Are Hedgehogs Nocturnal?

Hedgehogs do follow nocturnal sleeping and waking patterns, according to SmallAnimalChannel.com. Because of this, the little critters tend to do the bulk of their sleeping while it's light out. As for the rest of their daily activities, from consuming meals to getting their physical fitness, expect them to get everything done once it's dark outside.

Pet hedgehogs live nocturnally as their nature. Wild hedgehogs use the valuable night hours to go on quests for sustenance. The nightly journeys for food can be very long, and hedgehogs can cover a lot of ground during these hours. The nocturnal lifestyle is in the hedgehog blood. For a wild hedgehog, the start of the day takes place at dusk.

Since hedgehogs are nocturnal, they can be rather loud pets during the nighttime hours, especially if you're trying to get some rest to wake up early for work the next morning. Apart from eating, you may hear a hedgehog noisily doing laps around his cage or even utilizing a running wheel. If you're a particularly light sleeper, a hedgehog may not be the most suitable or appropriate pet for your lifestyle needs.

If you are the owner of a pet hedgehog, it may be wisest to feed him once the evening hours hit. By dark your hedgehog should already be well on his way to starting his day. If you do attempt to touch, feed or otherwise handle a pet hedgehog during the day, you may notice that he's simply not as energetic and watchful as during the nighttime. In fact, hedgehog wakefulness during the daytime is sometimes an indication of an issue -- perhaps health-related. If you are worried about your hedgehog's lack of sleep during the daytime, notify your veterinarian.