|
|
Back Home
SiteMap
|
Different Hedgehog Colors
When it comes to various hedgehog breeds, the choice is quite simple. African Pygmy Hedgehogs are the most common breed of domesticated hedgehogs. However, when it comes to choosing a hedgehog color, or determining what color your hedgehog actually is, things get a bit more complex.
According to the International Hedgehog Association, there are 92 different color varieties for hedgehogs, and these colors come from the white-bellied hedgehogs as well as the Algerian hedgehogs. The colors also come from Pinto hedgehogs and Albino hedgehogs. While we cannot cover all of the color classes here, we can describe the most common hedgehog colors.
First, there is the salt and pepper hedgehog. With salt and peppers, only 5% of the quills can be solid white, but the spines are typically white with black bands. A salt and pepper hedgehog will have a white face, and his mask, ears, and nose will be black. The belly will be white with black mottling.
Grey’s are also common, and there are two varieties: Grey and Dark Grey. If the hedgehog is a dark grey, he will look much like the salt and pepper, except his spines will have rusty brown outer edges, and the skin on his shoulders will actually be a dark grey. With a grey hedgehog, this skin is a lighter shade of grey.
Chocolate hedgehogs are not to be confused with brown hedgehogs. A brown hedgehog has white spines with light brown bands, and may or may not have a light colored mask. His eyes will have a blue ring around the outer edges and his shoulder skin will actually be pink with some grey. A chocolate colored hedgehog, on the other hand, has dark brown bands with a light brown mask and light grey shoulders.
Cinnamon colored hedgehogs are very pretty. They have white spines with cinnamon brown bands. Cinnamons do not have a mask, and they have pink shoulders. Dark Cinnicots, black eyed Cinnicots, and Ruby eyed Cinnicots look much like cinnamons. Their spines are white, but they have bands of cinnamon and a pale orange color as well. The faces are not masked, and their shoulders are pink. As the names suggest, the Black Eyed Cinnicot has black eyes, and the Ruby Eyed Cinnicot has ruby colored eyes.
Other common colors for hedgehogs include champagne, apricot, and pale apricot. Champagne hedgehogs have white spines with beige orange and cinnamon bands and pink shoulders. Their faces are not masked and they have ruby colored eyes. Apricots have white spines with beige orange bands, an unmasked face and ruby eyes, and the pale apricot has white spines with yellowish orange bands.
So, as you can see, while hedgehogs may not be unique by breed, as dogs and cats are, hedgehogs are more unique by color combinations, meaning that while two hedgehogs may be classed as the same color, they are indeed quite unique.
Hedgehogs, Hedgehogs information, Hedgehog tips, Hedgehog pets, Hedgehog advice
Next Article: Is Your Hedgehog Getting Enough Exercise
|
|
