What Does My Hedgehog's Behavior Mean?

Is your hedgehog losing quills?

Do you have a juvenile hedgehog?

Is your hedgehog rolling into a tight ball?

Is your hedgehog digging a den?

Does your hedgehog makes sniffing sounds?

Is your hedgehog more active during the night?

Have you observed your hedgehog licking something just before licking his quills?

Does your hedgehog exhibit wobbly walking and a lessened appetite?

Young hedgehogs shed their baby quills, which are replaced with adult ones. Be extra careful and extra gentle when handling your young hedgehog while molting.

When under extreme stress or when ill, adult hedgehogs can lose quills. If your adult hedgehog is losing quills you should consult with your veterinarian.

Hedgehog's defense stance takes the form of rolling into a tight ball when they perceive a threat. This posture points their quills outward, thereby making them more effective in warding off whoever or whatever is intruding on their space.

In the wild, hedgehogs seek the cover of rocks and bushes or dig themselves a shelter in the ground. In the home environment, your hedgehog will appreciate a digging area, such as a box filled with diggable material like strips of newspaper or fleece.

Sniffing sound is a normal vocalization hedgehog makes while exploring. An unhappy hedgehog, on the other hand, will show his disdain with a hiss or a clicking sound.

Hedgehogs are naturally nocturnal, so they tend to be sleepy during the day and active in the evening hours.

A hedgehog that finds an exciting new scent will lick at it until he develops what is best described as a scented froth in his mouth. He then applies this froth to his quills with his tongue, thereby “anointing” himself with the newly acquired scent.

A temperature below 68 degrees Fahrenheit is said to be enough to send a hedgehog into hibernation mode, which can present as wobbly walking and a lessened appetite. Hibernation can cause pneumonia or other health issues for a pet hedgehog, so keep his room temperature between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hedgehogs tend to have a habit of sticking their heads into tubes like toilet paper rolls and containers like yogurt cups, and getting them stuck on their heads.