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. The lesser gymnure, Hylomys, sometimes climbs in trees, and the moon rat, Echinosorex, may be aquatic to some extent. Gymnures feed on insects, other invertebrates, and some plant matter. Echinosorex probably includes fish and frogs in its diet, and hedgehogs feed on a wide range of animal matter, including carrion and probably fruits and roots. Most members of this family seem to have one or two breeding seasons a year and a litter size of one to seven.