How to set up a bioactive or naturalistic enclosure for your hedgehog
This step-by-step guide will show how to set up (and maintain) a bioactive or naturalistic enclosure for your hedgehog.
Letās take a closer look at the differences between bioactive and naturalistic enclosures first:
The naturalistic enclosure
An enclosure which features natural elements such as wood, rocks, and sometimes live plants. Can have natural substrate (like soil) too, but often has āartificialā bedding such as wood shavings or paper bedding for easier cleaning (the substrate should be loose, no fleece liners).
An enclosure which not only features natural elements (and often live plants), but has a substrate mix consisting of different types of soil, sand, etc. in which invertebrates (the āclean up crewā, also known as cuc) live, thus essentially creating a tiny ecosystem in which the waste gets broken down by the clean up crew. Ideally, the keeper doesnāt have to clean the enclosure except for the occasional spot cleaning. A bioactive enclosure mimics the natural habitat of the animal as closely as possible.
Naturalistic and bioactive enclosures are catered to the hedgehogās natural needs: things like burrowing, nest-making and foraging for food. They stimulate natural behaviour, thus helping to keep your hedgehog happy and healthy - both mentally and physically. And the added bonus: it looks beautiful!
For bio: a vivarium (terrarium) or similar closed-off enclosure (you donāt want the cuc escaping). Cage type is less important for a naturalistic set-up.
For bio: the enclosure needs to be a minimum of 4 x 2 ft (120 x 60 cm)
Smaller enclosures will put too much of a strain on the cuc. Bigger than the minimum is always better!
Substrate
For bio: cococoir, coconut husk, eco potting soil (no added fertilizer), reptile sand (or other sand with varied grain such as play sand - stay clear of calci sand or very fine sand/silica!), sphagnum moss and partially decomposed leaves. Optional: excavator clay.
For naturalistic: same as for bio, or bedding like finacard, aspen, carefresh, back 2 nature etc.
Natural elements such as cork bark, cork tunnels, wood, stones, leaf litter, hay, dried reed, bamboo etc.
Plants (fake or real. See safe plant list below).
For bio: the clean up crew such as temperate woodlice, mealworms, morioworms (super worms), cockroaches (like dubia), earthworms and dermestid beetles.
A daylight lamp to provide suitable lightning for the plants (and the animals).
Got everything? Letās get started!
Step 1. The natural habitat
Before we start with setting up the enclosure, letās take a closer look at the natural habitat of the the African pygmy hedgehog (white-bellied/four-toed hedgehog, Atelerix albiventris).
Location: Central and Eastern Africa
Habitat type: savannah, cropland, prefers open grassland and avoids forest areas and swampland
This means we will be setting up an arid, savannah/grassland type of enclosure which will be relatively sandy and with lots of āclutterā in it.
For naturalistic: substrate doesnāt really matter, it can be any loose bedding you prefer. Mixing several types of bedding (like having different types in certain spots of the cage) is another option too.
For bio: mix the substrate. A good ratio is approx. 40% cococoir, 30% eco potting soil and 30% sand. Mix the partially decomposed leaves, the sphagnum moss and the coconut husk through the substrate. The leaves will provide a needed ākick-starterā food for your cuc while the sphagnum moss will help retaining moisture in the bottom layers.
On top of this mix a layer of pure sand can be added. Some excavator clay can be mixed in with the top layer (sand) to emulate the natural habitat even better. Keep in mind that weāre trying to replicate an arid savannah environment, so while the bottom layers should be slightly moist, the top layer should be dry.
The substrate layer should be at least 4 inch (10 cm) deep, but the thicker the substrate layer, the better. The top layer can dry out fast depending on your enclosure (it dries out faster when light and heat lamps are on) so a thick layer of substrate will stay more moist on the bottom for a longer time, which is better for the clean up crew.
Because the enclosure will be arid we do not need a drainage layer (if going bio) like rainforest-type vivs do. A drainage layer is made out of clay hydroballs with a screen/mesh divider between the drainage layer and the substrate. The excess water drains out of the soil which avoids root rot and the substrate becoming waterlogged.
In an arid enclosure you wonāt need as much water, and if any plants are used, they need to be of a type that can withstand drought and only need occasional watering and misting. Therefore most bioactive hedgehog enclosures will not need a drainage layer. However, if you are planning on using a lot of plants (over 6 large plants) a drainage layer is advisable.
Read more about substrate mixes here (this article focuses on more heavily planted enclosures, but is still useful).
Step 3. Adding plants (& safe plant list)
Safe plants for hedgehogs (which are suitable for arid enclosures) are:
Grasses like Carex, Stipa and Festuca*
*some grasses prefer a more moister environment and might be a bit more difficult to keep alive in an arid enclosure.
If you donāt want to pot plants in the substrate, air plants are an easy option. They can be glued to wood or cork bark (make sure to use animal safe glue).
Other plants can be potted directly into the soil or in a pot. The hedgehog might uproot the plants in its search for insects, so donāt get too attached! If you have a very active digger air plants (Tillandsia) or Beaucarnea recurvata might be the best option, as this plant is very sturdy and can withstand some uprooting.
Grasses can be used both alive and dead - dried grasses will give the enclosure a nice savannah touch.Ā
Fake plants can be used for both bioactive and naturalistic enclosures, but it is better to use live plants in a bioactive setup. The live plants will contribute to the natural cycle and help keep your enclosure clean and thriving.
Step 4. Adding the clean up crew (bio only)
If youāve added your substrate you can add the cuc. Temperate woodlice, mealworms, super worms (morio worms), cockroaches (like dubia), earthworms and dermestid beetles are commonly used in bioactive enclosures. So are springtails and tropical woodlice. Springtails are very small but the backbone of most bioactive set-ups. Unfortunately for us, they prefer moister areas. By providing moister spots underneath stones and cork bark you can keep springtails alive in more arid enclosures but this tends to be difficult. The white tropical woodlice wonāt do that well in arid enclosures either, so temperate woodlice are a better choice. These are commonly found outside. They can be caught and breed easily in a plastic tub - the captive bred animals can be put in the enclosure without having to worry about bringing in any pesticides or other harmful things from outside.
This is also where the depth of your substrate layer comes into play. The deeper the layer, the better the cuc can hide and the easier it is to retain some moisture without the top layer being too moist for the hedgehog.
In general, the best cuc options for an arid hedgehog enclosure are buffalo worms, mealworms, super worms, temperate woodlice and dermestid beetles.
The hedgehog will eat part of the cuc (the larger ones like mealworms and super worms) so youāll have to top up your cuc regularly.
Giving the cuc a few weeks to establish themselves before putting the hedgehog in is preferred. Why it is important to let your enclosure ācycleā for a few weeks before putting the hedgehog in: this gives the enclosure the time to establish a proper cycle. The plants can grow roots, the cuc get the time to establish a strong population as do other beneficial organisms and bacteria. This way the habitat will be balanced and thriving already before you put your hedgehog in.
Sometimes it might not be an option to let the enclosure cycle without the hedgehog. While itās not ideal, it is doable but this means you will have to do more (spot) cleaning in the first few months and you might lose more plants.
Step 5. Adding other naturalistic elements
Itās landscaping time! Probably the most fun part of setting up the enclosure. Let your imagination run wild and add (for both bio/naturalistic) cork bark, stones, logs, wood, etc!
A large piece of cork bark or a cork tunnel can be used as a hide. Add some hay and leaf litter for the hedgehog to sleep in.
Big, heavier stones and multiple pieces of cork bark or other wood are important in a bioactive hedgehog enclosure. Large stones will provide shelter for the cuc because the hedgehog will be unable to dig them out from underneath a heavy stone.
By adding a bit of sphagnum moss under pieces of cork bark you will be able to keep those areas more moist for the cuc without having to constantly water/spray the entire enclosure.
A breakdown of a bioactive hedgehog enclosure:
(Image credit: Miriam Parker)
Substrate layers (in this case a soil mix on the bottom, then sand, then excavator clay + sand)
Large stones and wood to provide shelter for the cuc
Cork bark hide with hay and leaf litter
Twigs, dried reed, smaller pieces of wood and a background in the enclosure add to the aesthetic
Thatās about it for setting up a naturalistic or bioactive enclosure!
But when it comes to bio, the most difficult part is keeping your plants and cuc alive and happy.
Maintaining your bioactive enclosure
Maintaining a naturalistic enclosure is similar to what youād do with any other enclosure type, but bioactive needs some special measures to keep it thriving. It can take several weeks to months for an enclosure to become fully, or nearly fully self-sustaining. With hedgehogs, fully self-sustaining (no maintenance) might be impossible unless youāre using an extremely large enclosure.
You will have to water the soil regularly in order to keep the bottom layers more moist. If the top layer is drying out too much (it shouldnāt become dusty) you can lightly mist it. How often youāll have to water the enclosure depends on how fast it dries out, which is different for every setup.
Taking care of the clean up crew
To help the cuc, remove leftover waste. How often youāll have to spot clean depends on the size of your enclosure and how well the cuc is maintaining it. Spot cleaning is especially important in the first few weeks when your cuc is still establishing. Once the enclosure is up and running you might not have to spot clean anymore but this will take at least several months to up to a year.
It is preferred to give the cuc some time to establish without the hedgehog being in the enclosure yet. You can help the cuc during this time by feeding them some fish food, mushroom, brewers yeast, spirulina or any other waste organic matter.
You can provide some moisture for your cuc by feeding them vegetables such as cucumber.
As mentioned before, springtails and tropical woodlice do not do well in arid hedgehog vivs. Most populations die off after several weeks or months. If you are still willing to try them you can add some sphagnum moss underneath pieces of cork bark and keep it moist by lightly spraying the area regularly. How often youāll need to spray depends on how fast your enclosure dries out. This could mean you have to spray once a day, or a few times a week.
Since hedgehogs eat invertebrates part of your cuc will be eaten. This means you will have to top them up regularly. Adding plenty of hides for the cuc will help them stay safely out of reach of your hedgehog.
Taking care of the plants
The plants will need the occasional watering and/or misting. Follow the care instructions for the species youāre using.
The whole point of bioactive enclosures is a self-sustaining environment, a tiny ecosystem in your living room. With hedgehogs being mammals and mammals producing quite a lot of waste (part of which is rather strong urine) itās almost impossible to create a fully self-sustaining enclosure so some cleaning will be needed in most instances.
Spot cleaning has already been mentioned above. If everything goes well, beneficial bacteria and other organisms will grow in the substrate layer and help break down urine.
Taking out the potty corner and replacing it with some fresh soil is advised. How often you will have to do this depends on various factors such as enclosure size and how well your cuc is established, but rule of thumb is every 3 months. Depending on how clean your hedgehog is, some other parts of the enclosure might need a bit more cleaning as well. However, do not mix up the entire substrate as this will mess up the beneficial fungal mycelium and bacteria in the soil. If you have to do more cleaning it is better to do a different, small part of the enclosure each time.
It helps a lot if the hedgehog is litter trained and uses one area to poop/pee instead of the entire enclosure. This is often close to the wheel. A āhiddenā litter tray underneath the wheel is optional - that way you can take the potty area out and clean it more easily, if needed.
Super worms (also known as morio worms) as part of the clean up crew
Youāve set up your bioactive enclosure and everything seems to be going great! Until thenā¦ it gets smelly, the cuc seem to be disappearing and waste doesnāt get broken down.
It takes a while for a bioactive enclosure to become fully established and balanced. While everything can seem to be going well at first, after a few months it can suddenly change (or at least it appears to be sudden). This means the natural cycle isnāt established enough yet. Such a ābreakdownā usually takes place roughly 3 months after setting it up (putting the hedgehog in) and can have various reasons:
The cycle didnāt get enough time to establishĀ
The cuc are all being eaten or dying off
If this happens, take out the potty corner and half of the substrate and add fresh substrate. Try to find out the root of the problem: do the cuc need more cover? Is it too dry? Do I need more cuc? Do the cuc still need some more help with cleaning so they can establish themselves a bit better? Does the enclosure have a proper cycle yet or is something missing/not working as it should?
Common issues and how to fix them
Weāve already talked about the cycle. If the setup isnāt working, take a step back and re-evaluate. Usually the problem lies with the cycle not being established enough. That means adding more cuc and do more cleaning for a while so the cycle can establish itself (again).
Other issues that can arise or surprise keepers (as they are not always an issue!) are:
Visible mould in the enclosure
Sometimes white mould will suddenly appear in a bioactive enclosure, usually in the beginning. This is completely normal! While more common in moister environments, it can happen in arid enclosures too. Fungus and mould are a natural part of the decay cycle and important for your setup! They will help break down any leftover waste. In a new bioactive enclosure the cycle is not established and balanced out yet, so there is a lot of decaying material such as leaf litter. This can cause a spike in mould grow. Usually this will balance out within a month when the cycle gets established and the mould will disappear - at least the excess. Itās still there in the soil as an important and harmless part of the cycle.
A bioactive or naturalistic enclosure is a great form of enrichment for your hedgehog and very mentally and physically stimulating. And itās beautiful and fun to watch!
And if you donāt want to go full bio or naturalistic, you could always have a separate bio or naturalistic area in your cage (like a plastic tub) which can be easily taken out and cleaned. Your hedgehog will surely appreciate it!
Read more (including how you can make a background wall for your viv):
Bioactive hedgehog habitats: pt. 1
Bioactive hedgehog habitats: pt. 2
Bioactive hedgehog habitats: pt. 3
Bioactive hedgehog habitats: pt. 4
Example video of a bioactive hedgehog enclosure:
