Hedgehogs and Chinchillas

Question
I just got a hedgehog and when the breeder found out we had chinchillas in
the house she almost did not let me take him home.  I did quite a bit of
research before getting my hedgehog (a year) and I never came across
anything that said chinchillas were harmful to hedgehogs.  The breeder told
me that Chinchillas carry bacteria that can kill hedgehogs. Have you ever
heard of anything like this? they aren't housed together they aren't even
housed in the same room. Let me know your thoughts. We always wash our
hands before handling one or the other simply as habit but I don't want there
to be a problem.

Answer
Hello Amy,
I hear a lot of rumors saying one animal will carry a disease that will kill the other. The thing is that's it's common for any animal to carry a disease and give it to another animal but I don't think that all chinchillas carry a disease that will kill hedgehogs. That's just my opinion and I've never read anything to suggest that. Maybe the owner had a bad experience with chinchillas and hedgehogs. I've had people have rabbits and guinea pigs in the same house for years and supposedly the rabbits were supposed to have a disease that would kill the guinea pigs but the guinea pigs never got sick and lived long healthy lives.

I doubt if there will be a problem. Since they are seperated and you take care to make sure that your hands are clean and stuff I honestly don't see a problem.