Hedgehog Habitat

Hedgehog Habitat

Are you thinking about getting a hedgehog? Have you wondered what kind of habitat he or she may have wandered through in the wild? If so, you have come to the right place! Read on! The actual name "hedgehog" dates to 1450 and comes from Middle English. Hedgehogs were found so frequently underneath hedges (essentially thick bushes) that they were named for them! "Hog" in hedgehog also reflects the somewhat pig-like nose (although to us it may look pointy) of the hedgehog.

Hedgehogs are small spine covered mammals that many in North America confuse with a larger quill covered rodent - the porcupine. Hedgehogs and porcupines are actually not related at all and developed their spiney exteriors independently of each other. Hedgehogs are in fact much smaller than porcupines - they range from one to four pounds in weight, and their quills are not barbed, poisoned, or even really removable. Instead the quills act merely as a defensive mechanism to deter predators when the hedgehog rolls into a ball.

Hedgehogs originated in Great Britain, Europe, Asia, and Africa (none are native to North or South America) and were also introduced to other areas such as New Zealand and the islands of Scotland for pest control. Hedgies can still be found in the wild today in habitats ranging from wooded areas, mountains, semi-urban areas like parks, to deserts. As hedgies like to be sleeping during the day, you would be most likely to see one out and about around dusk. During the daytime a hedgehog likes to spend his time asleep in a comfy burrow - either a hole dug in the ground or a soft nest of leaves under a bush.

In the wild, hedgehogs would dine on a delicious diet of invertebrates such as bugs and worms, small animals like lizards and rodents, bird eggs, fruits and vegetables. When food becomes scarce, a hedgehog naturally turns to hibernation. Today domesticated hedgehogs will still try to hibernate when they become chilly but this is actually dangerous as they have trouble waking up their metabolisms continue to burn - causing a slow wasting.