Hedgehog is an animal that belongs to the chordate type, the mammals class, the hedgehog order, the hedgehog family (Erinaceidae).

The origin of the Russian word "hedgehog" is still not fully understood. According to one version, the hedgehog got its name thanks to the Greek "echinos", which means "snake eater". Proponents of another version see in the word "hedgehog" the Indo-European root "eg`h", meaning "prick."

Hedgehog: description and photo. What does an animal look like?

The length of the body of the hedgehog, depending on the species, is from 10 to 44 cm. The weight of the hedgehog varies from 300 grams to 1.5 kilograms. Also, the animal has a tail that grows from 1 to 21 cm in length.

Hedgehog tail

The animals have a large wedge-shaped head and an elongated muzzle with a pointed, mobile and wet nose.

The teeth of the hedgehog are small and sharp, on the upper jaw there are 20 teeth, on the lower - 16. Some species of hedgehogs have up to 44 teeth. The first incisors are enlarged and look like fangs.

The hind legs are longer than the front, each limb ends with 5 fingers, with the exception of the white-bellied hedgehog, whose hind legs have 4 fingers.

Long middle fingers help the hedgehog clean his needles.

The thorns of the hedgehog are hollow, thin, sparse, barely noticeable hairs grow between them. The head and belly of the animal are covered with ordinary wool. On average, each hedgehog wears up to 10 thousand needles, which are gradually updated.

The color of the needles of most species is dark, with alternating light stripes. The color of the hedgehog's coat, depending on the species, can be black-brown, brown, sand or white. In some places the black color displaces the white, forming peculiar spots.

Most species of hedgehogs are distinguished by well-developed subcutaneous muscles. During danger, the hedgehog curls up into a ball, and the subcutaneous muscles located in the places of growth of thorns help him in this.

As with most nocturnal animals, the vision of the hedgehogs is weak, but hearing and smell are well developed.

It is difficult to call these animals fast, the average speed of a running hedgehog is 3-4 km / h. Despite the fact that the hedgehog is a land animal, most species swim and climb perfectly.

Hedgehog life span

The life expectancy of a hedgehog in nature is 3-5 years. At home, hedgehogs live up to 8-10 years, since they do not die from natural enemies who prey on hedgehogs in wildlife. The main enemies of hedgehogs are wolves, foxes, ferrets, owls, badgers, martens, mongooses, hyenas, jackals, honey badgers, eagles, and other predators.

Where do hedgehogs live?

The habitat of the hedgehogs is quite wide: this spiny animal is found in all countries of Europe - from the southern regions of Scandinavia to the British Isles, the hedgehog lives in Russia and hot Africa, in Asia, New Zealand and the Middle East.

In nature, wild hedgehogs live in forests, deserts, steppes, cultivated landscapes, and even cities. They dig their minks under the roots of trees or in bushes, and also live in abandoned burrows of rodents.

How do hedgehogs live in nature?

By their nature, hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and solitary, leading a secretive lifestyle. Hedgehogs sleep during the day, hiding in independently dug burrows up to 1 meter long or occupying the empty rodent dwellings. Populations of foothill areas use crevices between rocks and voids under stones as shelters. Wild hedgehogs go hunting at night, preferring not to move far from home. Unfortunately, statistics show that quite a few hedgehogs die under the wheels of cars, trying to cross the freeways at night.

What do hedgehogs eat in nature?

The hedgehog is omnivorous, but the diet is based on adult insects, earwigs, beetles, spiders, ground beetles, caterpillars, slugs, wood lice, earthworms. Hedgehogs also love to eat toads, locusts, eggs of birds, crustaceans and invertebrates. Northern forest hedgehog populations feed on lizards, frogs, mice and other small rodents.

All species of the hedgehog family are resistant to any, even the most toxic poisons, so hedgehogs eat poisonous snakes and scorpions. Does not disdain a hedgehog carrion, and also food wastewhich can be found on suburban areas. Plant food forest hedgehog - these are mushrooms, moss, acorns, cereal seeds and any sweet berries - strawberries, raspberries, blackberries.

During the summer, the hedgehog should be well fed, otherwise the animal may die during hibernation.

A solid supply of fat allows the hedgehogs to remain in a state of suspended animation from October to April.

Types of hedgehogs: photos, names and description

The hedgehog family includes 2 subfamilies: real hedgehogs(Erinaceinae) and rat hedgehogs (hymns) (Galericinae), represented by 7 genera and 23 species. Below are a few interesting species hedgehogs:

• Common hedgehog(European hedgehog) ( Erinaceus europaeus)

One of the most common types of hedgehogs. The body length is 20-30 cm, the tail grows up to 3 cm, the weight is about 800 g. The hedgehog needles have a length of no more than 3 cm, the color is brownish-brown with dark cross-pieces. The color of the muzzle, limbs and abdomen may be dark or yellow-white.

An ordinary hedgehog is a typical inhabitant of woodlands, plains and parks in Western and Central Europe, Great Britain, the Scandinavian countries, the West Siberian region, the north-west of the European part of Russia and Kazakhstan.

Common molt the hedgehog is coming slowly in the autumn or spring. Every third needle changes. Needles grow for about a year and even a little longer.

• Eared hedgehog(Hemiechinus auritus)

It features long ears, sometimes growing up to 5 cm in length. Representatives of the species are small, the size of the hedgehog reaches 12 to 27 cm in length, weight is 430 g. The needles of the eared hedgehog have a length of 1.7 to 1.9 cm. In case of danger, animals rarely curl up in an attempt to flee.

This species of hedgehogs prefers dry steppes, deserts and semi-deserts, where raw ravines and abandoned irrigation ditches are kept. The habitat covers Africa, Asia Minor and Central Asia, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. In Russia, an eared hedgehog lives in areas from the Volga region to the Ural Mountains.

The animals feed on insects, lizards, toads, bugs, ants, small birds, berries, seeds, fruits.

• Eastern European hedgehog(Erinaceus concolor)

Reminds european hedgehogbut the color of the front of the neck and abdomen is much lighter than the hair on the head and sides. Adults grow up to 35 cm in length, and the weight of the hedgehog in the summer can reach 1.2 kg.

Eastern European species of hedgehogs is common in Austria, Germany, Slovenia, the Urals, Kazakhstan, Asia Minor and the Mediterranean islands. It occurs in a variety of terrain: at the edges of the forest, in parks, personal plots, fields and river valleys.

Hedgehogs feed on caterpillars, ground beetles, bugs, earwigs, snails, woodlice, slugs, earthworms, moss, acorns, sunflower seeds, berries (strawberries, raspberries, strawberries, mulberries), mushrooms.

• African pygmy hedgehog (white-bellied hedgehog) ( Atelerix albiventris)

It has a body length of 15 to 22 cm. The animal weighs 350-700 g. The color is usually brown or gray, the hedgehog's needles have white tips. Usually an African hedgehog snorts softly or squeals, but in case of danger can scream loudly. The tail of the hedgehog reaches 2.5 cm in length. The eyes of the animal are small, ears are round, females are larger than males.

African hedgehogs live south of the Sahara desert in countries such as Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Senegal, Mauritania. They eat spiders, insects, scorpions, snakes, snails, worms.

• Long-needle hedgehog (dark-eyed, bald hedgehog) ( Paraechinus hypomelas)

It has a size of 22-27 cm in length with a body weight of 500-900 grams. The species got its name due to a small bald spot on the crown of the head and long, thick needles up to 4-4.2 cm long. The hedgehog needles have a different color: it can be black with a white base or very light, almost white.

The bald hedgehog lives on the plains and in the foothills, preferring rocky and sandy landscapes. The range partially extends along the Arabian Peninsula, the Persian Gulf Islands, through Iran and Pakistan to Kazakhstan. It is listed in the Red Book of Uzbekistan, and is also protected by the state on the territory of Turkmenistan.

Long-needle hedgehogs eat insects, locusts, cicadas, ground beetles, weevils, nutcrackers, small invertebrates and reptiles, including snakes, as well as rodents. Do not disdain carrion.

• Ethiopian Hedgehog(Paraechinus aethiopicus)

It is distinguished by light brown needles, short, dark limbs and a dark “mask” on the face. In this case, the remaining parts of the body are white. An adult grows up to 15-25 cm in length, and the weight of a hedgehog is from 400 to 700 g. In general, the species is distinguished by rare gluttony.

The Ethiopian hedgehog lives in deserts and sun-scorched steppes of North Africa: from Egypt and Tunisia to the coast of the Persian Gulf.

Ethiopian hedgehogs feed on insects, scorpions, snakes, bird eggs, frogs, termites, bugs, and locusts.

• Daurian hedgehog(Mesechinus dauuricus)

The hedgehog belongs to the genus and differs from most relatives by the absence of a strip of bare skin dividing the needles of the head into a parting. The hedgehog spikes are short, sand or brown, the fur is coarse, painted in gray or dark brown.

This species of hedgehogs is a typical inhabitant of forest-steppes and steppe massifs from Transbaikalia to Mongolia and northern China. Hedgehogs feed on bugs, small mammals (hamsters, pikas), chicks and bird eggs, snakes, frogs, toads, cotoneaster and rosehip berries.

• Common hymnur(Echinosorex gymnura)

Belongs to the subfamily rat hedgehogs. Gimnura grows in length from 26 to 45 cm with a body weight of 500 g to 2 kg. The tail of the hedgehog, covered with sparse hairs and scales, reaches 17-30 cm in length, and its back is painted white. The back and sides are black, the hedgehog's head and neck are white.

Gimnur inhabits wet rainforests Southeast Asia from Malacca to Borneo. It feeds on invertebrates and small vertebrates, crustaceans, frogs, toads, fish, fruits.

• Lesser Anthem ( Hylomys suillus)

The smallest in the family. The length of her body does not exceed 10-14 cm. The tail reaches 2.5 cm. The animal weighs 45-80 grams.

The animal lives in highlands and on hills in the countries south-East Asia (Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China). Small anthem eat insects and worms.

Hedgehog breeding

At the end of hibernation, when the air warms up to 18-20 degrees, the hedgehogs mating season begins. Hedgehogs reach puberty by 10-12 months. Northern populations breed once a year, southern populations give birth twice.

Female hedgehogs build nests in their burrows, lining the bottom of the pit with dry leaves and grass.

Males often fight for a female, arranging battles with sniffing and snorting, biting each other's muzzle and legs, pricking with sharp needles. Then the winner circles for a long time around the female, which before mating thoroughly smooths her needles. Hedgehogs are polygamous animals and, after mating, immediately part.

The period of gestation is from 34 to 58 days, as a result, 1 to 7 (usually 4) cubs weighing 12 grams are born.

Newborn hedgehogs are blind, covered with completely naked, bright pink skin. During the first days of life, soft, light and dark needles grow on the body of small hedgehogs. After 2 weeks, the needle cover of the animal is already fully formed.

The first month, the female hedgehog feeds the young with milk, then the young goes on to independent life.

Maintenance and care for the hedgehog at home

Nowadays, hedgehogs are considered quite popular pets, but to catch a wild animal and bring it home is an unreasonable decision. A wild hedgehog can be a carrier of a number of dangerous diseases: ringworm, salmonellosis, hemorrhagic fever, rabies. In addition, fleas and ticks can almost always be found on hedgehogs. Therefore, the best way to acquire a funny animal is to contact the breeders who guarantee the health of the pet, good heredity and adaptation to captivity.

When do hedgehogs fall into hibernation?

Most importantly, the future owner of a prickly pet should know: even in captivity, a domestic hedgehog needs hibernation, albeit not as long as in natural conditions. Otherwise, the animal may die by spring. True, this does not apply to African pygmy hedgehogs that do not hibernate. In autumn, the hedgehog needs to be fed intensely, since it is during this period that the hedgehogs accumulate fat reserves.

At the end of October - beginning of November, the animal will experience a period of numbness and lethargy, which means the beginning of hibernation. Usually, hedgehogs hibernate in nature in nature in their nest, so the animal needs to allocate a secluded place where the temperature does not exceed 5 degrees Celsius: in the loggia, attic, in the barn. When warm, the hedgehog may not hibernate. To the nest home hedgehog you need to put dry leaves, sawdust, straw, rags. And then there you can identify your pet.

How to wash a hedgehog at home?

You can bathe a hedgehog at home only when it comes to a healthy adult animal. Small newborn hedgehogs, as well as sick weak animals, should not be washed. Take a basin and fill it with warm water no higher than 34.8 degrees Celsius. The water level should not exceed 5 cm. Instead of a basin for bathing a home hedgehog, you can use a wash basin, the main thing is to monitor the temperature of the water.

By supporting the hedgehog under the head and chest, you can lower it into the water. You need to let the hedgehog get comfortable, but don't let it swim. Wash the belly and paws of the hedgehog, then the back and needles. Do not pour water on the face, otherwise the home hedgehog may get scared. To wash the hedgehog's needles, you can use a toothbrush and a neutral baby shampoo, which should be thoroughly washed off. After washing the hedgehog, you can wrap it in a towel. But in no case do not blow dry it and protect your pet from a draft.

• The ancient Romans used hedgehog skins to comb sheep.
• Gypsies eat hedgehogs, and fried hedgehog is a favorite gypsy dish.
• Serbs treat alcoholism with a piss of urine, and the animal’s heart is used as a talisman for diseases.
• At the beginning of the 20th century, the McDonalds restaurant chain killed many unfortunate hedgehogs. Glasses from the popular McFlurry ice cream were in the trash, which did not fail to take advantage of the hedgehogs-sweet tooth. The animals with pleasure licked the remnants of ice cream, sticking their heads into the neck of the glass, and they could not pull it out due to the too poor diameter of the container. As a result, thousands of hedgehogs died, actually walled up in glasses. As a result of protests by animal defenders, the diameter of the necks of the glasses was changed, and the animals stopped dying.

Both females and males in hedgehogs are equally good pets.
All differences between the sexes are purely anatomical. The nature of each hedgehog depends on its individuality and originally laid down by the breeder of education. Therefore, the decision of which sex you want to have an animal remains entirely with you.

Unlike some other small animals, boys do not smell hedgehogs stronger than hedgehogs girls.
With proper care and nutrition, hedgehogs do not smell in principle.
Females do not suffer false pregnancies and they never have leaks (if you notice blood in your hedgehog’s home, immediately contact your veterinarian and determine the cause of the blood discharge).
It is believed that females are more prone to malignant tumors of the organs of the reproductive system, that is, to cancer. However, all this is only an assumption based on a number of recorded cases.

Many males of African pygmy hedgehogs love to masturbate. Some of them are secretive in this matter, and some are completely unashamed and do it regardless of whether someone is watching them or not. Such behavior can bother and even panic some owners, although this process is nothing more than a natural way to relieve "stress". If the male masturbates, this does not mean that he needs to copulate with the female. Hedgehogs do not suffer from a lack of sex life and this in no way affects the duration of their lives. Moreover, it should be noted that African pygmy hedgehogs are not castrated or sterilized. Such an operation can be carried out exclusively for medical purposes, if one or another congenital or acquired pathology was detected in the animal.

Another important refinement regarding males is that they, as a rule, do not have testicles visualized, as in other intact (non-castrated) males, for example, rats or hamsters.

So, in order to correctly determine the sex of the hedgehog, you need to take it in your hands and raise your tummy to the top. Then stretch his hind legs a little or wait until he relaxes and carefully look at his belly.

The genitals of females are located almost next to the anus, while the male ones are much higher, and they can easily be confused with the navel.

The distance between the cesspool and the navel for the male in
the age of six weeks is approximately one and a half centimeter. In the process of growth, this distance can increase to two and a half centimeters.

Even if it happened that, acquired
You, the animal turned out to be of the wrong sex, and this was discovered after some time, do not rush to get upset and even more so get rid of the hedgehog.

Your newly made pet is not to blame for the fact that the breeder was inattentive.

Give the little prickly miracle all your love and care, regardless of gender.

Thanks to the efforts of breeders, today African dwarf hedgehogs have become real pets.

Unlike its relatives, the African white-bellied hedgehog is small in size. The weight of an adult of this species hardly reaches five hundred grams, and the length is twenty centimeters. With due care and proper nutrition these animals live up to five years.

When the hedgehog is in a calm state, its spinal muscles are relaxed, its needles lie parallel to the body, and it can be easily stroked on the back.

Hedgehogs are quite intelligent animals, and they all have a pronounced personality. Females and males are no different in behavior and character, since boys do not mark territory, and girls do not suffer from false pregnancies and they do not have estrus.

As a rule, they contain hedgehogs at room temperature. These hedgehogs at home do not hibernate for the winter, and any medium-sized cage, as well as a plastic dune cage, are suitable for comfortable maintenance. The size of the bottom should be from 40 square centimeters. The bottom of the cell must be solid, not trellised. Hedgehogs have very thin legs and they can injure or damage the foot if it falls into the grill.

Since the hedgehogs do not gnaw their cage, the dwelling can be made of wood, but the floor must be waterproof. For filler, it is best to use sawdust. The lighting in the cage should be good, but the sun's rays should not fall into the cage on hot days. Do not keep the boy and girl in the same cage (except for the mating period). Otherwise, the male can eat all the babies. If you want to keep several same-sex individuals together, then you need to take them at a young age.

What should be in the hedgehog's cage:

Feeder.

In this case, preference should be given to flat ceramic feeders, the height of which does not exceed six centimeters, and a diameter of 8-15. Of course, you can use plastic feeders, but hedgehogs often turn them over, since they are very light.

Drinking bowl.

It is best to use an automatic drinking bowl, they can be found in any pet store in the rodent department. If you have one hedgehog, then 300 ml of water per day will be enough for him. If you use a saucer as a drinking bowl, then it will often be filled with sawdust, and hedgehogs will not be able to drink.

House.

A wooden house with a roof removed is best suited. However, you can use other more original items, such as ceramic jugs. For one hedgehog, the size of the house should be 15x15 cm.

Running wheel.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, so their cage must be equipped with a wheel so that they can run at night. After all, it is at night that they are especially active, and they need some kind of simulator. It is best to purchase the largest of those that you can find, but its diameter should not be less than 20 centimeters. A very important factor is the material from which the wheel is made, because the hedgehog's small paws can get stuck in the grill, and it is best to look for a wheel made of solid material.

Hedgehogs are suitable for foods that are low in fat and high in protein. In Europe, there are already special feeds that are designed specifically for hedgehogs, but kitten food is also suitable for them, but you need to make sure that the feed is of the highest quality. Sometimes it is possible to give canned cat meat, but their temperature must be necessarily room temperature, do not give hedgehogs cold food. The diet should also include feed insects, boiled meat, and fruits and vegetables in small amount. Dry food for hedgehogs should always be in the cage, but other foods should be given infrequently and it is imperative to remove the remains of fresh and raw food.

From insects, hedgehogs prefer crickets, grasshoppers, locusts, zoobus and cockroaches. Insect meat is pure protein, so you should not feed them hedgehog often. If you use frozen food, you must defrost it before feeding.

It is strictly forbidden to give hedgehogs milk in any form, since hedgehogs do not have enzymes that digest lactose, as well as no raw meat, frozen or cold food, as well as sweet and spicy foods. They should also not be given fish with bones.

Please follow these rules, and keeping hedgehogs at home will not cause you any problems!

Look at the face of the animal in the first place: the eyes should be clean, clear, and without any discharge. The nose should also be clean and free of secretions. The ears should be clean and short, without any irritation on the skin or inside the ear itself. Sometimes small hedgehogs bite each other's ears, but if the damage is already healed, then there is nothing wrong with that.

The fur on the belly of the hedgehog should be shiny and soft, the needles should be even, without bald spots. If the hedgehog has bald spots in the skin, then this means that the animal is unhealthy. It is also best to check the cage in which the hedgehog was kept and examine its droppings. If the litter is the way it should be, then the animal is healthy, but if it is green or liquid, then it is better not to take such an individual, since this hedgehog will be unhealthy. The hedgehog should be of normal physique, that is, not emaciated or overly full.

Be sure to check the hedgehog's gait by placing it on any flat surface, it should not stagger and should stand level. When the animal breathes, it should not make any extraneous sounds, such as wheezing or hoarseness.

If the animal was caught on the street and brought into the house - this is one thing. It’s very hard with him. The hedgehog has its own regime. He used to sleep during the day and hunt at night. Re-educate such a hedgehog does not work, do not even try. But purchased in a store is another. They are already adapted to the room and usually do not know another life. But a wild hedgehog generally should not be dragged into captivity. If only for a while and then not very long. So that they do not lose hunting skills. And remember, wild hedgehogs are carriers of many diseases. And rabies as well.

What to look for when buying a hedgehog

What can hedgehogs be allowed at home

You can sometimes let your pet take a walk around the house, but only strictly under your supervision, since hedgehogs like to sharpen their claws on the carpet, rummage in pots with indoor plants and, which is especially dangerous, bite the electric wires. If after such a walk you notice foam at the mouth of your hedgehog, do not be alarmed. They have such a feature. Hedgehogs are very susceptible to smells, and, having met with a strongly smelling object, they begin to lick it. This causes them to drool heavily in the form of a foam. The hedgehog lubricates itself with this foam. What causes this mysterious behavior is not yet known.

How to feed a hedgehog

We have already dealt with feeding issues in previous articles, but I want to remind you again. The best option for feeding domestic hedgehogs would be dry food or canned feline. This is if your hedgehog approves it, but with the exception of fish. Willingly, hedgehogs eat white meat of turkey, chicken, rabbit. Now for the milk. Milk, especially cow, is not given to adult hedgehogs. It can cause severe diarrhea and serves as a breeding ground for harmful bacteria in the intestines and stomach.

Sometimes you can treat your pet with nuts (not salted ones) or fruits. Hedgehogs love them very much. Of course, live insects, for example, which you can grow yourself, or buy at a pet store, are the ideal food for the hedgehog.

Those who are squeamish to insects (there are some) can be recommended as food for hedgehogs, minced meat. Such stuffing should be prepared from environmentally friendly meat, not contain pesticides and hormones. Minced meat should be scalded with boiling water before feeding and mixed with wheat flakes. Do not offer your hedgehog all feed at once. Enter each type of new feed gradually. Best of all, if you offer him something new from food you will be once a week. If suddenly a hedgehog is allergic to a new product, you can track this and abandon it in the future. Some of the owners practice feeding their hedgehogs and garden slugs. Do not take risks, since these mollusks in nature are often infected with internal parasites, and by eating such a “treat” the hedgehog can become infected itself.