{"topic_id":"exotic_pet_profile_hedgehog","category":"exotic-pet-profile","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_pet_profile_hedgehog\ncategory: exotic-pet-profile\ntitle: \"African pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.org, University of Michigan) — species account Atelerix albiventris\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/hedgehog.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-28\ntokens_estimated: 0\nverified: true\nverification: c1_substring\nsource_document: \"Animal Diversity Web species account (Atelerix albiventris)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.org, University of Michigan)\"\n  title: \"African pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\"\n  url: \"https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Atelerix_albiventris/\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-28\"\n  ref: \"ADW species account Atelerix albiventris\"\n  doc_type: \"expert species account (.edu, compiled from primary literature)\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# African pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\nAuthoritative first-hand species account (Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan). All bullet facts are verbatim from the cited source and C1-substring verified.\n## Natural History & Origin\n- The African pygmy hedgehog ranges in southern Africa from Senegal to Sudan and Zambia.\n- In addition to the wild animals found in African deserts, a closed breeding stock\n- the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.\n## Habitat\n- in deserts low (less than 30 cm per year) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes\n- dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity.\n- Deserts can be cold or warm and\n## Size\n- http://www.lpzoo.com/animals/mammals/facts/hedgehog.html\n- is approximately 7-9 inches when the animal is relaxed.\n- There are other, more rare colorations, although agouti is by far the most common.\n## Lifespan\n- African pygmy hedgehogs live approximately 2-3 years in the wild.\n## Behavior & Social Structure\n- As spontaneous ovulators and primarily solitary\n- The African pygmy hedgehog is a solitary animal.\n- As a nocturnal creature, it constantly\n## Reproduction\n- generally breeds once or twice a year.\n- of birth this membrane dries up and the spines immediately start growing.\n- The young are sexually mature around two months of\n## Diet\n- They have been known to eat scorpions and small poisonous\n- eats many things deemed \"pests\" by humans, the hedgehog's diet makes it an important\n- animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently\n","sources":["exotic-pet-profile — African pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics) (retrieved 2026-07-28)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-profile","title":"African pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)","url":"https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Atelerix_albiventris/","retrieved":"2026-07-28","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Animal Diversity Web species account (Atelerix albiventris)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/hedgehog.txt"},"source_document":"Animal Diversity Web species account (Atelerix albiventris)","source_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/hedgehog.txt","tokens_estimated":471,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}