What a hedgehog without spines really looks like (6 photos)

Admit it, everyone tried to imagine a hedgehog without needles in childhood?

This creature's name is Nelson and he doesn't have a single needle. It will not survive in the wild, it looks doubtful, but for most of us it makes no sense to even hope for such care.

A completely hairless hedgehog lives at the Foxy Lodge wildlife rescue center in the UK. The tiny, shy animal desperately needs human protection to survive. Without needles in the wild, it simply cannot survive, turning out to be easy prey for predators.

Perhaps that's why Nelson doesn't particularly mind the forced visit to the shelter. Moreover, here he is surrounded by regular spa treatments and oil massages.

"We'll probably never know where he put his hair and needles," explains Tonya Garner, the shelter's manager. "He's a little miracle, but to survive in the world of adult hedgehogs, he must have spines. His health is perfect, except for the fact that he is completely bald."

Volunteers at the shelter believe that Nelson's paradoxical baldness is due to some stress that he received while in the wild. The needles have fallen out and there are no signs of regrowth.

The staff hoped that one day the needles would reappear. Every day, the shelter workers massaged young Nelson with almond oil, which stimulates such processes. Unfortunately, this didn't help.

However, the workers could not refuse daily massage sessions, because, in their opinion, the hedgehog enjoys them. Spa treatments keep him warm and his wrinkled skin soft and hydrated.

The only advantage of Nelson's condition, according to Western observers, is that it is much easier to hug him.