How well do you know hedgehogs? Once relegated strictly to the category of exotic pets, hedgehogs are becoming increasingly common. Read on to test your knowledge of hedgehog facts!
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| Hedgehog (Erinaceus
europaeus), Norwick Hedgehogs, cute though they are, are aliens in
Shetland and therefore have detrimental effects on ground-nesting birds,
which were used to breeding in a predator-free environment. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Hedgehogs and porcupines are related.
Wrong! Porcupines are rodents whereas hedgehogs are small spine covered mammals that are best known for their adorable ability to roll up into a ball. Most hedgehogs live a solitary life, and prefer to be active at night. Unlike the porcupine, hedgehog spines are not barbed or even easily removable.
Hedgehog spines are poisonous.
Wrong again. Hedgehog spines (called quills) are actually defensive evolution that originated with hair that is now made quite stiff by a natural protein called keratin. Hedgehogs are not born with a full set of adult quills, rather these grow in over the course of the first year of life. The process of growing quills and shedding them until a full set of adult quills is obtained is called quilling.
Hedgehogs are prone to rabies because they foam at the mouth.
No! Hedgehogs that foam at the mouth are practicing a normal behavior called "anointing." Essentially what you will see is a hedgehog produce a lot of saliva which he or she then smears all over their quills. There is some debate about why exactly hedgehogs anoint, but experts believe that this is a method hedgehogs use to commit a specific smell to memory.
Hedgehogs are hardy animals
Its easy to assume that because hedgehogs are only recently domesticated and many live in the wild that they must be hardy animals that require little care and attention. This is not true. The natural behaviors that worked well in the wild did not translate well in domestication. One very important example is hibernation. In the wild, during times when extreme temperature would have made finding food unlikely, the hedgehog developed the ability to hibernate until conditions change. This is a tendency that domesticated hedgehogs still have - however - this is actually very dangerous.
When temperatures fall below 73 degrees Fahrenheit (there is some variance from hedgehog to hedgehog when it comes to what is "too cold") pet hedgehogs will attempt to hibernate, however this is not a condition they will naturally wake from and many will just waste away. For this reason it is vital that all hedgehogs are kept in cages or rooms warmed to 73-76 degrees Fahrenheit, and if the first signs of hibernation are seen (listlessness) - warming must occur immediately. If attempts to pull a hedgehog out of hibernation are not effective, then emergency veterinary care must be sought immediately.
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Susana
Lenser has been an avid animal lover all her life. Today, Susana enjoys
everything hedgehog! For more great information on hedgehog facts [
Article Source: EzineArticles
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