What are hedgehogs afraid of? Hedgehog - the life of a hedgehog, where to meet, what to feed The common hedgehog is a predatory mammal

Hedgehog - small predatory animal, distinctive feature which are the well-known thorns. Often they try to keep these animals at home. Let's try to figure out what hedgehogs eat in wildlife and what they can be fed in captivity.

In cartoons, we see a forest hedgehog dragging an apple or a mushroom into its hole, but in fact, in nature, hedgehogs eat animal food. Due to the fact that in winter the hedgehog is forced to hibernate, during the period of wakefulness, it needs to accumulate a sufficient amount of fat.

What do hedgehogs eat?

These are inhabitants not only of forests, steppes, deserts, but also of human-developed spaces. And it is omnivory that helps them survive in such diverse conditions. But most of all, these animals still prefer animal food. Hedgehogs eat caterpillars, earthworms, amphibians, and small reptiles. In addition to this, they are excellent at dealing with all sorts of poisonous insects. Hedgehogs also eat beetles, grasshoppers, various invertebrates, slugs, and snails.

These animals are immune to snake venom, their prey can be small snakes. In times of hunger, hedgehogs can also feed on carrion. They happily eat eggs, destroying the clutches of birds whose nests they are able to reach, because many species of hedgehogs climb quite well and, oddly enough, swim.

Contrary to popular belief, hedgehogs eat snakes, reptiles, mice and frogs quite rarely, simply because it is difficult for them to catch these animals and they do not often manage to taste such food, only under a happy coincidence of circumstances. For example, if you come across some kind of lizard in a state of torpor.

What to feed your pet hedgehog?

If you want your pet to feel good at home, just for a long time, you need to feed him approximately the food that he can find in the wild. It is necessary to understand that the food that humans most often eat is not suitable for a hedgehog. The best option in modern conditions are specialized feeds, but unfortunately we may have difficulties with such feeds. Dog and cat food for hedgehogs is not suitable for constant nutrition. Therefore, if you decide to get yourself such a pet, you will have to look out for a special menu.

Products you should feed your hedgehog at home:

Boiled meat - chicken, beef, turkey.
Chicken giblets.
Berries and fruits - strawberries, raspberries, currants, pears, apples.
Vegetables - carrots, cucumbers, sweet pepper, pumpkin.
Raw eggs.
Live insects or zoophobus.

The animal should be fed strictly in doses, not allowing food to sit for a long time; this will save both you and your pet from possible digestive problems.

Foods that should not be given to hedgehogs are those that a hedgehog “does not see” in the wild:

Baked bakery products, everything is excluded.

A variety of sweets, including chocolate, absolutely everything.

Canning, both store-bought and home-made, is excluded.

Exotic fruits and especially dried fruits, including grapes.

Nuts, seeds.

Various types of spices - onions, garlic.

All dairy products are excluded.

Store deli meats- sausages, frankfurters, sausages, lard, everything is excluded.

The generally accepted opinion that hedgehogs love milk is, in fact, deeply mistaken; milk, and like all dairy products, is not healthy for hedgehogs; their body is not able to digest lactose. However, thinking that milk is harmful for a hedgehog and that it can die from it is also not true, this is a wild omnivorous animal, and if necessary, anything can be eaten, it’s just that milk is not the food that should be given to hedgehogs.

For all their supposedly good-natured appearance, hedgehogs are carnivorous animals, and their diet should include food of animal origin. And of course, the animal must have fresh water in its cage.

Since childhood, every child knows the hedgehog from the cartoon character where he stores apples and mushrooms for the winter. In fact, hedgehogs do not make any preparations for the winter. Both in the wild and at home, they accumulate fat from spring to autumn in order to survive the winter. To do this they need to eat a lot.

The hedgehog is the most common animal, its habitat is the territory of Europe, Siberia, Asia Minor, Kazakhstan, and China. They eat a wide variety of foods, it all depends on their habitat.

Usually hedgehogs live in forests and parks, but very often they can wander into a country house or residential area. Jerzy not afraid of people at all and therefore often suffer when they become victims of dogs - in this case even their thorns do not help them. Very often these animals die under the wheels of cars.

Hedgehog nutrition in nature

First of all, hedgehogs are insectivores. In nature they feed on:

insects and their larvae;
slugs;
earthworms.

They can also catch mice (in the wild - voles). They can catch frogs and snakes, but only when they are inactive. Hedgehogs love to feast on eggs or chicks, but can catch more active animals. In addition to all living creatures, hedgehogs love to eat fruits and berries.

In addition to beetles and ordinary snakes, hedgehogs can eat very poisonous individuals - vipers, blister beetles, May beetles, and hairy ground beetles. After such food, the animal does not die and does not become ill, since its body is resistant to various poisons.

What does a hedgehog eat at home?

At home, a hedgehog usually eats what its owner eats. But you shouldn’t feed him this way; food from the table is very harmful for this animal. If he dies early, then no owner will understand why this happened. The best food for pet hedgehog are special feed. But in our country it is almost impossible to buy them, so you can replace them with cat food, and then only for the first time. Then you should create a special menu for this prickly pet.

List of products you can feed your hedgehog at home:

chicken offal;
lean boiled meat - chicken, turkey;
a small amount of fruit - pear, apple, strawberry, raspberry;
some vegetables - cucumbers, sweet peppers, carrots, pumpkin;
live insects;
raw chicken or quail egg - once a week.

Care should be taken to ensure that all products were fresh and warm (room temperature). After eating, all leftover food must be removed so that the hedgehog does not get poisoned by spoiled food.

Under no circumstances should hedgehogs be given:

garlic, onion;
citrus fruits, pineapple and all exotic fruits;
dried fruits, as they are difficult to digest;
grapes - can choke on the seeds;
nuts, seeds - may cause stomach upset;
milk;
fast food products.

It is a common myth that hedgehogs love milk. Milk is contraindicated for them, since their body does not digest lactose at all. The lifespan of hedgehogs is usually 5-6 years, but a hedgehog that drinks milk only has a lifespan of 1 year.

Most importantly, the hedgehog should always have fresh drinking water. It should be remembered that hedgehogs are predators and therefore should always eat food of animal origin, which is rich in proteins.

Where do hedgehogs live?

There are 23 species of representatives of this class in the world, they are distributed throughout the territory globe, and in Russia - almost everywhere. Hedgehogs do not live only in South America, Australia, Madagascar and Antarctica.

Their settlements can be found under the roots of the trees, in thorny bushes, in a pile of brushwood or in an abandoned rodent hole. Hedgehogs live individually and protect their ball areas. In such areas, hedgehogs build separate nests, which are lined inside with moss, dry leaves and grass.

Hedgehogs go out hunting at night, and during the day they go to sleep in a shelter, curled up in a ball. With the onset of winter cold - period: late September, early October to April, when the air temperature rises above +15 degrees, hedgehogs hibernate. Heart rate and breathing activity at this time their rate is greatly reduced. If the animal failed to summer period accumulate fat, then during hibernation he will certainly die of starvation.

In unfavorable years during hibernation up to 45% of adults die and up to 80% of young people eat. In nature, hedgehogs live from 3 to 7 years, and at home their life expectancy increases to 15 years.

Anyone who loves animals does not refuse to keep hedgehogs, especially since it is not difficult.

The hedgehog easily adapts to life next to a person and is very often kept as a pet. Even the Romans in the 4th century. BC e. They raised hedgehogs for meat; they baked them in clay along with needles. Hedgehog skins were widely used for leather.

The common hedgehog is useful in exterminating harmful insects and harmful in that eats chicks and eggs of birds that nest on the ground.

Also, this prickly animal can be a carrier of diseases such as salmonellosis, fever, rabies. On their skin they start in large quantities fleas and ticks. The study of ticks has proven that hedgehogs are fed by ticks in all phases of their development. The hedgehog is unable to get rid of ticks that have climbed between the needles.

The body length of a hedgehog is approximately 20-30 cm. The average weight of an adult individual reaches just under 1 kg.

Scientific classification:

Species: Common hedgehog

Genus: Eurasian hedgehogs

Family: Hedgehogs

Class: Mammals

Order: Insectivores

Type: Chordata

Kingdom: Animals

Domain: Eukaryotes

The upper part of the hedgehog's body is covered with spines. The needles are small - up to 3 cm in length. The hedgehog's needles themselves are hollow and filled with air inside. Needles grow at the same speed as hair. The hedgehog's belly and head are covered with fur. The paws have 5 toes with claws.

Where does the hedgehog live?

The common hedgehog is common in Central and Western Europe, in the south of Scandinavia, in Kazakhstan, in Russia, introduced to New Zealand. Hedgehogs can live in different areas, but will avoid swamps and heavily overgrown forests. They prefer to live near clearings and forest edges. They can live near human settlements.

What does a hedgehog eat?

The animal hedgehog is not very picky when it comes to food. It can eat both berries and fruits, and happily eats insects, worms, caterpillars, mice, slugs, numb reptiles and amphibians. It also feeds on eggs and chicks of small birds that nest on the ground.

Hedgehog lifestyle

Hedgehogs do not like to go far from their home. They live in nests that they make themselves in bushes, burrows, holes, covering their nest with grass, moss or leaves. During the daytime they stay in their nests or other shelters, and at night they go out hunting. Hedgehogs can run quite fast - up to 3 m/s; they can also jump and swim well.

In winter, hedgehogs hibernate. To do this, they need to gain a sufficient amount of fat over the summer, otherwise the hedgehog will not survive the winter. With the onset of frost, the hedgehog closes the entrance to its hole and hibernates. They usually sleep from October to April. The hedgehog will not go outside until the air temperature rises to 15 degrees Celsius.

Reproduction of hedgehogs

The mating season for hedgehogs begins immediately after hibernation. Male hedgehogs can fight for females. Having won the attention of the female, the hedgehog circles around her for hours. The anatomy of hedgehogs is designed in such a way that the hedgehog does not need to almost completely climb onto the female - it is simply located behind. The pregnancy of a female hedgehog lasts about 50 days. From 3 to 8 hedgehogs are born at a time. They are born blind, naked, pink and deaf. After some time, the first white needles appear.

The female hedgehog feeds her babies with milk for about a month. By the age of one year, hedgehogs reach sexual maturity. In total, hedgehogs live on average 3-5 years. And in captivity they can live up to 10 years.

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The common hedgehog is widespread throughout Eurasia, and with the development of Australia and New Zealand by Europeans, it moved to these regions.

Even children know that the back and sides of a hedgehog are covered with thorns, with the help of which the animal defends itself by curling up into a thorny ball.

Hedgehogs make their home in burrows and stay in them during the daytime. Usually the hedgehog goes hunting at night, but if there is no danger, he can walk during the day. Hedgehogs often do this when they take their babies out to sunbathe.
When going hunting, a hedgehog can navigate the forest well and always returns to its hole to rest.

The hedgehog hunts for bugs, caterpillars, snails, frogs, worms and mice. With the onset of autumn, the hedgehog leaves his burrow less and less, preparing to survive cold winter. At this time, the animal begins to insulate its home with leaves, blades of grass and moss. When the air temperature drops below ten degrees and the first frosts begin, the hedgehog seals the entrance to its abode and goes into hibernation. In this state, his body temperature drops and the hedgehog’s body’s need for nutrition decreases. In the spring, with the onset of warmth, the animal wakes up.

The washed animal is placed in a separate cage or spacious box lined with hay. A drinking bowl with water is also placed here, strengthened so that the water does not splash, and a feeder.

You can feed your hedgehog a wide variety of foods, from boiled meat and fish to nuts and apples. Hedgehogs love milk very much and eat milk porridge with pleasure.

When kept at home, the hedgehog does not hibernate, since it is maintained in the living room comfortable temperature. As in natural conditions, the hedgehog sleeps during the day, and at night he scurries around the rooms, clicking his claws on the floor.

It is worth knowing that while running freely around the rooms, the hedgehog manages to wrap all sorts of small debris around its paws, which can harm the hedgehog’s claws and lead to dire consequences.

With good care, the hedgehog will delight the household with its presence for many years. However, in any case, the best care will not replace the animal’s freedom.

A few more photos with hedgehogs:

Video film: Garden warrior. Secret life European hedgehog. From the cycle: “ secret life European animals."

These animals appeared on our planet more than 15 million years ago. They are found not only in forests. Some types of hedgehogs can even live in deserts. The famous cartoon “Hedgehog in the Fog” has been seen by many. Apparently, main character belongs to the common hedgehog species. It is familiar to the eyes of Russian residents. If the authors of the film had drawn a gymnur, most would hardly have guessed that it was a hedgehog.

Hedgehogs

A small mammal with an elongated, pointed, movable muzzle is general description hedgehog The species is diverse appearance and habitats. These animals include tenrecs and gymnurs, which do not have the usual spines. Moles and shrews are the closest “relatives” of hedgehogs. But porcupines, despite the similarity of protection, quills, do not belong to their “relatives”.

General signs characteristic of all representatives of hedgehogs:

body length - from 10 to 45 cm;
live weight - from 300 to 1500 grams;
tail length from 1 to 21 cm;
large wedge-shaped head;
zygomatic arches developed, widely set;
the shape of the skull can be narrow and elongated or short and wide;
eyes and ears are well developed;
number of nipples - from 2 to 5 pieces;
sweat glands are absent, there are small sebaceous, anal and specific plantar glands;
the teeth are sharp, small, the first incisors resemble fangs, usually there are 16 teeth on the lower jaw, 20 on the upper jaw, some species have a total of 44 teeth;
the front legs are shorter than the hind legs;
of the five available toes on the hind legs (only the white-bellied hedgehog has four), the middle ones are the longest, adapted for cleaning needles;
sparse thin hairs grow between the needles;
coat color varies from sandy-white to black-brown depending on the species;
when in danger they are able to curl up into a ball;
most have well-developed subcutaneous muscles;
have excellent hearing and smell, poor vision;
most species can swim;
even when fleeing from danger, the speed of movement does not exceed 4 km/h;
The average life expectancy in the wild is within 5 years, as pet can live up to 10;
main enemies: wolves, badgers, hyenas, martens, foxes, mongooses, honey badgers, eagles, owls, ferrets, jackals and other predators.

Needles

Almost all types of hedgehogs are covered with spines. This is their peculiar business card. The needles are modified hair. This degeneration is especially noticeable on the sides of the body. Very thin needles and strong bristly hair are clearly visible in this place.

The number of needles in adult individuals can reach 10,000. Their length does not exceed 3 cm. The needles themselves are very light and durable. They consist of many small air chambers separated by plates. On the skin, a thin, flexible neck emerges from the formation in the form of a ball. It gradually widens towards the base of the needle and narrows again towards its tip. This design guarantees the safety of the animal’s body in case of a fall from a height or any external pressure on the needles. The movable thin part bends, eliminating the possibility of the needle penetrating into the body. Their color is quite peculiar: the tip and base are white, the middle is black or brown.

Each needle has its own muscle that can bring it into a vertical position. At rest, the muscles are relaxed and the needle cover looks slightly smoothed. In case of danger, the hedgehog first raises its spines, waiting for the danger to pass. In this state, the needles stick out with sharp tips in different sides, creating continuous spiky armor. If the threat increases, the animal curls up into a solid needle-shaped ball.

Classification

The animals belong to the hedgehog family from the order of insectivores. There are several types of hedgehogs (photos and descriptions of some are given in the article below). The family itself includes 24 species, 10 genera and 2 subfamilies:

1. Real hedgehogs. Represented by four genera:

1) African include four species:

Algerian;
white-bellied;
Somali;
South African.

2) steppe include two types:

Daurian;
Chinese;

3) Eurasian include three types:

Amur;
Eastern European;
ordinary (European);

4) eared animals include six species:

apodal;
Indian;
collar;
dark needle;
Ethiopian
eared.

2. Hymnurs, or rat hedgehogs. These include five living genera and six more already extinct. It is difficult to say how many species of hedgehogs humanity will miss in the future, but a species such as the gymnur is already listed in the International Red Book. To the living births rat hedgehogs are included:

hymns;
small gymnuras;
Hainan hedgehogs;
shrews;
Filipino hymns.

Lifestyle

The hedgehog is a species of animal that lives in all European countries and is also found in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and New Zealand. Scientists are inclined to believe that not so long ago they lived in the territory North America. These animals have never been seen in South America, Antarctica, Australia and Madagascar. On the territory of Russia you can find the common, dark-spined, Daurian and long-eared hedgehogs.

In nature, animals prefer to settle under roots, in rock crevices, in bushes, in holes abandoned by rodents or dug themselves. The length of these burrows can reach one meter. Hedgehogs are nocturnal and solitary. They sleep during the day and hunt at night. They do not go far from their home.

All types of hedgehogs are predators. Their diet includes:

caterpillars;
beetles;
ground beetles;
earthworms;
snakes, including poisonous ones;
frogs;
mice;
woodlice;
spiders;
plant foods: acorns, cereals, wild berries, mushrooms, moss;
locusts;
scorpions;
slugs;
lizards;
bird eggs.

They may be tempted by carrion and food waste. Between April and October, the hedgehog must gain sufficient fat reserves to successfully survive hibernation.

Sexual maturity occurs by the end of the first year of life (in some species by two years). After awakening, the male goes to look for a mate. The mating season is possible when the air warms up to +18 °C. Fights over females can be quite fierce, but do not end in injury. After being pushed by shells and bitten in the legs and face, the weakest one gives in, leaving the battlefield. After mating, the male leaves his “girlfriend”.

IN northern regions Cubs are born once a year; southern populations can produce offspring twice during the year. The duration of pregnancy is 34-60 days. There are from 3 to 8 babies in one litter. Weight at birth is only 10-12 grams, they are hairless, blind, bright pink. 6 hours after birth, their first soft needles appear. After two weeks, the “spiny” cover is completely formed. For the first month, hedgehogs feed only on their mother's milk; towards autumn they begin to live independently.

Common hedgehog

This species is one of the most common in the world. The animal is a typical inhabitant of plains, parks and woodlands. Avoids damp and marshy places. Often found near human habitation, a frequent visitor to summer cottages. It eats everything it can get. The main criteria for the type of hedgehog:

body length - 20-30 cm;
tail length - up to 3 cm;
live weight - up to 800 grams;
color - from yellowish to dark brown;;
needle length - up to 3 cm.

The “personal” territory of males ranges from 7 to 40 hectares, while that of females is more modest - within 10 hectares. The onset of frost forces animals to tightly close the entrance to the hole and hibernate. At this time, the hedgehog’s body temperature drops to 1.8 °C. Animals sleep from October to April. In the spring, as soon as the air temperature warms up to +15 °C, they begin to emerge from the burrow. To survive the winter, the animal needs to gain up to 500 grams of fat.

Sexual maturity occurs at the age of one year. Pregnancy lasts up to 50 days, childbirth takes place from May to October. There can be up to 10 hedgehogs in a litter. They remain near their mother for up to one and a half months. Average duration life - up to 5 years.

African dwarf

Of all the species of hedgehogs (photos of mammals are in the text) of the African genus, the pygmy hedgehog is quite curious. Found in Mauritania, Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Senegal. Description:

body length - up to 22 cm;
tail length - up to 2.5 cm;
live weight - 350-700 grams;
color - brown or gray;
do not hibernate.

The eyes are medium-sized, the ears are round, females are slightly larger than males. It makes quiet squealing or snorting sounds, but in case of danger it can scream loudly. Animals of this species are kept as pets.

Eared

Out of six eared species There is only one hedgehog (photo below) in Russia - the dark-needle hedgehog. The animals are distinguished by long ears that grow up to 5 cm. Description:

body length - 12-27 cm;
live weight - up to 500 grams;
the length of the needles is within 2 cm.

Usually, “eared animals” choose flight as a defense rather than curling up into a ball. This species loves deserts, semi-deserts, and dry steppes. Prefers to settle near abandoned ditches or damp ravines. It feeds on insects, small vertebrates, berries, fruits, and seeds.

Gymnura

The common gymnura represents the subfamily of rat hedgehogs. Description:

body length - 26-45 cm;
live weight - 500-2000 grams;
tail length - 15-30 cm.

The sides and back are black, the neck, head and back of the tail are white. The tail is covered with scales and sparse hair. Gymnura has no needles. Inhabits wet tropical forests Southeast Asia. It feeds on small animals, fish, frogs, and fruits.