Since childhood, every child knows a hedgehog from a cartoon character, where he stocks up on apples and mushrooms for the winter. In fact, hedgehogs do not make any preparations for the winter. How in wild nature, and at home, they accumulate fat from spring to autumn in order to overwinter. 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, China. They eat a wide variety of food, it all depends on their habitat.

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

Hedgehog food in nature

First of all, hedgehogs are insectivorous animals. In nature, they eat:

  • 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 eat eggs or chicks, but they can catch more active animals. In addition to all living creatures, hedgehogs like to eat fruits and berries.

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

What does a hedgehog eat at home?

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

List of foods that you can feed a 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, pumpkins;
  • live insects;
  • raw chicken or quail egg - once a week.

It should be ensured that all food was fresh and warm(room temperature). After eating, all leftover food must be removed so that the hedgehog does not get poisoned by spoiled foods.

In no case should you give hedgehogs:

  • garlic, onion;
  • citrus fruits, pineapple and all exotic fruits;
  • dried fruits, as they are poorly digested;
  • grapes - can choke on the seeds;
  • nuts, seeds - can cause indigestion;
  • milk;
  • fast food products.

The fact that hedgehogs love milk is a common myth. Milk is contraindicated for them because their body does not absorb lactose at all. The life expectancy of hedgehogs is usually 5-6 years, while a milk-drinking hedgehog has only 1 year.

Most importantly, the hedgehog should always have fresh food. 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. the globe, and in Russia - almost everywhere. Hedgehogs do not live only in South America, Australia, Madagascar and Antarctica.

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

Hedgehogs go 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 - the period: the end of September, the beginning of October to April, when the air temperature rises above +15 degrees, hedgehogs hibernate. The heart rate and respiratory activity at this time are greatly reduced. If the animal failed for summer period accumulate fat, then during hibernation he will surely die of starvation.

In unfavorable years during hibernation up to 45% of adults die and up to 80% of young hedgehogs. 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 very often it is kept as a pet. Even the Romans in the IV century. BC e. they grew hedgehogs for meat, they baked it in clay along with needles. Hedgehog skins were widely used for leather dressing.

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

Also, this prickly animal can be a carrier of such diseases as: salmonellosis, fever, rabies. On their skin they start up in in large numbers fleas and ticks. The study of ticks proved that ticks feed on hedgehogs in all phases of their development. From ticks that have climbed between the needles, the hedgehog is not able to get rid of.

The body length of the hedgehog is approximately 20-30 cm. The average weight of an adult is slightly less than 1 kg.

Scientific classification:

Species: Common hedgehog

Genus: Eurasian hedgehogs

Family: Hedgehogs

Class: Mammals

Order: Insectivores

Type: Chordates

Kingdom: Animals

Domain: Eukaryotes

The upper part of the hedgehog's body is covered with spines. The needles are small - they reach a size of up to 3 cm in length. The hedgehog's needles themselves are hollow and filled with air inside. Needles grow at the same rate as hair. The belly and head of the hedgehog are covered with wool. On the paws there are 5 fingers with claws.

Where does the hedgehog live?

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

What does a hedgehog eat?

Animal hedgehog in food is not very picky. He can eat both berries and fruits, and with pleasure uses 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 themselves make in bushes, burrows, pits, covering their nest with grass, moss or leaves. During the daytime, they are in their nests or other shelters, and at night they come out to hunt. Hedgehogs can run pretty fast - up to 3 m / s, they can also jump and swim well.

In winter, hedgehogs hibernate. To do this, they need to gain enough fat over the summer, otherwise the hedgehog will not survive the winter. With the onset of frost, the hedgehog closes the entrance to the 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.

hedgehog breeding

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 arranged in such a way that the hedgehog does not need to climb almost completely on the female - he just sits behind. The pregnancy of a female hedgehog lasts about 50 days. Born at one time from 3 to 8 hedgehogs. They are born blind, naked, pink and deaf. After a while, the first white needles appear.

The female hedgehog feeds her babies with milk for about a month. By the year, hedgehogs have already reached puberty. In total, hedgehogs live an average of 3-5 years. In captivity, they can live up to 10 years.

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Titles: hedgehog, common hedgehog, western european hedgehog, european hedgehog.

Area: Ireland, Britain, Western Europe, Southern Scandinavia, Russia, Caucasus, Transcaucasia. The common hedgehog was introduced to New Zealand. In the Alps it occurs up to 2000 m above sea level (in the zone of dwarf pines).

Description: the muzzle of the hedgehog is elongated, mobile. The nose is sharp and constantly moist. The eyes are round black, the ears are small, rounded. Common hedgehogs living in Cyprus have larger ears. There are 20 small sharp teeth on the upper jaw, 16 on the lower jaw. The upper incisors are widely spaced, leaving room for bite by the lower incisors. On the middle part of the head there is a strip of bare skin, devoid of hair and needles. The head, back and sides are covered with needles 2 cm long. The needles are hollow inside, filled with air. Needles grow in the same way as hair. In an adult hedgehog 5-6 thousand needles, the young has about 3 thousand. Thick, stiff hair grows on the head and belly. There are five fingers on the paws, the claws are sharp. The hind limbs are longer than the front ones. Males are larger than females. Hearing up to 45,000 Hz.
The nasal part of the skull anterior to the third incisor narrows little or not at all. Articular process without notch or with barely noticeable indentation. The body of the main occipital bone does not taper in the anterior part and has a trapezoid shape.

Color: the fur on the muzzle, legs, and belly is yellowish-white to dark brown. Brownish needles, with dark transverse stripes. The chest and throat of the hedgehog are solid, without white spots. In southern Spain, the color is very pale.

Size: body length 23-31 cm, tail 23-37 mm, hind foot 34-47 mm, ear 23-35 mm.

Weight: depends on the season - 700-1200 gr. (in spring about 400, in autumn - 1200).

Lifespan: in nature, an ordinary hedgehog lives up to 3-5 years, in captivity up to 8-10 years.

Feeding features: omnivorous, eats everything that comes in its way: insects and their larvae (including poisonous ones), earthworms, wood lice, centipedes, snails, bugs, bees and wasps, beetles, fallen fruits, mice, rats, lizards, frogs, snakes, chicks, carrion, bird eggs, acorns, berries, ground beetles, nodule, earwigs, mushrooms, beech nuts, carrots. Hunting, during the night can go up to 3 km. It is very gluttonous - during the night it can eat food, which is equal to 1/3 of its own weight.

Behavior: The common hedgehog is active at night and at dusk. Homebody. Spends the day in the nest or other shelters. Sleeps, curled up in a loose ball. Nests are arranged in bushes, pits, caves, abandoned rodent burrows, under tree roots. Nest with a diameter of 15-20 cm, litter of dry grass and leaves, moss. Cares for thorns with long middle toes. Breast licks with tongue. Males are aggressive towards each other, jealously guarding their individual sites. The area of ​​individual plots for males is 7-39 ha, for females 6-10 ha. Shedding is slow, on average one needle out of three changes per year (mainly in spring and autumn). Each needle grows 12-18 months. He is well oriented during long-distance movements. Runs at a speed of up to three m / s, jumps, swims and climbs well. When walking and running, he steps on the ground with the whole foot. It has a keen sense of smell and hearing, poor eyesight. It is susceptible to odors. IN summer time pulse rate 180 heartbeats per minute, during hibernation 20-60 beats and one breath per minute.
With the onset of frost (below 10 "C), it tightly closes the entrance to the hole and hibernates. For the winter, it arranges a ground nest under the roots of trees, under heaps of deadwood, in spaces under old stumps and in other shelters. The nest is large, built from dry grass, leaves and various soft plant remains.There have been cases when a hedgehog dug a hole to a depth of 40 cm for a winter nest, with a stroke length of up to 70-80 cm. If in the fall a hedgehog falls asleep without a sufficient supply of fat (weight not less than 500 grams), then he runs the risk of dying of hunger during hibernation.
After hibernation, the common hedgehog does not leave the nest until average temperature air does not rise to 15 "C. In a fight with a snake, he does not immediately try to grab it by the head. He crawls up to the snake carefully, while the needles hang down to the ground on the sides, protecting short legs, and needles stick out on the forehead, aimed directly at the enemy, protecting the head of the hedgehog, his only unprotected part of the body.The hedgehog grabs the snake with his teeth anywhere, and instantly hides under the thorns.The snake tries to bite the enemy, but invariably runs into the thorns, and the hedgehog, millimeter by millimeter, moving its grip, breaks the vertebrae of the snake in turn.

Social structure: loner.

Reproduction: a hedgehog gives birth to only one litter per year. Fights often occur between males because of a female. Males bite each other's legs, muzzle, use their needles, push. At the same time, they sniff and snort loudly. After the fight, the winner circles around the female for hours. During mating, the male attaches himself behind the female. The hedgehog's vagina is at the very end of the body, and the male's penis is in the middle of the abdomen, because of which the male does not need to fully climb onto the female. The female at this time diligently smoothes the spines and bends the back down. After mating, the male and female separate. The hedgehog digs (or uses abandoned rodent burrows) a brood burrow. Litter of dry grass and leaves. Sometimes the nest can be found in dense thickets of bushes and compost heaps.

Season/breeding period: March-August.

Puberty: in the second year of life.

Pregnancy: up to 50 days.

Offspring: in one litter of an ordinary hedgehog, 1-9 blind, naked, bright pink cubs are born (May-October). The weight of a newborn hedgehog is about 20 grams. Eyes open on day 14-16. The first days of the hedgehog warms the cubs with its warmth. A few hours after birth, hedgehogs have soft white needles (100-150 pieces). After 36 hours, dark-colored needles appear. At the age of 11 days, hedgehogs can already roll into a ball. At 18 days, hedgehogs are completely covered with dark hard spines. Lactation lasts 30-40 days. After its completion, hedgehogs begin to live independently.

Benefit / harm to people: the hedgehog eats harmful insects, but at the same time destroys the chicks and eggs of wild and domestic birds nesting on the ground. It can be a carrier of such diseases as: dermatomycosis, yellow fever, salmonellosis,

If you ask even a small child where the hedgehog lives, he will definitely answer that it is in the forest. But in fact, hedgehogs live not only in the forest. This animal inhabits almost all continents of our planet. The range of hedgehogs extends throughout Europe, Africa and southern Asia. The hedgehog also lives in New Zealand, where it was brought by immigrants from Europe.

Places where hedgehogs don't live

do not live hedgehogs only in Antarctica, Greenland, Antarctica, Australia, Southeast Asia in South and North America and also on the island of Madagascar.

Where do hedgehogs live?

Each genus of hedgehogs inhabits different continents, landscapes and countries.

African hedgehogs

Genus African hedgehogs, which includes four species (Somali, Algerian, South African, White-bellied hedgehog) lives in Africa and Europe. Algerian hedgehogs live in such countries: Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria. In Europe, this species is found in France, Spain, the Canary and Maltese Islands. South African the hedgehog lives only on the African continent in South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. white-bellied The hedgehog lives in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Sudan and Senegal. Somali hedgehog lives only in Somalia.

The habitats of African hedgehogs are dry and rocky areas, semi-deserts, savannahs, sparse forests or areas with low vegetation.

Eurasian hedgehogs

Genus Eurasian hedgehogs has three types: Common hedgehog, East European and Amur. area hedgehog extends from Western to Central Europe, including the Scandinavian Peninsula and the British Isles. This species also lives in Kazakhstan and Western Siberia, was introduced to New Zealand. Eastern European hedgehog lives in the territory from Central Europe to Western Siberia. The species is widespread on the Balkan Peninsula, the island of Crete, in Israel, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Caucasus, and also in Asia Minor. Amur hedgehog found in northern China, the Korean Peninsula and in Russia, the Amur and Khabarovsk regions, Primorsky Krai.

Common and Amur hedgehog most often settle on the edges of forests, copses in floodplains and river valleys, meadows. Avoid only coniferous forests And big swamps. Often these species settle near humans in gardens and parks.

eared hedgehogs

Genus eared hedgehogs the largest, it includes six species: eared hedgehog, Ethiopian hedgehog, Indian hedgehog, collared hedgehog, long-spined hedgehog, blue-bellied hedgehog. eared hedgehog inhabits Asia Minor, Central and Southwest Asia, partly Africa. In Asia Minor, it is found in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, and partly in India. In Southwest Asia lives only in Israel. IN Central Asia the eared hedgehog is common in Kazakhstan, Mongolia (Gobi desert) and in the northwestern region of China, Xinjiang. It is also found on the territory of Russia. In Africa, this species lives in Egypt and Libya. Ethiopian hedgehog lives in northern Africa (Ethiopia, Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, the Sahara desert). The view is also widespread on the coast of the Persian Gulf (Iran, Iraq, Syria). Indian hedgehog found in the semi-desert plains and deserts of Pakistan and northwestern India. area collared hedgehog- Northwest India and East Pakistan. The natural habitat of the species is dry steppes, deserts, as well as in the lowlands of the Indus River. dark-skinned hedgehog, or long-tailed hedgehog, lives on the coast and islands of the Persian Gulf, also in Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kazakhstan. Habitat long needle hedgehogs are stony, clay and sandy deserts and their oases. This species is found both on the plains and at an altitude of up to 1,500 meters above sea level. blue-bellied hedgehog lives in some parts of India. Many scientists believe that the blue-bellied hedgehog is not a species, but a subspecies. Indian hedgehog which is already extinct.

steppe hedgehogs

Genus steppe hedgehogs includes two types of Dahurian and Chinese hedgehog. Dahurian hedgehog inhabits south and southeast Trans-Baikal Territory Russia, northeastern Mongolia and northern China. Natural habitat of the Daurian hedgehog steppe, larch, pine and birch forests, man-made biogeocenoses (agrocenoses), pine forests, surroundings settlements. Chinese hedgehog found in the central regions of China. This species usually settles in river valleys or in open areas with stunted vegetation, but sometimes it is also found in the forest.

cute prickly hedgehogs Many of us have known each other since childhood. We have seen them in children's books, movies and cartoons. There are always hedgehogs in the pictures carried with thorns various fruits and vegetables. What do hedgehogs actually eat, where do these prickly animals live?

Who are hedgehogs?

Hedgehogs can be called one of the most common types of animals. Very skillfully adapt to living conditions in natural environment. They are also kept at home as pets. Actually these cute animals belong to predators. Basically, all species live in the forest. In any conditions, prickly predators always eat a lot. They need this to accumulate a lot of fat. The feeding process begins in early spring and continues until autumn.

The back and sides of the animal are covered with many small dark gray needles. Almost always, with the onset of cold weather, hedgehogs hibernate and sleep until spring. If they have a small supply of fat, then most likely they will not have enough strength to wake up and the animal will die.

Hedgehogs live almost everywhere. They are found in Europe, China, Africa, the Middle East and South-East Asia. The only country where they do not exist is Australia.

The most common type is the common one. The length of such a hedgehog reaches 30 cm, and the weight is up to 850 grams. There are other species, and the most popular of them is African, which is much smaller in size than its counterparts. He also eats less than other types of hedgehogs. It is known that Africans quickly adapt to domestic conditions. . They are easy to toilet train. they don't stink so much. The African species are quite playful creatures, they like to run in a wheel.

Few people know that in Ancient Rome specially bred hedgehogs. At that time, their meat was eaten. Hedgehogs were baked in clay along with thorns. Dishes were prepared during big holidays and feasts to be served to guests as a delicacy. The inedible parts were also used. Various medicines and potions were prepared from them.

Lifestyle

For permanent place living hedgehogs choose forests, cereal fields, which are located next to the forest plantation. They can also live in abandoned parks and gardens. These creatures are nocturnal.

During the day, hedgehogs hide. To do this, they find fallen trees, bushes and abandoned burrows. Animals are not afraid of people, so they can often be seen on the territory of a private courtyard. However, hedgehogs are often become victims of dogs and even thorns do not save them from attacks. It happens that hedgehogs fall under various vehicles.

The thorns on the body of hedgehogs are created only for protection. With their help, you cannot carry food like in fairy tales. In their natural habitat, foxes, badgers, wolves, owls, and martens are dangerous for them. During periods of hibernation, animals equip their homes with leaves and grass. It is impossible to wake them during hibernation, otherwise the hedgehog may die. In nature, life expectancy is 3-5 years.

What do hedgehogs eat?

Since these animals are predators, many are interested in the question, what does the hedgehog eat? These animals belong to insectivorous order, so in nature they eat:

  • Zhukov;
  • worms;
  • various larvae;
  • snails.

Hedgehogs find such food for themselves in fallen leaves. Small lizards and snakes, frogs also go to food. Hedgehogs are very active about want their prey during the autumn, because hibernation getting close. An interesting fact is that the diet of ordinary hedgehogs is not much different from sea ​​urchins. Both species are omnivores despite their different habitats. In nature, hedgehogs also eat plant foods when nothing else is available, such as apples, acorns, moss, and berries. Mushrooms are also edible. Sometimes eat up food waste that are found on summer cottages when there is no other food.

Their life cycle very similar to bearish, divided into two phases - active and passive. The sleep phase falls on the winter period, the rest of the time is the active phase of life. In winter, there is a slow metabolism, so hedgehogs survive using accumulated body fat.

What do hedgehogs eat at home?

Hedgehogs, which are kept at home, feed on the same products as the owners. However, not all food is good for the animal, so you should not give him any food. Experts advise to buy to feed the feed of their pet stores. It is problematic to do this in our countries, so many people replace it with kitten food for the first time. Then you should think about the diet and feed the prickly creature with healthy food. These include:

Any of the listed products should be given warm (room temperature) and only fresh. If they remain leftover food they must be removed so that the hedgehog does not eat spoiled food.

Since hedgehogs are predatory animals, their main diet should mainly contain protein foods. The pet must have access to fresh water. It is worth remembering that hedgehogs are wild creatures, they have their own habits, so living with them in the same house is not easy.