Hedgehogs are
members of the group insectivora whose ancestors lived 100 million years ago
& shared the world with the dinosaurs! African pygmy hedgehogs have a
relatively short history in captivity, the first ones being imported in the mid
80s for display in zoos in America. Popularity increased in the 90s aided by the
now infamous Sonic the hedgehog. Pygmy hedgehogs have a relatively short
lifespan of 4 to 6 years. Baby hedgehogs are usually fully weaned by 8 weeks.
Both sexes make equally good pets but it is important to choose an animal that
has been handled from an early age and is accustomed to people. African
pygmy hedgehogs are found in scattered local populations from Senegal in western
Africa to southern Somalia and Tanzania on the continent's eastern edge. They're
one of 15 hedgehog species scattered through most of Africa and Eurasia. All
belong to the class Mammalia, order Insectivora, and family Erinaceidae.
Housing
A fully-grown
hedgehog needs a cage 3 to 4 feet long. Glass or wooden cages are both suitable
as are larger rodent cages. We use aspen shavings as a floor covering which we
replace twice per week. Ambient room temperature is sufficient although in
colder weather supplementary heating may be required if the animal is to be
housed somewhere cool. I have used a heat mat under half the bottom of cages
that were kept in unheated rooms in winter, this way your Hedgehog can find the
temperature it wants. Hedgehogs can quite easily be litter trained (indeed they
may already be trained when purchased.) provide a shallow cat litter tray in the
corner of the cage your pet prefers to toilet in, and fill with a layer of a
clumping cat litter which is changed as required. A hide or nest box of some
kind must be provided and packed with bedding. Do not use lighting inside the
cage, as the animal is semi nocturnal in the wild. In captivity it can be
encouraged to be more active during the day by feeding it at times when you wish
to encourage activity. Using lights will tend to make the animal hide away and
may cause problems with feeding. It is quite safe to allow your pet out of its
cage when you are there to supervise, they enjoy exploring, the only down side
are the little raisin like gifts you will be left with!
While we are
discussing exploration it is worth mentioning a very strange habit regularly
seen. When your hedgehog finds an interesting scent during his foraging he will
very often become excited and start to produce quantities of frothy saliva which
he then spreads onto the spines on his flanks . This phenomenon is known as
self-anointing. No one knows why it is done but it is worth mentioning, it is
perfectly normal and does not mean your hedgehog is rabid!
Feeding
The food requirements of the
captive hedgehog are easy to cater for. Complete dry cat food is an excellent
staple of the diet, & the hard biscuits help to keep their teeth in good
order. Good quality tinned cat or dog food are a good addition as they are
fortified with vitamins. In the wild a large amount of insects are taken and in
captivity mealworms are eagerly consumed. Other foods that can be tried include
scrambled or boiled eggs, cheese, oats, bread soaked in milk. Good clean fresh
drinking water should always be made available. In
the wild: African pygmy hedgehogs eat worms, snails, arthropods,
frogs, lizards, snakes, eggs, nestling birds, small mammals and carrion. They
also eat fruits, seeds, peanuts, fungi and roots. They consume food amounting to
about 1/3 of their body weight per night.
Sexing
Pygmy hedgehogs are easy to sex from as
soon as they are old enough to be safely handled. Both
male and female hedgehogs make equally good pets so this decision is entirely up
to you. It is not hard to tell a male from a female. If the hedgehog is tame and
friendly, gently roll it over and look at the area closest to the tail. A
female's genitals are immediately next to the anus, while the male's penis
sheath, or "belly button" is farther up the tummy.
Hedgehogs are ready to be taken
home at six weeks of age, but no earlier. Older hedgehogs make good pets too,
but the younger the hedgehog, the better he will bond with you.
A male courts a female by running in circles around her,
twittering, growling and snorting. She may initially ignore him, hiss and snort
at him, run away, or curl into a defensive ball. The male persists, and the
female eventually positions herself with her rear legs stretched back and her
spines flattened. The male has an extra-long penis, so he can avoid being
impaled on the female's spines. During copulation he secretes a waxy plug that
prevents other males mating with her. After a gestation of 30-40 days, two to 10
young are born. The mother licks them clean and eats the afterbirth, then picks
them up in her mouth and guides them to her teats. Newborns are blind, weigh
about 0.35 ounces (10 g), and have soft, white spines at birth. Born with edema,
their skin is swollen with fluid and covers the soft spines. After a few days,
the young reabsorb the excess fluid, exposing the spines. Their eyes open in
eight to 18 days. At two weeks they can roll up, and after about six weeks start
traveling short distances with their mother. Nursing stops at 40-45 days, and
they leave their mother and siblings shortly thereafter. They reach sexual
maturity at about 2 months of age. Males
may be bred from 5 months of age and reach their reproductive peak at 12 to 18
months old. Females are capable of reproducing not long after being weaned but
this is bad practice, a female should not be mated before 6 months of age.
Life Cycle
Pygmy hedgehogs start foraging at dusk and continue most of the night, then
return to their burrows for the day. Solitary and territorial, they enlarge
their territories during brief food shortages. On average, they use an area with
a radius of 220-330 yards (200-300 m) around shelter found in and under logs,
among rocks, under roots of trees and brush piles, in termite mounds and burrows
and under buildings. During the dry season when insects are scarce, they
aestivate, or become torpid, and live off their stored fat. Their major
predators are Verreaux eagle owls, honey badgers, jackals and wild dogs.
The temperament of a potential
hedgehog is very important and should be the deciding factor as to whether you
buy the particular animal or not. Does it unroll after a few seconds? Does he
click, jump or hiss?
Hissing - This is ok, it is just
a little frightened because it doesn't know you. Clicking - This is not good. It
means the animal is trying to threaten you, so find a better-tempered hedgehog.
Every hedgehog is different and unique. Some like to play and explore, while
others are more content to cuddle.