Hedge Hog Facts

Hedge Hog Facts

1. Hedgehogs have changed only very little over the last 15 million years.

2. Hedgehogs are mammals and they  can swim and climb quite well.

3. When hedgehogs are threatened they prefer to run away. Only as a last resort do they roll up into a prickly ball.

4. Hedgehogs are mostly nocturnal.  

5. Hedgehogs have a fantastic navigation system in their brains. They create maps, which include the best places to feed, places to sleep, obstacles, pathways and much more.

6. Hedgehogs can even climb trees.

7. Nocturnal means that the animal starts looking for food during dusk and sleeps during  daytime.

8. The eyesight of a hedgehog is poor but they have a very good sense of smell and hearing.

9. Although their hair is stiff with spiky spines, hedgehog tummies are covered in coarse fur and are comparatively soft.

10. Their spiky hair is hollow. It is stiff because it contains something called keratin, which humans also have in their skin, nails and hair.

11. Hedgehogs build nests for shelter, which they mostly make of leaves, grass and various other plants.

12. The spiky hairs of hedge hogs arealso called quills. On average a hedgehog has about 5000 - 6500 quills.

13. Hedgehogs have some natural immunity against the venom of snakes.

14. Their nests are about 50 cm in diameter, which is almost 2 feet or as big as the size of two dinner plates. Usually they built more than just one nest.

15. In some climates hedgehogs  hibernate, which mean they sleep during a cold winter or, in a hot desert, during very hot summers. It all depends on if there is enough food to eat.

16. During the hibernation period they sometimes move to another nest.

17. Once they hibernate they do not just go to sleep but their metabolism slows almost to a standstill. Their body temperature is normally 35° C but during hibernation it drops  to 10° C degrees or less. During that time they breathe only about once every few minutes. During that time they breathe only about 13 times per minute.

18. One of the hedgehog species has a normal heartbeat of 190 beats per minute. This drops to about 20 beat per minute when it is hibernating.

19. Hedgehogs can live in different climates and terrains. They live in parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and New Zealand but not in Australia or North America.

20. Hedgehogs feed on insects, snails, frogs, toads, snakes, bird eggs, carrion, mushrooms, grass roots, berries and melons.

21. Unfortunately insects filled with pesticides will give hedge hogs digestive problems. This can even be life threatening for them.

22. Did you know that hedgehogs are pretty vocal? In nature they communicate through a combination of snuffles, grunts or squeals.

23. One hedgehog can keep an average garden free of pests by eating up to 200 grams of insects each night.

24. Don’t give milk to hedgehogs! They get stomachache when they drink milk.

25. Hedgehogs are born blind with a protective membrane covering their quills, which dries and shrinks over the first few hours.

26. Baby hedgehogs stay in the nest until they are about 3 weeks old.

27. In some ancient cultures hedgehogs were credited to have different powers and they were sometimes even worshipped.

28. You can call a baby hedgehog also a hoglet.