Hedgehogs: Almost Every Colour Imaginable

There is no shortage of colours when it comes to your pet hedgehog. With over 90 colour variations, choosing the colour of your pet can be as difficult a choice as selecting the paint shade for your bedroom.

The International Hedgehog Association currently recognizes the following colours:


THE DOMINANT WHITE-BELLIED HEDGEHOG COLOURS

SALT & PEPPER: The spines are white, banded with black. No more than 5% of the quills are to be solid white. The face is white with a black mask, ears and nose. The under body hair is white. Black mottling of the underbelly is extensive. Skin on the shoulders is jet-black. The nose is black.

DARK GREY: Spines are white, banded by black with very narrow rusty-brown outer edges. All other features are the same as Salt & Pepper except that the skin on the shoulders is dark grey, almost black. The nose is black.

GREY: Spines are white, banded by black with rusty-brown outer edges. There is some mottling of the underbelly and the face is masked by black. The skin over the shoulders is grey. The nose is black.

BROWN: Spines are white, banded by light oak-brown. No more than 5% of the spines are to be solid white. A light mask is acceptable. The eyes have a light blue ring around the outer edges. Mottling of the skin is not preferred and the skin on the shoulders is pink with a small amount of grey pigmentation. The nose is liver, mottled with black.

CINNAMON: Spines are white, banded by light cinnamon brown. No more than 5% of the spines are to be solid white. The face is not masked. The underbelly is white and mottling of the skin is not preferred. Skin on the shoulders is pink. The nose is liver.

DARK CINNICOT: Spines are white, with 75% of the spines banded by cinnamon and 25% by pale orange-beige. The skin over the shoulders is pink. The face is not masked.The nose is liver with a pink outer rim.

BLACK-EYED CINNICOT: Spines are white, with 50% banded by cinnamon and the remainder by pale orange-beige. The skin over the shoulders is pink. The face is not masked. The nose is pink and liver mottled and the eyes are black.

RUBY-EYED CINNICOT: Spines are white, with 50% banded by cinnamon and the remainder by pale orange-beige. The skin over the shoulders is pink. The face is not masked and the nose is pink and liver mottled. The eyes are dark ruby-red.

CHAMPAGNE: Spines are white, with 75% banded by pale orange-beige, with the remainder banded by cinnamon. The skin over the shoulders is pink. The face is not masked. The nose is pink with a liver outer rim and the eyes are ruby-red.

APRICOT: Spines are white, banded by pale orange-beige. The underbody is white.The face is not masked. The eyes are ruby-red. The nose is pink.

PALE APRICOT: Spines are white, banded by extremely pale orange-yellow. The under body is white. The face is not masked. The eyes are ruby-red and the nose is pink.

SNOWFLAKE COLOURS

The Snowflake category comprises those animals that possess a fairly even mix of banded and non-banded spines. This gives the hedgehog the appearance of having a light "snowflake'' dusting over its back. This is a recessive variation of the dominant colours.

SILVER: The spines are white, banded with black. 30-50% of the quills are to be solid white. The face is white with a black mask, ears and nose. The under body hair is white. Black mottling of the underbelly is extensive. Skin on the shoulders is jet-black and the nose is black.

SILVER CHARCOAL: Like the Charcoal, except that the coloured spines are white, banded by light grey. All other features are the same as Charcoal. Skin on the shoulders is dark grey, almost black. The nose is black.

CHARCOAL: (Grey Snowflake) Between 30 and 70% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by black with rusty-brown edges. There is some mottling of the underbelly and the face is masked by black. he skin over the shoulders is grey. The nose is black.

CHOCOLATE CHIP: Chocolate Snowflake. Between 30 and 70% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by chocolate-brown. All other features are the same as Chocolate. The nose is dark liver, almost black.

BROWN SNOWFLAKE: Between 30 and 70% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light oak-brown. Some spines may also be banded by chocolate, but this is not preferred. A light mask is acceptable. The eyes have a light blue ring around the outer edges (the sclera). Mottling of the skin is not preferred and the skin over the shoulders is pink with a small amount of grey pigmentation.


CINNAMON) SNOWFLAKE: Between 30 and 70% of the spines are solid white (50% is considered ideal). The remainder are white, banded by light brown. The face is not masked. The underbelly is solid white with no mottling. Skin over the shoulders is pink.The nose is liver coloured, mottled with black.

SILVER-CINNAMON SNOWFLAKE: Between 30 and 70% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light grey. All other features are the same as Cinnamon Snowflake.

DARK CINNICOT SNOWFLAKE: Between 30 and 70% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, with 75% of the spines banded by cinnamon and 25% by pale orange-beige. The skin over the shoulders is pink. The face is not masked.


BLACK-EYED CINNICOT SNOWFLAKE: Between 30 and 70% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, with 50% banded by cinnamon and the remainder by pale orange-beige. The skin over the shoulders is pink. The face is not masked. The nose is pink and liver mottled. The eyes are black. The nose is liver with a pink outer rim.

RUBY-EYED CINNICOT SNOWFLAKE: Between 30 and 70% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white. Spines are white, with 50% banded by cinnamon and the remainder by pale orange-beige. The skin over the shoulders is pink. The face is not masked. The nose is pink and liver mottled.


CHAMPAGNE SNOWFLAKE: Between 30 and 70% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, with 75% banded by pale orange-beige, with the remainder banded by cinnamon. The skin over the shoulders is pink. The face is not masked. The nose is pink with a liver outer rim. The eyes are ruby-red.

APRICOT SNOWFLAKE: Between 30 and 70% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by pale orange-beige. The underbody is white. The face has no mask. The eyes are ruby-red. The nose is pink.

PALE APRICOT SNOWFLAKE: Between 30 and 70% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by extremely pale orange-beige. The underbody is white. The face has no mask. The eyes are ruby-red. The nose is pink.

WHITE COLOURS

The White category comprises those animals that possess almost 100% solid white spines. The few banded spines that these hedgehogs have are localized to the forehead area, with a few possible across the remainder of the back. These few banded spines on the back, however, should count no more than 10. Any more than this and it is categorized as a Snowflake.

There are a total of 15 White possibilities in the White-Bellied colour spectrum. The Double-White variant can be described in the same manner as any of the White colours with the exception of there being no banded quills anywhere on the body.

PLATINUM: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light grey. Ears are black and the face is masked by black. Skin over the shoulders is jet-black. Mottling of the underbelly is extensive. The nose is black.

SILVER CHARCOAL WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light grey. Ears are black and the face is masked by black. Skin over the shoulders is dark grey, almost black. Mottling of the underbelly is extensive. The nose is black.

CHARCOAL WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by black with rusty-brown edges. There is some mottling of the underbelly and the face is masked by black. The skin over the shoulders is grey. The nose is black.

CHOCOLATE WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by chocolate-brown. The skin over the shoulders is light grey. The face is masked by light brown. Pale mottling of the underbelly may be seen.The nose is dark liver, almost black.

BROWN WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light oak-brown. Some spines may also be banded by chocolate, but this is not preferred. A light mask is acceptable. The eyes have a light blue ring around the outer edges (the sclera). Mottling of the skin is not preferred and the skin over the shoulders is pink with a small amount of grey pigmentation. The nose is liver, mottled with black.

WHITE: (Cinnamon White) Between 95 to 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by pale cinnamon-brown. The face has no mask. The underbelly is white with no mottling. The ears are pale grey (silver). Skin on the shoulders is pink. The nose is liver.

DARK CINNICOT WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light cinnamon-brown and orange. The face has no mask. The eyes are black. The the skin over the shoulders is pink, as is the underbelly.The nose is liver, with a pink rim.

BLACK-EYED CINNICOT WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light cinnamon-brown and orange. The face has no mask. The eyes are black. The the skin over the shoulders is pink, as is the underbelly.The nose is evenly mottled with liver and pink

RUBY-EYED CINNICOT WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light cinnamon-brown and orange. The face has no mask. The eyes are dark ruby-red. The skin over the shoulders is pink, as is the underbelly.


CHAMPAGNE WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light orange with a light grey cast. The face has no mask.The eyes are red. The skin over the shoulders is pink, as is the underbelly. The nose is pink with a liver rim. The nose is evenly mottled with liver and pink

APRICOT WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light orange. The face has no mask. The eyes are red. The skin over the shoulders is pink, as is the underbelly. The nose is pink


ALBINO
Albinos are unique due to the total lack of pigmentation. The spines are all white with no banding. The face and fur are white. The skin is pink and the eyes are red. The nose is pink.


PINTO
Pinto is a colour pattern, rather than a colour and as such may appear on any coloured hedgehog. The Pinto pattern can be distinguished by a total lack of colour on the quills and skin beneath in distinct patches or spots over the hedgehog's back. Ideally, the white patches are to be symmetrical between one side of the hedgehog, divided down the length of the body by the dorsal, and the other. The remainder of the quills - those with coloured banding - remain consistent with the hedgehog's basic colouration.


ALGERIAN COLOURS

Although the term "Algerian'' is commonly used to refer to a species of hedgehog, the IHA also recognizes it as a separate colour category from that of the White-Bellied colours. A hedgehog exhibiting the colour traits of an Algerian may or may not exhibit the physical traits. (Larger body, longer nose and larger ears) Since the two species have been interbred to produce the domestic hedgehog, the only true trait of the Algerian species left is the colour as this does not mix with the colours of the White-Bellied species.

Algerian coloured hedgehogs can be easily distinguished by looking at the "eye" or "cheek" patches as shown on the left. If the hedgehog has cheek patches, then the hedgehog in question is in the Algerian colour range. If it does not, then the hedgehog is in the White-Bellied range. This is a far more accurate means of identification than the older method of looking for "cream" or off-white coloured quills, rather than the white quills of the White-Bellied species.

ALGERIAN BLACK: Spines are cream, widely banded by black with dark rust at the top and bottom. The skin on the shoulders is jet-black. There is a distinctive black mask that extends almost to the neck. The nose is black.

ALGERIAN DARK GREY: Spines are cream, banded by black with rust edges. The banding extends almost to the tip of the spines. The skin is almost jet black. The face mask is extensive and extends from beneath the eyes almost to the quill line beneath the ears. The overall appearance is that of rust-coloured spines. All other features are the same as BLACK ALGERIAN.

ALGERIAN GREY: Spines are cream, banded by black with rust edges. The skin is heavily mottled. The overall appearance is that of rust and cream coloured spines. The nose is black, the face has a dark mask and the cheek patches are a deep, golden-brown.

ALGERIAN CHOCOLATE: Spines are cream, banded by chocolate-brown. The skin is near-black, the mask is medium brown and the eye patches are brown to rich golden-brown. Mottling of the underbelly is extensive. The nose is dark, chocolate brown.

ALGERIAN BROWN: Spines are cream, banded by light brown. The skin is dark grey; the mask is medium brown with light golden brown cheek patches. There is light mottling of the underbelly. The nose is chocolate brown

ALGERIAN CINNAMON: Quills are cream, banded by rich cinnamon-orange. The skin is grey, the mask is pale with light brown cheek patches and the nose is chocolate brown with liver highlights. There is light mottling of the underbelly.

ALGERIAN DARK CINNICOT: Quills are cream, banded by dark cinnamon-orange spines as well as a small number of dark apricot banded spines. The skin is grey, the mask is pale with light brown cheek patches and the nose is liver, mottled with chocolate brown. There is no mottling of the underbelly.

ALGERIAN CINNICOT: Quills are cream, banded equally by cinnamon-orange spines and dark apricot banded spines. The skin is grey, the mask is pale with light brown cheek patches and the nose is liver, mottled lightly with chocolate brown. There is no mottling of the underbelly. The nose is liver, mottled with chocolate brown. There is no mottling of the underbelly

ALGERIAN CHAMPAGNE: Spines are cream banded by orange with a light grey cast. The face may be masked by light orange cheek patches. The eyes are black. The underbelly is white with some very pale mottling possible. Skin on the shoulders is grey- pink. The nose is grey-pink with a darker rim.

ALGERIAN APRICOT: Quills are cream, banded by pale orange. The skin is pink with a very pale hint of grey. There is no mask but there are very pale orange-brown cheek patches. The nose is pink with a pale liver rim. There is no mottling of the underbelly.

ALGERIAN SNOWFLAKE COLOURS

ALGERIAN BLACK SNOWFLAKE: Spines are interspersed approximately 50/50 by solid cream quills with no bands and widely banded quills with black with dark rust at the top and bottom. The skin on the shoulders is jet-black. There is a distinctive black cheek patch that extends almost to the neck. The nose is black
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ALGERIAN DARK GREY SNOWFLAKE: Spines are interspersed approximately 50/50 by solid cream quills with no bands and by banded quills with black with rust edges. The banding extends almost to the tip of the spines. The skin is almost jet black. The cheek patch is extensive and extends from beneath the eyes almost to the quill line beneath the ears. The overall appearance is that of rust-coloured spines. All other features are the same as BLACK ALGERIAN.

ALGERIAN GREY SNOWFLAKE: Spines are interspersed approximately 50/50 by solid cream quills with no bands and banded quills with black with rust edges. The skin is heavily mottled. The overall appearance is that of rust and cream coloured quills. The nose is black, the face has a dark mask and the cheek patches are a deep, golden-brown.

ALGERIAN CHOCOLATE SNOWFLAKE: Spines are interspersed approximately 50/50 by solid cream quills with no bands and banded quills with chocolate-brown. The skin is near-black, the mask is medium brown and the cheek patches are brown to rich golden-brown. Mottling of the underbelly is extensive. The nose is dark, chocolate brown.

ALGERIAN BROWN SNOWFLAKE: Spines are interspersed approximately 50/50 by solid cream quills with no bands and banded quills with light brown. The skin is dark grey, the mask is medium brown with light golden brown cheek patches. There is light mottling of the underbelly. The nose is chocolate brown.

ALGERIAN CINNAMON SNOWFLAKE: Spines are interspersed approximately 50/50 by solid cream quills with no bands and banded quills with rich cinnamon-orange. The skin is grey, the mask is pale with light brown cheek patches and the nose is chocolate brown with liver highlights. There is light mottling of the underbelly

ALGERIAN DARK CINNICOT SNOWFLAKE: Spines are interspersed approximately 50/50 by solid cream quills with no bands and banded quills with dark cinnamon-orange spines as well as a small number of dark apricot banded spines. The face is masked with orange cheek patches. The underbelly is white with some pale mottling possible. The eyes are black. Skin on the shoulders is grey-pink. The nose is brown with a lighter rim.

ALGERIAN CINNICOT SNOWFLAKE: Spines are interspersed approximately 50/50 by solid cream quills with no bands and banded quills with an equal mix of cinnamon-orange spines and dark apricot banded spines. The face is masked with orange cheek patches. The underbelly is white with some pale mottling possible. The eyes are black.Skin on the shoulders is grey-pink. The nose is mottled with brown and grey-pink.

ALGERIAN CHAMPAGNE SNOWFLAKE: Spines are interspersed approximately 50/50 by solid cream quills with no bands and quills banded by orange with a light grey cast. The face may be masked by light orange cheek patches. The eyes are black.The underbelly is white with some very pale mottling possible. Skin on the shoulders is grey- pink. The nose is grey-pink with a darker rim.

ALGERIAN APRICOT SNOWFLAKE: Quills are cream, banded by pale orange. The skin is pink with a very pale hint of grey. The face may be masked by very light orange cheek patches. The underbelly is white. Skin on the shoulders is grey- pink. The eyes are black. The nose is grey-pink.


ALGERIAN WHITE COLOURS

The Double-White variant can be described in the same manner as any of the White colours with the exception of there being no banded quills anywhere on the body.

BLACK WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light black. Ears are black and the face is extensively masked by black and brown with cheek patches extending almost to the quill skirt. Skin over the shoulders is a purple-black. Mottling of the underbelly is extensive. The eyes are black. The nose is black.

ALGERIAN SILVER CHARCOAL WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by rusty-grey. Ears are black and the face is extensively masked by black and brown with cheek patches extending almost to the quill skirt. Skin over the shoulders is purple-black. Mottling of the underbelly is extensive. The eyes are black. The nose is black.

ALGERIAN CHARCOAL WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by black with rusty-brown edges. There is some mottling of the underbelly and the face is masked by black and brown with a golden-brown cheek patch. The skin over the shoulders is black. The eyes are black. The nose is black.

ALGERIAN CHOCOLATE WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by dark chocolate-brown. The skin over the shoulders is dark grey. The face is masked by light brown with a golden-brown cheek patch. The eyes are black. Mottling of the underbelly may be seen.

ALGERIAN BROWN WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by brown. Some spines may also be banded by chocolate, but this is not preferred. The face is masked by light brown with a brown cheek patch.The eyes have a light blue ring around the outer edges (the sclera). The eyes are black.The underbelly is white with some mottling possible and the skin over the shoulders is grey. The nose is chocolate-brown. The nose is chocolate-brown.

ALGERIAN CINNAMON WHITE: Between 95 to 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by orange. The face is masked by light brown with a brown cheek patch. The underbelly is white with some mottling possible. The eyes are black. Skin on the shoulders is grey-pink. The nose is brown.

ALGERIAN DARK CINNICOT WHITE: Between 95 to 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by dark and light orange. The face is masked with orange cheek patches. The underbelly is white with some pale mottling possible. The eyes are black. Skin on the shoulders is grey-pink. The nose is brown with a lighter rim.

ALGERIAN CHAMPAGNE WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light orange with a light grey cast. The face may be masked by light orange cheek patches. The eyes are black. The underbelly is white with some very pale mottling possible. Skin on the shoulders is grey- pink.The nose is grey-pink with a darker rim.

ALGERIAN APRICOT WHITE: Between 95 and 97% of the spines are solid white. The remainder are white, banded by light orange. The face may be masked by very light orange cheek patches. The underbelly is white. Skin on the shoulders is grey- pink. The eyes are black. The nose is grey-pink.