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African Pygmy Hedgehog
Order: Insectivora
Family: Erinaceidae
Genus: Erinaceus
Species: atelerix albiventrishas
Range & Habitat
Southern Africa from Senegal to Sudan and Zambia. The hedgehog is found in a desert habitat.
Reproduction & Growth
Hedgehogs generally breed once or twice a year. They typically mate in rainy, warm seasons, when food is plentiful. This is usually between October and March in southern Africa. Gestation lasts 35 days. The young are born with spines already present, but covered with a membrane. Within a few hours of birth this membrane dries up and the spines immediately start growing. The young are sexually mature around two months of age. They reach an average of 10 inches and weigh about 2 and a half pounds.
Diet - Omnivorous Insectivores
In the Wild: Feeds primarily on spiders and insects, occasionally also consuming smalll amounts of plant matter or small vertebrates. They have been known to eat scorpions and small poisonous snakes with no ill effects.
In the Zoo: Mealworms, hedgehog and kitten chow
General Information
They are nocturnal animals, making nests in embankments, under root systems, in leaf piles, or under brush. Although they stick to the ground, hedgehogs are good climbers as well as good swimmers.
In the Zoo
We currently have two African Pygmy Hedgehogs, both males. One was brought to the Brandywine zoo as a rescue.
Click here to learn about Animal Care.
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