Hedgehogs are famous for their prickly spines, which they have everywhere except on their face, legs and bellies. These cute critters depend on their spines for defense, both while they sleep and when they face enemies.
The hedgehog was named because of its peculiar foraging methods. These animals root through hedges and other undergrowth in search of the small creatures that compose the bulk of their diet—insects, worms, centipedes, snails, mice, frogs, and snakes.
Hedgehogs get a special mention because although they do not produce venom, they have been observed to use venom in their defenses. That is, they use venom from other animal sources. Some hedgehogs chew on the skin of poisonous toads and then use the toad venom to coat their own spines.
Diet of Wild Hedgehogs
Occasionally, hedgehogs even eat vertebrates, such as snakes, lizards and frogs.
The short-beaked echidna is found in Australia and southern New Guinea. The echidna looks kind of like a cross between an anteater and a porcupine or hedgehog. The top of the body is covered with sharp spines.
There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. There are no hedgehogs native to Australia and no living species native to the Americas. However, the extinct genus Amphechinus was once present in North America.
The oldest hedgehog in the sample was 16 years old - the oldest scientifically documented European hedgehog ever found. Two other individuals lived for 13 and 11 years respectively. The previous record holder lived for 9 years.
Like many pocket pets, hedgehogs love to explore mazes and tunnels. This will keep Hedgie active, and offer him mental stimulation. You can buy labyrinths, or make your own out of shoeboxes or PVC pipe. To make your pet's explorations even more fun for him, hide a snack at the end of the tunnel.
The intelligence of a hedgehog is to that of a hamster, they may learn certain behaviors through positive reinforcement or conditioning but only at a very basic level. 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.
A 5-year-old hedgehog is about 76 in human years, so if your hedgehog lives 5-7 years it has lived a full life, but five years is longer than the national average.
It depends on the personality of the individual hedgehog and how much handling the hedgehog has had in the past. Some hedgehogs do seem to like to snuggle up to their human companions, while others might be shyer or simply prefer exploring and moving about over sitting still and cuddling.
When they are frightened, or annoyed, hedgehogs will roll into a ball so that an predator will feel the full brunt of its sharp spines and will then leave the hedgehog alone. You wouldn't want to eat something that pokey would you?
EXPLANATION: Kangaroo, Hedgehog, Dolphin and Loris all belongs to class mammalia. They are viviparous, means these type of animals can give birth to a living young instead of laying eggs.
Vertebrates. Currently only dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and selected species of birds from approved countries may be imported as pets and only when strict conditions are met. No other vertebrate animals are approved for import into Australia as pets.
Their characteristic spines develop under the skin before birth, and emerge shortly afterwards as a defence against predators. Across their range, hedgehogs are generally very common, and are classified as Least Concern on the International Red List of Threatened Species.
Meet the Gold Hedgehog, the newest arrival to our Hedgehog family! The Gold chocolate shell is made of caramelized white chocolate with notes of toffee and toasted caramel, enrobing the classic hazelnut gianduja centre. This pack of 3 is the perfect midday snack or pick-me-up.
Possibly the rarest of all hedgehogs, the Algerian Black Hedgehog is the trickiest to identify and purchase.
Female hedgehogs are known as sows, and they will give birth to a litter of 3-4 or 5-6 newborns, depending on the species of hedgehog. The name for a baby hedgehog is a hoglet.
Hedgehogs are mostly insectivorous, so will prey on beetles, caterpillars and earthworms. Occasionally they may eat amphibians, small rodents and birds that are already dead, slugs and snails, birds' eggs and even fruit.
Pet hedgehogs may eat such table foods as cooked, lean chicken, turkey, beef or pork (in moderation due to fat content). Hedgehogs will often eat small amounts of vegetable and can be given small amounts of fruit as treats . Baby food is a common way to feed treats.