Have you ever wondered if a tiny creature like a hedgehog could ever swim? They can actually be good swimmers. But they do not swim to entertain their regular activities or for survival. They just happen to be blessed with swimming ability.
Do Hedgehogs Swim? Yes. Hedgehogs are natural swimmers. Hedgehogs can easily swim, and their quills help them keep afloat on water. But sometimes, hedgehogs can face dangers in water bodies and drown.
Let us discover more about how hedgehogs can be both bad and good swimmers at the same time.
Are hedgehogs natural swimmers?
All hedgehogs are natural swimmers. In fact, they are good swimmers. Hedgehogs do not swim for their survival, or they do not have to swim regularly to live but can still swim better than most animals. Even a hedgehog who has never swam before can adapt and learn to swim in a short period.
Hedgehogs can easily float in the water with the help of their quills. Their quills are sharp and hard, but they have a strong mechanism for swimming. Quills can keep them afloat in water because of the presence of a network of air chambers and it lets a hedgehog carry no extra body weight.
Since they do not swim to survive, one common reason as to why hedgehogs swim is to go foraging at night. Especially hedgehogs who live in the wild go night hunting for pests and insects or any prey by swimming if they happen to be present on the other side or in the water body.
But, some hedgehogs have never swum in their entire lives and have lived through it. It proves that although they are natural swimmers, it is not a mandatory survival tactic for them.
Can a hedgehog face danger and drown while swimming?
Even though a hedgehog is born a swimmer, they can drown. Swimming can sometimes be dangerous for hedgehogs.
Hedgehogs living in the wild can jump in the water to hunt and can survive because the lakes and the ponds have inclined or bend surfaces through which hedgehogs can climb back up. But if it is a swimming pool or a garden pond, it will be more of a deathtrap than a swimming session for them.
Swimming pools have no inclined or bend edges that a hedgehog can use to climb back up. So in case you leave the hedgehog in the pool for too long, they might drown when fatigued and end up helpless. Also, if a hedgehog mistakenly jumps into a pool, it might feel threatened or panic and curl up instead of swimming.
So, setting up ramps in pools can be helpful for the hedgehog. With that, the hedgehog will have an exit to reach if it can no longer swim. One should also be careful that a hedgehog should not be left in a pool of hot water. A hedgehog is comfortable in lukewarm water, and even cold water can cause negative effects.
Even while bathing a hedgehog, it is important to wash it with lukewarm water. Since they do not swim to survive or clean themselves, using uncertain methods for fun activities can be dangerous for hedgehogs.
We can conclude that hedgehogs are natural swimmers, and they do swim. But it is important to keep in mind that they do not swim to survive. A hedgehog can easily live a life without even swimming once.
