterday’s News. These may available at upscale pet stores or grocery stores, though not always. However, they can be purchased online at:

www.pets.com
www.thatpetplace.com
www.theferretstore.com
www.leithpetwerks.com
www.ourpets.net

among others. Most of these online stores have paper catalogs, as well, if you prefer mail ordering.

Both are made from recycled paper; Care Fresh is soft and fluffy, Yesterday’s News is hard. I have seen several hedgehogs who ate Care Fresh litter whenever it was introduced; if possible, obtain a small amount of this litter and “test” your hedgehog; watch very closely to see if they eat it and continue to do so; if they do, I would advise against the use of this product. I have seen the occasional hedgehog nibble on Yesterdays’ News litter; usually when the pan has been cleaned and filled with fresh litter. The hedgehog will often anoint with this fresh litter, possibly because it is “new” to them, or because they need to incorporate fresh new litter into their world, and can then use it. Both of these litter types are very absorbent, and in my opinion remain odor free for a long period of time; you may be able to scoop out pieces and wet litter for a few days, and extend the use of the litter for several days; let your nose be your guide, remembering that your hedgehog’s nose is MUCH more sensitive and that if it smells at all strong to you, it must be overwhelming to them.

Yesterdays’ News comes in several varieties, for several different types of animals; the only difference I can see, however, is in the size of the pieces of litter. The cat size, which is most readily available, seems to be used by hedgehogs without difficulty. I have heard that there are versions of this litter that are scented; do not buy those, the gases given off me be dangerous, and they are not needed.

Newspaper and paper towels are used by many hedgehogs, and work well if they are changed often. Newspaper may stain your hedgehog black from the ink, particularly their white tummies and feet, and you may find this unacceptable. Some newspaper offices and printers sell the ends of bolts of newsprint, which are undyed and not printed; shredded, this makes a very good litter. Paper towels may be laid in a pan or under the wheel, and have the advantage of being cheap, easily available, and light-colored to observe any health problems (blood, color changes, mucous, etc.) that may first appear in poop or urine. I have seen some hedgehogs spend hours shredding paper towels and using the shreds to make a little nest, so its use as a litter is supplemented by its use as a nighttime project!

Always reward, NEVER punish

With animals, as with people, positive reinforcement lasts longer, is more effective, and can only enhance the relationship between trainer and trainee. It may not be possible to catch your hedgehog using the litter pan in their cage; though if you do, offer them a mealworm, cricket, or other favorite treat if you can, with copious soft words of praise. A litter pan placed in a free roam room is easier to observe. Always have a favorite treat quickly available when you are observing your hedgehog roaming free; every time they use the litter pan, wait until they are finished (at a distance, and averting your eyes, please, we all need our privacy), and offer the treat, again with copious soft words of praise.

I can testify that both of my hedgehogs use(d) the litter pan in their free roam room every evening, running across a very large room to do so. And every time I see that, I am ready with a mealworm and a thank you; Skeezix will often use the pan when I am not immediately in the room; when I enter the room, she will run up to me and circle me, head up and eyes fixed on mine, until I check the pan for fresh waste and give her a mealworm. Other people have observed this routine use of the pan, not just myself, so do believe it can happen.

Will this work with older hedgehogs or those who have not used a pan?

In my experience, these tips will usually work, even in the most set-in-their-ways hedgehog. After all, you are not doing anything against their nature; you are providing a litter pan, in an area where they routinely eliminate, in a form they can easily use (for this reason I recommend a flat pan instead of a corner-type or enclosed pan that may require climbing to get inside), and rewarding them for using it. Always be patient, be loving, be consistent in where you place the pan and in providing a treat, and never punish your hedgehog if they slip up or seem disinclined to learn. Punishment will only cause resentment and hatred and will not accomplish any other goals, and if your hedgehog has a different agenda with regards to litter training than you do, accept this and find the best way to keep them, their home, and your home clean. You may never be able to use a litter pan, and may have to wash the wheel, the blanket, the floor, the carpet; this is part of having a loved pet.

A note on critter balls

Many hedgehogs eliminate while running in their balls, and this may be an insolvable problem. First, they are often placed in the balls shortly after being awakened; if they have not been offered or used a pan first, the running will certainly cause them to eliminate, and you will rarely be able to see it coming in time, and remove them from the ball and to the litter pan. Secondly, while in the ball, they may know where their pan is, and may even roll over to it; but they cannot get out to use it! I know several hedgehogs who always use the pan in their cage or when roaming free, who have “accidents” in their balls, so I do not think that eliminating in the ball breaks the litter training habit at all; it is simply not possible for the hedgehog to do what you or they may wish they could do.

What to use for a pan?

A cookie sheet or flat sheetcake pan work very well under the wheel or in a corner of the room. You may also try a pizza pan, a Styrofoam pan such as you would get at a grocery store (observe your hedgehog to make sure they do not chew on or eat the Styrofoam), or a Rubbermaid or Sterilite container with the sides cut down to ½” high.

While the corner type litter pans are not my first recommendation, as they require some effort on the hedgehog’s part to get into, they may be a good choice in the corner of the room where your hedgehog roams; they are not large enough to place under a wheel, however.

Finally

Remember, this is not a battle or a contest between you and your hedgehog. You are encouraging the use of a litter pan, and gratefully rewarding and accepting any progress in that irection. Your hedgehog wants a clean place to live, just as you do, but your views of what that entails may diverge; offer, reward, encourage, accept, and good luck.

This article is provided courtesy of the author and may be reprinted only in its entirety with proper attribution to author Jennifer L. Plombon. It appeared originally in the newsletter of the Hedgehog Welfare Society.