Things everybody “knows”

Myth Hedgehogs should be given bread and milk.

Fact Never give milk. Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant and milk can make them very ill. source Milk upsets their stomachs. Water only.

Myth Hedgehogs suck milk from cows.

Fact Myth: hedgehogs suckle milk from cows. Hedgehog Street calls it "unlikely". source

Myth Hedgehogs carry apples around on their spines.

Fact Myth: hedgehogs carry fruit on their spines. Almost certainly untrue. source

Myth Hedgehogs are immune to snake venom.

Fact Hedgehogs have some resistance to snake venom thanks to a protein called erinacin, but not much: a viper bite can still kill one. source

Myth Hedgehogs throw their spines like porcupines.

Fact Spines are hollow hairs stiffened with keratin, the same protein as your fingernails. They are not poisonous or barbed and, unlike porcupine quills, do not easily detach. source

Myth Hedgehogs are related to porcupines.

Fact Their distant relatives are shrews, not porcupines. The spiny look is a coincidence of evolution: porcupines are rodents. source

Myth Hedgehog fleas will infest your cat.

Fact Hedgehog fleas are host-specific and won't settle on you, your cat or your dog. source

Myth A hedgehog out sunbathing is just enjoying the weather.

Fact A hedgehog sunbathing or looking "drunk" needs urgent help — the wobbly ones are hypothermic. Exceptions to the daylight rule: nesting or nursing mothers, out briefly and moving purposefully. source

Myth Hibernation is one long, unbroken sleep.

Fact Hibernation is not one long sleep: hedgehogs wake and often move nest at least once over winter. source

Myth Any healthy hedgehog would be happier in my garden.

Fact Don't take a healthy hedgehog from the wild to "keep" in your garden — they range up to two miles a night and it is illegal to take them without good reason. source

Myth Mealworms are a great treat.

Fact The Scottish SPCA advises against mealworms, sunflower seeds and peanuts, which can cause bone deficiencies and dental problems. source

Myth There are lots of hedgehogs, so they’re fine.

Fact On the 2020 Red List for Britain's Mammals the hedgehog is Vulnerable in Great Britain, England, Scotland and Wales. source