There are significant differences here. As a rule, hedgehogs live in the wild between 2 and 3 years. In some cases, very old specimens are reported. These are said to be up to 7 years old.

How old does the hedgehog live in nature?

As is the case with other animals, the living conditions affect the age of the hedgehog. If you ask yourself how old the hedgehog will become, then you should not disregard the genetic conditions. In many cases, however, luck plays a decisive role when it comes to how old a hedgehog will live in the wild.

If the hedgehog does not fall victim to a larger predator, such as the fox or the marten, it is often driven to death. Not unimportant for the age of the hedgehog is also the displacement by humans. The hedgehog finds fewer and fewer places to retreat to in gardens and parks, as everything is becoming bare and modern. Last but not least, agriculture is also significantly involved in the age of hedgehogs. The mammals have to struggle with chemical fertilizers or snail poison, which usually ends in death for them.

Basically, it borders on a miracle when a hedgehog lives to be 2 or 3 years old in nature. In many cases it is a miracle if the small mammals survive the first year of life.

The rapid maturation process of the small mammals makes up for some of the life expectancy here. Hedgehogs are able to reproduce after only a few months, so it can be said that they are adults at the age of 1 year. This is one of the reasons why the population of hedgehogs in Germany has remained stable so far.

How old does the hedgehog live in captivity?

As pets, hedgehogs have a very good chance of living a fairly long life. Food is permanently available to them and no exhausting hibernation has to be kept. Here the care decides on the duration of a hedgehog's life.

However, keeping them as pets is not an option. In nature, the hedgehog often covers many kilometers in search of food. In captivity, he is taken out of the enclosure for a cuddle and otherwise just sits in his cage. The hedgehog can become overweight so quickly and, as with humans, this reduces life expectancy. There are the rare cases here that a hedgehog lived to be 10 years old.

The enemies of the hedgehog in nature

How old a hedgehog becomes depends very much on the enemies it encounters in nature. The most dangerous are badgers and eagle owls. Further enemies are:

• Fox
• Lynx
• Marten
• Polecat
• Dogs
• Hawks

Surely the Hedgehog curl up in case of danger and enemies can not harm him. However, some of the enemies have specialized in hedgehog hunting. This is a very important reason, if you ask yourself the question, how old does a hedgehog.

Age of hedgehogs in human years

For you it may sound very low when you are told that a hedgehog can live between 2 and 7 years. But for a hedgehog this is very long. The following table shows you clearly what the hedgehog age means in human years.

Hedgehog age in years	Human years compared
2 months	10 years
6 months	20 years
14 months	30 years
3 years	40 years
3 years and 6 months	50 years
3 years and 8 months	60 years
4 years and 2 months	70 years
5 years and 4 months	80 years
6 years and 2 months	90 years
7 years and 8 months	100 years

How can you determine the age of the hedgehog?

You can determine how old a hedgehog is by the following characteristics.

Weight	approximate age	Features
10 - 25 g	0 days	Birth weight, white spines, pink skin
30 - 50 g	approx. 1 week	single dark spines
60 - 80 g	approx. 2 weeks	Eyes and ears open; first fur fluff
100 - 130 g	approx. 3 weeks	Teeth poke through
140 - 180 g	approx. 4 weeks	first free walks and first solid food
250 - 350 g	approx. 6 weeks	independent loners
600 - 700 g	Juvenile hedgehog	Hibernation weight for young hedgehog
800 - 1500 g	Adult	Normal weight for adult hedgehogs
900 - 1500 g	Adult	Hibernation weight for adult hedgehogs