Hedgehogs are not the most conventional pet to have, meaning that we don’t know as much about them as we would like as we do not often come face to face with caring for them.
If you are caring for a hedgehog until they are safe to go back into the wild, you will be interested in learning about their behaviors that we are unfamiliar with.
Similar to lots of other animals, hedgehogs express a lot of their emotions through the noises that they make.
If you want to make sure that your hedgehog is happy, it is important to recognize the signs. Do hedgehogs purr? And is it a good thing if they purr? You can find out more here.
Find out more about whether or not hedgehogs purr and what it means so you can read their emotions. Discover more about hedgehogs purring below.
Are Hedgehogs Able To Purr?
Purring is a noise that is often associated with a cat. When cats purr, they are showing you that they are happy and it is a sign of affection.
You will often hear cats purring when they are being stroked or cuddled, so how can you tell if a hedgehog is purring?
It is possible for hedgehogs to purr and it is a way for them to show their emotions. The purr may sound very similar to cats, but like cats, all purrs sound different.
As hedgehogs are not known for purring, their purrs can often be mistaken as a growl when they are purring instead.
What Does The Purring Mean?
When hedgehogs purr, it is to show love and affection towards humans. If you have reduced a hedgehog and it is in your care until they are better, you may witness the hedgehog purring over time as they will feel safe and secure in your care.
If you have a pet hedgehog, you may notice that they purr a lot of the time as a way of constantly expressing affection to you.
How Can You Differentiate A Purr And A Growl?
Purrs and growls can sometimes sound quite similar, but there are ways of differentiating between the two to make sure that you are correctly reading your hedgehog’s emotions.
When your hedgehog is happy, its quills will be relaxed and pointing in the direction of its tail.
Your hedgehog may then make noises such as squeaks or purrs to show that they are happy, making sure that you do not mistake the purrs for growls.
When your hedgehog is unhappy, their growls will be obvious due to their body language. When they are scared and unhappy, hedgehogs will roll into a ball and their quills will be pointing upwards.
At this point, your hedgehog may growl to further express their emotions to you, and the growl will not be mistaken for a purr if this is their body language.
What Other Ways Do Hedgehogs Express Happiness?
When your hedgehog is content, it will express this in more ways other than a purr. As well as purring, your hedgehog can make other noises like chirps and squeaks, which shows how they are happy.
This can also mean that they are looking for food, showing that they are content with you and that their appetite has not been affected by their mood.
Your hedgehog will let you handle it as long as it is happy and comfortable with you, and this will be shown through its body language.
If your hedgehog wants to be handled, it will be relaxed and won’t resist you picking it up, and it will further show how comfortable it is by purring and cuddling into you.
Snoring and cuddling into you will show that your hedgehog is comfortable with you as they will be having a peaceful sleep and relaxed being with you.
These are other signs to look out for to make sure that your hedgehog is happy if you are not noticing that they are purring.
Remember that every hedgehog is different and they won’t all purr the same, so it is important to read their body language.
What Other Sounds Do Hedgehogs Make?
As purrs and growls can be difficult to differentiate between, it is important to make sure that you do not confuse other sounds that your hedgehog is making.
When your hedgehog makes a soft clicking sound, this shows that your hedgehog is happy and content.
If your hedgehog makes loud clicking sounds, this shows that your hedgehog is being defensive or aggressive.
As these sounds can be difficult to differentiate between, it is important to read the body language of your hedgehog as this will show you how they are feeling.
Hissing will also indicate that your hedgehog is being defensive, so it is important to look out for other signs to see how your hedgehog is feeling.
Any screaming or loud noises made by your hedgehog needs to be checked out by a vet as this could indicate that your hedgehog is experiencing pain.
Although there may not be an external injury on your hedgehog, there might be an internal injury that is causing them discomfort, so you must seek medical help for your hedgehog immediately.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, hedgehogs make lots of different noises to indicate how they are feeling, so you must become familiar with how your hedgehog expresses its emotions.
Hedgehogs purr when they are happy and content, so it is important to look out for purring to see how your hedgehog is feeling and to make sure that they are comfortable in your company.
If you are worried about telling the difference between a purr and a growl, their body language will indicate how they are feeling.
By being able to read your hedgehog’s body language, you will be able to make sure that you know how they are feeling.
It is important to make sure that you are aware of your hedgehog purring or growling to make sure that they feel safe and happy with you.
