Strange Behavior

This page has information on Anointing and balling-up, two unique hedgehog abilities.

Balling Up:
Hedgehogs have the incredible ability to ball-up. This is where they curl their body and cross their quills so that their face, legs and stomach are protected by quills. Why do they ball up? For protection. In the wild, the quills protect them from becoming dinner. The hedgehog in the following picture is not in a complete ball, but you can understand what I mean.

The following photo courtesy of Nancy from The Hedgie Den



Anointing:
What is anointing?
Anointing is what some hedgehogs do when they come into contact with a new smell. The hedgehog will begin to lick and/or bite what it smells. Then the hedgehog will build up its spit into a frothy substance (many people who see this for the first time think their hedgie has rabies) and spread it all over its quills. To accomplish this they must twist and contort themselves into very unusual positions. Don’t worry, nothing is wrong with your hedgehog. Some hedgehogs will constantly anoint, and some never will. It really just depends on the hedgehog.
So why do hedgehogs anoint?
No one is quite sure, but there are two possible suspected reasons.
1. The hedgehog is trying to mask their scent so that it blends in with its surroundings.
2. The hedgehog hopes that the new substance with be toxic to any predators.

The following photos courtesy of Nancy from The Hedgie Den