There’s no denying that hedgehogs make adorable pets, but they have a few requirements that set them apart. Making sure you meet your hedgehog’s needs will keep them happy and satisfied. Hedgehogs love to forage and dig for their food, and in the wild, they travel several miles each night, so it’s essential to provide enough opportunities for exercise and foraging for your spiky pet.
We’ve rounded up a selection of the best DIY plans that teach us how to make hedgehog toys. From large bucket wheels to help them exercise safely to forage boxes designed to encourage them to dig for their dinner, there’s a wide range of options to choose from.
Even better, you don’t need special skills or equipment to construct most of these toys. So, enjoy reviewing our suggestions as you decide which one you will make first!
Top 8 DIY Hedgehog Toys
1. Zara’s Zoo DIY Toys and Dig Boxes for Hedgehogs
Skill Level: Beginner
This YouTube tutorial from Zara’s Zoo shows you how to provide digging activities for your hedgehogs. Tips include using medium-sized pom poms to create a dig box for your hedgehog to burrow into and how to make your own toys.
- Tupperware container
- Pebbles
- Fleece strips or pom poms
- Scissors
2. Tori Lynn’s Favorite Hedgehog Toys
Skill Level: Beginner
This detailed YouTube video from Tori Lynn displays several hedgehog toys, including bucket wheels and a cute foraging box, which features pebbles and greenery that your hedgehog can burrow through to find their food and treats.
- Cardboard or Tupperware box
- Large pebbles
- Fake greenery
- Contact paper
- Treats
- Glue
3. Hedgehog Fleece Forest and Ball Pit from Animal Babies
Skill Level: Beginner
This double-purpose toy from Animal Babies on Pinterest includes a fleecy “forest” for your hedgehog to explore and a ball pit for them to dig through. You can use scrap material to create most of this budget-friendly project. After constructing it, you can scatter your hedgehog’s food through this ball pit and watch them as they try to snuffle it out.
- Tupperware or plastic crate
- Fleece strips
- Pom-poms or fleece scraps
- Knife or scissors
4. DIY Hedgehog Bucket Wheel on Pinterest
Skill Level: Medium
Hedgehogs need a great deal of exercise, and wheels are an excellent way for your hedgehog to exercise. Unfortunately, many wheels are too small for hedgehogs, but with this tutorial on Pinterest, you can figure out how to build the ideal wheel for your hedgehog.
- Large bucket or circular Tupperware
- Plastic piping
- Nuts and bolts
- Craft knife
5. Nature Inspired Forage Box from Rattatea
Skill Level: Medium to Advanced
Some hedgehogs prefer foraging through various natural ingredients, and this YouTube video from Rattatea provides excellent inspiration for what to include. It’s accompanied by a blog post about creating and maintaining a bioactive forage box.- Natural large stones
- Large plastic crate
- Compost mix
- Bark chips
- Grasses
- Branches
- Chinchilla sand
- None
6. Large Silent Hedgehog Wheel from Instructables
Skill Level: Medium to Advanced
If you’re looking for a large wheel to help your hedgehog exercise but want one that’s as quiet as possible, this tutorial from Instructables is a great choice. The designer cleverly uses a rollerblade wheel as the basis of this bucket wheel to provide smooth movement minus the noise!
- Large bucket
- PVC piping
- PVC elbow joints
- PVC end caps
- Three-way joint
- Rollerblade wheel
- Ball bearing
- Washers
- Nuts
- Cable ties
- Carriage bolt
- Dremel or craft knife
7. LifeLetters DIY Hedgehog Dig Box
Skill Level: Beginner
This budget hedgehog dig box from LifeLetters can be made for less than $10 and includes a range of textures designed to provide plenty of enrichment for your hedgehog. Ideas include hiding mealworms inside plastic eggs and using fleece strips to add interest. You can quickly adapt the plans in this video to suit your hedgehog’s preferences.
- Fleece strips
- Pom-poms
- Marbles
- Plastic eggs
- Large jar
- Scissors
8. DIY Pet Play Pen From Emma Lynne Sampson
This YouTube tutorial from Emma Lynne Sampson includes details on how to make a large playpen for your hedgehog or other small pet. This is designed to be a temporary playpen and not a permanent house for your hedgehog. You can let your imagination run wild with this playpen and include any number of interesting places for your hog to explore. Include ramps, food hidden in tunnels, and corners for your hedgehog to explore — they’ll love it!
- Presentation boards
- Duct tape
- Popsicle sticks
- Cardboard
- Hot glue
- Colored paper
- Cardboard tubes
- Craft knife
- Hot glue gun
If you want to learn how to make hedgehog toys of your own, we hope you enjoyed looking through our selection of DIY plans you can make today! Regardless of your skill level, you can find a video that helps you make a hedgehog toy with ease! What’s more, most of these projects can be completed quickly and with minimal materials and equipment.
Your hedgehog is sure to be happy with their new toy, and you can’t ask for more than that.
Featured Image Credit: Amaya Eguizábal, Pixabay
Contents
- Top 8 DIY Hedgehog Toys
- 1. Zara’s Zoo DIY Toys and Dig Boxes for Hedgehogs
- 2. Tori Lynn’s Favorite Hedgehog Toys
- 3. Hedgehog Fleece Forest and Ball Pit from Animal Babies
- 4. DIY Hedgehog Bucket Wheel on Pinterest
- 5. Nature Inspired Forage Box from Rattatea
- 6. Large Silent Hedgehog Wheel from Instructables
- 7. LifeLetters DIY Hedgehog Dig Box
- 8. DIY Pet Play Pen From Emma Lynne Sampson
