Apparently, you don’t need a giant swimming pool when you’re roughly the size of a grapefruit.
A group of tiny hedgehogs is winning attention online after a video showed the little animals paddling around inside an ordinary sink, turning the bathroom basin into what looks like the world’s smallest swimming club.
The adorable clip was shared on TikTok by @spikepuff1 and shows several hedgehogs moving around the water with their tiny legs kicking underneath them.
At first glance, the sight is almost impossibly cute.
With their little noses poking above the surface and their feet furiously paddling below, the hedgehogs look like miniature swimmers taking over their own private pool.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
Viewers quickly filled the comments with jokes.
“Scientists have discovered a new species of fish,” one person teased.
But not everyone watching found the video funny.
Several viewers questioned whether the hedgehogs were actually enjoying themselves or simply trying to get out of the water.
“This isn’t cute. They’re terrified,” one concerned viewer wrote, while another argued that the animals appeared uncomfortable.
The debate raises an important point about animal videos online. Just because an animal is capable of doing something doesn’t necessarily mean it enjoys doing it.
Can Hedgehogs Really Swim?
Surprisingly, yes.
Veterinary guidance from VCA Animal Hospitals describes hedgehogs as good swimmers, as well as skilled climbers and diggers.
That doesn’t mean owners should assume every hedgehog wants to spend time in the water, however.
The RSPCA also warns that although hedgehogs can swim, water can become dangerous if they are unable to climb back out. Garden ponds and swimming pools should have shallow areas, ramps or steps that give the animals an easy escape route.
In other words, swimming ability and swimming enjoyment are two different things.
Pet owners should watch an animal’s behavior closely and make sure it always has a safe and immediate way to leave the water.
Still, there is something undeniably surprising about watching such tiny, round animals suddenly turn into capable little paddlers.
Whether these particular hedgehogs believed they were enjoying a relaxing pool day or desperately wondering who filled up their sink is something only they know.
Either way, those tiny kicking feet have certainly gotten the internet talking.