How Long Do Hedgehogs Live Why Is Their Lifespan So Short

A Hedgehog is a cute little spiny animal that might look similar to a porcupine, and they make a great pet!A pet hedgehog even sounds interesting. Let’s learn more about them through this article and answer the question how long do hedgehogs live?A hedgehog is an adorable, harmless animal that requires a lot of care and love. Hedgehogs can be excellent companions; people get fond of them easily, that’s why it is necessary to learn about them.A hedgehog usually has an average lifespan of three to five years. It usually lives up to two to three years in the wild and can live a little longer when taken good care of.Hedgehogs live longer in captivity than hedgehogs in the wild because, in captivity, they have access to many facilities and are even safe from predators and parasites.Typically, hedgehogs require a good diet, environment, and health conditions to survive, but in the wild, they have to look after themselves for food and safety. As environmental conditions are changing, the survival of wild hedgehogs is getting difficult, decreasing their lifespan. The amount of good food they eat, sound sleep they receive, and how active they are, decide how long hedgehogs live. There are multiple other factors that give more insight into how long hedgehogs live.After reading all about these pet animals, do check how long do hamsters live and how long do guinea pigs live?What factors impact a hedgehog’s lifespan?The African pygmy hedgehog is very adorable. The African pygmy is a four-toed hedgehog. Their life expectancy in the wild is one to three years, whereas their life expectancy in captivity is 5-10 years. Hedgehogs either live in captivity or in the wild; thus, there are so many factors that impact a hedgehog’s life.The environment is a key factor because, for a better quality of life, hedgehogs require a stress-free environment along with appropriate temperature and natural lightning. They get moody and irritated when they are kept in a noisy environment and tend to get stressed out.Diet is also important as it is the building block for physical health. It is important that you feed them good food.Genetics plays a crucial role in a hedgehog’s lifespan as it determines the diseases and health conditions of the animal.A healthy environment is essential for the optimum growth of a hedgehog as they get easily stressed, either from loud noises that are interrupting their sleep or from constant disturbances. When they feel overexposed and are unable to hide anywhere, they feel stressed.We should also keep an eye on what we are feeding them. Like humans, they require proper nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are very important for their wellbeing as they might develop illnesses or immune issues.Hedgehogs are insect eaters, so a diet with insects is a possibility, but research should be done to determine which insects are harmful to them. Food rich in protein and fat, like meat, should be included in their diet.Consult a veterinarian from time to time for a regular checkup to ensure the health of your animal. Monitoring the health of your hedgehog is the best you can to do prevent them from getting diseases.Hedgehogs are very active animals and require a good amount of movement, so put them out of their cage frequently and let them explore nearby for good health.A hedgehog’s lifespan is also impacted by the bed or cage they are sleeping in because the material of the bedding or cage can adversely impact their health and reduce their lifespan.How long hedgehogs live depends on the amount of natural lighting they are receiving and the temperature around them. Hedgehogs are sensitive to temperature change and tend to hibernate, which might reduce their life span.Domesticated Pet Hedgehog’s Life SpanDomesticated pet hedgehogs tend to live longer than wild hedgehogs because of the care and facilities they receive from their owners that are not available to wild creatures. They receive more care and affection, and they get treatment when they are sick, unlike the wild ones. Pet hedgehogs have an average life span of four to seven years that can be increased with proper care and attention by keeping a check on their diet, surroundings, habits, and health conditions. If properly taken care of, a pet hedgehog lives a full life that may be 1o years long.A hedgehog’s life span depends on the environment it is living in, the food it eats, and precautions that need to be taken to prevent them from getting any diseases.Hedgehogs tend to get stressed out easily, which may impact their life span.Domesticated pet hedgehogs can live around five to six years more than wild hedgehogs when taken good care of, and given a proper diet, surroundings, and attention.Hedgehogs require a proper diet of proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, that are essential for their growth. They require an optimum temperature as they are sensitive to temperature change and tend to go into hibernation when not provided with what they need. They tend to hide, especially while sleeping, and, if not given space, they tend to stress and become moody and irritated. So, keep a cage with proper spacing to try to keep it natural. Use no plastic as it is not only harmful to hedgehogs but for humans as well as for the environment. Hedgehogs are nocturnal, meaning they sleep during the day and are active at night. These young creatures are kept as pets by humans all around the world. Human loves these creatures. The search for a cute pet is over! They can be found in all major parts of the world. Survival in captivity is easy since there are no predators. This creature has small legs and has a huge range to run on if a wheel is installed in its cage without the fear of predators at its tail. It is important to take good care of them and keep them away from illness and death. Taking them to the vet for any unnatural behavior is highly recommended.How do you know when your hedgehog is dying?For any organism to live a healthy life, a suitable environment, a balanced diet, and medication (if needed) are crucial. Hedgehogs are animals who hide their illness which might be a huge drawback in detecting sickness. You might need to observe them keenly and keep up with routine checkups.Diet, diseases, and the environment play a crucial role in the wellbeing of a hedgehog. A proper meal plan is necessary for hedgehogs as they might be allergic to some foods. Acidic food can cause ulcers in hedgehogs.Hedgehogs may die because of several diseases, heart attacks, and might even have cancer. People owning a hedgehog should constantly look for symptoms like lumps in the face and body, weight loss, and changes in habits. They might become lethargic and not want to move or stand. They might drink more or less water than usual.It is not easy to diagnose or identify illnesses in hedgehogs because they tend to hide them. You should immediately take your hedgehog to the vet if you see anything unusual in their behavior or body.Some common symptoms are weight loss, lack of energy, slow breathing, and lying flat on their belly. These might be a symptom of underlying disease.Take your hedgehog for a routine checkup and help them if they are diagnosed with any disease. You can help a dying hedgehog by giving it medicines that can relieve its pain.Give hedgehogs easily digestible food so that they can get energy easily and their body doesn’t have to do more work. Also, keep them hydrated; if they are not drinking from their bowl, give them water with the help of a syringe.Diseases like cancer, obesity, and tumors can eventually kill them, but quicker diagnosis can give them more chances at life. Heart attacks or heart problems can also cause sudden death, so you must take your pet for regular checkups.What is old for a hedgehog?Hedgehogs live for about four to seven years in captivity and about three to five years in the wild, but they can live for more than ten years if they are healthy. Old for hedgehog is after five years because, in the UK, the maximum living hedgehog age recorded is 16. Many hedgehogs do not make it out of the nest, some don’t become adults, and very few make it to old age. We can consider a hedgehog old when it reaches where it becomes less active, mostly lies flat, and does not curl up in a ball as often as before.A hedgehog starts getting old only after five or six years, and their health conditions start deteriorating. There are cases where hedgehogs have lived past the age of 13, but they are unable to eat or do anything.Many hedgehogs die in the very early stages of their lives and do not even make it to their second year, while some make it to old age. In the wild, the majority of hedgehogs die at an early age because of natural factors and some factors caused by humans. At a time of weather transition, hedgehogs hibernate and die because they cannot handle the changes and also due to starvation as there is a lack of food, whereas hedgehogs living in captivity usually die early due to diseases or carelessness.You can observe that when a hedgehog gets old, they start losing their teeth to the point where they need soft food to eat.Also, as they get old, there is a fluctuation in their weight; they start gaining and losing their weight quite easily.How do you tell how old a hedgehog is?An average life span of a hedgehog is less than half of a human life span, so if the hedgehog is with you from its birth, then the easiest thing you can do is count their age, or you can contact the breeder for information regarding their birth. You can also look for physical changes like wrinkles, lethargic behavior, fewer activities, and loss of teeth to know that they are getting old.Few methods can be used to know how old your hedgehog is, such as marking them when they are infants, but this method is not that reliable. Look for some physical changes such as changes in the membranes of the eyes, changes in the cartilage in limbs, and many more, but they are not that accurate as methods. Visible changes can be the reason for underlying disease or old age, so you must visit the vet for a checkup.There is one method that is considered accurate than any other method, described by Pat Morris, that includes looking at the jawbones of dead hedgehogs as a pattern of growth rings are formed as they grow. During hibernation, changes in calcium deposition cause slow bone deposition in the jaw area which leads to the formation of strained rings that can be used to measure the age of a hedgehog.Each ring represents a year of life. This method is also less reliable because events like pregnancy, illness and climate change can disrupt the pattern of growth rings, and this technique cannot be performed on a live animal.What is the longest a hedgehog has lived?With good food, medication, and clean surroundings, you can increase the life span of your hedgehog. Regular vet checkups, a safe roaming space, and a more active routine make a hedgehog more healthy as they are active animals and like to be playful. Hedgehogs can live from five to seven years with proper care, but few manage to pass the age of 10 years, and very few reach an age beyond 10 years as they become weak and old.In a study conducted by the University of Southern Denmark, they autopsied around 700 hedgehogs to find out their age. They found that only one was aged 16 years old, one was 13 years old, and the average age of hedgehogs was around the age of two years. These hedgehogs were living in captivity and were taken good care of; thus, some could reach the age of 16 and 13 years. As mentioned earlier when kept in good conditions hedgehogs can reach a high age.After the age of seven, many hedgehogs become weak and ill, very few can survive up to ten years, and those who do are not capable of doing any activities. They start feeling the effects of old age; they might become obese or get thin; they cannot move quickly, mostly stay still and won’t curl into a ball. Hedgehogs tend to curl into a tight ball while hibernating and will lie flat either when they are old, ill or when they die.It becomes hard for a hedgehog to survive past the age of seven because they cannot eat properly due to their torn-out teeth, due to which they become extremely weak.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘How long do hedgehogs live?’ then why not take a look at ‘How long do gerbils live?’, or ‘Hedgehog facts’?

A Hedgehog is a cute little spiny animal that might look similar to a porcupine, and they make a great pet!