
The hedgehog’s senses are adapted for the night and that’s why they become energetic as the light fades. The hedgehog’s nocturnal nature isn’t the result of a case of insomnia. But hedgehogs prefer the darkness to the light and they become active when the lights are out. What does that mean? As humans, we tend to be awake during the day and asleep at night. Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals living in a diurnal world. Hedgehogs Nocturnal Facts: You And Your Exotic Pet As they are deprived of sustenance and their metabolic rate falls, they’re at risk for a compromised immune system because their bodies are trying to consolidate their dwindling resources. Their body will prepare for the hibernation cycle by slowing down the breaths per minute and the heart rate. The domesticated African pygmy hedgehog, which is the species that is raised for pets, does not have enough fat to sustain them during the hibernation cycle. But that’s not the case for a pet hedgehog. For hedgehogs living in the wild, yes, hibernation is natural and normal. Hedgehog hibernation can mean death for your pet and you know it’s time to see the vet. On the other hand, as his wake-up call might take place around the time when you’re getting ready to eat your dinner, there will be some convenient time at the end of the day to enjoy one another’s company. When evening falls, make it suppertime because after a daytime slumbering, he’s ready for food. You can’t fight nature, so you might as well adjust to the nighttime body clock of your exotic pet’s exotic nightlife.
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How To Adapt To Your Hedgehog’s Nocturnal Habits They are less likely to encounter predators who would kill them.

Despite the relative difficulty of trying to find food in the dark, those hedgehog nocturnal hunting habits do provide the animal in the wild with an advantage. Don’t be fooled by that rotund physique the hedgehog is actually athletic in pursuit of food: they run, climb and swim to get their dinner. In order to find their meal, they can travel as many as five or six miles on a nocturnal quest for bugs, roots, and plants. In fact, hedgehogs in the wild spend their nights searching for food. Of course, when you put him back in his cage, he’s going to be out like a light! Are Hedgehogs In The Wild Nocturnal?ĭefinitely. But he’ll adjust to spending a little bit of time with you during the daytime. He still needs to get his beauty rest during the day, so don’t keep him awake for too long. But remember that your pet is going to be groggy in the daylight hours, and it may take him some time to adjust to being awake when it’s light out.

Just because your hedgehog isn’t a morning person-er, pet-it doesn’t mean that you can’t spend some daylight time with him. Does My Hedgehog’s Nocturnal Nature Mean That We Can’t Spend Daylight Time Together?
