Hedgehogs are solitary animals so are silent - they have no need to communicate so don't have a 'vocabulary'. Even when in pain or fear they usually suffer in silence. The only time you'll really hear them vocalise is this time of year - mating season.
And it's only the girls who talk.😁
The male approaches the female and circles her, trying to mount.
The female turns to face him, keeping her nether regions out of his reach, and makes a chuff-chuff sound, telling him she's not interested.
She'll keep this up for hours, sometimes days, until she whittles down which of her suitors is the strongest, has the most endurance and energy, is the fittest and healthiest and most determined.
She wants only the very best to be the father of her precious babies.
Only when he's proved himself to be worthy, does the female crouch down and lay her spines flat, and allow him to mate.
Inexperienced males often need to use their mouth to hold on and get into position, so this time of year you may see females with a small wound on their back. There can be more than one winner, and she'll allow other males who have made the grade to mate with her also.
So the resulting litter can be hoglets with several different fathers, producing a truly diverse and healthy gene pool.
This genetic diversity within a population allows it to adapt to changing environments and resist diseases. Just one of the reasons our humble little hedgehog has survived for over 15 million years!🥰