The skull varies from narrow and elongate to short and broad, and the braincase is small. These animals shelter in and under logs, among rocks, under the roots of trees and brush piles, in termite mounds, and in burrows. Hedgehogs generally dig their own burrows. When an appreciable amount of sand has accumulated behind the animal, it backs up in the burrow and kicks the soil out with a rapid alternate action of the hind limbs. The burrows of hedgehogs are generally located under a hedge or dense bush.
Hedgehogs enter and leave their burrows headfirst, turning inside the tunnel.
Erinaceus europaeus hibernates in the colder parts of its range. Hearing seems to be the keenest sense in hedgehogs. When threatened, they often roll themselves into a ball, bring the snout and limbs close under the body to hide them almost completely, and erect the spines, so that the animal is practically a ball of spines. Hedgehogs progress by means of a waddling walk or trot with the spines directed backward. Although terrestrial, they can climb and swim well.