Stages of Hoglet Development

Here's a basic run down of hoglet development, as we have observed it!

Newborn: The babies are born without quills. They have a thin membrane covering them. 
     Check out pictures of newborns here. Soft white quills emerge soon.

Week One: All hoglets are squeaking and chirping. At this stage, you probably won't have 
     looked at them for more than just a peek, but you can usually sure hear them! 
     They're ugly, hairless little things with the ears and eyes closed. They have
     very sparse, thin white spines covering their naked bodies. 

Week Two: At the end of the two weeks, you should be able to finally take a good look 
     at them and try to determine the sex of each hoglet. The boys are the ones with 
     the belly buttons. The baby spines will be giving way to more adult spines.
     The ears are open, but the eyes aren't. The squeaking and chirping continues, 
     but is now louder. The fur is also starting to grow; though they still look 
     naked. As you hold them, they may start to lick your hands and self-annoint! 
     It's really cute! 

Week Two and a half: Eyes are opening, fur is growing in nicely and it's time to 
     start playing with them! They are wobbly when they try to walk, but are trying 
     very hard to get going. 

Week Three: The hoglets are starting to look more like miniature adults. They are 
     more stable in walking and want to explore farther. They love to self-annoint 
     and may do it at the slightest new taste! 

Week Four: The hoglets now look like a miniature version of their moms. They can 
     now walk just fine and start crawling up arms as we lay on the floor. They may 
     be interested in moistened dry cat food and canned food. The first time we give
     them some, they self-annoint it all over themselves! On the second try, they 
     actually start eating it. Later in the week, they're ready for their first mealworms.

This article was originally written by Christi Cantrell of Hedgehog Mountain, and has
been revised and had pictures added by Antigone Means. 

people have learned about hoglet development.

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