WBEZ: Is your hedgehog sick? A local exotic animal hospital can help
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 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 ...
Diet Hedgehogs are omnivores with a diverse diet that includes insects, small invertebrates, and plant materials such as roots, seeds, berries, and melons. The European hedgehog primarily feeds on earthworms, beetles, millipedes, caterpillars, earwigs, snails, slugs, and occasionally bird eggs and chicks. In contrast, hedgehogs residing in African deserts have a more varied diet adapted to ...
Discover more about Hedgehogs, the issues and threats they are facing and how you can help.
Hedgehog Hedgehogs have prickly spines everywhere except on their face, legs, and bellies. By curling into a tight ball and tucking in their heads, tail, and legs, they protect the parts of their bodies that do not have stiff, sharp spines. Often compared to pincushions, hedgehogs depend on their spines for defense—both while they sleep and when they face enemies.
hedgehog, (subfamily Erinaceinae), any of 15 Old World species of insectivores possessing several thousand short, smooth spines. Most species weigh under 700 grams (1.5 pounds), but the common western European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) can grow to 1,100 grams. Body length is 14 to 30 cm (5.5 to 12 inches), and there is a stumpy and sparsely furred tail measuring 1 to 6 cm. In addition to ...