Pygmy Hedgehog – Sonic and Peaceful Spined Critter

The pygmy hedgehog has been a popular domestic pet (not legal in all US states) for about 20 years now although the domestic variety originally comes from African species. No doubt its popularity was boosted by the Sonic the Hedgehog video game and the “cute hedgie” internet meme. They are not actually sonic in any way and are often slow even. These creatures can stand to be rather mild and peaceful because they have an effective defensive mechanism in the form of some very stiff spikes (or spines) covering most of their bodies. Smart animals usually choose not to try and bite through this although you’ll see that some dogs are not so smart and end up with a mouth full of spikes. Somewhat like a porcupine in appearance the two are not related, the porcupine is in the rodent family.

Yawning or Yelling?

Adult Pygmy Hedgie