Hedgehogs live not only in the forest, but also next to humans. Sometimes they are fed in the hope that the prickly guests will begin to catch mice and protect the area from snakes. The hedgehog evokes sympathy, so it’s hard to even imagine what his stay in the house could lead to. Even for a short time.
How does a hedgehog live?
The hedgehog belongs to the class Mammals, order Insectivores, family Hedgehogs. The ancestors of the hedgehog appeared on Earth a long time ago, many millions of years ago. The most common species in our country is the common hedgehog, which is found in dry forests, on forest edges, in ravines, steppes, in gardens and near human habitation. He is well known in the European part of Russia, in Western Siberia and on Far East. The animal has poor eyesight and touch, but an excellent sense of smell and good hearing. In nature, the common hedgehog rarely lives longer than six years. Such hedgehogs are considered long-lived.
Hedgehogs do not like damp places near swamps. They don't like it either rainy weather. In summer, the hedgehog hides in root hollows, under snags and in bushes. There he dozes during the day or is half asleep. The hedgehog becomes active during twilight and can navigate perfectly at night. In summer, he needs to eat a lot to accumulate a sufficient layer of fat. Before going to bed, the hedgehog suddenly stops eating. This is necessary so that the intestines can be cleansed. When the air temperature is below +10°C (usually from or beginning), the hedgehog goes into hibernation. Hibernation lasts 127 days. He wakes up in . The skinny hedgehog is very weak. He needs to recover quickly, so the hunt continues around the clock. In the southern regions, hedgehogs often sleep during dry periods.
In the spring, it is mating time for hedgehogs. The friendly family soon falls apart. Before the birth of the offspring, the hedgehog leaves the hedgehog. The cubs (there are often from three to eight) are born blind, white and completely spineless. A mother hedgehog communicates with her babies using sounds reminiscent of whistling. After one and a half to two months, the hedgehogs scatter and begin an independent life.
Hedgehogs are born blind, with sparse, short, initially soft spines. The mother lies and feeds the babies like a cat, turning around, but as soon as you disturb her, the hedgehog will drag the entire brood hundreds of meters, dragging the cubs one at a time (P.A. Manteuffel “Notes of a Naturalist”).
What does a hedgehog eat?
The main food of hedgehogs is plants and animals. The menu includes fruits, roots, seeds, small mammals(for example, newborn hares), amphibians, birds, eggs, slugs, worms, insects and their larvae. Hedgehogs dig up sprouting acorns, feast on raspberries and even ripe melon. The hedgehog happily eats the eggs of black grouse, quail, woodcock and gray partridge. In vegetable gardens he finds and eats garden snails, slugs, caterpillars and other pests.
While spending the night in the lodge after a hunt, I was awakened by the cry of a chicken in the barn. Illuminated by the lantern, she continued to fly into someone. It turned out that the hedgehog, jumping up slightly, stabbed her with his needles. Beneath him lay a chicken with its head bitten off. In the Askania-Nova Nature Reserve in Ukraine, where complete freedom pheasants lived and bred, they noticed that the broods last years became much smaller. Suspicion fell on ordinary hedgehogs. Early in the morning, an observer noticed a pheasant flapping its wings in the Cossack juniper bushes. She fought with a hedgehog, which pushed her off her eggs with its needles. Three eggs turned out to be bitten. Special observations later established that the rare pheasant nest accidentally remained intact. So many of these prickly robbers have accumulated in the park, having migrated there from the vast surrounding steppes. Organized raids of fox terriers, carried out in the evenings, resulted in the capture of over 30 hedgehogs, some taken dead, some alive, who were taken to the steppe tens of kilometers away. After this, the parks of Askania began to quickly fill with pheasants (P.A. Manteuffel “Notes of a Naturalist”).
This animal reacts poorly to sublimate, arsenic and hydrocyanic acid, but strychnine is dangerous to it. The hedgehog is absolutely not afraid of bee stings.
A hedgehog will come to the apiary, stand in front of the hive on its hind legs and, stretching out its sharp muzzle, poop into the tray. Bees do not like the wind, and even less so the spirit of the hedgehog. They fly out of the entrance and pounce on the enemy. The cunning hedgehog hides his face and waits for more bees to land on his thorns. Then he shakes himself off. Bees fall on the grass. Irrigated wings do not lift them into the air. And the hedgehog picks up crawling insects with its tongue. Or suddenly, curled up into a ball, he begins to roll on the grass in order to pin bees on needles and carry them to his nest (I.F. Zayanchkovsky “Enemies of Our Enemies”).
But there is no consensus on how a hedgehog meets snakes. The facts are so contradictory that it is difficult to say in what situations a hedgehog dares to fight with. Brem described in detail the condition of a hedgehog dying from a snake bite. True, the viper bit the hedgehog on the head.
Natural enemies of hedgehogs are foxes, martens, hawks, and large owls. Especially eagle owls, which are not at all afraid of prickly needles. Foxes and dogs often roll a prickly ball to a puddle in order to then calmly eat the straightened hedgehog.
They tell how they hunt hedgehogs cunning foxes. The fox quietly rolls the hedgehog curled into a prickly ball from the steep bank into the water, where the hedgehog quickly unfolds and the fox easily deals with it. Some people do the same thing with hedgehogs. smart dogs(Sokolov-Mikit ov “Ezhi”).
Hedgehog quills
On the hedgehog’s back there is a “coat” of needles, and on its belly there is a coat of fur. Several old needles fall out every day, making room for new ones to grow. S.F. Starikovich writes that needles common hedgehog have a length of no more than 3 cm. The needles appear smooth in appearance, although they have longitudinal ridges and ridges. The inside of the needles is hollow, which reduces the weight of the prickly “fur coat”. To enhance their strength, internal partitions are provided. The surface of the middle part of the needle is yellowish. Quills not only protect the hedgehog, but also help it climb onto different surfaces. For example, if a hedgehog wants to climb onto the dining table, then he rests his feet on the table leg and his needles on the wall! When falling from a height, the needles soften the blow.
The hedgehog's spines turned out to be a kind of unit of measure. The common hedgehog has a tail and ears as long as its quill. It's interesting that long-eared hedgehog(he lives further south) not only the needles are longer, but also the ears.
The circular subcutaneous muscle, which begins at the tendon at the back of the head, allows the hedgehog to easily curl into a ball in any danger. In order for the hedgehog to protect itself (even during sleep), the needles, directed in different directions, instantly stand on end. If you calmly stroke the prickly ball several times in the direction from head to tail, the thickened edges of the annular muscle gradually weaken, after which the needles drop.
Hedgehog in the house
The best place for hedgehogs to live is nature. Of course, it also happens that a poor animal dies under the wheels of cars or when attacked by a predator. The hedgehog feels good in zoo corners, where suitable conditions are created for him. Smoking is prohibited in zoo corners. Hedgehogs tolerate tobacco smoke very poorly, especially if they sleep curled up in a ball. Hedgehogs are very afraid when they ring a bell or... smack their lips.
Most people treat hedgehogs with their funny faces covered with gray hairs with sympathy. The hedgehog is easily and quickly tamed. He squeaks and puffs when he's calm. Rumbles and snorts when irritated. And the hedgehog often gets irritated. The desire to play with him like a kitten ends with the animal falling into a rage. He snorts and angrily attacks the piece of paper tied to a thread.
Hedgehogs soon get used to people and become tame. A whole herd of hedgehogs has bred in a neighboring pioneer camp. Every night they come from the forest to the pioneer canteen and feast on the food that the pioneers leave for them. Where hedgehogs live, there are no mice or rats.
I once had a pet hedgehog. During the day he climbed into the top of a dried old boot, and at night he went out to hunt for prey. I often woke up from the small stomping and noise that the hedgehog made at night. Two or three times I was able to watch him catch mice. With extraordinary speed, the hedgehog rushed at the mouse that appeared in the corner of the room and immediately dealt with it. Frankly, he caused me a lot of anxiety, prevented me from sleeping at night and behaved uncleanly. Despite all the troubles, we became very good friends (Sokolov-Mikit ov “Ezhi”).
Many people are convinced that hedgehogs can be kept in the house like a cat. Unfortunately, their expectations are often not met.
It must also be said that the current opinion about hedgehogs as mouse killers is not shared by all experts. Some argue, not without good reason, that a short-legged fellow cannot catch a normal, healthy mouse. In addition, more than once we saw how a nimble mouse was not afraid to lap up milk from the same saucer with a hedgehog enraged by such impudence (S.F. Starikovich “The Most Common Animals”).
Hedgehogs do not tolerate any sanitation well. No amount of pet shampoo will help here.
Having brought the forest dweller home, many, without even thinking, were hiding among the needles. dangerous insects, put the little tenant in a basin and do sanitation with water and washing powder. Such a scrub does little harm to fleas and ticks, but for a hedgehog it is probably sheer torture, a torment of torment. After all, he is afraid of water more than fire! AND good intentions turns into torture of the animal (S.F. Starikovich “The Most Common Animals”).
We had to deal with hedgehogs that appeared on the site several times. Once, a teenage hedgehog, picked up on a road, was forced to spend several hours in a bucket, the bottom of which we covered with grass. Until the hedgehog was taken into the forest. During this time, he ate a portion of minced meat several times and drank a little milk. He refused water. We did not notice any signs of friendliness. What was new to everyone was the need to wash the bucket for a very long time in order to remove the heavy spirit that remained after the hedgehog. Our dogs always instantly found hedgehogs by their characteristic smell.
If you still decide to get a hedgehog, then perhaps these recommendations will be useful to you.
The hedgehog can be kept in a cage or in a room, providing it only with material for building a nest: tow, hay, dry leaves. The hedgehog makes a nest somewhere in a secluded corner of the room. The cage must be cleaned daily. In winter, when kept in conditions room temperature The hedgehog does not hibernate, but becomes more lethargic and often refuses food.
The hedgehog should be fed twice a day, giving him 25 grams at the first feeding white bread and 100 grams of milk, in the second - 75 - 100 grams of meat with bone meal (1 gram), and in winter with fish oil(1 gram). Instead of meat, it is good to give mice, frogs, and insects. The hedgehog also willingly eats eggs, fish, fruits, soups, cereals, etc. The hedgehog should have water at all times.
In captivity, hedgehogs rarely reproduce (“Advice to an amateur naturalist”, edited by Professor P.A. Manteuffel).
© Website, 2012-2019. Copying texts and photographs from the site podmoskоvje.com is prohibited. All rights reserved.
(function(w, d, n, s, t) ( w[n] = w[n] || ; w[n].push(function() ( Ya.Context.AdvManager.render(( blockId: "R-A -143469-1", renderTo: "yandex_rtb_R-A-143469-1", async: true )); )); t = d.getElementsByTagName("script"); s = d.createElement("script"); s .type = "text/javascript"; s.src = "//an.yandex.ru/system/context.js"; s.async = true; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); ))(this , this.document, "yandexContextAsyncCallbacks");
Who hasn't brought home a hedgehog? Surely every child is sure to do this in childhood. And today there are even breeders who breed unusual pets. Of course, new owners have a question: what to feed hedgehogs at home? Let's figure it out.
All the cuteness of hedgehogs is greatly exaggerated. These are cruel and voracious predators. IN natural nature they feed on mice, snakes, snails, chicks, frogs, and insects. As you can see, the menu is very varied. Sometimes hedgehogs can feast on fruit carrion, but this is more likely out of desperation. Animals do not eat mushrooms, milk, bread, sausage, or cheese in nature. You should not give them at home either. Moreover, a hedgehog can die from milk. And you definitely shouldn’t give them human dishes.
This is interesting. In order for a hedgehog to live at home for 10 years or more, you will have to create a separate menu for it. It should be varied, nutritious and modest in size. An adult animal requires no more than 250 g of total feed per day.
How can you tell if you're feeding your hedgehog correctly? By weight. An adult hedgehog should weigh at least 800 g in October. A little less in spring and summer. And in winter they don’t weigh it, because the hedgehog sleeps at that time.
The kitchen is not for the faint of heart
It is worth noting that the menu for hedgehogs at home is a very bloodthirsty thing and not for squeamish people. His diet should consist of the following products (the list is in descending order):
Raw meat
These are chicken, veal, horse meat, lamb. It is strictly forbidden to give pork! Everything else can be given in the form of small pieces or ground into minced meat. This category also includes mice (adults and children), frogs, snails, and slugs. Some owners are afraid of infecting their pet with worms, so they always boil the meat. I wonder if they boil mice and frogs too? Still, it is preferable to give your hedgehog raw foods, but purchase them from trusted places.
Secret. Many sources strictly prohibit feeding domestic hedgehogs with flavored meat. It’s strange, but in nature these cuties are also scavengers. Dead chicks or small animals are gobbled up by both cheeks.
Insects
Larvae, pupae, worms, adult insects. Just in huge quantities! You will have to catch beetles, locusts, grasshoppers, moths, lacewings, beetles, and so on and so forth. Then you will have to kill all this goodness somehow.
Advice. Do not give domestic cockroaches to hedgehogs!
Experienced hedgehog breeders advise stuffing the insects into a glass jar, closing it with a screw cap and... baking it in the oven. After this, you need to thoroughly dry the cold insect corpses. They need to be stored in the same glass jar with a tight lid.
Important! Why all these tricks? So that during the meal the insects simply do not run away. Plus, in the fall, where will you get such a treat for your hedgehog? What if he doesn't get it together? hibernation? This is where such supplies come in handy.
Did you know that one adult hedgehog can easily eat up to 70 cockchafers per day? And besides that, he eats.
Vegetables
Basically it's just regular raw carrots. This is what hedgehogs prefer to other vegetables. According to the experience of the owners, prickly pets eat carrots better if they are rubbed. Sly people usually ignore large pieces. Vegetables can be replaced with a small amount of apple or pear. It is also advisable to chop them. By the way, what stops you from experimenting? Try giving your pet pieces of other vegetables or fruits. What if he turns out to have a great sweet tooth and will be happy to eat such a delicacy?
These three groups are the main component of the entire diet of hedgehogs at home. But the same type of diet can result in a lack of vitamins and microelements. Accordingly, this will negatively affect the health of the prickly grumbler.
What else can you give your hedgehog?
- Porridge. Cooked from various cereals, strictly only with water, without adding salt or sugar. It can be rice, wheat, pearl barley, millet, buckwheat. Legumes are not recommended. Firstly, hedgehogs don’t like them, but they can eat them when they are hungry. Secondly, it is still unknown how he will react gastrointestinal tract for such a treat.
- Cottage cheese. It is given very rarely and very little, literally half a teaspoon.
- Liver and other offal. Unlike meat, it is recommended to give this component of the diet to the hedgehog only in boiled form. Lung, spleen, heart, stomach - any hedgehog can easily eat it all. They are generally greedy for the insides.
- Liquids. Natural juices no sugar, meat and fish broths without salt and spices, regular drinking water. Hedgehogs drink in nature, but not much. They have enough liquid from amphibians and small animals. But when home care water, even in the form of broth, should always be nearby.
- Eggs. Quail or chicken, boiled, raw. They are also given in such a volume that the daily portion is no more than 30 g. Usually 2 is enough quail eggs in Week.
- Fish. In natural natural conditions Hedgehogs don't catch fish. But if pet hedgehog offer a piece of fish, he is unlikely to refuse. Just don't give it river water! It causes a lack of many vitamins in the animal’s body and delays normal growth and development. In babies under one year of age, the skeleton is not formed correctly, and then they often suffer from rickets. Treat your pet to a slice sea fish(mackerel, whale, saury, pollock). Such a treat, on the contrary, will only be beneficial.
- Potato. They are given only boiled. The best option would be to make small balls of grated crackers and crushed potatoes, and then offer them to your pet hedgehog. For health, you can add a little fish or bone meal to the mixture. And for taste they add porridge and minced meat. This type of feeding is very convenient than food piled on a plate. And the animal will not be capricious when choosing tasty pieces. He will have to eat the whole ball.
Advice. Do not feed your hedgehog at home with boiled pasta, soups, or sweets from your table. The prickly grumbler is not aware of the benefits or harm to his body. He will eat it all up safely. But the result can be completely unpredictable, from malaise to fatal outcome. Do not try to treat your animal with salted, smoked or fried fish. Kebabs, sausages, cookies, chips are also taboo for a hedgehog.
And further. If you have a hedgehog in your house, but you don’t want to catch amphibians and insects (insert your reason here), then go to the pet store. There you can buy baby mice, insects, larvae and worms. Which are also definitely without pathogenic microorganisms or pathogenic bacteria.
What to feed a hedgehog at home? Most suitable food, close to nutrition in natural environment. Then your pet will live with you long years well-fed and healthy.
Video: what and how to feed hedgehogs
The hedgehog is an animal that we have known about since early childhood. Fairy tales and cartoons introduced us to him. But do we really know these prickly balls well enough? Do you know why hedgehogs are dangerous or why hedgehogs are useful? Is it true that hedgehogs carry apples and mushrooms on their backs? In this article you will learn interesting facts about hedgehogs and you will be able to find answers to all these questions.
2. Everyone knows about the ability of hedgehogs to curl up into a prickly ball when in danger. The hedgehog's needles serve as strong armor and protection. With such equipment, the hedgehog emerges victorious even in a fight with a viper. However, it is not only the needles that allow him to win the fight. One of the most little known facts about hedgehogs is that these animals are insensitive to many poisons. Arsenic, opium and even hydrocyanic acid have a weak effect on hedgehogs.
3. We are used to thinking of hedgehogs as harmless creatures. But despite this, they are quite capable of standing up for themselves. After all, they have at their disposal not only barbed needles, but also 36 sharp teeth.
4. Many people believe that a hedgehog does not have a tail. But this is not so - it has a tail. It’s just very short, its length is only 3 cm. Of course, it is very difficult to see such a small tail under the hedgehog’s spines.
5. Despite their small size, hedgehogs are quite nimble animals. They can run at speeds of up to 3 m/s. In addition, hedgehogs swim well and jump well, have a keen sense of smell and very sensitive hearing. The only thing is that hedgehogs have poor eyesight.
6. The hedgehog is not afraid to spoil his figure. Since the hedgehog hibernates in winter, before that it gains another 500 grams of fat on top of its usual weight of 800 grams. Such reserves allow him not to die of hunger in winter and sleep peacefully until spring. It is curious that the body temperature of hedgehogs during hibernation drops to 2 °C - this is one of the most interesting facts about hedgehogs.
7. The hedgehog is an insectivorous animal. But its diet is not limited to insects. In addition to insects, hedgehogs eat berries and fruits, mice and voles, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. Hedgehogs also feed on eggs or chicks of small birds that make nests on the ground. A hedgehog can even eat a snake.
8. Hedgehogs are useful in killing various harmful insects. These animals destroy cockchafers, nun caterpillars and gypsy moth. In addition, hedgehogs destroy mice and voles. The hedgehog is a faithful guardian of the garden. After all, where this thorny ball appears, rats and snakes go away.
9. First of all, the hedgehog causes harm by destroying bird nests. And this problem is relevant for both wildlife and domestic animals. If you have a hedgehog and chickens at your dacha, then hedgehogs pose a threat to them. But greatest harm Hedgehogs cause diseases. A hedgehog can carry diseases such as rabies, salmonellosis, dermatomycosis, yellow fever and others. In addition, there are a lot of ticks and fleas on hedgehogs. This poses a danger to animals at your dacha. In addition, hedgehogs are hosts for ixodid ticks.
10. Very often children find a hedgehog and bring it home, trying to make it into a pet. This is a big mistake. After all, hedgehogs are wild animals that lead night image life and cannot be trained. In addition, they are carriers of serious diseases. In this regard, it is highly undesirable to have hedgehogs as pets.
If you liked this article and want to learn even more interesting things about animals, subscribe to site updates and receive the latest and interesting news about the animal world first.
A hedgehog is a small predatory animal distinctive feature which are the well-known thorns. Often they try to keep these animals at home. Let's try to figure out what hedgehogs eat in wildlife and what they can be fed in captivity.
In cartoons, we see a forest hedgehog dragging an apple or a mushroom into its hole, but in fact, in nature, hedgehogs eat animal food. Due to the fact that in winter the hedgehog is forced to hibernate, during the period of wakefulness, it needs to accumulate a sufficient amount of fat.
What do hedgehogs eat?
These are inhabitants not only of forests, steppes, deserts, but also of human-developed spaces. And it is omnivory that helps them survive in such diverse conditions. But most of all, these animals still prefer animal food. Hedgehogs eat caterpillars, earthworms, amphibians, and small reptiles. In addition to this, they are excellent at dealing with all kinds of poisonous insects. Hedgehogs also eat beetles, grasshoppers, various invertebrates, slugs, and snails.
These animals are immune to snake venom, their prey can be small snakes. In times of hunger, hedgehogs can also feed on carrion. They happily eat eggs, destroying the clutches of birds whose nests they are able to reach, because many species of hedgehogs climb quite well and, oddly enough, swim.
Contrary to popular belief, hedgehogs eat snakes, reptiles, mice and frogs quite rarely, simply because it is difficult for them to catch these animals and they do not often manage to taste such food, only under a happy coincidence of circumstances. For example, if you come across some kind of lizard in a state of torpor.
What to feed your pet hedgehog?
If you want your pet to feel good at home, just for a long time, you need to feed him approximately the food that he can find in the wild. It is necessary to understand that the food that humans most often eat is not suitable for a hedgehog. The best option V modern conditions are specialized feeds, but unfortunately we may have difficulties with such feeds. Dog and cat food for hedgehogs is not suitable for constant nutrition. Therefore, if you decide to get yourself such a pet, you will have to look out for a special menu.
Products you should feed your hedgehog at home:
- Boiled meat - chicken, beef, turkey.
- Chicken giblets.
- Berries and fruits - strawberries, raspberries, currants, pears, apples.
- Vegetables - carrots, cucumbers, Bell pepper, pumpkin.
- Raw eggs.
- Live insects or zoophobus.
The animal should be fed strictly in doses, not allowing food to sit for a long time; this will save both you and your pet from possible digestive problems.
Foods that should not be given to hedgehogs are those that a hedgehog “does not see” in the wild:
- Baked bakery products, everything is excluded.
- A variety of sweets, including chocolate, absolutely everything.
- Canning, both store-bought and home-made, is excluded.
- Exotic fruits and especially dried fruits, including grapes.
- Nuts, seeds.
- Various types of spices - onions, garlic.
- All dairy products are excluded.
- Store-bought deli meats - sausages, frankfurters, sausages, lard, everything is excluded.
The generally accepted opinion that hedgehogs love milk is, in fact, deeply mistaken; milk, and like all dairy products, is not healthy for hedgehogs; their body is not able to digest lactose. However, the idea that milk is harmful for a hedgehog and that it can die from it is also not true, this is a wild omnivorous animal, and if necessary, anything can be eaten, it’s just that milk is not the food that should be given to hedgehogs.
For all their supposedly good-natured appearance, hedgehogs are carnivorous animals, and their diet should include food of animal origin. And of course, the animal must have fresh water in its cage.
Every summer I vacationed at my grandmother’s dacha. It was happy time! Nobody forced me to read books or teach English language and solve boring math problems! I was left to my own devices all day. What else is needed for complete happiness?
ZOO BUSINESS No. 8/2014
Every morning I woke up at six o'clock in the morning. Right under my window, my grandmother’s ducks were having a bath in a trough. They flapped their wings noisily, splashed in the water and quacked so loudly that it was simply impossible to sleep. I tossed and turned from side to side, hid my head under the pillow, but I could no longer sleep. I had to get up. The most interesting thing is that during the day the ducks behaved quietly and did not bother others at all. Maybe after feeding they went for a swim in the river? But the chickens darted around the yard all day, digging their paws in the sand and clucking busily. Grandmother's rooster was pugnacious. I often got it from him if there were no adults in the yard. The wisest decision was to flee, because this bird did not understand human words, and it was scary and embarrassing to fight with it. Once I saw a rooster attack a crow that wanted to drag away a little chicken. He attacked the thief with such anger that she got scared, released her prey and flew away.
This chicken became my friend. I don't know why I chose him. Probably because he was very naughty. All the chickens were like chickens - they hovered around the mother hen, and this one was always trying to climb somewhere. That's why the crow managed to grab him. Because of its restlessness and stubborn disposition, I fell in love with the chicken. She fed him the most delicious crumbs and grains of boiled buckwheat porridge, and played with him. I simply called him Chick.
After breakfast, I really liked to run into the forest, which was very close to us. Grandma let me go with a light heart. True, with a condition. Periodically, I had to show myself to her so that she could make sure that her beloved granddaughter was alive and well. It wasn't difficult. When hunger woke up in me, I ran home myself to have something to eat...
It was the end of June, and the strawberries had just ripened. I found a sunny clearing, squatted down and began to pick berries. It was as if the strawberries were playing hide and seek with me. From a distance the berry is visible, but when you come closer, it disappears. And you need to bend down very low, push the leaves apart with your hands, and only then will you find it - a sweet, fragrant, red drop of summer. You need to carefully place it on your palm, smell it, take it into your mouth and press it to the roof of your mouth so that the berry is flattened on your tongue. And then the next berry beckons you, the next - and you forget about everything in the world...
Suddenly there was a rustling sound to my right. I didn’t even have time to get scared when a small hedgehog crawled out of the bush right at my feet. Two black beady eyes stared at me, and the nose moved just like grandma’s rabbits. The most interesting thing is that the hedgehog was not afraid of me. What do you think happened next? Surely! I took off my Panama hat, carefully, so as not to prick myself, rolled the animal into it and ran home joyfully.
When grandma saw the hedgehog, she was not particularly delighted. She always believed that animals are not toys. But she still allowed him to leave for a while, yielding to my pleas. I found an old barrel in the garden, cleaned it, laid dry grass on the bottom and planted a hedgehog in it. The animal behaved surprisingly calmly. He was not afraid of me and did not curl up into a ball. The only thing that upset me was his constant desire to escape to freedom. The hedgehog tried to climb up the walls, looked for a crack in the bottom, and for the first two days did not give up trying to get out of his confinement. I decided to feed the animal. She brought a saucer with milk and put in pieces of apples. The hedgehog didn’t even look at the apples, but began to drink the milk funny, lapping it with his little pink tongue. I didn’t know what hedgehogs ate, so I tried giving him everything. He liked the pieces the most boiled meat and sausages. After a week, he took them straight from his hands and made short work of them quite quickly. I was surprised that the apples remained untouched. I always believed that hedgehogs prick them on needles and drag them into their burrow, storing them in reserve for the winter. I even remember pictures from children's books and cartoons. I wonder if it was just my hedgehog who didn’t eat the apples? But he enjoyed eating earthworms and grasshoppers.
A month has passed. Every day I let the hedgehog run around the garden. And she sat next to her on the grass, watched the animal and did not let it run into the bushes. That day I took pieces of meat and, as usual, fed the hedgehog. And then Chicken Little came up to us. I must say, he has grown a lot during this time. The yellow fluff gave way to white feathers. From a small fluffy ball, Chick turned into a funny awkward chicken with long legs. I no longer fed him, because the chicken ate with other chickens in the poultry yard. But she continued to treat him to fat worms, so Tsyp often came running to me. Now he came very close, and then something happened that I never expected. Chick saw the pieces of meat and, apparently, decided to peck them off. The hedgehog froze for a second, and then rushed at the chicken and grabbed its leg with its teeth. Chick squealed heart-rendingly and began to writhe on the ground. His squeak made the chickens cackle in fear, and I, coming to my senses, rushed to Tsyp’s aid. I can’t even say what struck me more then. Of course, I knew that hedgehogs can attack snakes, mice or frogs. Before that, I calmly watched as the hedgehog dealt with live worms. But worms are just worms. But I didn’t understand how it was possible to attack a chicken. For the first time I looked at the hedgehog with completely different eyes - as at a predator. Then she carefully took it and carried it into the barrel...
Some more time passed. My hedgehog is sad. He became lethargic, as if he was sick. He lay motionless all day and refused to eat. I gave him milk and water and his favorite treat. Everything was useless. Then I carefully took it out and put it in the garden under a bush. The hedgehog lay there until the evening, and then disappeared. I was even glad that he escaped, because I decided that he was dying. For several days I still hoped to see him in the garden, but the hedgehog disappeared without a trace. And then I left for the city, because the school year was about to begin.
When I told my parents this story, my mother cursed very much, and my father explained that hedgehogs should not be handled. They bite very hard. And since these animals eat rodents, they can carry dangerous diseases. And in general, hedgehog - wild animal. It is difficult to keep it at home. In captivity he may die...
Therefore, if you meet a hedgehog in a forest or park, admire it, take a photo and let it go in peace! Let him live in freedom!
Olga PETRAUSKAS
Loading...
