Is my mom's hedgehog old?

[ReneeM]

I was reading the lifespan was 2-4 years, but wondered if hedgehogs could live much longer? I'm not sure her hedgehogs exact age, but I believe it is almost four. My mom got it when I graduated college, that was in 2008.

 

[Kalandra]

Average is somewhere around 4. However, I have known several that have lived to see their 5th birthday. I also know of a couple that made it to 6, and one old fellow that made it to 10.

My experience has been that somewhere around 3.5 to 4 cancer shows up and the fight it on. I have had 1 that lived to be 8 (my first), most of mine have passed somewhere between age 4-4.5 of cancer.

 

[Vampira_666]

It's true average lifespan is 3-4 years but they can certainly live longer. I adopted a hedgehog at 2.5 years old and she lived for another 3 years...making her 5.5. years before she had to be put down. My first hedgehog Marigold lived for 4.5 years!

 

[tacotac]

My albino lived to be over 6 1/2 years old before we had to put her down due to cancer.

 

[ChinnyMom]

i'm not a hedgie person at all (although they are adorable lil creatures!), but why is cancer so prevalent in older hedgehogs?

 

[ACohan]

My first hedgie lived to be about 5 1/2. Apparently his dad lived to be 8