Suffers from Alopecia, Runs Out of Thorns and Becomes a Bald Hedgehog
When you hear a hedgehog, you can imagine an animal as big as a ball with its sharp, sharp spines. So what if the hedgehog is bald? Can you imagine?
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Generally, the hedgehog's body is covered with thorns that fill the entire body in order to protect itself from attacks by predators in the wild. When the hedgehog feels in danger, the thorns on its body will straighten up and roll up like a ball, then the enemy who tries to touch it gets stabbed by the thorns, and makes the predator startled and scared.
With thorns as a means of self-defense, the hedgehog must rely heavily on those stiff and sharp hairs to survive. What if the hedgehog lived without thorns? Even though it sounds impossible, it turns out that there are, you know, hedgehogs that don't have thorns. Are you curious?
His name is Nelson. The hedgehog, who was cared for at Foxy Lodge Wildlife Resque in Norfolk, lost all of its spines. Nelson's spineless condition makes him extremely vulnerable in the wild. Of course, the thorns that fell out made him have no tools to protect himself from dangerous animals that were aiming for their lives. It seems that Nelson is not the only one who suffers from baldness, there is another hedgehog named Bear who also doesn't have protective spines.
Why did the two poor hedgehogs get into this condition?
The nurses at the animal sanctuary believe that one of the reasons is because Nelson and Bear have alopecia or hair loss. Referring to the conclusions from www.halodoc.com, Alopecia in animals is a relatively common problem in furry and spiny animals, including dogs and hedgehogs. This problem can be caused by a variety of conditions including skin infections, allergies, and endocrine disorders. Apart from being caused by Alopecia that attacks, severe stress after experiencing some kind of trauma from bad events in the wild is also thought to be the trigger for all Nelson and Bear's thorns to fall off and not be able to grow anymore.
The nurses are still trying to grow Nelson and Bear's spines back. Massaging using almond oil, although so far has not shown results, the staff still provides massages that keep the bald hedgehog's wrinkled skin soft and moisturised.
Image source: Hedgehog Alopecia Pictures | metro.co.uk | Photo-Features.co.uk
