Thankfully, unlike our native porcupines, hedgehogs cannot shoot their quills out in defense.
#Hedge hogs skin#
Like porcupines, the skin over hedgehogs’ backs is covered with sharp spines that protect them from predators. Before you consider bringing a hedgehog into your home, there are several things to be aware of. But hedgehogs are not meant for everyone. These little animals can make terrific companions when housed and fed appropriately, and their popularity appears to be increasing. Most North American pet hedgehogs,typically called African pygmy hedgehogs,were bredfrom African species and are considered domesticated. They feed as much as possible during the autumn and in around October build its nests of leaves and grass in which to hibernate.Wild hedgehogs have been living in Africa forever but only in recent years have they been kept as pets. European hedgehogs hibernate throughout winter.In more temperate areas they remain active all year. In warmer climates such as deserts they sleep through heat and drought in a similar process called aestivation. Hedgehogs in cold climes hibernate over the winter.After about four weeks, the mother will take the young out on their first foraging trip and after ten days, the family will separate. The young are suckled by their mother until they are able to hunt for themselves. However a late litter born in September seldom survive their first winter. Baby hedgehogs are born blind after 32 days and their spines are soft.Hedgehog mothers have also been known to eat their young if the nest is disturbed, though they sometimes simply move them to a new nest. Among the predators females must guard against during this period are other male hedgehogs, which will sometimes prey upon the young of their species. They remain with their mothers for only four to seven weeks before heading out on their own. The young are born in litters ranging from one to eleven.They will separate thereafter and the male takes no part in rearing the family. The male circles the female, sometimes for hours, to persuade her to mate. When they mate they often make loud snuffling noises. Hedgehogs are usually solitary, usually pairing up only to mate.Frequently food put out for dogs and cats in town and city gardens also provides a meal for them and it is certainly a good way to encourage one into your own garden. The diet of a hedgehog has claimed it the reputation as being the ‘gardener’s friend’ as it includes so many ‘pests’.They have a particularly long, extending snout beyond the front of their mouth which they use to help them forage for food.While hunting for food, they rely primarily upon their senses of hearing and smell because their eyesight is weak though their eyes are adapted for night-time vision.They also have a habit when stimulated by a strong smell or taste to self-anoint – this means they cover their prickles in foamy saliva.There may be up to 500 fleas on one hedgehog but the specific hedgehog flea (known as Archaepsylla erinacei) rarely bites humans.At the base there is a smooth ball which bends on impact. The spines are hollow and springy with a flexible neck and they are erected by muscles.
Each spine lasts about a year then drops out and a replacement grows. When they feel alarmed or intimidated, they will curl up into a spiny ball to protect its vulnerable stomach.
As it moves through the hedges it emits pig-like grunts - thus, the name hedgehog. They root through hedges and other undergrowth in search of their favourite food – small creatures such as insects, worms, centipedes, snails, mice, frogs, and snakes.
Amazing Facts About the Hedgehog (European)
0 kommentar(er)
