What to eat hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are very funny animals. These night "Toptygin" cause tenderness in children and adults. Probably, all know what they look like – a sort of spiky balls with short legs. But what do they eat?

A little about the life of hedgehogs

Hedgehogs live not only in forests but also in the steppes. The back of the hedgehog is covered with six thousand of needles with a length of approximately 3 cm each. Needles have the original painting – at the top and bottom they are white, and in mid brown or black.

Hedgehog weight not exceeding pounds, but before hibernation he can "put on weight" by about a pound. Males usually larger than females. The eyes of this animal are black and round like buttons. Muzzle elongated, pointed toe. Teeth the hedgehog thirty-six.

The spines of the hedgehog are hollow. They are smooth to the touch and resemble hair. Also the needle is movable, because each of them is attached to the muscle. The "armor" of a hedgehog is constantly updated, and for a year it changes approximately a third of its barbed arms.

These cute little animals are loners by nature. In nature even a couple of hedgehogs do not get along in the same area. Each individual plot on which the hedgehog holds several nests that are well hidden, and to discover them quite difficult.

What sounds like these prickly animals? Probably the most characteristic – stamping. Also hedgehogs snuffle and snort.

The male never live with a female and cubs. The pups have a hedgehog appear mostly in the summer, once a year. Pregnancy lasts about 50 days. Newborn hedgehogs are usually completely defenseless, they are blind and naked. Primary needles appear in them after only a few hours after birth, dark spines break on the second day. Two weeks hoglets are already completely covered with needles.

Food hedgehogs

Hedgehogs living in the wild, are fed, as a rule, high-calorie food with high protein content. Basically, it's the bugs, larvae, worms, and other insects.

Hedgehogs rarely attack vertebrates, but sometimes can eat a small snake. The violence is pretty simple – reptiles simply eat the spine. As for plant food, hedgehogs prefer mushrooms, fruits, berries and acorns.

If the hedgehog lives in captivity, its menu is much more varied and interesting. As a rule, he eats eggs, meat, and bread. You can also feed your hedgehog a special food or food for ferrets.

Experts advise not to feed a hedgehog home foods, designed for cats and dogs because they contain an insufficient amount of protein. By the way, milk to feed it too, because hedgehogs are lactose intolerant. But they are happy to eat oatmeal or even ice cream.

Even hedgehogs need to give boiled meat and vegetables. They will be very happy if the owner will occasionally pamper them with crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches and worms.