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Housing
There are several different types of housing suitable for an African pygmy hedgehog.
Many people use rabbit/guinea-pig wire cages which can work well. They are usually a decent size, allow good airflow, are simple to clean and allow easy access. You must make sure that the bar spacing is narrow enough that your hedgehog cannot squeeze through and escape. Some hedgehogs like to climb the bars, which is not a good idea as they can easily fall and hurt themselves. If your hedgehog is a climber then put a barrier over the bars or weave plastic strips through them to prevent this.
Another popular cage is a zoozone 2. This cage is also easy to clean and has a good floor space. It has the advantage that there are no bars for the hedgehog to escape or to climb up. However they do restrict air flow and so can get quite stuffy.
Vivariums can also be used for keeping hedgehogs, but they must be modified so that there is adequate ventilation.
Recently I built my own cage, it is similar to a vivarium but instead of glass I used tough fiberglass fly screen mesh (type used for reptile cages). It allows good ventilation, no bars to climb and looks great (2nd and 3rd pictures on the left - as you can see the mesh is barely visable). I will slowly be moving all of my hogs into this type of cage.
Whichever cage that you decide to use, where you situate the cage is also important, as it should be kept away from drafts and direct sunlight.
Bedding
There are many different types of bedding that you can use in your cage, pine shavings, Carefresh, Yesterday's News, Megazorb..... Any of these are fine to use, though I have found that they tend to be dusty and rather messy. A good bedding to use, if you can get it, is Bedxcel. This is made up of recycled cardboard boxes cut into small squares and can usually be found in horse supply places. I have found that hedgehogs love to burrow in it, like wild hedgehogs do in leaf litter.
I mostly use cage liners, made using 3 layers of polar fleece cut to the size of the cage floor, sewn together (leaving a corner unsewn), turned inside out so that no seams are visable and then the corner is carefully sewn up (making sure there are no loose threads). When cleaning the cage, I just shake the liners inside a bin bag and then throw into the washing machine. Although the initial outlay is more, they are far cheaper in the long run.
Food and Water
The basic diet you will need to feed your hedgehog is a good quality chicken based dried cat food. Check the label on the cat food, it should be low in fat (hedgehogs are prone to obesity) and be high in protein. I give mine a mixture of Royal Canin Indoor and James Wellbeloved Turkey and Rice Senior/Light, occassionally adding to the mix things such as Hills Science Plan or Proplan for a bit of variety. The hoglet's mix (and nursing mother) also includes Royal Canin Baby Cat and James Wellbeloved Turkey and Rice Kitten.
Although dried cat food should be the main part of their diet, you can also give them 'treats' for a bit of variety if they will take it. Some things to try are wet cat food, cooked chicken, cooked vegetables, fruits (such as melon, banana, stawberry and apple or even no added sugar fruit puree baby foods), chicken or vegetable based baby foods, scrambled eggs and cottage cheese.
Mealworms (preferably live, but you could try dried) are a firm favorite, but should be fed sparingly because they are very high in fat. You could also try crickets, wax worms and other feeder insects. You should only feed your hedgehog insects that you buy in pet shops or online as food, never give them insects or slugs, snails or worms that you caught yourself, these may have ingested poisons that could kill your pet.
As with all animals, water is essential. You can either use a water bottle or a dish, the choice is completely up to you. The water should be changed ever day, and, if using a dish, you should check that the water has not been spilled leaving the dish empty.
Exercise
In the wild hedgehogs cover miles every night in the search for food. We obviously cannot let our hedgehogs run loose like this outside, so the best way to give them exercise is to get them a 12" diameter wheel. The two main types of wheels available here in the U.K are Comfort wheels and Silent Spinners, either is suitable. If you cannot find such a large wheel in your local pet shop then they are usually available on ebay.
Another good way to exercise your hedgehog is to let him out to run around the room. If you let your hedgie do this you must be there to supervise, don't take your eyes off him for a minute. You would be amazed at the tight spaces that they can squeeze into or the trouble that they can get themselves in is such a short space of time.
Litter tray
Some (though not all) hedgehogs can learn to use litter trays. Usually hedgehogs will go to the toilet while running on their wheels. Therefore the best place to put the litter tray is directly underneath their wheel, so that as they run, pee and poo should fall into the litter tray. Any poos that you find outside of the tray should be picked up and placed in the tray. Hopefully the hedgehog should soon catch on and go to the tray when he needs the toilet. Some are really good and use a tray religiously while others refuse point-blank to use it, it just depends on the individual. Remember to use a different substrate than you are using as bedding so that the hedgehog can distinguish between the two.
Nest Box
In their cage they also need somewhere to hide and feel safe. There are lots of different suitable houses available in pet shops, plastic igloos are a very popular choice and what I tend to use. I also made fleece liners to cover my igloos so that they are snug and dark inside. You could make your own house for your hedgie, even a cardboard box can work well.
I give my hedgehogs fleece scraps inside their igloos, to snuggle down into. You could use paper bedding available in pet shops for hamsters (don't use the wool type as it can be dangerous), or just tear up bits of kitchen or toilet roll and put them in the house.
Toys
Apart from a wheel, your hedgehog might enjoy other things to play with, such as cat toys, toilet roll tubes, large tubes to run through, some even like a beanie baby to cuddle up with.
Heat
Usually, as long as the temperature does not drop below 65 degrees the hedgehog should be quite happy (although some hedgehogs are more temperature sensitive and need it warmer than this). Therefore most centrally heated houses are warm enough for them. If it is likely to be colder than this then a heat source will be required. During the day, when they are asleep, a heat mat or a snugglesafe microwaveable disc under part of the cage works well. However, at night, because they are moving around, a heat mat would not be sufficient as it is the air temperature that needs to be higher. I use a space heater (oil filled) with a built-in thermostat, which is set to keep the temperature at around 70 degrees.
It is a good idea to buy a digital thermometer with a high/low setting so that you can monitor the range of temperature in your hedgehog's cage.
Light
They should get about 12hrs of light each day. This doesn't have to be sunlight, a normal bedside lamp near the cage, or turning on the room light, should work just as well.
Handling
To keep you hedgehog well socialised then you should try to handle him ever day. It is perfectly fine to wake him up during the day, although he may be a little more grumpy than he would at night.
Most hedgehogs will huff and raise their quills when woken up, so don't worry. The best way to pick up a hedgehog is to slide your hands, gently on either side of the hedgehog, under his belly. This way your hands are in contact with the belly fur instead of sharp quills, and your hedgehog will feel more secure, so be less nervous.
If you are too nervous to do this, or your hedgehog has rolled into a ball preventing you from lifting him this way, then you can use gloves, or a fleece blanket (for example) to cover him and protect your hands while lifting him. However, if using gloves only use them for lifting your hedgehog, once settled take them off, he needs to get used to your smell and won't do if you are constantly wearing gloves.
Bathing
If your hedgehog is particularly mucky when using his wheel (and lets face it, most are) then you may find that he has mucky feet, or poopy boots as it is sometimes called. If baby wipes don’t work, then a foot bath may be required. Simply fill the sink or bath about an inch or so with warm water and then let him run around for a while. You will find that the muck will easily come off with just a rub of your fingers.
Usually a quick wipe of the quills with some non-scented baby wipes is enough, but every once in a while a full bath might be required. I wouldn’t give a full bath more than once or twice a month (unless he is quilling (covered in healthcare) when more may be required) as it can be very drying on their skin. Just fill the bath or sink a couple of inches, place your hedgehog in the water (making sure his feet still easily touch the bottom) and then carefully pour the water over his back (stay clear of his face) using a jug or cup. You can use baby shampoo (no tears forumula) and a soft toothbrush works well for cleaning those quills. Then use clean water to rinse, you can add a drop of vitamin E oil (break open a capsule and squeeze out the oil) or even olive oil to the rinse water to help prevent dry skin (remember that a tiny drop goes a long way). Once the bathing is complete, wrap him in a towel and make sure he is completely dry before putting him back in his cage. This is a great point for some quality cuddle time.
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