What you need to know before buying a hedgehog. Boy or girl? Choosing the gender of a pet How to distinguish a female from a male African hedgehog

A hedgehog is an animal that belongs to the type of chordates, the class mammals, the order hedgehogs, the hedgehog family (Erinaceidae).

The origin of the Russian word "hedgehog" has not yet been finally studied. According to one version, the hedgehog got its name from the Greek "echinos", which means "snake eater". Proponents of another version see the Indo-European root "eg`h" in the word "hedgehog", meaning "to prick".

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

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

hedgehog tail

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, there are 20 teeth on the upper jaw, 16 on the lower jaw. Some types 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 in 5 fingers, with the exception of the white-bellied hedgehog, whose hind legs have 4 fingers.

Long middle fingers help the hedgehog clean the needles.

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

The color of the needles of most species is dark, with intermittent light stripes. The color of the hedgehog's coat, depending on the species, can be black-brown, brown, sandy 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. In times of danger, the hedgehog curls up into a ball, and the subcutaneous muscles located in the places where the spines grow help him in this.

Like most nocturnal animals, hedgehogs have poor eyesight, 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 are excellent swimmers and climbers.

hedgehog lifespan

The life expectancy of a hedgehog in nature is 3-5 years. At home, hedgehogs live up to 8-10 years, as they do not die from natural enemies that prey on hedgehogs in the wild. 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 hedgehogs is quite wide: this prickly animal is found in all European countries - 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 own minks under the roots of trees or in bushes, and also settle in abandoned rodent burrows.

How do hedgehogs live in nature?

By nature, hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and loners, leading a secretive lifestyle. During the day, hedgehogs sleep, hiding in independently dug holes up to 1 meter long or occupying empty dwellings of rodents. Populations of foothill areas use crevices between rocks and voids under stones as shelters. At night, wild hedgehogs go hunting, preferring not to move far from home. Unfortunately, statistics show that quite a few hedgehogs are killed by cars while trying to cross freeways at night.

What do hedgehogs eat in nature?

The hedgehog is omnivorous, but the basis of the diet is adult insects, earwigs, beetles, spiders, ground beetles, caterpillars, slugs, wood lice, earthworms. Also, hedgehogs like to eat toads, locusts, bird eggs, crustaceans and invertebrates. Northern wood urchin 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. The hedgehog does not disdain carrion, as well as food waste that can be found in summer cottages. The vegetable food of the forest hedgehog is mushrooms, moss, acorns, cereal seeds and any sweet berries - strawberries, raspberries, blackberries.

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

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

Types of hedgehogs: photos, names and descriptions

The hedgehog family includes 2 subfamilies: real hedgehogs(Erinaceinae) and rat hedgehogs(hymnures) (Galericinae), represented by 7 genera and 23 species. Below are some interesting types of hedgehogs:

• 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's needles are no more than 3 cm long, the color is brownish-brown with dark crossbars. The color of the muzzle, limbs and belly can be dark or yellow-white.

The common 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.

The molting of an ordinary hedgehog is slow, 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 is distinguished by long ears, sometimes growing up to 5 cm in length. Representatives of the species are small, the size of the hedgehog reaches from 12 to 27 cm in length, the 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 into a ball, trying to flee.

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

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

• Eastern European hedgehog(Erinaceus concolor)

It resembles a European hedgehog, but the color of the front of the neck and belly is much lighter than the hair on the head and sides. Adults grow up to 35 cm in length, and the weight of a hedgehog in the summer can reach 1.2 kg.

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

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

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

It has a body length of 15 to 22 cm. The weight of the animal reaches 350-700 g. The color is usually brown or gray, the hedgehog needles have white tips. Usually the African hedgehog snorts or squeals quietly, but in case of danger it can scream loudly. The tail of the hedgehog reaches 2.5 cm in length. The eyes of the animal are small, the 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-tailed hedgehog (dark-skinned, bald hedgehog) ( Paraechinus hypomelas)

It has a size of up to 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. 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 passes through the Arabian Peninsula, the islands of the Persian Gulf, 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-spined hedgehogs eat insects, locusts, cicadas, ground beetles, weevils, click beetles, small invertebrates and reptiles, including snakes, and rodents. Does not disdain carrion.

• Ethiopian hedgehog(Paraechinus aethiopicus)

It is distinguished by light brown needles, short, dark limbs and a dark "mask" on the muzzle. The rest of the body is white in color. An adult individual 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 voracity.

The Ethiopian hedgehog lives in the 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, beetles, and locusts.

• Dahurian hedgehog(Mesechinus dauuricus)

It belongs to the genus steppe hedgehogs and differs from most relatives in the absence of a strip of bare skin that separates the needles of the head into a parting. The spines of the hedgehog are short, sandy or brown in color, 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 beetles, small mammals (hamsters, pikas), chicks and bird eggs, snakes, frogs, toads, cotoneaster and dogrose berries.

• Ordinary hymnura(Echinosorex gymnura)

Belongs to the subfamily rat hedgehogs. Gymnura grows in length from 26 to 45 cm with a body weight of 500 g to 2 kg. The hedgehog's tail, 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.

Gymnura inhabits the tropical rainforests of southeast Asia from Malacca to Borneo. It feeds on invertebrates and small vertebrates, crustaceans, frogs, toads, fish, fruits.

• Small hymnura ( 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 weight of the animal is 45-80 grams.

The animal lives in mountainous areas and on the hills in the countries of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China). Lesser gymnurs eat insects and worms.

hedgehog breeding

At the end of hibernation, when the air warms up to 18-20 degrees, the hedgehogs begin the mating season. Hedgehogs reach sexual maturity by 10-12 months. The northern populations breed once a year, the southern ones produce offspring twice.

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

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

The period of gestation is from 34 to 58 days, as a result, from 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 cubs with milk, then the young go on to independent life.

Keeping a hedgehog at home and caring for it

Nowadays, hedgehogs are considered quite popular pets, but catching a wild animal and bringing it home is an unwise decision. A wild hedgehog can be a carrier of a number of dangerous diseases: ringworm, salmonellosis, hemorrhagic fever, and 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 breeders who guarantee the health of the pet, good heredity and adaptation to existence in captivity.

When do hedgehogs go into hibernation?

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

In late October - early November, the animal will experience a period of torpor and lethargy, this means the beginning of hibernation. Usually in nature, hedgehogs hibernate 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. In heat, a hedgehog may not hibernate. Dry leaves, sawdust, straw, rags should be placed in the nest of a domestic hedgehog. And then you can identify your pet there.

How to wash a hedgehog at home?

You can bathe a hedgehog at home only if we are talking about an adult healthy 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 domestic hedgehog, you can use a washbasin, the main thing is to monitor the temperature of the water.

Supporting the hedgehog under the head and chest, you can lower it into the water. Let the hedgehog settle in, but don't let him swim. Wash the belly and paws of the hedgehog, then the back and quills. Do not pour water on the muzzle, otherwise the domestic hedgehog may be frightened. To wash hedgehog quills, you can use a toothbrush and neutral baby shampoo, which should be rinsed thoroughly. After washing, the hedgehog can be wrapped in a towel. But in no case do not dry it with a hair dryer and protect your pet from a draft.

• The ancient Romans used the skins of hedgehogs to brush their sheep.
• Gypsies eat hedgehogs, and fried hedgehog is a favorite gypsy dish.
• Serbs treat alcoholism with hedgehog urine, and the animal's heart is used as a talisman against diseases.
• In the early 20th century, the McDonalds restaurant chain killed many unfortunate hedgehogs. Cups from the popular ice cream McFlurry ended up in the trash, which did not fail to take advantage of the hedgehogs with a sweet tooth. The animals licked the rest of the ice cream with pleasure, sticking their head into the mouth of the glass, but could not pull it back out because of the too unfortunate diameter of the container. As a result, thousands of hedgehogs died, actually immured in glasses. As a result of protests by animal rights activists, the diameter of the mouths of the glasses was changed, and the animals stopped dying.

Determine the sex of the hedgehog

In the summer, living in a country house, and even in a big city, not far from parks, you can meet a hedgehog on the road at night. On our website, we have already written about keeping this unusual pet at home (read about it). Therefore, we will not repeat ourselves. However, despite all the difficulties and peculiarities of keeping hedgehogs at home, for many of us the temptation to leave an unusual creature with sharp and long needles is unusually great.

May influence our decision... hedgehog floor. Why? How is this related? And how to determine the sex of a hedgehog - find out about all this right now ...

Does the hedgehog need help?

Since your paths crossed, you met a hedgehog, and for some reason this creature did not try to escape from you - consider it fate. Perhaps the animal needs help. Therefore, regardless of its gender, inspect the hedgehog. Is he injured, are there any wounds or defects on his body? True, you should not forget about caution and it is better to do this with your hand wrapped in cloth, because if the hedgehog is too aggressive so that it cannot bite you, and its saliva does not get into the open wound. Caution won't hurt.

It is better to take an animal that needs help if you can and want to help it. An injured hedgehog is unlikely to be able to take care of itself. Just remember the place where you picked him up, so that later, when he gets on his paws, release him back. Why release? And who should definitely be released into the wild - a female or a male, you will find out in the next section of the article.

Why do you need to know the sex of a hedgehog

Even if you do not plan to breed hedgehogs at home and this is your first experience of meeting this animal, it is important for you to know who is in front of you. Especially if you picked up the animal in the summer season. The fact is that females at this time have one of the important periods of their lives - they take care of their newly born offspring. And if you take a healthy hedgehog home, the offspring of hedgehogs will die from hunger and lack of mother's warmth. Another thing is the male - he is absolutely independent, and he does not care about the affairs of his offspring. You can safely take him home to heal, but it is better to release him at the same place where you picked him up so that he can find his hole without any problems.

If you have a female in front of you (how to find out the sex - you will find out very soon), but she needs help - try to find her brood as well. You shouldn't leave kids alone. They will die. You will have to take care of the entire hedgehog family until the female recovers. Then you will return them to their usual habitat.

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 routine. He is used to sleeping during the day and hunting at night. It will not work to re-educate such a hedgehog, do not even try. But the one purchased in the store is different. They are already adapted to the room and usually do not know another life. But a wild hedgehog should not be dragged into captivity at all. If only for a while, and then not for very long. So that they do not lose their 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 you allow hedgehogs at home

You can sometimes let your pet walk around the house, but only under your supervision, as hedgehogs love to sharpen their claws on the carpet, rummage through potted plants and, most dangerously, chew on electrical wires. If after such a walk you notice foam at the mouth of your hedgehog, do not be alarmed. They have this feature. Hedgehogs are very sensitive to smells, and when they encounter a strong-smelling object, they begin to lick it. This causes them to drool heavily in the form of foam. With this foam, the hedgehog lubricates itself. What causes this mysterious behavior is not yet known.

What to feed a hedgehog

We have already touched on 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 cat food. This is if your hedgehog approves of it, but with the exception of the fish one. Hedgehogs willingly eat white meat of turkey, chicken, rabbit. Now for the milk. Milk, especially cow's milk, 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 (only not salted) or fruits. Hedgehogs love them very much. Of course, the ideal food for a hedgehog is live insects, for example, which you can grow yourself, or buy at a pet store.

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

This question, for sure, is asked by many lovers of these cute animals who breed them at home, or even those who, walking through a park or forest, accidentally discovered a prickly ball curled up in the grass and decided to shelter it at home.

The relatively exact number of years lived by a hedgehog can be determined by its external features - the number of needles, their thickness and degree of rigidity, the condition of the teeth, the color of the fur, and also by the weight of the animal.

It is known that the average life expectancy of the common hedgehog is about 5 years (up to 8-10 years in captivity). Accordingly, the age of the prickly "find" will be located in this numerical range.

Determining the age of a hedgehog by needles

The spines of small hedgehogs are soft, but they harden with age, so you can see sharp spines in adult animals. Older hedgehogs have blunt spines and their fur looks "rumpled". Smooth, elastic, sharp and evenly growing spines indicate that the animal is two years old. The color of the needles in the first years is light, then it begins to darken.

How to find out the age of a hedgehog by its fur?

The hedgehog is born naked and completely helpless. In the first year of life, its fur on the muzzle and sides is characterized by a light shade, which darkens with age. In an elderly animal, the fur may look disheveled and sloppy.

Teeth are one of the indicators of the age of the hedgehog

The condition of the teeth also indicates the number of years lived by the spiny animal. In hedgehogs that have reached the age of 3, they, as a rule, are already worn off, and their bite looks like a strong pinch. Therefore, adult hedgehogs chew slowly. Young hedgehogs have sharp teeth that, like an awl, can bite through to blood, therefore, it takes them much less time to grind food.

But here it is worth making a small remark: the condition of the teeth indicates rather the state of health and living conditions of the animal, rather than the calendar age.

Hedgehog weight and age

A hedgehog who has reached the age of 3 years weighs an average of about 400-500 g. Newborn hedgehogs weigh no more than 25 g, and by the age of two months they are actively gaining weight (up to 300 g on average). However, as in humans, in prickly glomeruli, the weight is purely individual - its indicators are directly affected by the diet and features of keeping the animal.

It is worth saying that you are unlikely to find a method for obtaining reliable information about the exact age of a hedgehog. For the simple reason that it doesn't exist. At the very least, you will be able to determine only the approximate number of years lived by the animal.