Hedgehog Lifespan and What Impacts It

Let's explore the average hedgehog lifespan as a domestic pet. While pondering whether to commit to giving a hedgehog their forever home, it's completely natural to wonder how long do hedgehogs live. Any pet lover (or parent even) can relate to the attachment that is formed with another living creature. After all, that creature is completely dependent on you for every aspect of their existence. When a hedgie's lifespan hangs in the balance, there's a lot to consider.

Before we bottom-line it, let's look at the things that have the greatest impact on how long hedgehogs can live. After all, if we want to increase their lifespan so we have them around awhile to cuddle with, these factors are important to consider.

Wild hedgehogs have a completely different way of life than their domesticated cousins. Day after day, they face dietary, predatory, and environmental challenges that decrease their chances of living to a ripe old age. Most of their dietary challenges come from urbanization and the decrease in food supply that it brings. Additionally, they don't have the benefit of regular medical care. Occasionally a caring soul will find the sick or injured and take them for treatment. But mainly, a wild hedgehog's lifespan can be substantially shorter than how long a hedgehog can live as a pet. All things considered, pet hedgehogs have greater odds of living a full life.

It may seem insignificant, but having the right temperature and lighting schedule is important for your hedgehog's longevity. In the article, Hedgehog Hibernation Signs and Symptoms, we covered how to prevent, recognize and intervene in a possible hibernation attempt. Please read this very important article before a hibernation attempt becomes a reality.

If a domestic hedgehog fully enters into a hibernation state, the odds are high that they won't revive from it. Hedgehogs that are bred to be pets have long lost the ability to enter and exit hibernation successfully in most cases. What usually happens is the low metabolic rate present in hibernation, causes the hedgie's organs to shut down.

Once a hedgehog attempts to hibernate, many hedgehog owners report that there is an increased chance that it will recur in the future. These hibernation attempts are physically hard on a hedgehog and can reduce their lifespan.

A small space, loud noises, constant sleep interruptions and the inability to have somewhere to hide are stressful on hedgehogs. Hedgehogs, by nature, are very skittish creatures. If you look at the above collage of pictures from a Japanese hedgehog cafe, it is very clear that these poor things are in a high stress environment. These conditions are sure to reduce quality of living and undoubtedly decrease their average hedgehog lifespan. How long can hedgehogs live when their adrenal system is constantly put into fear mode?

Obviously, this is an extreme example of a stressful environment. However, if any or all of these environmental conditions exist in your home, it can have a negative impact on how long your hedgehog will live. When considering hedgehog lifespan, please realize that stressors play an important role.

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There have been many cage accidents that have abruptly ended a hedgehog's lifespan, or reduced it due to injury. In our article, “What kind of cage does a hedgehog need?”, we cover the safety measures that need to be in place. In it, you will find that we DO NOT recommend the use of plastic totes for long term housing. While some may be safe for extended use, it is entirely dependent on the chemical composition of the plastic used. We also do not recommend PVC pipes for tunnels. Most plastics cause health issues that reduce the lifespan of not only hedgehogs, but humans too. Birth defects and cancer are the results of some plastics. We strongly encourage you to read that article so you can make an informed decision.

At night, when hedgehogs are typically active, they need to have stimulating things to do. Sedentary hedgehogs gain weight and their health suffers as a result. A running wheel provides them with healthy exercise, plus they get mental stimulation. Mental stimulation is an integral part of a long life for hedgies. Other activities that can stimulate them and give them greater longevity are things that encourage their natural burrowing and foraging instincts. A dig box with insect treats hidden within is perfect for this. There are also a variety of treat puzzles that can provide additional stimulating experiences. If they do not have activities to enrich them, their lives will likely be shorter.

A hedgehog's diet probably has the largest impact on their lifespan. Their food is important for dietary nutrients. The amount they eat impacts their weight, the ingredients contribute to overall health, and even the texture plays a role in their dental health. Many hedgehog owners don't understand that the ingredients within the food that they are giving their hedgehog can cause detriment.

There are articles on our site that discuss what food a hedgehog should eat. We also have talked about the treats that can be offered and the ones that should be avoided. Even insects have nutritional information associated with them, although it can vary depending on what the insects were fed. We encourage you to read the articles in our Health and Nutrition section so you can learn how to maximize your hedgie's lifespan by feeding them a proper diet. You want them to enjoy a potentially long and healthy life.

As we previously mentioned, when a hedgehog gets seriously ill in the wild, the odds of survival are not all that great. Thank God we have veterinarians for the hedgehogs we love! However, veterinarians can only help increase your hedgehog's lifespan if they are seen when they are ill. Often, hedgehog owners don't recognize symptoms – or – the symptoms they observe seem trivial like the equivalent of human sniffles. In a human, sniffles are usually no big deal and they aren't going to die from them. But if a hedgehog has “sniffles”, it's likely an upper respiratory infection (URI) and they can die from it if untreated. So one way you can increase the lifespan of a hedgehog is to get them appropriate medical treatment when it's necessary.

While we're on the topic of getting treatment when necessary, watch for the Ask Quilly video titled “When should I take my hedgehog to the vet?” Obviously, there are emergency situations and then there are situations that can wait until your hedgehog's regular vet is open. One emergency situation that bears repeating here is the IMMEDIATE need to call poison control if your hedgehog has gotten into any cleaning products, medications, or cosmetic items. Most hedgehog owners don't allow free roaming, but if you do or if they manage to escape, accidents happen. There are many things that we don't consider to be poisonous but can immediately end your hedgehog's lifespan. We encourage you to visit the ASPCA website and review their article on poisonous household products. We also encourage you to put their poison control hotline in your phone because in an emergency situation, time is of the essence.

If you look across the internet trying to find what the average hedgehog lifespan is, you'll get conflicting information. It isn't that these other sites are trying to mislead you, but rather there's no simple way to answer the question with any certainty. As we've shown, there are so many factors that can shorten or lengthen how long hedgehogs live. Statistically speaking, they usually live between 3-5 years. On the other end of the lifespan spectrum, there have been some instances of a hedgehog living 10 years! However, they can have a ful-quilling life into the 6-8 year range with the proper environment, diet, exercise, stimulation, medical attention – and – let's not forget love!