how to train a hedgehog to do tricks

Pets are great to have, hold, hug, play with, and love. Many people also enjoy teaching their pet to do tricks, either as a way to show off their own skill at training the pet, or their pet’s intelligence and capabilities. Hedgehogs are certainly inquisitive and smart, there’s no doubt about that. And some can learn to do some basic tricks. However, they are not generally as pliable in this regard as dogs or similar animals. This is perhaps due to their natural solitary nature, and their anxiety/skittishness. As a smaller animal, they tend to be more defensive and concerned about their surroundings, and are not as outgoing or immediately trusting of humans or other animals. All of these factors combined can make it difficult to teach them tricks, though it is definitely possible.So, how can you train your hedgehog to do hedgehog tricks? It’s important to take it slow, and have patience. It’s also important to have realistic expectations. Many hedgehogs don’t do well with learning tricks, and in fact in some cases, it may not ever happen. It’s fine to try, and there are some basic strategies we’ll describe in more detail below, but it shouldn’t be your main focus for your pet hedgehog. Rather, spending quality time with them, playing and interacting, should be considered the main reward. Tricks, if they can learn them, are just icing on the cake.Reading: how to train a hedgehog to do tricks One note of caution here before we go any further: before you even think about trying to train your hedgehog to do tricks, you should first get them acquainted and comfortable with playing with you, outside of their cage. You should acclimate them to being held, and being around humans. If those basics of trust and bonding haven’t been accomplished, you’ll have no chance of getting them to learn and perform tricks. It’s also worth mentioning that, more important than training them to do tricks, you should first focus on training them to use their litter pan or tray, and run in their exercise wheel, as both of those can help contribute to their good health and longevity.Know Your AnimalFirst, before you can even think about training your animal, you have to get to know them. Being able to pick up on their quirks, their moods, and their responses is very important to successful training. It’s also critical to know, so you know when to stop trying to train them. You don’t want to be agitating your hedgehog, making them scared, angry, or anything else through your efforts to train them and teach them tricks. The natural bonding and familiarity that comes with taking care of your hedgie and playing with them regularly is an essential foundation before you can give them any kind of training – whether that’s potty training or teaching them tricks.At the same time, learning your hedgehog’s capabilities or tendencies is also important. If they are particularly curious and inquisitive, that’s important to note. If they tend to mimic actions that you take, that’s also important. Any particular tendencies they have and demonstrate on a regular basis, if you can pick up on those, can be used to help train them more effectively. It’s also important to help you know when they might not be in the mood for training or learning tricks. If you can spot when your hedgehog is feeling down or depressed, or is grumpy or anxious, then you can also determine when they are not in those moods, and are more likely to be receptive to training attempts.Learn How to TeachThe next important step that any owner should take is some research in to how to teach a pet. Many people think they know the basics of training a pet, but make simple mistakes that can complicate the training process or even be counter-productive. This is true whether your pet is a hedgie or any other kind of animal. You can’t expect your pet to learn to do tricks if you don’t know the right way to teach them!Many experts suggest that you do your best to first put yourself in your pet’s shoes. Try to think how you would communicate or respond if someone, speaking a totally foreign language, using foreign gestures, and so forth came up to you and tried to teach you how to do something. Your pet isn’t stupid – you don’t need to talk extra slow or extra loud. You just need to have clear communication, a clear and accurate choice of words/commands, and be very focused on a single task for training at a time.Read more: how to open a gift shop businessBasics of Animal TrainingAt the most basic level, animal training is usually conducted through positive reinforcement and/or Pavlovian-style conditioning. In essence, you try to provide a command to your pet, and when they successfully complete the action, you reward them with a treat. Alternatively, you can try to associate certain actions that they perform anyway with a command, sound, or gesture. For example, if your pet hedgehog likes to run in a circle, and you want them to be able to do this on command, then any time they are running in a circle, you can try to encourage them with a particular command. Over time, they may associate this command with that activity, and be willing to perform that activity when they hear the command.Both of these approaches have their uses. Often, pet owners will have to use them both, and perhaps other, more creative techniques, in order to get their pet to understand what it is you are trying to teach them. Positive reinforcement often works the best, but there’s also a caveat – you don’t want to overload your pet with too many treats. For hedgehogs, obesity can be a real problem. So you want to ensure you temper your training with some restraint, and avoid fattening them up unnecessarily. Ultimately, you should want your pet to be happy and healthy, and compromising their health in order to teach them some tricks is not a wise plan.At the same time, it can be useful to find other ways to reward your pet. If they particularly enjoy belly rubs, or playing with a certain toy, then that can be a positive reward for correctly performing a commanded trick or task. Non-treat rewards can also help strengthen the bond between pet and owner, which in turn can help make the training process easier.Of course, another critical aspect of training your pet hedgehog (or any pet, for that matter) to do tricks or learn behaviors is understanding what they are capable of, both individually and as a species. You’re not going to be able to teach a hedgehog to fly or do math, obviously! But what we mean by this is understanding the habits, traits, and behaviors that your hedgehog typically would exhibit in the wild, and playing to those capabilities. For example, hedgehogs tend to cover a large amount of ground every night in their foraging/hunting for insects and other food sources. They are good at finding insects, and exploring new areas. They like to seek safety in an enclosed burrow. These kinds of basic behavioral traits can inform what tricks you try to teach them, and if the trick draws on a behavior they are already genetically predisposed to perform, they are more likely to pick up the trick quickly and effectively.What Tricks Can Hedgehogs Do?The tricks that any particular hedgehog may be capable of can really vary by individual. Unlike dogs, fetching objects isn’t usually high on the list of hedgehog tricks. And, try as you might, a hedgehog isn’t a parrot – it’s not going to be able to speak and repeat your words. Some of the more common behaviors that owners have found can be parlayed into meaningful hedgehog tricks include:

Response to sound, such as going to a certain area or coming to see you when they hear a certain sound. Hedgehogs may have somewhat poor eyesight, but they have a very good hearing, and can associate sounds and noises with rewards quite easily.
Safety and security can be a source of tricks. Many hedgies tend to be a bit anxious and skittish with people. While you don’t want to upset your hedgie, you can play off this tendency, by providing them with opportunities to seek safety or shelter. In some cases, we’ve heard of people who teach their hedgehog to return to their igloo-like shelter or burrow surrogate upon a command.
Using their own behaviors to seek rewards. Many hedgehogs will prompt you for interaction by using some of their own behaviors. For example, if they want a rub on their snout or bellies, they may repeatedly perform some action, that you then associate with what they seek. In a way, this is an example of a pet hedgehog training you to do what they want!
Some hedgehogs may perform certain physical acts, such as running in circles, standing still like a statue, flattening their bodies, or giving certain looks. All of these can be trained to be done on command, with varying degrees of success.

Don’t Be DiscouragedAs with any kind of teaching or training, whether it be a small child or a small pet, it’s important to have patience and not be discouraged. In some cases, hedgehogs simply will not learn or take to tricks. It’s not that they are incapable – they’re quite intelligent. It’s just that they tend to be solitary and do what they want. So if they don’t feel like following commands or putting on a “show” for you, then they won’t. Some are more variable, and may be responsive in certain moods or times of their day/night behavior cycle, and less responsive at others. And some take to tricks or training quite easily. They’re all individuals, just like people, and are less eager-to-please than pets like dogs. So, just keep in mind that it may never happen with your pet hedgie, and that you shouldn’t be discouraged or disappointed if your training doesn’t work.More important is to enjoy quality time with your pet. Trying to train them to do tricks, or training them to use the litter box, play in their wheel, etc. are all worthwhile. But don’t focus on these kinds of tasks or training to the exclusion of enjoying play time. Your hedgehog is a unique and individual being. Enjoy watching them and interacting with them, no matter what. Show them unconditional love, acceptance, and affection, regardless of whether or not they are great learners or performers.Read more: How to watch no way home onlineEmbrace Unique QuirksLastly, it’s important to embrace the unique quirks that your pet hedgie may demonstrate. This can be a great way to teach even the least receptive hedgehogs to do some actions or behaviors on command. For example, some owners report that their pet tends to always want to go to a certain spot on the floor in their play room, or always wants to sit or perch on a certain body part when they are held. These kinds of behaviors are often based on the safety and comfort that the hedgehog feels. So, they are much more likely to be amenable to training to do these kinds of things. Think of it this way – if you enjoy laying on the beach doing nothing, and someone was actively trying to get you to do that, by rewarding you with money, treats, or whatever – you’d be far more likely to do that, than if someone was trying to teach you to jump rope, or run a marathon, or jump through a flaming hoop.Every hedgehog tends to develop its own behavioral quirks or idiosyncratic habits. So long as they are not unhealthy or dangerous, these can be a great entry point to try to teach your hedgehog to do certain things on command. At the same time, be sure you’re not encouraging bad behaviors, either, as part of your training. Most importantly, you want to interact with your pet and provide them with proper stimulation and enjoyment, for you and them, so that they have a long happy, healthy life. Don’t teach them to do things that could be bad for their health or well-being. Focus on accentuating the positive, and embracing their unique and individual nature, and you’ll do just fine – even if they never learn to do a single trick on command.Related QuestionsShould you put tubes, climbs, and other obstacles in your hedgehog’s cage?Generally, no. Hedgehogs are inquisitive, and often like to climb on things. But, they have poor eyesight, stubby legs, and tend to jump or fall easily. In essence, this means that any kind of climbing obstacles will attract them, but they can easily get hurt from using them. At the same time, the kind of tubes or climbs that are typically found on hamster cages or other small animal cages aren’t the best idea, either. Hedgehogs don’t tend to back into places, or back their way out of places, either. They need sufficient room to turn around. This means that most of the kind of tube-based obstacles and extensions to cages that are popular for small animals are not well-suited for hedgehogs.How much room does a hedgehog need in their cage?Hedgehogs in the wild cover several miles of area during their nightly travels. They are often out foraging or hunting for food, and despite their small legs, they can definitely move over long distances. This helps keep them fit and in shape. Of course, in captivity, they don’t have those options. But, it’s important to provide them with sufficient cage floor space, along with time out of their cage to exercise, and an exercise wheel. In general, most experts recommend pet hedgehogs have at least 4 square feet of cage floor space, and really 5 to 8 square feet is a much better range. If hedgehogs don’t have sufficient room in their cages, they can become depressed, stop eating, and have their health deteriorate. Or, they can end up becoming obese, from lack of exercise and moving around. So it’s important to ensure your pet hedgehog has enough room in their cage, a good exercise wheel, and time out of their cage to play and stay active and fit.Read more: how to cover bald spots with hair extensionsRead more: how to cover bald spots with hair extensions