Hedgehog health. Hedgehog diseases: viral, bacterial, parasitic Sick hedgehogs

Hedgehogs often appear in summer cottages and bring their owners a lot of benefits by destroying harmful insects. Even though these animals are quite cute, they are still wild. Before people feed hedgehogs, pick them up, or attract them to their property, they should figure out whether these animals are safe.

What benefits can hedgehogs bring to a garden plot?

There are many benefits from hedgehogs in the garden and vegetable garden. They perform the functions of orderlies in summer cottages:

• eat small insects, snails, worms, chafers, frogs;
• feed on caterpillars, slugs, hairy ground beetles;
• Since hedgehogs are predators, they are able to cope with small mice.

Hedgehogs protect plants from damage caused by insects such as mole crickets, wireworms, leaf beetles, and cutworms.

Hedgehogs are the orderlies of summer cottages, cleaning them from various pests.

What is the possible harm from hedgehogs?

Along with the benefits brought by hedgehogs, there are also disadvantages to their presence:

• Injections from the needles of these animals are dangerous for humans. Their bites cause infections, wound suppuration, and inflammatory processes. Since the teeth of animals are curved, the wounds caused by bites are left with ragged edges and do not heal well due to the fact that many bacteria accumulate on the hedgehog’s teeth.
• They are dangerous to domestic animals and birds because they are capable of eating baby kittens, newborn rabbits, bird chicks, and their eggs. These animals are capable of “rewarding” pets with various diseases.

What diseases do hedgehogs carry?

Hedgehogs can be carriers of various diseases: rabies, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, ringworm, toxoplasmosis. Numerous fleas and ticks live in the needles and on the skin of hedgehogs, which are also carriers of various diseases. In this regard, the presence of a hedgehog in a garden or vegetable garden poses a danger to pets (dogs, cats), children, and adults. When in contact with such animals, they can be injured by their needles, resulting in infection.

Rabies is the most terrible disease that can be contracted through the bite of a hedgehog. In this case, the virus enters directly into the blood of people (animals). It is also possible to acquire such an infection through direct contact with a sick hedgehog. To do this, you just need to stroke his face, his belly, and then wipe his eyes with a finger stained with his saliva. A hedgehog that looks absolutely healthy can actually be infected. Visible symptoms of regular form Hedgehogs do not have rabies in the form of excessive aggressiveness, excessive salivation, or convulsions. Their disease is milder, most often in an atypical (latent) form, and can be inherited.

Recognizing a hedgehog with rabies is not easy. A person should be wary of the fact that a hedgehog does not run away, although it should be afraid of it. A hedgehog awake in the light of day is already an atypical phenomenon, since these animals are characterized by a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. Therefore, untimely (daytime) activity of a hedgehog is the first sign of illness.

Rabies is the most dangerous disease carried by hedgehogs

A person (with a pet) should consult a doctor if the following symptoms are detected:

• when a hedgehog's saliva gets on the skin after a bite;
• with strong allergic reaction caused by pricks from hedgehog needles.

How to properly organize the life of hedgehogs on your property and minimize harm from them

Hedgehogs bring more benefit to gardeners than harm, and therefore people specifically try to feed and attract hedgehogs to their plot so that they settle on it. To do this, they need to create conditions similar to those to which they are accustomed in the natural environment.

How can you attract hedgehogs to your site?

For this purpose, the hedgehog should be provided with a reliable home, temporary shelter, and objects that pose a danger to the hedgehog should be removed or fenced off.

Creating safe conditions for the animal

If there is an artificial pond on the site, then, once in it, the animal will not be able to climb up its slippery walls and will drown. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to place a board at the edge of the reservoir, along which the animal will climb to the ground.

Chain-link fences are also dangerous for hedgehogs. These animals can become entangled in this net and suffer serious injuries. Therefore, it is better to fence the area with other material. You can also raise the fence above the ground to a height of 20–25 cm, then the hedgehog can freely pass under it.

Chemicals intended for use against plant diseases, pest control, and products with strong odors (solvents, paint) should be kept out of reach. The animal can get into where they are and get poisoned.

You need to be careful and careful when using garden tools. Hedgehogs often settle in heaps of compost on plots. And before you stick a pitchfork (shovel) in there, it’s worth checking whether a hedgehog lives there. You should also not leave gardening tools unattended so that the hedgehog does not get hurt.

Garden tools should be placed out of reach of hedgehogs.

How to make a hedgehog shelter with your own hands

It’s easy to build a comfortable and safe home for a hedgehog yourself, using boards, a small wooden box (for vegetables), pallets, and bricks. Approximate dimensions of the house: its length is 30 cm, its width is 25 cm, its height is 25 cm. Then, from short boards, you need to make a narrow entrance, inaccessible to cats and dogs, into a tunnel-type dwelling.

The lower part of the home is lined with dry leaves. Brushwood, slate, leaves, and grass are used as top cover. The main requirement for housing is protection from natural precipitation and animals (foxes, owls, badgers) that harm hedgehogs. The house is placed in a quiet corner of the site.

A hedgehog house can be made from a box, boards, bricks

IN natural conditions Hedgehogs usually choose dry forests and thickets as their habitat. To create a comfortable life for hedgehogs in a summer cottage, it is a good idea to build a hedge for them and plant dense bushes (hawthorn, rose hips).

They will protect hedgehogs from sunlight and prying eyes.

What you can and cannot feed them Hedgehogs are very voracious and quickly tamed. You can feed these animals 2-3 times, and they will come more often, they will understand that food is waiting for them here.

Hedgehogs are omnivores. They can eat fruits and berries, but prefer protein foods (beef, chicken) because they are predators. A hedgehog's food may consist of the following products:

• pasta (boiled);
• potatoes;
• cheese;
• nuts;
• rice;
• sunflower seeds;
• of bread;
• fish;
• cookies;
• eggs (raw, boiled).

The hedgehog is an omnivore, but prefers protein foods

Hedgehogs also love to feast on canned cat and dog food.

A hedgehog cannot be given milk or other dairy products, since hedgehogs do not have enzymes in their bodies that digest lactose.

It is also forbidden for such animals to be given raw pork, frozen food, sweet and spicy foods (cakes, candies), and fish with bones.

Precautions when dealing with hedgehogs You should not touch a hedgehog that appears on the site, even if it seems that it looks healthy. In addition to rabies, hedgehogs can be carriers of diseases common to humans and animals.

There is no need to let children or pets near the hedgehog or touch the animal with your hands.

1. If a hedgehog gets inside the house, you must:
2. Cover the top of the animal with a bucket (a thick piece of cloth).
3. Move the bucket with the hedgehog towards the exit.

Open the bucket slightly so that the animal can escape outside.

If the hedgehog is wrapped in thick material, it is carefully picked up to avoid injections and then taken out of the room. Instead of cloth, you can take the hedgehog with your hands wearing thick gloves. Used fabric (gloves) are sterilized.

You can carry a hedgehog out of the house with your hands wearing thick gloves. When we had country cottage area

, I often had to meet both large and small hedgehogs on it. We didn’t stop them from moving around the garden, we were just delighted looking at these cute prickly animals. They didn't look like patients. At that time, I didn’t know that they could bring such benefits, otherwise I would definitely try to attract them to my site.

Myths about hedgehogs

• Hedgehogs often live near summer cottages. But it happens that people sometimes do not know everything about the life of these animals running nearby and tell stories and myths about them that do not correspond to reality:

  The hedgehog is a relative of the rodent porcupine. In fact, hedgehogs are closely related to shrews, moles, and muskrats. Hedgehogs have nothing to do with porcupines. What these two animals have in common is the way they protect themselves from enemies (needles).

• Hedgehogs carry prey using spines on their backs. The hedgehogs' spines are similar to human hair and are not firmly held by the skin, so the animals will not be able to carry any food (apples) on their backs. The hedgehog uses its needles, without causing harm to health, to transport dry leaves and moss during the autumn cold period to insulate its burrow.
• This animal is actively exterminating poisonous snakes. This statement is greatly exaggerated. Hedgehogs can attack vipers in the spring or autumn, when there are no insects and there is no other food nearby, and the vipers are inert at low temperatures.

  Hedgehogs attack vipers only in spring or autumn, when there is no other food

• This is a friendly animal. These animals divide everything on earth into “enemies” and “food”. They don't have friends. They are unfriendly even in their relationships with each other. Married couples are never formed among them. The female allows the male to approach her only during the breeding season, once a year. Then they disperse, and any meeting between them can cause a fight. Born hedgehogs are raised by one mother. This lasts about a month, then they leave her.
• Hedgehog quills are poisonous. After injections with them, a person’s skin tends to turn red and itch. This allergic manifestation is associated with the animal’s saliva remaining on the points of the needles. It is formed when a hedgehog often licks its needles to protect itself from ticks.
• Hedgehogs are active at night and sleep during the day. In reality, they sleep for 3 or 4 hours in a row, then he is awake for 2-3 hours. On cloudy days, animals can move around the area in search of food. At night they sometimes do not leave their shelter, especially in late autumn or early spring, when frosts often occur.
• The hedgehog is slow. The animal is capable of developing a fairly high speed - 3 m per second.

Hedgehogs don't hunt mice. Perhaps the hedgehog would like an adult mouse, but he cannot catch up with the mouse.

So, attracting hedgehogs to your plot of land will not be difficult. And they, in turn, will protect gardens and vegetable gardens much more effectively than various pesticides from pest invasion.

Diseases, veterinary assistance for hedgehogs

A healthy hedgehog is active, its eyes are free of discharge, and its gums do not bleed. Body temperature - 33.5-34.8°. IN summer time The pulse rate is 180 beats per minute. Nevertheless, a wide variety of diseases can await your prickly pet at the dacha.

Here are just a few of them.

Non-communicable diseases

Cough and runny nose — sure sign pulmonary disease. The hedgehog becomes inactive, sad, lethargic, and his eyes become cloudy. Reasons: improper living conditions (too cold, wet, etc.), stress during capture, helminthic lesions of the lungs. Treatment may include normalizing living conditions, giving antibiotics and immunostimulants.

Eye inflammation (conjunctivitis) in hedgehogs, it quite often occurs as a result of releasing the animal into a room where bacteria found in the dust behind or furniture cause serous conjunctivitis. It manifests itself as a clear discharge from the eyes. It is also possible that sometimes the inflammatory process spreads to the upper respiratory tract, and serous rhinitis occurs. Treatment of conjunctivitis begins with the provision of dust-free bedding for the hedgehogs; chloramphenicol eye drops or antibiotic solutions are used as medications for conjunctivitis.

Stomatitis . After several months in captivity, hedgehogs develop inflammation of the oral cavity, which is manifested by redness, bleeding gums and tooth loss. The main reasons are a lack of vitamin C and bacterial contamination of the feed.

How to treat? Treat the oral cavity with infusion of thousand-leaf leaves (as a disinfectant and wound-healing agent), infusion of pine shoots (contain a large amount of ascorbic acid), decoction of oak bark, and iodine-glycerin as a disinfectant. Treatments are carried out with cotton swabs on tweezers, soaked in medications to remove necrotic and decaying masses, and then the oral cavity is washed with the same solutions from a syringe. The course of treatment is 3-5 days. Intramuscular injections of vitamin C are also given.

Since stomatitis can often be caused by pathogenic bacteria contained in raw minced meat, it is replaced with boiled chicken.

Vitamin deficiency . Due to improper nutrition, mainly surrogate food, hedgehogs' metabolism is disrupted, resulting in a lack of vitamins A and C in the body. Loss of needles, cracks in the paws, dry skin, inflammation of the eyes are signs of a lack of vitamin A. Vitamin C deficiency manifests itself in hedgehogs, a decrease in the body’s resistance to colds and infectious diseases.

How to treat? Give food balanced in vitamins and minerals. Lubricate the cracked skin on the paws of hedgehogs with sea buckthorn oil. If hedgehogs develop cracks in their paws, replace the bedding with a softer one (turf, high-moor peat).

Burns . During treatment, the contaminated areas and the skin around the burn are wiped with a swab soaked in ether or 70% alcohol, the hair is cut off, and large blisters are pierced. Then treat the affected areas with a 5% solution of manganese. After one to two hours, these areas are wetted again 3 times. You can also treat it with a 5% aqueous solution of tannin, and then lubricate it with a 10% solution of silver nitrate. If ulcers have formed, use Vishnevsky ointment, tannin, zinc or penicillin ointments.

Viral diseases

Rabies Hedgehogs can get sick when bitten by rabid animals: foxes, wolves, etc. When infected, hedgehogs experience lethargy or aggression, hydrophobia (paralysis of the pharynx occurs). Within 10 days after infection, the hedgehog inevitably dies.

Treatment for viral diseases has not been developed. However, a serological blood test will make it possible to identify sick individuals.

Bacterial diseases

Yersiniosis (pseudotuberculosis) . Hedgehogs quite often become infected with it from infected rodents. Infection is also possible by eating contaminated raw minced meat, raw milk, infected water. The disease is asymptomatic or with signs of enterocolitis (diarrhea, refusal to feed). To make a diagnosis, bacteriological examination of animal droppings is necessary.

How to treat? Patients are given electrolytes intravenously, broad-spectrum antibiotics and probiotics are prescribed.

Salmonellosis . The bacteria are carried by mice and other rodents. Symptoms of salmonellosis are similar to stomach and intestinal upset.

How to treat? Prevent dehydration, prescribe (orally or intramuscularly) antibiotics.

How to treat? The use of anthelmintics.

How to treat? Drugs used for coccidiosis. Prevention consists of feeding meat after long boiling or deep freezing, as well as taking prophylactic doses of anticoccidosis drugs.

Hedgehogs get wounds for various reasons. This can happen either when they are attacked by dogs, foxes, crows, or when their paws are damaged in an unsuitable cage, etc. Fresh deep wounds are sutured using catgut or polyglycolide absorbable sutures on the muscles, and silk sutures are placed on the skin.

By the way, hedgehog owners should not forget about their personal hygiene. After contact with hedgehogs, you should wash your hands thoroughly. Hedgehogs should also not be in food preparation areas.

If your prickly pet is incredibly happy to live in the country, you should not succumb to sentimental feelings and decide to release him into the wild. You should know that almost all domestic hedgehogs that are released into the forest usually die.

And one last thing. For your communication with a hedgehog to be constructive, you need to know its “language”:

If a hedgehog curls up into a ball, it is scared,

If the spines only appear on the forehead, the hedgehog is cautious and unsure.

If the needles are lying - the hedgehog is comfortable, he feels safe,

If the needles stick out vertically, the hedgehog is afraid of something or is dissatisfied with something,

A soft purr or whistle means that the hedgehog is happy with everything,

Puffing, snorting or “sneezing” indicates that the hedgehog is unsure or dissatisfied with something,

The hiss and clicks tell you "leave me alone"

A chirping noise is made by a male who has met a female.

Sniffling also means a good mood,

A hedgehog's cry means that it is in severe pain or is angry about something.

One day, Hedgehog got sick. It was early spring; the bright and warm spring sun warmed the earth, the snow quickly melted, cold streams ran all around, which, murmuring and meandering, flowed into small forest rivers. The birds chirped happily, feeling the approach of warmer days. The buds on the trees swelled, and in some places early spring flowers appeared from under the snow.

The Hedgehog walked along the usual path that he walked in winter, towards the Hare’s house. In the mornings, he and the Hare cleared the snow; first near the Hare's house, then near the Hedgehog's house. Now there is less snow, but Hedgehog still decided to visit his friend. He walked as usual, but suddenly it seemed to him that something was making noise under his paws. Before the Hedgehog had time to figure out what was happening, the snow fell under his paws, and the Hedgehog found himself up to his neck in cold water. It was a small stream that made a path for itself under the snow. The hedgehog immediately got all wet. Having climbed out of the stream and shook himself off the water, the Hedgehog began to think about where to go. He should have immediately run home and warmed up, but the Hedgehog decided to go to the Hare.
Having reached the Hare's hole, the Hedgehog saw that his friend was not at home. He waited for him for a while and then went home. On the way, he froze even more, and by the time Hedgehog got to his house, located under a tall spruce tree, he was completely ill. The hedgehog was sneezing and coughing, his nose was stuffy, and tears were flowing from his eyes.
“It’s okay, I’ll lie down, rest and recover,” thought the Hedgehog, lying down in his crib. By lunchtime, Hedgehog had a fever and a headache. He wanted to get up to light the stove, but he didn’t have the strength.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
-Who's there? - Hedgehog asked quietly and hoarsely.
“It’s me, Hare,” came a muffled answer from behind the thick door.
“Come in,” Hedgehog coughed.
The hare carefully opened the door and looked inside.
- Are you sick, Hedgehog?
“Yes,” the Hedgehog answered quietly, “How did you guess about it?”
“It’s very simple,” the Hare closed the door and went to the stove, “usually, you and I clear the snow around my and your house in the morning, but today you didn’t come.” I thought you were sick. Otherwise you would have come to me. Listen, it's cold here.
“That’s because the stove hasn’t been lit since yesterday,” Hedgehog noted.
- Why don’t you drown her? - asked the surprised and slow-witted Hare.
“I don’t have the strength to get up,” answered the Hedgehog, “I’m completely sick.”
“So let me flood,” the Hare hurried.
He put wood in the stove and lit the fire. Soon, the room became warmer.
“You helped me out a lot, Hare,” the Hedgehog rejoiced at his guest, “I myself would have been lying in the cold.”
- You shouldn’t worry so much. You would also help me in such a situation. We are friends!
“Friends,” Hedgehog confirmed.
When the firewood flared up and the room became very warm, the Hare closed the door to the stove.
“I’ll run,” he said, “and you, come on, get better!”
“Thank you,” answered the Hedgehog.
The Hare ran about his business, and the Hedgehog still lay there and thought about what a good friend he had, the Hare. He came to visit him and did not leave him alone in a difficult situation, even though no one asked him to do so. While he was still thinking, there was another knock on the door.
- Who's there? - asked the Hedgehog.
“It’s me, Belka,” a thin voice was heard from behind the door.
“Come in,” Hedgehog was happy to see the new visitor.
The door opened and a large basket covered with a scarf crawled into the room. Belka appeared behind the basket.
“Ugh,” said Belka, “I barely made it.” And how difficult it was to get down the branches, it’s terrible!
- What is this? - Hedgehog asked.
- These are different medications for you, you’re sick, aren’t you?
- Yes, but how did you know? - The hedgehog was surprised.
- Where from? Every day at this time you and I collect brushwood and firewood for the stove, but today you didn’t come. I thought something had happened to you.
The squirrel began to take out all sorts of medicines from the basket: dried strawberries, cranberries, dried leaves raspberries and currants.
“Here,” Squirrel finally put everything out of the basket, “brew some grass with berries, drink tea.” Do you have a samovar?
- Yes, it’s behind the stove. - Hedgehog answered
- Great! - Belka quickly took out the samovar, poured water into it and put coals from the stove into the firebox of the samovar.
Soon the samovar began to puff, made noise, and the water began to boil. Squirrel brewed healing tea and gave it to Hedgehog. He tried the tea and really liked it. The tea smelled of summer: fragrant herbs and berries. Squirrel also sat for a while and drank tea. When leaving, she added more firewood to the stove and samovar so that the hedgehog’s house would remain warm longer. The hedgehog was very pleased and glad that he had such Good friends who did not leave him alone at home.
In the evening, when Hedgehog was about to go to bed, there was a knock on the door again. It was the old Badger who came, who brought a large barrel of linden honey.
“Hello, Hedgehog,” said Badger. - I heard that you were sick. And in the evening you did not come, as usual, to visit me. “Here, I brought you a gift,” and the Badger put the honey on the table.
“Come in, come in, sit down,” Hedgehog invited the guest.
“I see,” continued Badger, “you have a samovar on the table.” Let's have some tea, shall we?
“Come on,” agreed the Hedgehog. - True, I already drink tea all day long.
- So what? - objected Badger, it’s good for you to drink a lot of tea now in order to get better quickly. Besides, you probably haven’t drunk tea with such good honey yet; I collected it myself in the summer.
The badger added water to the samovar, added wood to the stove, and poured linden honey into wooden bowls. Soon the whole house was filled with the pleasant smell of linden honey. It smelled of flowers, linden trees and forest. The Hedgehog drank tea and ate honey without getting out of bed, and the Badger sat at the table and poured himself cup after cup. He told Hedgehog interesting stories from your life. Badger loved to chat, and even more he loved to be listened to. The Hedgehog soon fell asleep, and the Badger kept telling and talking. Finally, he noticed that the Hedgehog was sleeping, and he also slowly went home to sleep.
Hedgehog dreamed good dreams about summer, and the next day he completely recovered.

Hedgehogs are amazing and interesting animals. But before you bring this animal home, you should familiarize yourself with the diseases to which the animal is susceptible.

Non-communicable diseases

The first thing you may encounter when you take a hedgehog from the street is exhaustion of the animal’s body. At the same time, the body becomes narrow, with sunken sides, and the bottom of the cover of the needles sags. Hedgehog diseases are not dangerous to others.

• Respiratory tract diseases. The main symptoms are cough and runny nose. At the same time, the hedgehog becomes sedentary, sad with dull eyes. The main causes of the disease: improper living conditions, when the animal was caught, it was subjected to stress, as well as damage to the lungs by worms. Treatment is carried out only as prescribed by a veterinarian after passing basic tests. Antibiotics are harmful to hedgehogs because they have a weak liver.

• Conjunctivitis. Animals living in dusty areas are susceptible to eye inflammation. The disease manifests itself in clear discharge from the eyes. Treatment consists of replacing the hedgehog's bedding and instilling chloramphenicol drops into the eyes.
• Stomatitis. A common disease of hedgehogs in captivity. It is characterized by inflammation of the oral cavity and redness of the gums, up to tooth loss. Stomatitis can develop due to a lack of vitamin C or if the animal's food has been contaminated with bacteria. To prevent this disease, raw minced meat should be removed from the animal’s diet and replaced with boiled chicken. Stomatitis is treated with disinfectants and wound-healing agents for the oral cavity.

• Lack of vitamins and microelements. Jerzy different types suffer from vitamin deficiency. Due to improper and insufficient nutrition, the animal's metabolism may be disrupted, resulting in a lack of vitamins A and C - which in turn threatens the loss of needles, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and eyes, as well as the appearance of cracks on the paws. Due to a lack of vitamins in animals, the body's protective function decreases, which can lead to infectious and colds.

Viral diseases

• Herpes virus infection. The course of the disease without clinical signs: the animal becomes lethargic, refuses food, and vomiting is possible. It is possible to establish the cause only through an autopsy - this is an enlargement of the liver and a violation of its structure.
• Rabies - a hedgehog can become infected from the bite of another animal. Symptoms of the disease: aggression or lethargy, fear of water, the animal dies within 10 days after infection. Rabies cannot be treated.

Bacterial diseases

• Pseudotuberculosis or yersiniosis - hedgehogs become infected from rodents, infected raw minced meat, unboiled milk or water. The disease occurs without symptoms; in rare cases, diarrhea or loss of appetite is possible. It is necessary to periodically test the animal's stool. If a disease is detected, hedgehogs are treated with antibiotics and probiotics.
• Salmonellosis - the animal begins to have a gastrointestinal disorder. You should get tested. Treatment consists of preventing dehydration and administering antibiotics.

If symptoms of illness occur, your hedgehog should be taken to a veterinary clinic immediately. Self-treatment can lead to dire consequences.

Recently, exotic animals have gained particular popularity, but when adopting them, owners do not always think about their safety. At first glance, hedgehogs are interesting and cute animals, heroes of many cartoons and fairy tales. They are depicted as lovers of various fruits and vegetables, ready to feast on milk. In nature, they are real predators and carriers of infectious diseases that are dangerous to humans. Often such a pet is not bought at a pet store, but brought from a walk or trip to nature, not knowing about the danger to which they expose themselves and family members.

Children, elderly people and those with weakened immune systems are at increased risk.

Invisible danger

Fungal infections

These mammals are often affected by dermatophytes or are asymptomatic carriers. They cause fungal skin infections and the development of microsporia in humans. Also, the causative agents of Candida albicans - candidiasis or thrush - were found in some individuals, which gives every right to call hedgehogs carriers of this disease.

Bacterial infections

The most dangerous among the bacterial diseases transmitted by hedgehogs is leptospirosis. In addition, they carry other contagious diseases - salmonellosis, chlamydia and yersiniosis. In almost half of the cases, affected animals are asymptomatic. When you pick up another funny, healthy-looking hedgehog, you may encounter an unexpectedly unpleasant surprise.

There are known cases of infection with the rabies virus, which is deadly for all species of mammals, for which no cure has yet been found.

Prevention

Avoiding the problems described above is not so difficult. Prevention consists of maintaining strict hygiene when handling animals. You should regularly wash your hands, prevent your pet from being near the place where food is prepared and consumed, carefully pick it up, observing safety precautions, because hedgehogs are still real predators, capable of pricking and biting. You should not pick up or touch wild animals. If you have an overwhelming desire to have a hedgehog, the best solution would be to purchase it at a pet store. They will provide the necessary information about possible dangers, nutrition, the nature of the animal and the rules of interaction with it and other specific aspects of keeping.

If you notice problems with your pet's health, you should seek help from a veterinary clinic. Exotic animals require special care and treatment.