How cute! These pictures of hedgehogs are too adorable

Hedgehogs have between 5000 to 7000 spines. Each spine lasts about a year and after it drops out, a replacement grows. They have muscles along their backs that can raise and lower those spines if the hedgehog is in a threatening situation.

There are seventeen different species of hedgehogs, including the Western or European Hedgehog, the Eastern European Hedgehog, the Chinese Hedgehog, the 4-Toed or White-Bellied Hedgehog, the Algerian Hedgehog, the Somalian Hedgehog, and the South African Hedgehog.

Hedgehogs’ coats are full of spines and thick, they protect them from predators such as the fox. When they feel intimidated or threatened, they curl up into a spiny ball to protect their vulnerable stomach.

Each one of the hedgehog’s spine is hollow and springy with a flexible neck and it is erected by muscles.  At the base, there is a smooth ball which bends when it hits something. They are some very interesting creatures indeed.

Hedgehogs are often stimulated when they are exposed to a strong smell or taste. They tend to self-anoint, which means they cover their prickles in foamy saliva. No one knows why they react like this to certain smells and tastes.

When hedgehogs hunt for food, they basically rely on their senses of hearing and smell because they have poor eyesight even though their eyes are adapted for night-time vision.

Most hedgehogs have a long snout, extending beyond the front of their mouth which they use to find food. The length of their snout depends on many things including the species they belong to.

Hedgehogs are considered the ‘gardener’s friends’ because their diet includes so many ‘pests’.  If you leave your dog or cat’s food out in the garden, hedgehogs could eat their food. They are just too adorable!

When hedgehogs mate they often make loud snuffling noises.  The male circles the female, for hours, until he persuades her to mate. Then, they will separate and the male doesn’t take part in raising the family. Isn’t that unfair?

Hedgehogs litters range from one to eleven. They stay with their mothers for only four to seven weeks before becoming independent. The mothers have to protect their babies from other male hedgehogs, who sometimes hunt young hedgehogs.

Here’s a very shocking fact about Hedgehog mothers; they sometimes eat their own babies if the nest is disturbed, although they also move them to a new nest instead of eating them.

Baby hedgehogs are born blind and their spines are soft, they are capable of seeing after 32 days.   If a litter is born in late September, they usually don’t survive their first winter.

The young hedgehogs are fed by their mother until they are able to hunt for themselves.  After four weeks, the mother will take the young hedgehogs out on their first hunting trip and ten days later the family usually separates.

These are things that you should consider before getting a hedgehog, make sure you are able to provide: a good quality cage that is appropriate for hedgehogs, plenty of high-quality recommended cat food, a suitable wheel, a comfortable temperature and veterinary care with someone experienced in hedgehogs.

The best way to pick up a hedgehog is to scoop him up with both hands under the belly, like a cradle. If the hedgehog balls up quickly or already is in a ball, the best way to pick him up would be to use your hand or a blanket to roll him into your hands or the blanket.

Hedgehogs in cold climes hibernate during winter. In warmer climates, they sleep through heat and drought in a similar process called aestivation. In places with temperate climates, they remain active all year.

Hedgehogs need light daily to help keep their internal schedules in order. They need natural or artificial light 12-14 hours a day. This should be consistent and start and end the same time every day.

Hedgehogs can suffer from cancerous growths and lesions to the same extent as other comparable species. Female hedgehogs can get ovarian, uterine and mammary tumors; and male hedgehogs can get jaw tumors.