Introducing adopted animal - The Hedgehog

Name: BUBU

Species: Hedgehog (family of Erinaceidae)

Age: 9 months

Gender: Female

Weight: 300 g

Behaviour: Active

Anatomy of the animal

A hedgehog is well known with its dorsum covered in a dense coat of keratin spines. Each spine has a basal bulb attached to it, within which it contains a follicle. Whenever a hedgehog is frightened, it will raise the spines and crouch, by contracting the panniculus muscle which enables the hedgehog to hide its head, belly, feet and legs in a coat of erect spines. Hedgehogs are born with sensitive olfaction and hearing, whereas their sense of vision is weak. 

Hedgehogs have brachydont teeth, which the first incisor in each quadrant is large and projects forward, and there is a gap between the maxillary first incisors. It has a simple stomach and a vomiting reflex is present. A hedgehog is born with closed eyes and ears, the spines are covered by a membrane which will remove within the first few hours of life.

Hedgehogs in the wild usually climb trees to find insects and food to eat. Sometimes, they tend to fall out from trees. To keep their bodies safe, they will roll into a ball shape and raise their spines to absorb the impact. They have a foam-like structure down the center of spines and quills which supports the thin outer walls against local buckling. This allows the structure to bend further without failing and acts as a shock-absorber.

Basically, hedgehogs sense danger by hearing and smelling. They can detect sound from quite a distance. While, they are extremely sensitive with the high pitch sound, which they will raise their spines when they heard it.  

Fun Facts

1. Hedgehogs mating are unique, as the male hedgehog will approach to the female hedgehog and do some wooing attempts such as close circling and rhythmic snorting, snuffling and puffing. If the female hedgehog accepts, she will lay her quills down, belly placed flatten to the floor, and noise pointing upwards. Then, the male hedgehog will mount and mates with her from behind, gripping the spines with his teeth. 

2. Hedgehogs also demonstrate a unique behaviour called self-anointing or anting. When they smell a substance with a strong odour, it will take the material into its mouths, mixes with its saliva and then applies the mixture to its spines with its tongue. However, the purpose of this behaviour is unknown. I personal believed that this behaviour is their instinct to protect themselves from predator, by hiding their body odour with the substance’s odour.   

3. Hedgehogs are not typically biters. They usually curl up into a ball as a defense mechanism. If they were to bite, they usually nip if they do not recognize your scent. Some hedgehogs are also provoked by waking them up too early or by trimming their nails.

4. Hedgehogs are primarily nocturnal. However, they can adapt to normal life if they are trained to adjust to a normal lifestyle. 

5. Hedgehogs can suffer many similar diseases to humans, including cancer, fatty liver disease and cardiovascular diseases.