Yes, it's okay to pick up a hedgehog if necessary (like moving it from danger or helping a sick one), but it should be done carefully with gloves, minimizing stress and contact time due to potential diseases (like salmonella) and their natural defense mechanism of curling up. Always wear gloves to protect yourself from bacteria and parasites, and try scooping them gently from the side or underneath to avoid frightening them.
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. This usually happens when they are young and think your fingers are going to feed them (if they have been fed via a syringe as they had no mother).
Hedgehog are spiked covered prey animals prone to anxiety. While belly rub/cuddle posts get a lot of attention they are the exception due to good breeding/luck not the rule. It is very possible a hedgehog will never be comfortable being handled even after concerted effort.
If there are any concerns about a hedgehog, advice should be sought from a reputable rescue before intervening. "While it's natural to want to help, picking up hedgehogs can cause them considerable stress, which can impact their overall health," explains Caroline Gould Vale Wildlife Hospital founder.
Hedgehogs are indirectly protected by the law: It's illegal to kill or capture wild hedgehogs, with certain listed methods (Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981). Cruel treatment of hedgehogs is prohibited (Wild Mammals Protection Act, 1996).
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.
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.
Salmonellosis is the most often described zoonotic bacterial disease in hedgehogs. Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is one of the most common types of Salmonella that cause infections in humans and animals [47]. Salmonella was detected in samples from both pet and wild hedgehogs [47,62,63].
The best way to work out if a hedgehog is healthy is by its size and weight. You can estimate a hedgehog's weight without disturbing it by thinking about fruit… A hoglet that's: About the size of an apple (weighing less than 300g) will need specialist care to survive the winter.
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.
Find yourself a pair of gardening gloves before gently scooping up the hedgehog into the box. Keep the box in a quiet, warm place: a hot water bottle filled with hot tap water wrapped in a towel can provide a gentle heat source – make sure it doesn't go cold!
When threatened, the hedgehog raises its quills upright in a crisscross pattern, making its body pointy and sharp. It uses its belly muscles, back muscles, and extra skin to tuck in its head, legs, and tail to curl into a complete ball, protecting its soft belly. The solid ball of spikes is hard for predators to open.
Risk to human health
One of the lungworm species that infects hedgehogs (and also infects wild carnivores) in Great Britain, Capillaria aerophila, is known to be capable of occasionally infecting people.
Making Friends With a Hedgehog
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 known to be very communicative when it comes to their needs, and often make a low purring sound when they are happy or content.
What do hedgehogs eat?
Hedgehogs can be handled (they are not too prickly), although some patience is required to make sure your hedgehog is both safe and comfortable in your hands.
During extreme muscle exertion, the 'purse-string' muscle can fold up over the pelvis and get stuck: the pop-off syndrome (Bexton, 2019). The muscle goes into a spasm, which leaves the hedgehog unable to roll up and causes the pelvis and hind legs to remain visible. This is very dangerous for the animal.
Salmonellosis is a recognised zoonotic disease (i.e. it can be transmitted from animals to people). Many species of Salmonella bacteria exist, some of which can be carried by, or cause ill health in, hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus).
Human salmonellosis from contact with hedgehogs can occur when owners don't wash their hands after handling or feeding their pets, when hedgehogs roam freely in the household, or when owners clean items used to care for hedgehogs in areas where food is stored and prepared.
Cute and low maintenance, African pygmy hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris) are kept in 40 000 American homes, but people handling them are at risk of contracting a number of zoonotic diseases, from ringworm and salmonellosis (the commonest) to arboviral encephalitis and herpesvirus infections.
Hedgehogs tend to bond with their owners. They will remember your voice, your smell, and even your appearance.
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.