His eyes are sensitive, so I keep the lights dim or borrow a trick from astronomy by swapping in red light bulbs. We only get a few hours of overlap to visit between when he wakes up and I go to sleep. Hedgehogs are nocturnal – and it's important to respect that, and not force them to be active during the day. They also have stringent environmental demands. Domestic hybrids from an irregular mix of African hedgehog species are only a few generations separated from their wild kin and not entirely tame. They’re expensive and require specialized veterinary care. Hedgehog bath time involves using a toothbrush to gently scrub his quills.Įxotic pets come with complications beyond adapting toothbrushes to off-label use. I always let my small friend keep his artificial stench for at least a day, but eventually it’s time to wash it off. With the latter, I suddenly have a smug prickly ball who worked hard to reek of dusty wood, nickel, and the faintest trace of oil. With the former, he dyes his quills bright orange. My hedgehog’s favorite scents to steal are carrots and - oddly enough - musical instruments. Scientists aren’t confident on why hedgehogs anoint, but the best guess is that it’s to camouflage their scent. This unusual hedgehog behavior involves licking vigorously to build up smelly froth, then contorting like an uncoordinated kitten to spread the foamy spit all over their quills. Wild hedgehogs have been spotted anointing on cigarettes and turpentine, taking advantage of their natural resistance to toxins. My hedgehog responds to fantastic smells the same way every hedgehog does: by anointing, i.e. But he’s happiest when his damp twitching nose finds a new and fascinating smell. When he’s feeling feisty, he tries to steal shoelaces, socks, and drawstrings.

He likes to climb around his humans, scaling their ever-changing topography. His quills betray a wide range emotions - calm when flat, raising in uncertainty, and transforming him into an impenetrable ball of spikes when he’s frightened. My hedgehog is small enough to be a pear-shaped handful of quills with a fuzzy belly, but he’s squirmy enough that I use two hands. This is when I scoop him up for snuggles. He munches on a light breakfast of kibble, then takes a quick jog. He’s deeply shy, but if I’m gentle and calm, I can coax him into delighting me with his unadulterated moxie.Įvery day, my hedgehog wakes up as the sun goes down. But while he does snooze away the daylight hours, he’s packed with an outsized attitude for such a tiny creature. I was expecting a step up from a pet rock - a cute but rather dull pet that slept all day. When I got my hedgehog, he was a tiny baby, just weaned from his mother.

Are hedgehogs nocturnal