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Southern white-breasted hedgehog, or White-bellied hedgehog, or White-chested hedgehog(Erinaceus concolor)
Phylum —chordata
Class — mammalia
Order — eulipotyphla
Family — erinaceidae
Genus –erinaceus
Appearance
The back and sides, excluding the muzzle and paws, are covered with needles. The needles are white at the base and ends, covered with black and brown stripes in the middle; their length is 2.5-3.5 cm. The fur on the abdomen is brown, hard, and bristly. There is always a blurry white spot on the chest. The ears are short (less than 3.5 cm) rounded, almost invisible because of the fur. The body length is up to 35 cm, tail 20-39 mm. The weight depends on the time of the year – 240-1232 g.
Habitat
It is a of Southwestern Asia.
Behavior
Hedgehogs are active at night. For recreation, males use natural shelters; the nest of leaves, moss, hay and twigs is built only during the winter. The duration of hibernation depends on climatic conditions, age and the amount of fat reserves of the animal; on average, it lasts from November to the end of March. During hibernation, the White-bellied hedgehog loses up to 35 % of its weight, so to overwinter, the hedgehog must weigh at least 600 g, otherwise it will die during hibernation.
Diet
The basis of nutrition of Southern white-breasted hedgehogs are insects. Quite often he animals eat slugs, snails, woodlice, earthworms, as well as berries (strawberries, strawberries, raspberries, mulberries), moss, acorns, seeds of cereals and sunflowers, mushrooms. They also eatcarrion.
Reproduction
The breeding season is extended throughout the warm season. Females build brood nests of dry leaves, grasses and twigs 20-30 cm long and 15-20 cm wide. Nests are located in bushes, under hummocks and stones, even in woodpiles. During the year the female gives birth from 1 up to 3-8 babies.
The average lifespan is 2–5 years while in captivity lifespan can reach as much as 10 years.
In captivity
If the hedgehog is at your home, you can keep it in an aquarium with a mesh lid, or a cage, setting there a house size of 20x25 cm. As a litter, it is best to use sawdust. Give the hedgehog some hay and it will make a bed in the house. It is necessary to regularly, at least 2 times a week, clean up the sawdust in the hedgehog's enclosure and add new ones.
If the hedgehog is kept warm in winter, it will not hibernate.
The hedgehog is fed once a day, total amount of its food for the whole day is 200 g. Daily give it raw meat (minced meat) - 60 g, fish (alternate with meat), egg - 5 g, cottage cheese - 10 g, vegetables - carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, beets (in total - 30 g), cooked cereals-10 g (rice, millet). Every day in its drinking bowl there should be milk (50 g) with white bread soaked in it (10 g) and fresh water. In the diet, you need to add bone meal or other calcium supplements, which can be purchased at a veterinary pharmacy. It is better to give food to the hedgehog in the evening.
