Originally from Africa, hedgehogs can live up to about 4 years within the wild and nearly 10 in captivity. Their diet consists of insects so when you have lots of those little critters around a hedgehog might be a much appreciated addition for a family.
Their backs are enclosed with rows and rows of short, prickly spines and yet their bellies are soft and enclosed with fur. I can’t say that I really want the experience of touching one to find out how true this is so I’ll just believe it to be so.
One of the best parts of the hedgehog is their compact size. They’re about 5 8 inches in length and weigh practically nothing. No wonder they weigh so little; having a natural diet which incorporates insects, slugs, snails, worms and, occasionally, small vertebrates and fruit wouldn’t you weigh practically nothing?
In captivity their diet often consists of economic cat food, hard boiled eggs, and chopped up fruit and vegetables with mealworms or crickets as a treat. Again, is it any wonder they are so light?
A female hedgehog can go full term on release of her pups in 34 days. Wow! Imagine going through your pregnancy that fast. A normal size litter is 1 7 pups. If their pups disturb them, the mother is known to leave them or even eat them. Kids, watch out! Don’t disturb mom!
With all this excellent information, you might imagine, Hmmmm, I sure think hedgehogs are cute, but don’t want to get all the insects around for their feeding, hear them at nighttime or have them leave their pups.
Never fear, since you can still enjoy hedgehogs and never have to worry about feeding or watering them. Many gift shops carry a great choice of ceramic, clay, stuffed and wood hedgehogs.
