Spikey has been living with us for many years. He only has one eye left and has issues moving. Being the largest rodent in Africa, he is vegetarian and mostly eats leaves, root vegetables, bark, bulbs and fallen fruits. If he comes across an insect or a small vertebrate, he will happily take it as well.
When threatened by a predator, the porcupine will shake its quills to make a rattling noise. If this is not enough to chase it away, it will back up quickly with its sharp quills into the predator’s body. Most predators will avoid that as wounds caused by the quills might become affected and lead to death.
Spikey however, is a very relaxed and friendly porcupine who spends most of the daytime in his den, which he has carefullybuilt over the years. Once the sun sets and night falls, he comes out and starts foraging. It’s lovely to observe him lying down while eating something especially tasty.
