Pygmy Hedgehog

Question 1

What type of animal is the hedgehog?

Answer 1

insectivorous mammal

Question 2

What are the unique features of the hedgehog GI tract?

Answer 2

• simple stomach

- no cecum

Question 3

What are the unique features of the hedgehog senses?

Answer 3

keen sense of smell and hearing

Question 4

Which muscles are responsible for the “balling up” reaction?

Answer 4

• panniculus camosus

- orbicularis

Question 5

When are hedgehogs active?

Answer 5

crepuscular

- twilight/dusk

Question 6

What is the average lifespan of a hedgehog?

Answer 6

4-6 years

Question 7

Describe the dentition of the hedgehog

Answer 7

• lower incisors fit in space between the upper incisors

Question 8

Describe the appropriate diet for hedgehogs

Answer 8

• insects
• chopped vegetables
• meal worms as treats
• low fat dry cat food

Question 9

What are common dietary disorders in hedgehogs?

Answer 9

• obesity
• oral foreign bodies
• dental disease
• hepatic lipidosis

Question 10

What are the reproductive parameters of hedgehogs?

Answer 10

• seasonal breeders
• induced ovulators
• 30-35 day gestation
• babies blind and deaf

Question 11

What is “anting”?

Answer 11

self-anointing

• salivating at the mouth, then putting it on their quills
• when in unfamiliar environment

Question 12

Features of the male genitalia

Answer 12

• ventral prepuce
• long, fibrous, hard penis
• poorly defined scrotum

Question 13

Features of the female genitalia

Answer 13

close anal to genital distance

Question 14

What is the location used for venipuncture in the hedgehog?

Answer 14

cranial vena cava stick

- under sedation

Question 15

What is the most common neoplasia of hedgehogs?

Answer 15

squamous cell carcinoma

Question 16

Describe Wobbly syndrome

Answer 16

• progressive neuropathy: demyelination

- muscle weakness and ataxia

Question 17

What are common conditions seen in hedgehogs?

Answer 17

• neoplasia
• kidney disease
• wobbly syndrome
• acariasis (mites)