HEDGEHOGS There are 17 difference species of hedgehogs, none of which are native to America. DO NOT GIVE HEDGEHOGS MILK TO DRINK - IT IS POISON TO THEM.
Hedgehogs are Britain's only spiny mammal and has about 6,000 spines. Underneath they have coarse brown fur.
Got their name from their preferred habitat - garden hedges - and the pig-like grunts that they make.
Are largely immune to snake venom.
Unlike Porcupine quills, hedgehog spikes are not barbed and they are not poisonous.
Eat slugs and earthworms and sometimes eggs.
Are nocturnal.
Hibernate during the winter.
Heart beats 300 times per minute, on average.
Roll up into a tight ball to protect themselves from predators.
Have poor eyesight, but a good sense of smell and hearing.
When exposed to pungent smells or tastes, they 'self-anoint' by rubbing their quills eith their frothy saliva.
Threats are:
- Bonfires, as they often hibernate in the piles of leaves - Cars - Lawnmowers - Poison - slug pellets, etc
The spines of a newborn hedgehog begin to appear within 24 hours.
The desert hedgehog eats scorpions by carefully nipping off the scorpion's deadly sting before eating it.