Pet Hedgehogs: Facts you may not know about

Do you want to know more about exotic pet animals? Specifically, pet hedgehogs? If so, you’re in the right place. Read more to discover facts you may or may not know about them.

They are nocturnal

Be prepared to hear them spin on their wheels as you try to sleep. The hedgehogs’ greatest period of activity occurs at night.

They have very poor vision

Yes, pet hedgehogs see very badly. But they make up for it with an excellent sense of smell and very good hearing.

There are different breeds of pet hedgehogs

The pet hedgehogs that we are most used to seeing are African hedgehogs. But in total there are around 15 varieties. None of them is native to America, although they live on practically all other continents. Also, not all hedgehogs are brown. They come in different colors. Including white.

Pet Hedgehogs are solitary animals

If you decide to have pet hedgehogs, at least you know that they will not miss being in a group. Hedgehogs tend to be solitary animals and generally only come together to reproduce. In addition, they are also absent parents. After they have mated, the male leaves. They leave the female alone to take care of their young. Which can be from 1 to a little more than 10. But the female does not take care of them for that long either. Generally their babies leave the nest at 4-7 weeks. If they avoided being eaten. It seems that females can eat their young in certain situations and males can also eat babies of the same species.

They get very excited about new smells … A LOT

So much so that when they discover an odor or taste that stimulates them (in general, one that they have not felt before) they begin to secrete a foam. With which they cover their spines. No one has truly understood the reason for this behavior. This surely gave more than one novice owner a good scare.

Their spines are not permanent

Hedgehogs have about 5,000 hollow spines with a flexible base. When they feel threatened, they position themselves like a ball to protect their stomach. They expose only the part of their body that has spines, as a defense mechanism. But, as we said, these thorns are not permanent. Each lasts about a year before falling and giving rise to a new one.

In some places pet hedgehogs are illegal

In some jurisdictions, such as the states of Georgia, California, and Arizona in the United States, hedgehogs are considered within the definition of ” wild animal ” . And, therefore, it is illegal to keep them as pets.