What happens if a hedgehog pricks you

Most of the diseases that hedgehogs carry are found in the wild. Your pet hedgehog will rarely have these diseases. Therefore, you do not need to stress yourself about this. There have been no cases where hedgehogs killed their owners. Hedgehogs and porcupines share one similar characteristic, which is their quills. When porcupines face a predator in the wild, they will shake themselves, and their quills fall out and get stuck to their predators.

However, with hedgehogs, their quills cannot fall, and they do not shoot quills. Hedgehogs do not have barbed quills. So, if you accidentally ever prick yourself, the quill will not get stuck to you. A hedgehog cannot stick you. This small mammal only has one defence mechanism, curling itself into a ball and raising its spikes.

If you are a new pet parent, there is a lot of trial and error involved when dealing with hedgehogs. These spined animals are nervous creatures, and it can take some time before your hedgehog feels comfortable in its new surroundings. When you bring your new hedgehog home, ensure that its cage has been placed in a quiet place. Hedgehogs do not like loud noises, and any noise can make them feel stressed.

Your hedgehog must be relaxed; otherwise, if it feels scared of threatened, its quills will stand upright, or it will curl in a ball.

With a stressed or nervous hedgehog, you will be unable to handle it. Before picking your hedgehog, you should look at its quills. If the quills are relaxed and flat, you can easily pick your hedgehog up and maybe even cuddle.

Therefore, it is best to leave the hedgehog alone until it calms down. Moreover, even if the quills are flat, you must ensure to never pet your hedgehog in the opposite direction of its quills, or it will hurt. If your hedgehog is curled in a ball and you must handle it, you can still do so. With the help of a thick towel or gloves, you can pick your hedgehog or move it around if need be. Hedgehogs appear to be intimidating to many people because of their quills.

But, can hedgehogs hurt you is often asked? Cup your hands and lift your hedgehog up while they are cradled in your hands. One of the distinguishing characteristics of a hedgehog is his quills. In fact, unless he feels threatened, his quills are actually quite soft. Your pet hedgehog can make you sick — or even kill you.

Owners of hedgehogs are being warned to wash their hands after handling the insect eaters and clean their cages outside after 20 people last year were infected by a dangerous form of salmonella that the mammals carry. The course and morphologic characteristics of the eruption in our 3 patients resembled the results of a prick test in which antigenic material present on the hedgehog spines is inoculated.

Interestingly, all 3 patients reported allergic reactions to cats. In contrast, 3 additional family members of patients 2 and 3 who had no reaction to the hedgehog also had no history of animal allergies. The presence of reported allergies to cats in these patients may indicate a predisposition to an allergic response to other animals. Contact urticaria has previously been reported in a number of small animals, including cats, dogs, rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, and toads.

To our knowledge, there are no published studies examining hedgehog antigens, and further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship of an allergy to cats as a predictor of an allergy to hedgehogs. A second factor that may increase the irritation or antigenicity of the hedgehog spines is a behavior termed anting or anointing.

When a hedgehog encounters a new or interesting object or food, it will chew it and hypersalivate, which causes the formation of a foam that the animal then spits back onto its spines. It is believed that this behavior may cause the accumulation of toxins on the spines to make the hedgehog less palatable to predators.

The presence of saliva and organic material on the spines of the hedgehog may also increase the potential for skin irritation in pet handlers. Transmission of fungi from the hedgehog to humans is another cause of dermatoses due to these pets.

Trichophyton erinacei , which is closely related to Trichophyton mentagrophytes , causes an extremely inflammatory and pruritic eruption that resolves spontaneously 2 to 3 weeks after onset.

Potassium hydroxide preparations show fungal hyphae, and the dermatophyte grows well on standard dermatophyte media. An additional cause of dermatoses from handling hedgehogs may be the presence of ectoparasites on the pet. Fleas Archeaopsylla erinacei , mites Caparinia , Chorioptes , and Notoedres , and ticks Ixodes hexagonus are all potential parasites of pet hedgehogs. In summary, hedgehogs may produce cutaneous reactions in pet owners by several different mechanisms.

Although not previously reported, the propensity to develop acute urticarial reactions to hedgehogs such as we have seen is likely to be common. The transient nature of the eruption and the clear association with handling the pet may decrease the likelihood that the owner would seek medical advice. As hedgehogs increase in popularity as pets, it is likely that more cases of hedgehog dermatoses will be seen by dermatologists who should be familiar with the potential causes and the appropriate evaluation.

Reprints: Janet A. Hedgehog Hives. Arch Dermatol. Coronavirus Resource Center. Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to use our site, or clicking "Continue," you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy Continue. Save Preferences. Privacy Policy Terms of Use. Twitter Facebook. This Issue. Citations View Metrics. May Janet A. Paller, MD. View Large Download. Report of cases.