The natural habitat of the pygmy hedgehog is the dry savanna of Africa, but the species has been introduced to Europe and Asia. This animal is also found in forested areas and near settlements. The African pygmy hedgehog is also found in mountainous areas where altitudes are higher than 6,500 feet. Females produce litters of four to five young, which are born with short and soft spines that become hard soon after birth.
The pygmy hedgehog is a territorial animal, defending an area of 330 yards around its burrow. When intruders approach, it starts to make a series of chirping and snuffling noises. It is a nocturnal animal, becoming active at dusk, when it leaves the burrow to eat. When feeling threatened, the pygmy hedgehog rolls itself into a protective, prickly ball.
In the wild, the pygmy hedgehog feeds on a variety of things such as insects, worms, small frogs and snakes, nestling birds, eggs, carrion, fruits, seeds, fungi, and even roots. The animal often finds food within the range of its territory, thus it does not need to forage to great distances to eat. The pygmy hedgehog eat one third of its own body weight every night.
Pygmy hedgehogs make poplar pets because they are small and easy to look after. Selective cross-breding can produce a variety of colors, which rarely would occur in the wild, such as white and apricot. Despite the fact that many people consider pygmy hedgehogs cute animals and treat them as fashion accessories, others believe hedgehogs are not domesticated animals, even when brought up in captivity.