Hedgehogs are nocturnal solitary animals whose welfare needs including nighttime activity space, appropriate temperature, and hibernation prevention are frequently unmet in companion keeping contexts.
Hedgehog welfare is shaped by the mismatch between their nocturnal behavioral ecology and the expectations of owners who want an interactive daytime companion. Hedgehogs active from dusk to dawn need space to run, forage, and explore during hours when most owners are asleep. Wheel access is the most welfare-critical provision: a hedgehog without a wheel is an active animal denied its primary behavioral outlet, equivalent to keeping a dog without walks. Temperature management is a close second: inappropriate hibernation attempts in domestic hedgehogs are a medical emergency, not a natural behavior, because African pygmy hedgehogs lack the physiological adaptations for safe hibernation.