Order - Ezhiformes / Family - Hedgehogs / Subfamily - African hedgehogs/ Genus - African hedgehogs

History of study

The white-bellied hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) is a mammal of the African hedgehog genus.

Spreading

Distributed in Mauritania, Sudan, Senegal, Turkey, the Balkans, Greece, Asia Minor, Israel, Iran, the Adriatic Islands, the Alps.

Appearance

Body length - up to 18 cm. Weight - 350-700 grams. It can reach 1200 grams depending on the season. Outwardly similar to ordinary hedgehog. Each paw has four toes. The ears are rounded and the eyes are round. Eat short tail which is almost invisible. The back and sides are covered with needles. The muzzle and paws do not have needles.

There are many colors. The throat and belly are lighter than the whole body.

reproduction

During the year, the hedgehog brings litter only once. The brood nest is 20-30 cm long, 15-20 cm wide, located in a bush, under tussocks, in rocks or under logs. From the inside, the nest is lined with dry leaves, grass or twigs.

The breeding season is extended to all warm time of the year. There are 3-8 cubs in one litter. Ezhata are born naked and blind. Eyes open on day 12.

Lifestyle

The natural habitat of the white-bellied hedgehog is the territory from semi-deserts to alpine meadows. It avoids continuous tall forests. White-bellied hedgehog prefers edges deciduous forests, canal banks, forest belts, steppe ravines, cultivated land, bushes, settlements, personal plots, squares and parks.

The white-bellied hedgehog is active at night. For rest, males use natural shelters. The nest (from leaves, moss, hay and twigs) builds only for wintering. More sensitive to cold. Hibernation lasts from September to March-April. During hibernation, the white-bellied hedgehog loses up to 35% of its weight. Therefore, in order to overwinter well, a hedgehog must weigh at least 600 grams, otherwise it will die during hibernation. Often lives for several years in the same nest. When orienting on the terrain and hunting, it uses the sense of smell. Hunts at night (about 6 hours).

By social structure white-bellied hedgehog loner.

Nutrition

The basis of feeding are earthworms, beetles, caterpillars, slugs, snails, ground beetles, wood lice, spiders, amphibians, lizards, snakes, birds and their eggs, small rodents, moss, berries (strawberries, strawberries, raspberries, mulberries), acorns, seeds (cereals, sunflower), mushrooms, stems and leaves of plants, carrion.

  • Class: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 = Mammals
  • Subclass: Theria Parker et Haswell, 1879= Viviparous mammals, real beasts
  • Infraclass: Eutheria, Placentalia Gill, 1872= Placental, higher beasts
  • Superorder: Ungulata = Ungulates
  • Order: Insectivora = Insectivora
  • Family: Erinaceidae Fischer von Waldheim, 1817 = Hedgehogs
  • Species: Atelerix (= Erinaceus) albiventris = African Pygmy Hedgehog (= White Belly Hedgehog)

Species: Atelerix (= Erinaceus) albiventris = African pygmy hedgehog (= White-bellied hedgehog)

The African pygmy hedgehog is found in southern Africa from Senegal to Sudan and Zambia. In a relaxed form, it has a mostly oval shape. The limbs are short and therefore the rounded body of the animal is low above the ground. The African pygmy hedgehog has a very short tail. When threatened, the animal can, by contraction of a series of muscles, transform itself into a compact ball-like shape (like a ball), which causes its spines to stick out in all directions. In a relaxed state, the spines fit snugly against the body of the animal.

The average body length of the African Pygmy Hedgehog is approximately 7-9 inches when the animal is in a relaxed state. When it takes on a characteristic defense, turning into a ball, the hedgehog becomes the size of a large grapefruit. The average body weight is 600 g. Sexual dimorphism is poorly developed, there is a slight difference in size: females slightly outsizing males. The typical coloration of the body is the color of the agouti type. Hedgehogs with this coloring page have spikes that are colored brown or gray with a cream color. The face and lower body are covered with soft, white fur. There are other, rarer colors, although agouti is by far the most common.

A mature female usually gives birth once or twice a year. As solitary animals, they look for partners of the opposite sex during the breeding season. They tend to mate during the rainy and warm seasons when food is plentiful, typically between October and March in southern Africa. Pregnancy lasts 35 days. Cubs are born with already developed spines, but they are covered with a shell. Within a few hours of birth, this membrane dries out and the spines immediately begin to grow. Weaning starts at about 3 weeks and ends between the 4th and 6th weeks. The babies leave their mother soon after. The young become sexually mature at about two months of age.

The average number of offspring is 6, the average gestation period is 35 days, the average weight of newborns is 10 g, average age sexual or reproductive maturity in females 84 days, average duration life in captivity is 11.4 years.

African pygmy hedgehog is a solitary animal. As a nocturnal creature, it is constantly moving, covering up to several kilometers in a single night. Although they are not territorial, individuals keep their distance from other African pygmy hedgehogs. For example, males usually keep at least 60 feet apart. There are a few unique behavior present in this form. One of them is the process of self-anointing. When an animal discovers a unique taste and aroma it creates a frothy saliva which it proceeds to circulate across its body in a series of remarkable distortions. The reason for this behavior is unknown. This is most likely related to either reproduction and mate choice or self defense. Other behavior of using a hibernation animal in summer or hibernation to help him survive when the temperature is not in the optimal 75-85 degrees.

Eating Habits Atelerix albiventris is omnivorous butprimarily insectivorous. It feeds mainly on invertebrates such as spiders and insects, sometimes also on small amounts of vegetable matter or small vertebrates. African pygmy hedgehogs are opportunistic feeders with extremely high resistance to toxins. They are known to eat scorpions and poisonous snakes small without any negative consequences.

In the United States, many successful breeders sell animals to the pet trade. Also, because Atelerix albiventris eats many things considered "pests" by humans, the hedgehog's diet makes it an important part of the local ecosystem and pest control.

Conservation status In addition to wild animals living in African deserts, indoor animal husbandry exists in the United States to serve the pet trade market. It is no longer legal to transport animals from Africa, so their populations there are not threatened by the animal trade. IUCN Red List Not of Concern More information Other comments African pygmy hedgehogs live about 2-3 years in wild nature. In captivity, they can live up to 8-10 years, mainly due to the lack of predators and improved nutrition.

Pygmy hedgehogs are kept in special plastic cages for keeping rodents or rabbits with a bottom area of ​​at least 60x40 cm.

The cage should be equipped with a running wheel with a solid base (a wheel for guinea pigs is suitable), a shelter (house) and various toys - balls, squeaker toys, cardboard tubes from toilet paper etc. African hedgehogs need daily physical activity and are very fond of various toys. A toilet for a hedgehog can be arranged in a tray filled with sawdust. Birch or aspen sawdust is suitable as a filler. Optimum temperature content - 22-25°C.

In the wild, African hedgehogs feed on spiders, scorpions, mice, and small poisonous snakes. Most sources recommend the use of premium quality dry cat food for feeding Pygmy Hedgehogs. It is believed that the main component of dry food should be meat (chicken, turkey, lamb, beef) and should be avoided in the composition of starchy foods (corn, potatoes).
In case of problems, it is recommended to mix dry cat food with a small amount of boiled chicken and vegetables.
The daily diet can be varied with insects (crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches, zofobas, flour worms), fruits and vegetables.

What should not be fed to Pygmy Hedgehogs?

The products listed below are considered dangerous for hedgehogs:
milk and its derivatives, chocolate, onions, nuts, almonds, grapes, raisins.

African hedgehogs are unique pets that are only gaining popularity today.
Maintenance and care similar to guinea pig or a rabbit, but nutrition is radically different. The African hedgehog is an insectivorous animal, so it needs appropriate food - crickets, cockroaches, worms.
Price determined by the sex and color of the animal. Classic colors are cheaper, rare colors are slightly more expensive. Each hedgehog of our kennel receives a certificate of origin, care instructions.
When choosing hedgehog, you need to pay attention to the conditions of keeping the hedgehogs, is it clean in their cage, is there a smell? Equally important is the adequacy of the breeder himself. Because it is he who should become the main assistant in growing a hedgehog in the coming years. And believe me, there will be many questions.

An oval body, and even on short legs, with the addition of a tail and an elongated muzzle, on which a pair of black eyes - beads - this is a typical portrait of a white-bellied hedgehog that lives in the savannahs of Central and East Africa


In a hedgehog, all the senses are well developed, rounded ears and long antennae speak in favor of this. There is one feature that strikingly distinguishes the hedgehog from all other prickly brothers. On the paws of a hedgehog, no 5th thumb, which, well, is not typical for other hedgehogs.

White-bellied hedgehogs, or African pygmy hedgehogs, do not like forest climates and are more likely to settle in dry, grassy, ​​rocky areas. In search of housing, they usually climb to a height of up to 2000 meters above sea level.

In harsh regions, their neighbors are very formidable opponents. These are the Pale owl, the jackal, the hyena and the badger, the presence that the hedgehog forces to use its needles.

Energetic and active, white-bellied hedgehogs can walk hundreds of meters until they find their favorite treat - beetles, spiders, snails, even scorpions and poisonous snakes. To all poisons and toxins, hedgehogs have good immunity.

The most good temperature for hedgehogs - from 23.5 to 30 degrees Celsius. Anything lower or higher is a serious signal for hibernation, which hedgehogs do safely.

A funny moment, sensing an unfamiliar smell, hedgehogs secrete foamy saliva and begin to actively lubricate their spines. The most interesting, no one knows why?


Photo: Holoker Works

Oval body with short legs little ponytail, an elongated muzzle, on which a pair of black beady eyes shines, and, of course, a fluffy white tummy - this is the portrait of a white-bellied hedgehog (lat. Atelerix albiventris), living in the savannahs of Central and East Africa.

The fact that he has well-developed sense organs is indicated by large rounded ears and long mustache. White-bellied hedgehogs have one feature that distinguishes them from other prickly brethren. On their nimble little paws, the fifth, big, finger is missing, which is completely unusual for other types of hedgehogs.

White-bellied, or as they are often called, African pygmy hedgehogs do not particularly favor the forest climate and most often settle in dry, scorched grass, and sometimes rocky areas, climbing to a height of up to 2,000 meters above sea level.

In these parts, they coexist with formidable predators - pale owls, jackals, and badgers, the presence of which makes them often use their long sharp needles.

Energetic by nature, white-bellied hedgehogs travel hundreds of meters in search of prey - spiders, beetles, snails, scorpions and even poisonous snakes, to the toxins of which they have strong immunity.

Comfortable temperatures for these little hunters range from 24 to 30 degrees Celsius. Anything above or below is a serious reason to hibernate, which they safely do.

White-bellied hedgehogs have another interesting feature: having felt an unfamiliar smell, they secrete foamy saliva and begin to actively lubricate the spines with it. What is the reason for this behavior is not exactly known - probably this is another way of self-defense.