ASSESSMENT OF OWNER INVESTMENT IN AFRICAN PYGMY HEDGEHOG (Atelerix albiventris) WELFARE BY FEEDING, HOUSING, ENRICHMENT, HYGIENE AND HEALTH PRACTICE

This article presents the results of the evaluation of the investments made by owners in the welfare of African pygmy hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris) through feeding, housing, enrichment, hygiene and health practices. Hedgehog owners who participated in the study were divided into three groups (G1, G2, and G3) according to how they obtained information about hedgehog care (G1 - by consulting veterinarians; G2 – by consulting other owners and breeders; by consulting on the Internet). Hedgehog owners from the third group (G3) were the most numerous (45%). Hedgehog owners from the first group (G1) were the least numerous (22%) in the total sample. Most pet owners in the total sample fed hedgehogs commercial feed (55%). Seventy-nine percent of owners supplemented hedgehog food with live worms, dry insects, plants or different combinations of these treats. Sixty-eight percent of hedgehog owners kept their animals in a primary housing unit that was less than 0.5 square meters. In the total sample, 84% of owners had no hiding “house” for hedgehogs. The smaller group of owners had no hedgehog wheel (17%). Hedgehog owners who acquired knowledge by consulting veterinarians (G1) used commercial food in significantly greater numbers (P < 0.05), spent time interacting with their pets (P < 0.01), washed the wheel daily (P < 0.01), took them for veterinary check-ups immediately upon acquisition (P < 0.01), brought hedgehogs for preventive examination (P < 0.01), and brought hedgehogs to the veterinarian when they suspected changes in their health (P < 0.01), compared to owners who consulted the internet (G3). All owners from the G1 group possessed a wheel for hedgehog physical activity and significantly differed (P < 0.01) from owners in the G2 group, where 27% of owners didn’t possess this kind of enrichment. Additionally, there was a significant difference (P < 0.001) between these two groups in the frequency of wheel washing, visiting veterinarians for check-ups after acquiring (P < 0.001), preventive check-ups of hedgehogs (P < 0.001), and the number of owners who contacted veterinarians when the health of the hedgehog was changed (P < 0.01). The results of the study indicate that owners in all three groups exhibited differences in their practices of caring for hedgehogs, including making mistakes in certain aspects such as permanently confining them.