Where does a hedgehog live and what does it eat? A complete description of the common hedgehog and its way of life.

Hedgehogs are heroes of many fairy tales and cartoons; we all have known them since childhood. In the summer, when the sun is setting, these interesting animals can be found not only on the forest edge, but also on quiet village streets, in city parks, as well as in gardens, where they look for food - beetles, worms and other invertebrates.

Hedgehogs appeared on Earth more than 15 million years ago. Today they live in Western and Central Europe, the European part of Russia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, and Kazakhstan. They are also found on Far East and in Siberia. They prefer to live in deciduous forests, meadows and bushes. In the high herbaceous plants, in the roots of old trees they can hide from enemies (foxes, eagle owls, wild pigs, crows, badgers and ferrets). Avoid dense coniferous areas, mountainous and swampy areas.

Some species live in the dry steppes and deserts of Africa and the Middle East.

Types of hedgehogs

The hedgehog family (Erinaceidae) includes two subfamilies: Hedgehogs, or true hedgehogs (Erinaceinae), and gymnurs (Galericinae) (the so-called rat hedgehogs). Gymnurs, unlike the well-known real hedgehogs covered with needles, lack such “decoration”.

The subfamily True hedgehogs includes 15 species of hedgehogs in four genera:

Representatives of the African hedgehog genus:

1. Algerian;
2. White-bellied;
3. Somali;
4. South African.

The genus Steppe hedgehogs includes 2 species:

1. Daursky;
2. Chinese.

To the family Eurasian hedgehogs applies:

1. Eastern European;
2. Amursky;
3. Ordinary or European.

Genus Eared hedgehogs:

1. Apodal;
2. Indian;
3. Collared;
4. Dark needle;
5. Ethiopian;
6. Eared hedgehog.

In the fauna of Russia there are three species of these animals: the common (European hedgehog), the Daurian hedgehog and the long-eared hedgehog. The common hedgehog is the largest and most numerous species.

The long-eared hedgehog weighs almost half as much as an ordinary one. It lives up to its name: its ears are really longer. In Russia, it is distributed in the Lower Volga region, the North Caucasus, and Tuva. Read more about big-eared hedgehog can be found in the article.

Larger than the eared one, the spiny cover on the head is not divided by a “parting”, like in European hedgehog. Distributed in Transbaikalia. It differs from other species in that in cloudy weather it is also active during the daytime.

If you want to have a pet hedgehog

A species such as the African white-bellied hedgehog is much more suitable for keeping at home than the common (European) hedgehog. - a hybrid breed bred specifically for home care. It is significantly smaller than the European one that is familiar to us, does not emit a smell, is friendly and does not hibernate. In addition, male African white-bellied hedgehogs do not mark territory, and females have little estrus.

External features of hedgehogs

The body length is 14-30 cm, the tail is about 3 cm. The size of the hedgehog depends on whether the animal is of African or European origin. African hedgehogs they grow up to a maximum of 24 cm, European ones are larger - up to 30 cm. They weigh from 0.7 to 1.2 kg. The weight of the animals depends on the season: in autumn they are the most well-fed.

The color of hedgehogs may vary slightly. The upper part is usually dark Brown with light needle tips, but can be black or whitish-gray. The abdomen, depending on the species, is brown, gray or black, often with a white spot on the chest. The head and abdomen are covered with thick, coarse hair, which allows hedgehogs to avoid pricking themselves with needles when curled up into a ball. Paws with sharp claws; the hind ones are slightly longer than the front ones. Each paw has 5 toes.

Hedgehogs have an elongated, movable muzzle, round black eyes and small round ears. The fur on the face varies from yellowish-white to dark brown. The sharp nose of hedgehogs, like the nose of dogs, is constantly wet.

Most of the animals' bodies are covered with needles up to three centimeters long. The needles serve the animals as good protection from most enemies: curled up into a prickly ball, the hedgehog becomes practically invulnerable to predators. There is a stripe on the middle part of the head that is not covered with quills or hair.

Hedgehog quills

Needles - " business card» hedgehogs, they cover their backs and top part sides of the animal. Adult hedgehogs have more than 5,000 spines. The needles are modified hair. On the sides of the animal you can see very thin needles and thick bristly hairs, demonstrating the development of one from the other.

Hedgehog needles are light and durable, each with many small air chambers separated from each other by thin plates. Closer to the base, the needles narrow to a thin flexible neck, and then expand again to a small ball sitting in the skin. Such a device ensures that any external load on the needles (for example, an impact from a fall) leads to bending of their thin moving part, and not to the insertion of the base of the needles into the body of the hedgehog. Associated with the base of each needle is a small muscle that brings it into vertical position. Usually these muscles are relaxed and the needles are smoothed. When there is danger, the hedgehog does not immediately curl up into a ball; at first, it simply raises its needles and waits for the threat to pass. Raised needles with sharp tips stick out in different directions at different angles, crossing each other, creating an almost impenetrable armor.

How does a hedgehog curl up into a ball?

Everyone knows the ability of hedgehogs to curl up into a prickly ball. But how do they do it? The thing is that under the skin they have powerful muscles, which are more developed on the sides than in the center of the back, forming a closed ring - the circular muscle. When orbicularis muscle contracts, it acts like a cord tightening the opening of a bag. When the hedgehog begins to curl up, two small muscles first push the skin with the needle cover and the underlying circular muscle over the muzzle and sides, then the circular muscle contracts, the head and back are pressed against each other with force, and the needles tightly cover the unprotected areas of the body. This device is very effective for protection against foxes, dogs, raccoons, and birds of prey.

What do hedgehogs eat in the wild?

The common hedgehog is an omnivore. Its diet mainly consists of insects, earthworms, snails, slugs, frogs, voles. Sometimes it can eat an amphibian or reptile. In addition, hedgehogs don’t mind having a snack and plant foods: fruits, berries, acorns. If you're lucky, the hedgehog will happily feast on the eggs and chicks of small birds nesting on the ground.

Hedgehogs have poor eyesight. They rely primarily on their senses of smell and hearing to interact with the outside world. The big-eared hedgehog has particularly sensitive hearing: it perceives high-frequency sounds up to 45 kHz, while humans hear only up to 18-20 kHz. This feature helps hedgehogs find invertebrates underground.

Hedgehogs and snakes

Many have heard about the amazing property of hedgehogs - resistance to snake venom. However, this ability, unlike mongooses, is not absolute (hedgehogs are only partially resistant to poison) and varies among different individuals. The antihemorrhagic substance erinacin, a protein secreted by the muscles of the animal, protects against hedgehog venom. This substance prevents the hemorrhagic and proteolytic activity of the poison. Erinacin, coupled with a protective, spiny cover, allows hedgehogs to attack snakes and, if the fight is successful, eat them, but this does not happen often.

Hedgehog lifestyle

The hedgehog is a nocturnal animal. During the day, he sleeps in some kind of shelter or nest, which he makes in bushes, holes, piles of brushwood, under the roots of old trees, in abandoned holes and other secluded places, and at dusk he goes out hunting.

These prickly little animals by nature are homebodies and loners, but they settle close to each other, while trying not to intersect. Males are aggressive towards other males of their species and vigilantly guard their territory from the invasion of competitors.

As cold weather approaches, hedgehogs collect dry leaves and grass and drag them into their nest, trying to properly insulate it. In October, when frost sets in, ordinary hedgehogs close the entrance to the shelter and fall into deep torpor - hibernation. During the summer, the animal needs to gain a sufficient supply of fat (at least 0.5 kg), otherwise in winter it may die of hunger. During hibernation, all life processes slow down: the animal’s body temperature drops from 33.7 to 1.8 ° C, the pulse rate decreases from 180 beats per minute to 20-60, the hedgehog takes only one breath per minute. Hibernation usually lasts until April. When the air temperature reaches +15° C and stable warm weather, the hedgehog comes out of the nest.

Reproduction

Having regained strength after hibernation, the hedgehog goes in search of a “bride”.

Males often engage in fierce fights over females. Opponents push each other with their spiky shells, bite each other on the face and legs, but do not cause injury. After some time, the weaker opponent retreats, and the winner, with renewed energy, begins to court his chosen one, circling around her for hours, puffing and snorting. Such efforts cannot go unnoticed.

After mating, the animals scatter about their usual business. Shortly before giving birth (and the pregnancy lasts 49 days), the hedgehog begins to prepare a nest for the offspring. Usually between three and eight hedgehogs are born. They are born completely helpless, naked and blind. Newborn skin hot pink color, and body weight is only 12 grams. The needles of newborn hedgehogs are located under the skin, but already 6 hours after birth the first soft needles become visible. By the fifteenth day of life, the needle cover is completely formed. The female takes her parental responsibilities responsibly: in case of any danger, she takes her children with her mouth and carries them to a new shelter. Hedgehogs grow quickly. For a month they are fed with nutritious mother's milk, and by autumn their independent life. They reach sexual maturity at 10-12 months.

Conservation in nature

In the last two decades, the number of common hedgehogs has been noticeably declining. The main reason is the separation of their habitats as a result of human activity, which leads to the division of large populations into many small ones that are not connected with each other. According to research, hedgehog populations living just 15 km from each other have different genetic compositions, indicating rare exchange between populations.

Another significant reason for the disappearance of hedgehogs is their high mortality rate on roads, where the defensive strategy, so effective against predators, dooms them to death under the wheels of cars.

The hedgehogs' habitat is constantly being destroyed by humans: the animals are killed by insect control drugs, solid fences, barriers, and chain-link meshes that impede their movement in gardens.

It’s worth thinking about: hedgehogs are one of the oldest animals on earth, they survived glacial period, and the reduction in their numbers is an alarming sign for humanity.

We know very little about the time of the appearance of the first domestic animals; there is practically no confirmed information about them. There are no legends or chronicles preserved about that period of human life when we were able to tame wild animals. It is believed that already in the Stone Age, ancient people had domesticated animals, the ancestors of today's domestic animals. The time when man got modern domestic animals remains unknown to science, and the formation of today's domestic animals as a species is also unknown.

Scientists assume that every domestic animal has its wild ancestor. Proof of this is archaeological excavations carried out on the ruins of ancient human settlements. During excavations, bones belonging to domestic animals were found ancient world. So it can be argued that even in such a distant era of human life, domesticated animals accompanied us. Today there are species of domestic animals that are no longer found in the wild.

Many of today's wild animals are feral animals caused by humans. For example, let's take America or Australia as clear evidence of this theory. Almost all domestic animals were brought to these continents from Europe. These animals have found fertile soil for life and development. An example of this is hares or rabbits in Australia. Due to the fact that there are no natural predators dangerous for this species on this continent, they multiplied in huge numbers and went wild. Since all rabbits were domesticated and brought by Europeans for their needs. Therefore, we can say with confidence that more than half of wild domesticated animals are former domestic animals. For example, wild city cats and dogs.

Be that as it may, the question of the origin of domestic animals should be considered open. As for our pets. The first confirmations in chronicles and legends we meet are a dog and a cat. In Egypt, the cat was a sacred animal, and dogs were actively used by humanity in the ancient era. There is plenty of evidence for this. In Europe, the cat appeared in large numbers after the Crusade, but firmly and quickly occupied a niche pet and a mouse hunter. Before them, Europeans used various animals to catch mice, such as weasels or genets.

Domestic animals are divided into two unequal species.

The first type of domestic animal is farm animals that directly benefit humans. Meat, wool, fur and many others useful things, goods, and are also used by us for food. But they do not live directly in the same room with a person.

The second type is pet animals (companions), which we see every day in our houses or apartments. They brighten up our leisure time, entertain us and give us pleasure. And most of them are almost useless for practical purposes. modern world, for example, hamsters, Guinea pigs, parrots and many others.

Animals of the same species can often belong to both species, both farm animals and pets. A prime example of this is that rabbits and ferrets are kept at home as pets, but are also bred for their meat and fur. Also, some waste from pets can be used, for example, the hair of cats and dogs for knitting various items or as insulation. For example, belts made of dog hair.

Many doctors note the positive impact of pets on human health and well-being. We can notice that many families who keep animals at home note that these animals create comfort, calm, and relieve stress.

This encyclopedia was created by us to help pet lovers. We hope that our encyclopedia will help you in choosing a pet and caring for it.

If you have interesting observations of your pet’s behavior or would like to share information about some pet. Or you have a nursery, veterinary clinic, or animal hotel near your home, write to us about them at , so that we can add this information to the database on our website.

The common hedgehog or European hedgehog is an animal from the Hedgehog family, which is a representative of the order Insectivores. The common hedgehog has been familiar to us since childhood. The pages of children's books introduced us to this sweet and kind animal. In this article you will find a description and photo of the common hedgehog and learn a lot about this brave little guy.

An ordinary hedgehog looks quite small, because its size is small. This prickly animal has a body length of 20-30 cm and a very short tail of 3 cm, which is invisible under its fur coat. The body weight of the common hedgehog is 700-800 g. Females are slightly more males to size.

The hedgehog looks funny. It has small ears, the length of which is 3 cm. The European hedgehog has a large head with an elongated muzzle, on which there are small, beady black eyes. One of the features of what a hedgehog looks like is its sharp and always moist black nose.

But, despite such a cute and funny appearance, the common hedgehog can boast of having small but sharp teeth. He has 20 of them on his upper jaw, and 16 on his lower jaw. The European hedgehog also has sharp claws on its paws. Each of its paws contains 5 fingers. The hind limbs of the hedgehog are slightly longer than the front ones.

And of course, the most important thing hallmark The hedgehog's spines are its quills. Thanks to them, the hedgehog doesn't look so harmless. Surely everyone has wondered, how many spines does a hedgehog have? So, usually an adult hedgehog has 5-6 thousand spines. Young hedgehogs have about 3 thousand spines.

The common hedgehog has short spines, no more than 3 cm long. The hedgehog's spines have a smooth surface, are empty inside and filled with air. They are brown in color with dark and light transverse stripes. Due to this coloring of its prickly coat, the hedgehog looks quite inconspicuous.

The hedgehog spines on the head and sides are shorter in length and amount to 2 cm. Between the spines there are very sparse and Thin hair. The head and belly of the hedgehog are covered with coarse and dark hair.

The paws, muzzle and belly of European hedgehogs range in color from whitish-yellow to deep dark brown. The chest and throat of the hedgehog have a uniform color, without different white spots.

Where does the hedgehog live and how?

The common hedgehog lives in Western and Central Europe, the British Isles, southern Scandinavia, northwestern European Russia, Western Siberia and Kazakhstan. The common hedgehog also lives in New Zealand, where it was introduced. This insectivorous animal is most widespread in Europe, Western Siberia, northwestern Kazakhstan, Asia Minor, Amur region, northern and northeastern China.

Hedgehog lives in different places, but avoids large swamps and thick coniferous forests. The hedgehog lives preferring forest edges, copses and small clearings. In Europe common hedgehog can be found in mixed forests, bushes and grassy plains. Also, a hedgehog often lives next to a person. Therefore, finding a hedgehog in a city park or in a country house is a common occurrence.

Hedgehogs live by being active at night. During the day, hedgehogs live in their nests, where they can rest comfortably. Hedgehogs make their nests in bushes, holes, tree roots or empty rodent burrows.

Typically, a European hedgehog's nest is 15-20 cm in diameter and has a flooring of dry grass, leaves and moss. In such a nest the hedgehog sleeps and can take care of itself. With the help of their paws, hedgehogs take care of their prickly fur coat, and they lick their chest and belly with their tongue.

Also, hedgehogs each live in their own area, where they wander in search of food. During the night, the common hedgehog runs up to 3 km. Males show aggression among themselves and protect their territory. They snort noisily and make different sounds, similar to sneezing.

The area of ​​the site for males is 7-39 hectares, and for smaller females it is 6-10 hectares. Even though hedgehogs have a prickly coat, they also shed. In ordinary hedgehogs this usually occurs in spring or autumn. This process is very long and slow. Each new needle grows 12-18 months.

The small size of the common hedgehog does not prevent it from being quite nimble. These animals can run at speeds of up to 3 m/s, and they are also excellent swimmers and jumpers. Hedgehogs have poor eyesight, but they have a very keen sense of smell and sensitive hearing.

In the summer, the hedgehog prepares for winter and accumulates fat reserves for the winter. In addition to his usual weight, he also gains 500 g of fat, because in winter the hedgehog hibernates. Hedgehogs spend the winter in their burrows. When frosts come, European hedgehogs hibernate, tightly closing the entrance to their burrow. Hibernation usually lasts from October to April.

During hibernation, a hedgehog's body temperature drops to 2 °C. Over the summer, the hedgehog must gain as much fat as possible, because if it hibernates without the necessary supply of fat, it may die of starvation in the winter.

After hibernation, this insectivorous animal does not immediately leave the nest, but waits until the air temperature rises to 15 °C. Common hedgehogs live alone, but settle close to each other. Adults avoid close contact with each other, with the exception of mating season. How many years do hedgehogs live? In nature, hedgehogs live 3-5 years, but the life expectancy of a hedgehog in captivity can reach 8-10 years.

Why do I eat needles? Everyone is familiar with the ability of hedgehogs to curl up into a prickly ball if danger threatens. This beast may be in this state long time until the threat passes. The hedgehog's spines form a strong armor. Therefore, the hedgehog needs needles for protection.

The hedgehog is a peace-loving creature, but it has plenty of enemies in nature. Wolves, foxes, eagle owls and other predators threaten the life of the hedgehog. Having met a predator, the hedgehog first jumps on it to prick it, and then curls up into a ball. Having pricked its paws and muzzle, the predator loses interest and retreats.

But the enemies are cunning and are able to deceive the simple-minded hedgehog. Especially those that feed on hedgehogs. The eagle owl attacks unexpectedly and silently, trying to take the hedgehog by surprise. The bird's paws are protected by thick skin from the hedgehog's prickly needles. The fox drives the hedgehog to the water or throws it from a hill. In such situations, the hedgehog opens its abdomen and muzzle, becoming vulnerable to predators.

But in a duel between a European hedgehog and a snake, the prickly and fearless daredevil becomes the winner. The animal grabs the snake and curls up into a ball, gradually wrapping it around itself. After all, he is insensitive to many poisons.

The common hedgehog is an insectivorous animal. But the hedgehog's diet is not limited to insects. Hedgehogs mainly feed on a wide variety of insects, caterpillars, beetles, slugs, earthworms and also mice. It is quite rare for hedgehogs to get mice and voles.

Hedgehogs also eat eggs or chicks small birds that make nests on the ground. Sometimes in nature, hedgehogs feed on reptiles and amphibians. Hedgehogs also eat berries and fruits. Therefore, we can safely say that the hedgehog is an omnivore. The only thing a hedgehog cannot eat is dairy products, as a hedgehog cannot digest lactose.

In exceptional cases, the hedgehog even eats a viper. After all, hedgehogs are immune to snake venom and more. A highly toxic poison found in other animals, this insectivorous mammal It does not work.

European hedgehogs are also weakly affected by poisons such as arsenic, opium and even hydrocyanic acid. However, large doses of poisons are fatal to hedgehogs. But doses that kill other animals, as well as humans, do not harm hedgehogs.

After hibernation, hedgehogs begin mating season. Hedgehogs become capable of reproducing at the age of 10-12 months. Males often fight for females. They bite each other's paws and snouts, push each other and stab each other with quills in battle. In a fight, hedgehogs snort and sniff loudly.

After the battle, the winner tries to impress the female and circles around her for hours, attracting attention. Hedgehogs do not form pairs and the female takes care of the young on her own. As a den, the hedgehog digs a hole or occupies empty rodent holes. A flooring of dry grass and leaves is arranged in the hole.

The female European hedgehog gives birth to offspring once a year. Pregnancy lasts a little more than 1.5 months. Usually 3-8 baby hedgehogs are born, but most often 4. Baby hedgehogs are born blind, and their bright pink skin has no spines or fur. The body weight of a baby hedgehog is only 12 grams.

In just a couple of hours from the moment of birth, hedgehogs develop soft spines that harden within 2 days. A baby hedgehog acquires a fully formed quill cover by the 15th day of life. At the same time, the baby hedgehog opens its eyes and begins to learn to curl up into a ball.

The female is with the babies in her den. If someone discovers the nest, the mother takes the hedgehogs to another place. Milk feeding lasts 1 month. When the feeding period ends, the hedgehogs learn to live independently. Already at 2 months they become much more mature, but they finally leave their native den in the fall.

How dangerous is a hedgehog and what is its benefit?

Let's figure out the harm and benefit of hedgehogs. Hedgehogs are useful in killing harmful insects. Hedgehogs eat insects such as chafers, nun caterpillars and gypsy moths. They also exterminate mice and voles. And where hedgehogs appeared, snakes and rats go away. Therefore, in the garden the hedgehog is a faithful assistant.

The harm of a hedgehog is that it can be a real pest, destroying bird nests. And this applies not only wildlife. If you have chickens at your dacha, then hedgehogs pose a threat to them.

But most of all, the hedgehog is dangerous because it can be a carrier of various diseases, especially rabies, salmonellosis, dermatomycosis, yellow fever and others. There are also a lot of ticks and fleas on hedgehogs. In addition, hedgehogs are among the hosts of ixodid ticks.

In the forest, hedgehogs collect ticks on themselves more than any other animal. After all, the prickly cover of a hedgehog, like a brush, collects ticks from the grass. The hedgehog is not able to get rid of ticks that have climbed between the needles. If you have animals at your dacha, this poses a danger to them first of all.

There is a huge misconception that hedgehogs can be kept at home. But hedgehogs are wild nocturnal animals, they are noisy and cannot be trained. Therefore, it is not recommended to keep hedgehogs as pets.

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A hedgehog is an animal that belongs to the phylum Chordata, class Mammals, order Urchiniformes, family Urchinaceae (lat. Erinaceidae).

The origin of the Russian word “hedgehog” has not yet been fully studied. According to one version, the hedgehog got its name from the Greek “echinos”, which means “snake eater”. Supporters of another version see in the word “hedgehog” the Indo-European root “eg`h”, meaning “to prick”.

• Daurian hedgehog(lat. Mesechinus dauuricus)

Belongs to the genus steppe hedgehogs and differs from most of its relatives in the absence of a strip of bare skin separating the needles of the head into a parting. The hedgehog's spines are short, sandy or brown in color, the fur is coarse, gray or dark brown.

This species of hedgehog is a typical inhabitant of forest-steppes and steppe areas from Transbaikalia to Mongolia and northern China. Hedgehogs feed on beetles, small mammals (pikas), chicks and eggs of birds, cotoneaster and rose hip berries.

• Ordinary gymnura(lat. Echinosorex gymnura)

Belongs to the subfamily of rat hedgehogs. Gymnura grows in length from 26 to 45 cm with a body weight from 500 g to 2 kg. The hedgehog's tail, covered with sparse hairs and scales, reaches 17-30 cm in length, and its back part is colored White color. The back and sides are black, the hedgehog's head and neck are white.

Gymnura inhabits wet rainforests southeast Asia from Malacca to Borneo. It feeds on invertebrates and small vertebrates, crustaceans, frogs, toads, fish, and fruits.

• Small hymnura (lat. Hylomys suillus)

The smallest in the family. The length of its body does not exceed 10-14 cm. The tail reaches 2.5 cm. The weight of the animal is 45-80 grams.

The animal lives in mountainous areas and on hills in countries South-East Asia(Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China). Lesser gymnura eat insects and worms.

Answer from Neurologist[guru]
until they die

Answer from Punitive psychiatry[guru]
On average - four years...
They're so cute it's almost unbelievable. I’ve caught so many of them and I can’t stop admiring their glorious little faces.

Answer from Wit[newbie]
The common hedgehog is an animal that is active at night. Doesn't like to leave his home for a long time. Hedgehogs spend the day in a nest or other shelters. Nests are built in bushes, holes, caves, abandoned rodent burrows or in tree roots. Usually the nest occupies a diameter of 15-20 cm, it contains a litter of dry grass or leaves, moss. Hedgehogs use their long middle toes to groom their spines. Animals lick their breasts with their tongues. Males are aggressive towards each other and jealously guard their areas. The area of ​​such areas is 7-39 hectares for males, and 6-10 hectares for females. Shedding in ordinary hedgehogs occurs slowly, usually in spring or autumn. On average, only one needle out of three changes per year. Each needle grows for 12-18 months. In nature, these animals live 3-5 years, in captivity they can live up to 8-10 years.

Answer from Tatyana Tavrel[expert]
3-5 years...

Answer from Sasha Yablonskikh[newbie]
hedgehogs live in the wild for 4-5 years, in captivity for 10 years

Answer from Marina V[guru]
In nature, these animals live 3-5 years, in captivity they can live up to 8-10 years.

Answer from Violetta Bubnova[newbie]
4-5 years (in nature)

Answer from Yergey Zhitnov[newbie]
Hedgehogs in the wild live up to 4-5 years, in captivity 10 years.
Veterinarians recommend not keeping a hedgehog at home, as this animal behaves night image life, emits an unpleasant odor, and is difficult to feed. So it is most likely that after keeping such an inconvenient animal at home for a short time, you will decide to get rid of it and return it to nature. The hedgehog can be kept in a metal cage with a nesting house - a box with sawdust. But then the hedgehog is not interesting to watch. If you keep a hedgehog in a room on the floor, it will get dirty everywhere. During the day the hedgehog sleeps in a secluded corner, but at night it makes a lot of noise and interferes with sleep. In addition, the hedgehog easily crawls into small cracks and holes where it can get stuck and die (for example, in a radiator or in a boot) and will jump without hesitation from a table, window sill or balcony if it ends up on them.
Sometimes a hedgehog will eat fruit in very small quantities, but the real food for a hedgehog is animal products. In nature, hedgehogs feed on insects, frogs, voles, eggs and chicks, and snakes. At home, he can be given meat (not cutlets, sausage or frankfurters), insects, worms, eggs, dairy products and water. At the same time, hedgehogs are voracious, eating up to 200 grams of food per day. In winter, hedgehogs must sleep; this requires a cool room and accumulated fat reserves. If a hedgehog has not eaten enough food for the winter, it will not survive until spring. If a hedgehog is forced to be active in winter, this will have a very bad effect on his well-being.