To pick up a hedgehog, approach it calmly from the side or below, use both hands to gently scoop it up from the belly, distributing its weight evenly across your palms. Avoid grabbing it from above, as this can trigger a defensive, predator-response, causing it to ball up tightly.
Hedgehogs are active during the night, so the best time to put out food is just after dusk, when they are starting to search for food. The Autumn and Winter months are the most important for them to find food to put on enough weight before hibernation, so always make sure you put out food at this time of year.
Hedgehogs have prickly quills along their back to protect them from predators. They are shy animals and will roll up into a tight ball and hide their face if they are frightened. Always approach a hedgehog slowly and handle them with a small towel so you don't prick yourself on one of their quills.
First lift your hedgie from above or the side. You can use either your bare hands or a towel. I suggest using a towel because hedgie's quills will be directly on your hand. Gently pick him up from his back like Step 2. Then flip him over so his face is up towards you.
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.
Hedgehogs typically hibernate from autumn to spring (October - March), but this can vary depending on the temperature and food available.
Hedgehogs tend to bond with their owners. They will remember your voice, your smell, and even your appearance.
Hedgehog quills are sharp and rise when threatened, but they do not typically break human skin.
Just like any other pet, hedgehogs love treats. Waxworms are a favorite with these guys. You can also offer Hedgie some cooked chicken, turkey, or egg. Low fat/high protein wet cat or dog food is also fine, as is the occasional pinky mouse.
The breeding season for hedgehogs typically starts in May, with most young born in June and July. We now see a later one in September and October but in our experience if there is food and water and a safe place to sleep hedgehogs can breed all year. Their gestation period is around 35 days.
Hedgehogs mainly eat creepy crawlies
The majority of their diet is made up of invertebrates (or creepy crawlies). We know what they eat from scientific studies that have analysed hedgehog poo or looked in the stomachs of hedgehogs killed on roads.
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.
Avoid feeding milk at all costs, as hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and milk can lead to dangerous intestinal colic. Make sure that young hedgehogs eat about 25% of their body weight in food. If a young hedgehog is not eating enough, it needs help from experts.
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. An angry hedgehog could cause a bite that hurts a bit.
Hedgehogs need safe sleeping places to hide during the day and hibernate in winter. These include: Leaf piles and brushwood heaps: Perfect natural shelters that provide warmth and protection from predators.
However, you should try to use gloves when handling a hedgehog for your own health and safety. Hedgehogs can bite you, but very rarely will that happen.
Hedgehogs have teeth—up to 44 of them, and, like any wildlife with teeth, they can bite! They can also carry parasites on their quills.
The various species have many predators: while forest hedgehogs are prey primarily to birds (especially owls) and ferrets, smaller species like the long-eared hedgehog are prey to foxes, wolves, and mongooses. Hedgehog bones have been found in the pellets of the Eurasian eagle owl.
Hedgehogs often comfort their owners with cuddles, licks, and offer their paws or cuddly bellies for rubs. Their defences completely drop if they are able to form a close connection with their hedgie parents.
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!
Dig boxes are a great way to provide your pet hedgehog with a unique foraging experience that supplies both mental and physical stimulation. A dig box should consist of hedgie-safe material and treats for foraging incentives.
It's a good idea to put out food for hedgehogs all year round. In spring, it will be a boost for those emerging from hibernation, while in late summer and autumn it will help them build up those all-important fat reserves to survive the colder months.
Baby hedgehogs, called Hoglets, are born in the UK in June and July. A second litter may be born in September or October. They are usually 4 or 5 hoglets in a litter. Newborn hoglets are blind and tiny, weighing just 25 grams.
In the wild hedgehogs will travel for miles each night foraging for food, this instinct to roam means that hedgehogs require larger enclosures than you may expect, and a wheel for exercise is an absolute must.