8 of the Coolest Things About Hedgehogs

By Hedy Phillips

When I was in elementary school, one of my teachers had a classroom pet hedgehog named Eighth Note. She let me take him home over Winter break one year, and I think I actually fell in love. Of course I asked my parents for a hedgehog of my own, but that didn't fly. That didn't stop me from learning more about these prickly little creatures, though! These are just a few of the neat things I found out about hedgehogs.

  1. Hedgehogs are still illegal as pets in a few places, including Maine, Arizona, California, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and New York City.
  2. They have pretty bad eyesight, so their senses of smell and hearing are heightened to make up for it.
  3. Hedgehogs got their name for two different reasons. The first is because they hang out and look for food in hedges. The second is because they make little pig-like grunts. Put those together, and you've got hedgehog.
  4. These little guys have about 5,000 spines that fall out after about a year before being replaced by new ones.
  5. Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so they're very active at night.
  6. Wild hedgehogs live about four to seven years, and domesticated hedgehogs can live longer than that.
  7. Hedgehogs are carnivores! They eat things like insects, worms, mice, and even some snakes.
  8. Baby hedgehogs are hoglets, males are boars, and females are sows. A group of hedgehogs is called an array.