# Hedgehog intelligence



## ashleyyy (Sep 22, 2014)

Hey all! So does anyone have any research as to how smart hedgies are? Sometimes I feel like they're so smart-- for instance I think Ellie knows when I'm trying to watch her or trick her into doing something. BUT there are other times when she does things that I think "wow! I wonder if she realizes how silly she's being."

Any information or thoughts anyone?


----------



## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Intelligence is pretty hard to determine in people. There are so many ways to be smart. I think the same goes for animals and animal species. But if any one has any data I'd also be interested. Although I definitely think it's a case by case basis. 

I have a dog who is so smart, that he can do agility training and yet he will eat a freaking nugget out of my hand even though he knows its wrong! :evil: Drives me nuts. I also had a cat we taught to sit on our shoulders while we took our dogs for a walk but we couldn't get him to use a litter box...


----------



## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

I think hedgies are pretty smart, they have us waiting on them hand and foot while they relax in their warm igloos sharpening their quills. 
While we slave at work, earning money to buy them mealies, crickets and 4 kinds of high quality cat food, they are busy plotting what kind of weird thing they will do next to make us worry about them.
Then there's the poopy wheel and cage mayhem they leave for us to clean. 

And we think they aren't as smart as other animals. :lol:


----------



## Nick120180 (Oct 27, 2014)

Of the various animals I've had, hedges are pretty close to the bottom. As a general rule they won't learn tricks, won't learn their name, will happily walk off ledges with no regard for their own safety, will run in their own poo for hours, sleep in their cold ceramic food bowl instead of the numerous expensive fleece blankets and pouches available, run so fast they head butt their own iglo, will self anoint and almost roll backwards off the setee if owner doesn't have amazing reflexes and will huff and ball up at a live insect instead of eating it (this is your main diet silly hedge).

Fortunately they are darn cute!!!


----------



## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I feel hedgehogs are intelligent but it is a subtle intelligence that is not always obvious. I find they are much like cats. It's not necessarily that they don't know how to do something, but that they don't want to or will only do it when it is to their benefit.


----------



## Soyala_Amaya (Aug 1, 2011)

Nah, I'm pretty sure they're dumb as a rock. However, I think it has more to do with the fact that evolutionary speaking, they're walking battle tanks. In the wild they didn't have to be smart, they just bull dozed through everything and eventually got to what they needed. Few natural predators, few natural hazards that could take them down, (wild hedgies) fairly healthy with few diseases, etc. 

You don't have to be smart if nothing is going to mess with you and not much is going to hurt you. People are their biggest concern (like a lot of specialized critters). 

Dumb is fine though, I like dumb. I don't need something that is going to do tricks for my amusement, that's what I have a husband for


----------



## tony21 (Apr 8, 2014)

Soyala_Amaya said:


> that's what I have a husband for


I new that's what we were there for:lol: I don't do many tricks but I'm learning :lol::lol::lol: maybe I should just follow what the hog does hahah.


----------

