Hedgehog

Hedgehog

The hedgehog lives in open forests, in hedges, and near settlements. They also live in municipal parks, also known as public parks. In the wild, hedgehogs mainly have a territory of about 4.5 acres to 6.3 acres. They are found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. However, most hedgehogs live in Asia and Europe. Our classroom hedgehogs are African Pygmy Hedgehogs from the savannas and semi-arid areas of the northern half of Africa.
In our classroom, the hedgehogs live in ten gallon tanks with wood chips covering the bottom. In the tank there is a cardboard box and a water bottle attached to the side. In the classroom, the hedgehogs eat dry cat food.
In the wild, a hedgehog's predator is the owl. Hedgehogs mainly eat invertebrates, but they do eat some vertebrate animals in the wild. Some of the invertebrates consumed by hedgehogs are worms, beetles, and slugs. A few of the vertebrates eaten by the hedgehogs in the wild are frogs, lizards, snakes, birds, and mice.
When hedgehogs are born, they grow quills within a few hours of their birth. As the hedgehog gets older it grows new quills. A hedgehog can live to be about six years in the wild and about six to ten years in captivity. Hedgehogs can reproduce at an age of three months old. When a hedgehog becomes old, and I am sure you know this, they die.
A hedgehog lives with its mother until it is about six months old. While the babies are with their mother, they are fed with milk from their mother. After the six months with mother, hedgehogs go live on their own.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal mammals, or mammals that are awake at night. Hedgehogs can swim, run, and climb very well. Hedgehogs live about the same number of years in captivity as in the wild.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal and they prefer a quiet, dim environment.Hedgehogs are generally housed singly, especially males who may fight. House hedgies in an enclosure with smooth walls and flooring such as 15-20 gallon aquarium with a secure, wire mesh lid. Provide about 10 cm of soft, absorbent bedding to allow burrowing. Provide visual security in the form of a cardboard box with one open end, a plastic flower pot, hollow tubes, such as PVC piping, plants, or logs. Hedgehogs may also be litter box trained. Supplemental heating may also be needed as hedgehogs can enter torpor if the temperature falls below 65F (18C).