Different Types of Hedgehogs

When you decide to get a dog or cat as a pet, the first thing you will try to determine is what breed you want. There are small dogs and large dogs, long haired cats and short haired cats, dogs that were meant to be outdoors and dogs that were meant to be indoors, and so many other factors that must be considered before making your final decision.

However, when it comes to hedgehogs, there really isn’t much to decide. While there are different types of hedgehogs, when it comes to domesticated hedgehogs, the choices are very limited. While the choices may be limited, because domesticated hedgehogs only came on the pet scene during the 1980s, there is still a great deal of confusion surrounding the different breeds, or the different species of hedgehogs.

The most common type of hedgehog that is kept as a pet is the African Pygmy Hedgehog. You may hear this type of hedgehog referred to as many other names, which stands to reason, since the African Pygmy Hedgehog is actually what is known as a hybrid-a mix of other breeds of hedgehogs, such as the four toed hedgehog or the white-bellied hedgehog.

Among the African Species of hedgehogs, you will find the four-toed hedgehog, which is also known as the white-bellied hedgehog, the Algerian hedgehog, the Somali hedgehog, the South African hedgehog, the Ethiopian hedgehog, and the Egyptian hedgehog, which is also referred to as the long-eared hedgehog. All of these hedgehogs are domesticated.

Next, we have the European species of hedgehog. These are typically much larger than the African species, and this species includes the European hedgehog, also known as the brown breasted hedgehog, the Eastern Europe hedgehog, known as the white-breasted hedgehog, and can also include the white-bellied hedgehog.

The Asian species includes the Central Chinese hedgehog, known as Hugh’s Hedgehog, the Chinese hedgehog, known as the Amur hedgehog, the Indian hedgehog, the Southern Indian Hedgehog, and the Daurian Hedgehog. The Middle Eastern hedgehogs include the Egyptian, which is also known as the long-eared or desert hedgehog, Brandt’s hedgehog, and Hardwicke’s Hedgehog.

It is important to remember that although there are so many different types of hedgehogs, again, the most common type of hedgehog that is kept as a pet is the African Pygmy Hedgehog. It is also important to realize that these hedgehogs are not actually Pygmies. They just have that name because they are so much smaller than any other breed of hedgehog.

It is also important to note that the hedgehogs that you see out in the wild are not the same breed of hedgehogs that people keep as pets. In fact, domesticated hedgehogs could never actually survive in the wild.