Consummatory responses to taste stimuli in the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

Consummatory responses of hedgehogs to several concentrations of five chemical stimuli (sucrose, sodium chloride, sodium saccharin, quinine hydrochloride and formic acid) were investigated using the 24 hr two-bottle preference test. Hedgehogs distinguished between water and at least some concentrations of each stimulus tested by regulating their intake from each bottle, according to preference and water balance needs. Compared to other mammals, hedgehogs did not fall at either extreme of the sensitivity scale for preference or rejection, although they were placed with the group most tolerant to sodium chloride. When percentage preference was used as the indicator, an overall view placed hedgehogs and opossums as most similar in taste profiles and their similarities and differences to each other and to other insectivores are discussed. An argument is made for the need for standardization of preference data recorded as a ratio of intake (ml) to body weight (g) for each animal's daily consumption of water and solutions to be available in raw form to all investigators.