Often called the African Pygmy Hedgehog, the domesticated hedgehog is actually the Four-toed Hedgehog, which is the smallest species of African hedgehog, but not a true pygmy. Some people say they are a hybrid of Atelerix albiventris and Atelerix algirus, but there is no evidence of this. Although they resemble mini porcupines, which are rodents, hedgehogs are not in the order Rodentia. They are in the order Eulipotyphla along with shrews and moles.
We have two related female hedgehogs who were born in December 2019, named Badger and Mushroom. They got along as babies, but once they were mature they had to be housed separately, since hedgehogs are solitary. Hedgehogs are not social with humans either, so they don’t want to cuddle or be held. They are also nocturnal, so during the day they just want to sleep. When disturbed they roll into a ball and put their spines up. If they are handled daily from the time they are babies, they may become friendly enough to come out of their balls when you’re around, so you can see their cute faces!