There are a surprising number of hedgehog colors out there. In fact, when you first tell people they typically don’t believe you!
In total, there are over 90 different hedgehog colors. Some are rare and some are quite common.
Most of these color options can be a little tricky to find at your local pet store (the majority only have salt and pepper hedgehogs). However, if you find a rare color you like there’s always a breeder out there who might be able to help you out.
This resource will serve as a list of all the possible hedgehog colors out there, so you can see which is right for you. We hope it helps!
The Most Popular Hedgehog Colors
While there are over 90 various hedgehog colors, these colors can be categorized into a few main groups with a few being the most common. In fact, when you look at pet hedgehogs online you’ll typically see the same colors over and over (salt and pepper).
But there are plenty of other popular and sought after colorations that people love. Pinto, white, black, and Algerian just to name a few!
If we’re being honest, it’s pretty hard to tell the difference between a lot of the hedgehog colors out there. That’s why we’ve structured our guide in this way. You’ll be able to view the major differences first without getting caught up in the indistinguishable details.
Salt And Pepper Hedgehogs
Salt and pepper hedgehogs are easily the most common color you’ll find. In fact, you’ll often see this referred to as the “standard” color among owners.
They’re the classic “pet hedgehog” look and fall under the white-bellied category. The reason we wanted to give this color its own section is simply because they’re all over the place!
Salt and pepper hedgehogs have a black nose, ears, and shoulders. The rest of their face is white. Their quills are primarily white but black bands are present. As you would expect from a white-bellied hedgehog, they have white hair on their underbelly as well.
We love this hedgehog color because there’s great contrast all over the body. Their hair transitions between white and black quite nicely and their quills have a very textured look to them as well!
White-Bellied Hedgehogs
Aside from salt and pepper, there are a ton of colors that fall under the white-bellied hedgehog class. As the name indicates, these hedgehogs have white hair on their underbellies.
Cinnamon
The cinnamon hedgehog color is one of our favorites. They have a light red nose with a white belly and some pink skin on their shoulders. Their spines are mostly white but have a cinnamon accent along the bands.
Chocolate
Chocolate hedgehogs look a lot like a darker version of the cinnamon color. They have white spines with brown bands and a darker nose. They have white bellies and a very light mask on their face.
Grey – dark grey included
A lot of people confuse grey hedgehogs with salt and pepper but the main difference is in the mask. Grey hedgehogs have white spines and black bands and a black nose, but their mask tends fo be a lot softer.
There is also a dark grey color that is probably the closest match you can find to salt and pepper. They’re basically the same with the exception of the coloring on their shoulder area (which is dark grey instead of solid black).
Brown
These hedgies have a consistent light-rich brown balance that is found all over their bodies. Their spines are white with light brown bands. Sometimes this color variant will have a faint mask as well.
Dark Cinnicot
The dark cinnicot is a very interesting color. They have white bellies and pink skin on their shoulders. Their nose is a dark redish-brown and they never have a mask on their face (no matter how light).
The spines of these hedgies are white with the majority banded by a cinnamon color. The remaining spines have light orange bands and are distributed evenly throughout.
Black-Eyed Cinnicot
These are very similar to the dark cinnicot with the main exception being in the spines. They have white spines with a split banded color variation of light beige and cinnamon.
Ruby-Eyed Cinnicot
The ruby-eye cinnicot color is the exact same as the black-eyed cinnicot with the sole difference being the color of the eyes. These hedgehogs have red eyes instead of black ones.
Champagne
This color is just like the dark cinnicot but with red eyes. The spines share the same color and distribution and they don’t have a masked face as well. They have white bellies and the same colored nose as well.
Apricot
Apricot is a very neat looking color. They have a light pink nose that transitions into their unmasked face seamlessly and have red eyes that complement their face quite nicely! The spines are all white with rich-looking beige bands everywhere.
Pale Apricot
Everything about the pale apricot is just like the standard apricot color but with significantly lighter spines.
White Hedgehogs
White hedgehogs are a really neat color category that is getting more and more popular. The main feature that stands out with them is their solid white spines. There is pretty much no banding and the bands that are present tend to be very light. It can be quite hard to tell the difference from far away!
Platinum
This is a very popular hedgehog color that really stands out. Almost all of the spines are white and so is the belly. There is some barely noticeable grey banding on the spines as well. They have black shoulder skin and a black nose.
Cinnamon White
This has a similar spine coloring to the platinum but the minimal banding that’s present is more cinnamon. They have no mask and a dark brown nose as well as a white belly area. They have very light-colored ears.
Charcoal White
Charcoal white hedgehogs are one of our favorites! These have the same number of white spines as most of the other white hedgehogs, but the banding is darker. This creates a really neat contrasted look especially when they’re in their ball. They have a black nose and mask.
Silver Charcoal White
These white hedgehogs have the vast majority of their spines colored white. They have a lot of the same patterns and colors as the standard charcoal white hedgehog, but the banding on the spines is a bit lighter.
Chocolate White
This hedgehog color is another fan favorite because it’s a bit more subdued and less in your face compared to platinum. They have white spines and chocolate bands with a very light brown mask. They also have a dark brown nose to match!
Brown White
This color features predominately white spines that have rich brown bands surrounding them. There’s usually not much of a mast (very light if present at all). The nose is a dark redish-brown.
Dark Cinnicot White
This is an interesting variation of hedgehog color that features white spines and lighter brown bands. Their eyes are brownish red with a white belly and no mask.
Black-Eyed Cinnicot White
Here you see a very similar overall color as the dark cinnicot white with one small difference. The nose has a scattered mix of solid pink and dark brownish-red instead of a more solid color. Other than that’s it’s pretty hard to tell these two colors apart!
Ruby-Eyed Cinnicot White
The ruby-eyed cinnicot white is exactly the same as the black-eyed color variation except for the color of the eyes. These hedgehogs have dark red eyes that really stand out on their white bodies.
Snowflake Hedgehogs
Snowflake hedgehogs are a really interesting color that fall under the white-bellied category. These are a really interesting batch that have a deeply textured look with a lot of contrast. Snowflake hedgehogs get their name because the spine colors tend to look like snow from the right angle!
Silver
This is probably the most popular kind of snowflake hedgehog. They have white spines with black bands, but a fair portion of their spines are completely white. Silver hedgehogs have white bellies but a black nose and mask.
Charcoal
Another name for these is the “grey snowflake” hedgehog. They have a black nose and mask and lighter brown accents to their spines. Everything else is a pretty standard snowflake style from the spines to the belly.
Silver Charcoal
Of all the hedgehog colors out there this is one of the most interesting and true to the “snowflake” class. From the right angle these look like they have snow on their back more than pretty much any other color on our list. The trick is the combination of white spines and very light grey bands. When you see these little guys walking around it can be kind of mesmerizing! You’ll also find some darker colored skin in areas outside of the belly.
Chocolate Chip
This color fits the name These hedgies have the standard snowflake spine ratio but have some darker chocolate mixed in with the bands. They have a very dark nose that isn’t black, but quite close.
Brown Snowflake
Brown snowflake hedgehogs have the same kind of coloring as the standard snowflake with enough deep brown to set them apart from a color like chocolate chip. This is most obvious on the bands and nose. There’s not much of a mask to them as well.
Ruby-Eyed Cinnicot Snowflake
These are a very interesting hedgehog color. While they do have the standard white spine ratio that you expect from snowflakes, there’s a unique mixture going on with the bands. You’ll see a mix of orangish-beige as well as cinnamon which gives them a neat look. They have pink shoulder skin (aside from their stomach) and a pinkish nose as well. Their eyes are a deep red and you’ll never see this color with a mask.
Black-Eyed Cinnicot Snowflake
This color is exactly the same as the ruby-eyed variant, but in this case the eyes are black. Everything else should be the same though, so if there are additional differences you might be confusing them with another color!
Algerian Hedgehogs
Algerian hedgehogs are color class that’s separate from the popular white-bellied group. The main thing that stands out with these is the colors of their mask and cheek. They have color that extends past the normal mask area into the cheek space. Kind of like a wider mask.
A lot of the spine are similar to the hedgehog colors we listed above, so the main way to identify them is by looking at their face for the patch of color. We really like this feature and it can be quite cute!
Algerian Grey
This color looks a lot like a salt and pepper hedgehog at first. The biggest difference is that they have patches next to their mask that is a rich brown.
Algerian Dark Grey
This color is very similar to the one above, but with darker skin and sometimes a darker mask as well. Their spines are pretty much the same as the standard Algerian grey though.
Algerian Black
This is definitely our favorite hedgehog color out there! They look like little skunk/raccoon hybrids and are simply adorable. Their spines have very dark black bands and their faces are black as well (extending to the eyepatch). These can be tough to get their hands on but their cuteness makes it worth it!
Algerian Chocolate
Algerian chocolate hedgehogs are very neat looking. They have a light beige coloration to their spines with darker brown bands. Their mask is brown and extends out in a bit lighter color. Even their noses are dark chocolate too!
Algerian Cinnamon
The Algerian cinnamon hedgehog shares a lot of the same features as the Algerian chocolate. The biggest difference is the overall color tone is a bit lighter. This applies to their spines, mask, skin, and nose.
Algerian Brown
Light brown is a very prominent color with these hedgehogs. It’s present on their cheeks and mask as well as their spines and skin.
Algerian Cinnicot
This is a very unique hedgehog color that’s been growing in popularity over the last few years. They have a lighter orange and beige color scheme to their spines and a super faint mask as well. Even their nose is a bit on the light side. There’s a lot of contrast and texture when it comes to the look of their spines too (especially when they’re walking).
Algerian Dark Cinnicot
These hedgehogs feature the same kind of patterns and color ratios as the standard Algerian cinnicot. The big difference is that the coloration is tweaked to be slightly darker overall.
Algerian Apricot
The Algerian apricot variation is very lightly colored with a lot of light oranges and beige scattered throughout the spines and skin. They have a light pink nose and no mask as well.
Algerian Chocolate Snowflake
We love this color. Algerian chocolate snowflake hedgehogs have an even split of coloration in their spines of darkish brown and faded white. They have a faint brown mask that can sometimes vary in color and a darker brown nose.
Algerian Cinnicot Snowflake
These are really neat. These hedgies have a light brown mask dark eyes and a brown nose. The spines are a mix of cream and cinnamon with some banding mixed in.
Algerian Black Snowflake
The Algerian black snowflake is a nice looking color that features a nice clean spine coloration. While all of its spines are the same light color, about half of them are banded and half aren’t. This makes for a neat look that a lot of other hedgies don’t have. They have some black skin, black nose, and black cheek coloring as well.
Algerian Grey Snowflake
This looks a lot like the Algerian black snowflake but with lighter grey color in place of the black. You’ll see lighter brown and grey coloring across the skin and face with the exception of the nose.
Algerian Apricot Snowflake
We love this hedgehog color. The Algerian apricot snowflake has a lot of light orange scattered throughout the spines and you’ll even see a similar color present on some of the skin. They have a light pink nose and often times a light mask to go along with it.
Algerian White
There are a variety of different colors that fit into the Algerian white subgrouping. It’s a bit overkill to list them out one by one because they are extremely similar to the rest of the Algerian hedgehogs.
The only difference with the Algerian white variety is that you’ll never find any bands on their spines. Everything else will look the same. So if you have an Algerian chocolate white, it’s simply an Algerian chocolate without banded spines.
These can look very white due to the lack of banding, so if you’re going for more of a pure white hedgehog color this might be the one for you!
Black Hedgehogs
While there aren’t any completely black hedgehog colors, you still have some options. In our opinion, the closest you can get is the Algerian black. They have a the heaviest amount of black coloration on their bodies and spines.
As we’ve said before, they’re our all-time favorite hedgehog color and we hear the same from plenty of other owners. Give them a shot!
Pinto Hedgehogs
Pinto hedgehogs are technically their own color pattern instead of a color class. This means they’re kind of in their own special category!
Pinto hedgehogs don’t have any color on a fair number of their spines and also very little on the skin underneath. The other spines do have some banding which will follow whatever coloring they have.
This will show itself in patches where a group of their spines won’t have color, then a large group will. It’s very easy to recognize.
Albino Hedgehogs
This is another example of a hedgehog color that’s in its own category. And while this is a guide about coloring, that’s not something that applies to the albino variety.
Like all other animals, albino hedgehogs have no coloring or pigment whatsoever. Their hair and spines are both completely white and they have no banding anywhere. They have the trademark red eyes as well and a pinkish nose and skin.
Conclusion
There are a ton of common and rare hedgehog colors out there that you can choose from if you want your own pet hedgehog. Finding the right color for you is all part of the fun!
We tend to not agonize over the tiny differences between one color or another, and instead focus on the big differences. For the most part, a slight difference in spine banding is something you’ll barely notice.
Figure out what hedgehog color you want from a high level and then go from there. It will make the process simple and stress-free!
Image credits:
Courtesy of Volcano View Hedgehogs
Hamor Hollow
Hedgehogs of Bloomington
