# Are hedgehogs rodents?



## allears.fan

anyway, i've been having a debate about hedgehogs being classified as Rodents. 
Are they or aren't they "rodents"?


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## Sarahg

No - rodents are "characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing" - which hedgehogs don't have.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodent


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## Nancy

No they aren't rodents. They're insectivores.


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## AmyLiz

Nancy said:


> No they aren't rodents. They're insectivores.


forgive my ignorance on this, its been a while since i've been in school 

isnt an insectivore just a catagory of a type of diet something has? like a carnivore? or herbivore?

so what is this little cutie, really? because I would love for my family to stop calling it a rat


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## Kenzi

Hedgehog:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class :Mammalia
Order: Insectivora
Family: Erinaceidae
Genus: Erinaceinae
Species: Atelerix albiventris, Atelerix algirus

Rat:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Rattus
Species: Rattus Norvegicus

The difference starts with the Order. Rats are rodents, Hedgehogs are Insectivores.


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## AmyLiz

Good to know....

unfortunately for me, my family will still call her a rodent :roll:


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## firephoenixla

That's okay, everyone in my family refers to Paprika as a woodchuck.. no matter how many times I say she's a hedgehog ;P


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## CoxMD

Basil is anywhere from rat, to hedgepig, to pinpig (rough Danish translation of hedgehog), to critter, and lately "the insectivore".


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## Tomato

AmyLiz said:


> Good to know....
> 
> unfortunately for me, my family will still call her a rodent :roll:


Unfortunately for me, I have family who truly believes my hedgie will find a way out of its cage and eat me while I'm sleeping... um.........?!


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## AmyLiz

Tomato said:


> Unfortunately for me, I have family who truly believes my hedgie will find a way out of its cage and eat me while I'm sleeping... um.........?!


 :lol:

my father has upgraded to calling her "the hog". better than nothing i guess


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## Paigala123

We just learned about this in my bio class today 

Like everyone else said, they are insectivores.

They are classified under insectivores because they eat Insects.

I was actually wondering the same thing myself! I knew that they weren't rodents...but didnt really know what category the went under


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