Dena- I wanna know who you're talking to... either they haven't been around many hedgies or they know something the rest of the world doesn't.
The info I've seen on hedgies in the wild says average lifespan in the wild is about 1-1/2 years.
Our herd's average seems to run just under 4 years (but I do retire a lot of females at 3, so the females who live much longer are often not included in that, since the new owners don't always tell me when they pass on). The study Donnasue Graesser did last year came up with an average of somewhere between 3 and 3 as an average, with 3 to 5 being usual.
I think some of the confusion is because the early books that were published on hedgies (that are unfortunately still in common use and circulation) cite 6 to 10 years- which is apparently accurate for European hedgies, but not for our lil guys =(
Diet and exercise definitely help, but there's still a lot of variation. My hedgies all live in the same environment and get the same food and the same temperatures and the same space and the same variations in cage furnishings (I rotate so they won't get bored), and I still have some who pass on at early ages and some who live to be elderly (our current oldest turned 6 recently).
Genetics don't explain it all, either. I can think of old timers who outlived their kids and grandkids, and of those who had one or both parents who passed on early but themselves enjoyed a long life.
This tells me we sure have a lot more to learn about this... I think I am not alone in wishing they would all live 6+ years!!! =)
Tig
