Is There Any Way To Tell A Hedgehog’s Age? (7 Clear Tips)

Having a hedgehog is an interesting thing to do as well as challenging. For some people who are used to caring for hedgehogs, it is still difficult to know their age if you get them from the wild. Hedgehogs are not like other animals that will show unique signs to tell their age.

Is there any way to tell a hedgehog’s age? The European hedgehogs have specific characteristics that can indicate their age. Their spine color will change as they age. An elderly hedgehog has ginger spines. Tear and wear on the claws and teeth are some indications to differentiate a hedgehog’s age. Telling the hedgehog’s age is a challenging task.

When you are curious to know the hedgehog’s age you can get from the wild, let’s read this article to the end.

How Can You Tell How Old A Hedgehog Is?

It is hard to know the age of a hedgehog just from looking at it. Some people want to know age by length, but that is not true. Hedgehogs can lengthen or shorten their length.

If you are breeding hedgehogs, you can calculate their age from birth. But what if you get a hedgehog from the wild? Several owners count from when they got it. For example, a 5 day old hedgehog will be counted from picking and caring for them.

How Old Is My Hedgehog In Human Years?

A typical hedgehog in the wild has a life expectancy of about 2-3 years. It is because of hedgehogs being hunted by predators and the harshness of living in the wild. Many resources claim the longevity of hedgehogs when they live in captivity.

We can compare how long a hedgehog lives with an estimated human lifespan. Let’s take a look at the table below.

Many have elderly hedgehogs in captivity and accompany their owners as their partners. Age 6-7 years includes elders because their average lifespan is three years.

How Big Is An 8 Week Old Hedgehog?

It will be different if you compare the size between hedgehogs in the wild and captivity. Hedgehogs that are well cared for will grow faster and have a larger body shape. A wild hedgehog may weigh 500 or 600gms in about eight weeks, whereas a hedgehog as a pet can reach that weight in 5-6 weeks.

The 8 week old hedgehog can eat dry food, such as a dog or cat biscuit, or products from wildlife food suppliers. Avoid giving cow’s milk, so your hedgehog doesn’t get diarrhea or gastrointestinal problems.

How Long Do Baby Hedgehogs Stay With Their Mother?

Hedgehogs will stay with their mother until 4-5 weeks of age, but some are up to 12 months before a hoglet can become independent in their lives.

Hedgehog babies will be blind from birth to 2 weeks of age. At the age of 3 weeks, their mother starts avoiding the baby because they can be irritated when nursing because of his teeth starting to grow.

How Old Do Hedgehogs Have To Be To Leave Their Mom?

On average, hedgehogs will leave their nest between 3-4 weeks of foraging with their mother. Although the young hedgehogs still eat food at their mother’s place, they begin to separate and try to find food in other areas.

Hedgehog babies are dependent on their mother until they are 2 weeks old. They’re blind in the first 14 days after birth and need their mother to nurse and keep them safe.

Is there any way to tell a hedgehog’s age? It’s easy if you have a hedgehog from birth. But it is challenging if you catch one from the wild. If you see the hedgehog is still blind, then the possibility of their age is 1-14 days.

Hedgehog Age Size Chart

If you have a hedgehog from birth, you can see their development by their weight. The table below is a hedgehog age size chart.

Is there any way to tell a hedgehog’s age apart from the weight? It only applies if you were born with a hedgehog. We can’t predict the lifespan of a hedgehog if you get it from the wild.

Hedgehog Life Stages

The first thing to remember, do not handle baby hedgehogs until they are 15 days old to ensure their health and are cared for by their mother. The first week, the babies don’t move much with their eyes closed.

Week two, their quills start to harden, and their facial features develop. The baby’s eyes are still closed in this state. Some baby quills started to fall off and were replaced with new hard quills.

Week three, their eyes start to open and explore their surroundings. The fur continues to develop.

Week four, babies have started to separate from their mothers. They have sharp teeth, and their mothers start to avoid them because they irritated them while nursing.

Week five and more, babies are more independent. It is the time when you can introduce hedgehogs to new places, new foods, and grow longer quills.

The elderly hedgehog has temperament, hard quills, dominant behaviors, and color change.

Is There Any Way To Tell A Hedgehog’s Age At Birth?

It’s easy to calculate the age of hedgehogs from their birth. A 5 day old hedgehog has eyes closed and weighs twenty-five grams to one ounce. No spine is visible after birth. Leave the hedgehog with his mother until they can open their eyes.

Is There Any Way To Tell A Hedgehog’s Age By Teeth?

The hedgehog’s age can be estimated from their lower jaw and their teeth level. Hedgehogs start to develop sharp teeth as they enter four weeks old. The 6 week old hedgehog began to reduce the nursing frequency because their mother would avoid getting irritated.

Is There Any Way To Tell A Hedgehog’s Age From Its Mother?

The hedgehog life stages are one way to make it easier for you to determine their age. Don’t rely on its mother, because in terms of size and development it can be different for each individual.

You can only see there is a difference in the handling of every baby, depending on their temperament and how well the baby gets care from his mother.

If a hedgehog has more than five babies at a time, there will be one or two babies left behind compared to the others. The odds are between lighter weight or some growth, such as hard quills or sharp teeth are slightly later than their siblings.

Final Verdict – Is There Any Way To Tell A Hedgehog’s Age

Many people want to own a hedgehog by taking it from the wild. If you get them after hunting, you will have difficulty determining their age. The average lifespan of hedgehogs is about 2-3 years in the wild but can be three times longer as pets.

We cannot determine the exact age of a hedgehog other than the color of their spines, which will change as they grow. A good hedgehog development can weigh between 500-600 grams at eight weeks. Some said hedgehogs can gain that weight before eight weeks.

To know their exact age, you can count the days from birth or see their life stages. The first two weeks will easily identify baby hedgehogs because their eyes are still closed.

Hedgehogs in the third week begin to shed their baby quills, and their teeth begin to sharpen. As the weeks go by, the baby will leave its mother to live independently.

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

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️