How Do Hedgehogs Move Around? (7 Important Facts)

Hedgehogs are fascinating animals, not only hedgehog pet lovers but people in general also like to know more about them. Due to their unique habits and playful nature, people always find hedgehogs cute. Many people often wonder about their lifestyle and their moving patterns.

How do hedgehogs move around? Hedgehogs don’t move around in a particular pattern. Hedgehogs will roam randomly at night here and there to find food, a partner to mate and a place to sleep the next day. A hedgehog can move up to 10-13 miles per day. However, they remain in the same area for their life.

How do hedgehogs move around
How Do Hedgehogs Move Around?

Though they cover a lot of areas, hedgehogs aren’t very fast movers. A hedgehog will spend most of its day sleeping and will wander the whole night.

 

How Do Hedgehogs Move Around?

How do hedgehogs move around? Hedgehogs won’t move in a particular pattern. A hedgehog will randomly roam around wherever they feel that the way is safe. In the wild, a hedgehog may roam and visit the same places where they like the environment. For example, a wild hedgehog may revisit a garden that they find good.

A wild hedgehog is capable enough to pass and move in different types of places. Whether it is climbing trees, walking on terrains, meadows etc, hedgehogs can do it all to find what they are looking for.

 

Do Hedgehogs Wander?

Yes, hedgehogs are known wanderers, they will roam everywhere they feel safe to find food, water and a partner to mate. It is considered that an average hedgehog will roam for around 10-13 miles per night.

Many times, hedgehogs are even seen climbing trees, attics and underground pipes.

A hedgehog will wander every night, winters being the exception because, during this time, hedgehogs are hibernating. A hedgehog will move from one place to another in a limited area, as hedgehogs don’t change their area.

A hedgehog, despite moving every night, would stay in the same area their whole life.

 

How Fast Do Hedgehogs Move?

In comparison to hedgehog wandering, their speed is low. On average, a hedgehog is seen travelling at the speed of 4 miles per hour. Which is very low considering the miles they cover per night.

Despite having such a slow speed, hedgehogs cover a lot of areas that are around 10-15 miles per night. Hedgehogs can even climb trees without having any difficulty.

 

Where Do Hedgehogs Live In The Day?

A hedgehog will sleep the whole day. Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and they will sleep during the day and wander during the night.

You may find a hedgehog sleeping under some leaves, some abandoned shelter or somewhere where there is no disturbance or any risk of getting eaten by predators.

If you come through a sleeping hedgehog, they should not be disturbed because it will cause stress in them, affecting their health and even getting worse in some cases.

 

How Do Hedgehogs Move At Night?

How do hedgehogs move around? Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals that wander at night and they are very active during the night to find food, water and a partner to mate.

In addition to being nocturnal, hedgehogs are also solitary animals meaning they will wander alone without any group or any certain plan to move.

They will randomly move here and there to look for food, water and a partner to mate. Even though in the wild, hedgehogs move randomly, they may revisit the places that they like.

To answer the question how do hedgehogs move around? A hedgehog will not stay in one place permanently, they will wander from place to place. However, even though a hedgehog doesn’t stay in one place, they will remain in a particular area for their whole life.

They won’t move from one state to another state, they will stay in a close-knit area and move from one place to another within that area.

 

How Are Hedgehogs So Flexible?

The body of a hedgehog is very flexible which helps them to curl up to protect themselves from external aggressors and to retain heat. Though from the look, they may seem to be heavy due to those spikes these spikes are hollow from the inside, which makes them lightweight.

The body of a hedgehog is very soft and covered with fur, which is another reason for making them so flexible.

 

How To Relocate A Hedgehog?

If you have got an unwanted hedgehog in your garden, it can be possible that they may have lost, or found a safe space in your garden to sleep. If found in a day, most probably they would be asleep. So, you are recommended to not disturb them during day time because it is their sleeping time.

How do hedgehogs move around
How Do Hedgehogs Move Around?

When a hedgehog is sleeping, waking them up means disturbing and stressing them. So it is best to wait until evening when they wake up, the owner can gently pick them up and leave them in the woods.

When picking up a hedgehog, you must wear gloves, so that your hands stay protected from their quills and they don’t smell the human scent.

If the owner has found a hedgehog sleeping in winter, it is best to not disturb them because it may take their life. A hibernating hedgehog should be left alone and if required should be safeguarded to help them survive.

 

How Does A Hedgehog Move?

How do hedgehogs move around? A hedgehog will move randomly here and there within a particular area. They may visit their favorite gardens or abandoned houses to spend a night or two. Hedgehogs won’t stay in one place for a long time. Hedgehogs can move up to 11-13 miles per night.

During the night the hedgehog will move from place to place covering a lot of distance, to find food, a partner or a new place to sleep. Even though they can cover up to 11-13 miles per night, they won’t go so far during their lifetime because they stay in a particular area their whole life.

Hedgehogs will revisit the places they like and circle in a particular area and not leave that area.

 

How To Move A Hedgehog From The Road?

How do hedgehogs move around on the road? If the owner finds a hedgehog on or near a road, they should be rescued immediately as they are very prone to get hit by a moving vehicle. So if you saw a hedgehog around the highway, it is best to pick them up, after wearing gloves and drop them near the woods.

If you see a hedgehog on the road, you must immediately push them away from the road and alert the coming cars.

When the owner sees a hedgehog in the daytime, they may be sick. If that is the case, the owner should try to feed them some food and give them some water, if possible consulting a vet would be the best choice.

 

How Do Hedgehogs Move In Winter?

How do hedgehogs move around in winter? In winter a hedgehog won’t move a lot. Almost all hedgehogs will go to hibernation underground and won’t come back until the season changes. Hedgehogs are mostly inactive during the winters and would sleep 24 hours a day.

However, they may move from nest to nest after a week. When a hedgehog moves in winter, they will do it mostly underground.

Because during winter they go to hibernation, they often accumulate fat in advance, so that they don’t need to be waking up every day for food and go to deep sleep. This is the reason why it is often recommended to never disturb a hibernating hedgehog because it can disturb them and affect their accumulated fat.

 

Can Hedgehogs Move In Different Areas?

Yes, hedgehogs move through different places easily. Whether it is grassland, woodland, meadows, urban areas, forests, etc. They will easily adapt to the environment. Further, they can even move obstacles like rocks, logs out of their way and sometimes even walk over them.

In urban settings, hedgehogs are also seen climbing fences and rocks, to move from one place to the other to find food. Furthermore, hedgehogs are also seen climbing long trees to look for food or sometimes to find a sleeping place.

 

Final Verdict – How Do Hedgehogs Move Around

How do hedgehogs move around? A hedgehog will move randomly from one place to the other. After having a sleep of around 12-16 hours a hedgehog may start looking for food, wandering from garden to garden to look for some food. After getting food, they may look for a partner to mate with.

How do hedgehogs move around
How Do Hedgehogs Move Around?

Furthermore, they will also find and replace their sleeping habits every night. A hedgehog will cover around 11-14 miles per night despite wandering at the pace of 4 miles per hour only. If required they may also climb trees, attic etc to find food or a place to sleep.

In winters, hedgehogs limit their moving habit and go to hibernation. During hibernation, neither will they wander every day, nor will they change their sleeping place for a long time. During hibernation, a sleeping hedgehog would even sleep for 24 hours a day and change their sleeping place once a week and that too underground.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet hedgehog a good and comfortable life!

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