Long-eared hedgehog

Long-eared hedgehog(Hemiechinus auritus)

Phylum —chordata
Class — mammalia
Order — eulipotyphla
Family — erinaceidae

Genus –hemiechinus

Appearance

The length of the head and body of the Long-eared hedgehog is approximately 120–270 mm, and the tail is 10–50 mm long. The Long-eared hedgehog's spines are embedded in a unique muscle sheath that forms a bag-like structure which acts as protection for the hedgehog. They can withdraw into this pouch and erect their spines out to fend off predators if need be. The dorsal spines are white on the tip with darker banding below. They do not have dark and light areas on their faces. Also they do not have a gap of spines on the back of their necks that is common to other species of hedgehogs. The Long-eared hedgehog has a light-colored underside along with whitish hairs on the tips of their ears. The tops and heels of their feet are covered with hair but the soles are bare.

Habitat

Long-eared hedgehogs are native to Central Asian countries and some countries of the Middle East. Their range extends from the eastern Mediterranean region, through the arid and steppe areas of Asia to western Pakistan in the south; and from eastern Ukraine through Mongolia (Gobi desert), to China (Xinjiang). These hedgehogs are native to the following countries: Afghanistan, China, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Behavior

Long-eared hedgehogs are nocturnal solitary animals. During the day they are found resting under rocks, hollows or rock piles. They live in burrows that they dig under bush with a length of 45 cm long with only one opening. They may also inhabit abandoned burrows of other small mammals. Long-eared hedgehogs have great senses of hearing and smell that they use to hunt out food and detect predators. They prefer to forage in the early evening and will travel up to 9 km during the night in search of food. Long-eared hedgehogs are active throughout much of the year and hibernate for shorter periods of time in the summer or the winter. The longest reported hibernation is 40 days.

Diet

Long-eared hedgehogs are omnivores, mainly insectivores as 70% of their diet consist of insects. They also eat beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, bird eggs, mammal meat, slugs and snails, millipedes, earwigs, bees, bird meat, plants. They may even eat snakes.

Reproduction

Little is known about the mating system in Long-eared hedgehogs. They breed once a year in the summer months of July through September. The gestation period lasts around 35-42 days. The female gives birth to 2-3 babies. They are born with very few spines and within five hours after birth, the spines have doubled in size. After two weeks the small hedgehogs will be fully covered with their new spines. After just one week they start eating solid food.

In captivity

In captivity Long-eared hedgehogs can live for over 7 years.

For a hedgehog, you should prepare a separate box or a spacious cage. You can keep it in a room where it will choose a corner under the bed or sofa and make a simple nest of paper and rags. But keep in mind that it is nocturnal and can be quite noisy: stomping on the floor, snorting, rustling paper.

However, in captivity, hedgehogs very quickly, for 10-15 days, become tame, and their daily activity changes. But they can't completely switch to a daytime lifestyle.

Since the hedgehog is an insectivorous animal, the diet should be appropriate - the main part of food are cockroaches, grasshoppers, large mosquitoes, flies, spiders, mealworms and earthworms and other insects. In addition to them, the Long-eared hedgehog can be given raw beef at room temperature, poultry meat, eggs, white bread, fruits and berries.

By the way, although hedgehogs love milk at any age, they only need to drink goat's milk and addition it into the diet of these animals should be careful and in small quantities. An adult Long-eared hedgehog should be fed 2 times a day. Next to the food there must be a bowl of water.