Unit 9, Lower Soldridge Business Park, Soldridge Road
GU34 5JF Medstead, Hampshire
Hours 08:00 - 20:00
Hedgehogs make many different sounds to communicate with each other or to show discomfort.
The most common sound is huffing and puffing.
Prolonged huffs or puffs give
a precise message:
I am here, this is my den, my food, my female, my little ones, so don't come near me.
In general, this signal is accompanied by the bristling of all the spines or only those on the head.
If the danger or the unwanted guest does not go away, the hedgehog proceeds by jumping forward and, if necessary, pushing away the "opponent" with the head.
Even the "snapping and clacking", an intermittent sound, is used as a warning against an unwanted presence.
Both low and high-pitched sounds are used for friendly communications (baby hoglets with the mother, and between siblings). Or hostile warnings (for example between males in a confined space or during a courtship)
The little ones call their mom by emitting calls that resemble a baby's cries, or quiet sounds of contentedness.
Immersed in the nocturnal silence of a forest, it's possible to hear their calls going back and forth.
We have also heard and witnessed an almost excruciating scream that a hedgehog may sometimes emit whilst asleep.
This behaviour is still under study, but it is currently thought to be due to either a previous trauma suffered or to a profound state of stress or discomfort.