I've been thinking about getting a hedgehog also. Too bad it's illegal where I live... :tantrum: lol I've been reading about hedgies lately, but I don't know too much about them yet. What they can eat is high quality dry cat food, special hedgie food, mink and ferret food, cooked poultry, and cooked eggs. For snacks/treats you can give them insects or fruit. I'm not sure how often though. They are also lactose intolerant, so feed them dairy in small amounts or not at all. As for temp, the min is 72o, but they should really be kept between 74 - 76o. You could either turn the temp in the house up, or you could use a heat lamp. You can't let it be too cold or too hot because ur little hedgie can get sick and die. So you should really keep a thermometer in the cage. Speaking of the cage, the bottom of the cage should be smooth; not mesh or barred. The same goes for the wheel. Other things that could be put in the cage for toys or just some other things that they might like are pipe, toilet/towel paper rolls, a wheel, small stuffed animals, etc. Every hedgie, like people, have different personalities, so they might like different things. Just pay attention to what they like and try different things. When it comes to exercise, they tend to take care of that on their own with their weel. They also tend to "circle" which is where they walk in circles or figure 8's. It doesn't mean that they are pacing out of boredom or that their cage is too small, just that they feel like it. =] Another thing to think about with the cage is that it needs to be at least 16 - 24in big. If you don't want to put your pet in a cage, you could let it roam the house, but personally I would be afraid that something would happen to it. What I think I'll do when I get one is I'll clear an entire room and put plugs in the outlets and other precautionary measures and let it roam in there. In case you didn't know, they can also be litter box trained, so don't forget to give ur little hedgie a box. Make sure to clean the cage often and pay much attention to ur pet. Some people say that hedgehogs are only active between sundown and sunrise and are grumpy if woken up. Although this is usually true, if you start paying attention to it and playing with it during the day, it's schedule will adapt. That's one thing about hedgies that is really quite good, because no matter what you're schedule is, they can conform to it. Also, another tip (not sure if you know this); if it starts foaming at the mouth, don't be alarmed. It's just (self) anointing, which is where they smell something strange and take it in their mouth and mix it with saliva. Then they put the foamy saliva on their back. I still don't really understand that, but I think it's just for defense. Also, if you get pricked by a quill, it's not a deadly ordeal, but it is said to hurt more and longer than you would expect. The last thing I want to mention is that hedgehogs can swim usually and will adapt to water quite well if given the opportunity, but their feet must be able to touch the bottom. And whatever you do, don't leave ur pet alone in the water, because they could get caught on their side or back and drown, but like to float and swim anyway. Just watch ur little hedgie. Well, that about all I know about hedgies. gl with ur new pet!!!
(sry for writing too much, but I hope this helps!)