At nine to 11 months they are fully mature and will live three to eight years in the wild or up to 10 years in captivity, according to the San Diego Zoo. Sometimes, if the nest is disturbed, the mother may even become the predator and will eat her young.Īfter four to seven weeks, piglets are on their own. Typically, the mother protects her piglets from predators as even the father may try to eat the young. Each baby hedgehog, called a hoglet or piglet, weighs less that 1 ounce (3 to 25 g) at birth. Their litters usually consist of four to seven young at one time.
Hedgehogs only give birth once per year after a gestation of four to six weeks. (Image credit: Matej Ziak, Shutterstock) Offspring According to the AWF, hedgehogs can eat one-third of their body weights in just one night.Įuropean hedgehog in maple leaves. During this activity, they find meals of fruit, fungi, centipedes, insects, snails, worms, mice, frogs, eggs, birds, frogs, reptiles, roots and snakes. They root underneath hedges and other vegetation, making snorting noises like a hog. Hedgehogs are named for the way they eat, according to National Geographic. In areas where there aren't extreme climates, hedgehogs are active and have normal sleep cycles, according to National Geographic. This process of sleeping during heat and drought is called aestivation. Hedgehogs hibernate in cold climates, and they sleep through times of heat and drought in deserts. They use sleep to protect themselves from extreme climates in addition to just getting rest.
Hedgehogs have up to 44 teeth, according to the San Diego Zoo. Hedgehogs have poor eyesight and rely on hearing and smell to help them find food. This can make them poor pet choices for someone that wants and active pet during daytime hours.Īt night, hedgehogs search for food. They are also nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day. Hedgehogs are solitary creatures that are big sleepers and can sleep up to 18 hours per day, according to Animal Planet. Hedgehog burrows can be up to 20 inches (50 cm) deep, according to the San Diego Zoo, and nests are made from leaves, branches and other vegetation. Sometimes, hedgehogs take over burrows that other animals have left behind or nestle between rocks. Hedgehog homes are usually burrows and nests they build themselves.
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