No, hedgehogs cannot shoot their quills; this is a common myth, often confused with porcupines, who can detach their barbed quills, while hedgehogs' non-barbed spines stay attached, only raising up when they curl into a defensive ball. When threatened, a hedgehog contracts muscles to stand its spines erect and tucks its vulnerable belly, creating a sharp, spiky barrier.
Hedgehog spines
While porcupines can detach their quills to let them penetrate the skin of the predator, hedgehogs can only roll into a ball.
Thankfully, unlike our native porcupines, hedgehogs cannot shoot their quills out in defense. When caught in the mouth of a predator, however, hedgehogs will twitch and jump so that their quills poke into the skin and lips of the aggressor, making things generally unpleasant until they are released.
Hedgehogs are small nocturnal mammals that are blanketed with spikes along their backs. Like porcupines, hedgehogs have these quills for protections against predators. However, hedgehog quills are not barbed and do not puncture the skin—but they can still hurt if handled improperly.
The little prickles of the spines can irritate your skin temporarily and cause your skin to then react in that way. I always just get a little soap and water and rub it wherever my skin has that reaction. I tend to wear sweaters/robes when handling my hedgehog so theres a thicker fabric barrier between her and my skin.
Quills are released by contact or may drop out when the porcupine shakes its body. New quills grow to replace lost ones. Despite what is commonly assumed and depicted in media, porcupines cannot launch their quills at range.
Badgers are hedgehogs' main predators in the UK. They are the only animals strong enough to tackle a hedgehog's spiny defences. Hedgehogs and badgers share what's known as an asymmetric intraguild predation relationship.
As pets, hedgehogs can recognize and remember their owners' scent and voice, making them a loyal and affectionate companion. They can also quickly learn routines and habits, such as when it's time to eat or play.
Although hedgehogs do bite, their tiny teeth are unlikely to cause you very much pain. The force of a hedgehog bite is typically linked to what your pet is feeling.
Eyes and ears: Hedgehogs have pretty poor eyesight, so they instead rely on their sense of smell to get around and hunt for food. Hedgehogs have short ears, mostly concealed by their fur.
Even though hedgehogs are “pets” they may not automatically enjoy being petted. You must first earn your hedgehog's trust so that it can relax and enjoy your touch, rather than fear your touch as potential harm.
Spines fall out and are replaced over the entire course of a hedgehog's life just like dog's, cats, and humans. Quills are hollow (like the shaft of a feather), have barbs on the end, and can be released at will. Hedgehogs cannot shoot quills or detached quills like a porcupine.
They are carnivores
Despite their cute appearance these little spikey mammals are voracious predators and have a varied diet. Eating worms, slugs, earwigs, millipedes, beetles and other small inspects. They can sometimes also eat frogs, baby birds, snakes, bird's eggs and fruit.
Signs of stress
Many hedgehogs are busy and want to try to explore but a stressed hedgehog will be much more persistent and not easily distracted. The stressed hedgehog may also twitch or shake its head nervously. It is almost as if the hedgehog is saying “Sensory overload. I can't take it anymore.”
Once your hedgehog is comfortable being handled, you can stroke their quills, let them climb on your arms, and explore under your supervision.
The more the attachment develops between you and your hedgehog, the more you will grow to love and enjoy your pet. Some hedgehogs will bond to their owners for life (HHC). Bonding does require effort, persistence, and an understanding of hedgehogs.
A hedgehog will hear you before it sees you! Although their eyesight is poor, hedgehogs have great hearing and a well-developed sense of smell. They're also good runners, proficient climbers, and can even swim!
Hedgehogs will not usually eat and sleep in the same place so it's best not to offer food inside the home (except perhaps to tempt them in initially). Once there is a resident, move food away from the box so as not to attract predators or rival hedgehogs to the site.
No! Please don't do this. It's great that you want to encourage hedgehogs into your garden, but taking one from an area where it knows food and water sources to an unknown area isn't fair. More worryingly, it could have dependent young in a nest – without its return, the nest will fail and the young won't survive.
Our observations show that nesting Mums often leave their young ones to rest elsewhere. That rest is often through the first and last part of the night but can also be in the day time. Routinely we expect to see hedgehogs come out in the evening around 9.30pm and go back to bed by 5am.
Hedgehogs are naturally insectivores (eat insects). Their life expectancy is about four to six years but some live for eight to ten years. Males and females tend to be solitary and territorial except when breeding and raising their young.
No, an echidna is not a hedgehog, though they look similar due to convergent evolution, as they are from different continents (echidnas in Australia/New Guinea, hedgehogs in Europe/Asia/Africa) and have distinct evolutionary paths; echidnas are unique egg-laying mammals (monotremes) closely related to the platypus, while hedgehogs give live birth and are more related to shrews, notes ABC listen, HowStuffWorks, and Reddit users.
If quills are not removed promptly, they may break or migrate deeper into tissues, causing more serious problems. Keeping dogs on a leash, especially in wooded areas at night when porcupines are most active, helps prevent encounters.