We often keep our homes cooler in the winter than is healthy for our pet hedgies. Click here for a great article on suggestions om providing your hedgie some supplemental heat from: Signs of hedgehogs in danger of being too cold are decreased activity, decreased appetite, sneezing (as opposed to puffling).
While the room you keep their habitat in may feel comfortable to you, remember that hedgehogs are much smaller and lack the clothing you wear to keep yourself warm. They are quite sensitive to the cold, and can begin to enter hibernation in a room that feels just chilly to you.
Weight loss, loose or reduced stools and reduced or bloody urine also can indicate your hedgehog is under the weather. Other signs of a sick hedgehog include lethargy, panting or labored breathing, a dull expression, discharge from the nose or eyes, sneezing, coughing and paralysis.
Hedgehogs hibernate to bypass the cold months when food becomes scarce. If the weather is warm and food is put out for them every night, some hedgehogs do not feel the need to hibernate and will stay active all through the winter.
Symptoms of Hedgehog Hibernation
The most obvious visual cue is that they are curled into a tight ball that you cannot get them out of. Additionally, you will find that they are not hissing or popping when you pick them up.
Signs of stress
Many hedgehogs are busy and want to try to explore but a stressed hedgehog will be much more persistent and not easily distracted. The stressed hedgehog may also twitch or shake its head nervously. It is almost as if the hedgehog is saying “Sensory overload. I can't take it anymore.”
The Autumn and Winter months are the most important for them to find food to put on enough weight before hibernation, so always make sure you put out food at this time of year. When do hedgehogs hibernate? Typically, hedgehogs hibernate from late December / early January until late March time.
As you know now, there are multiple ways to keep your hedgehog warm while travelling, so you don't have to worry about him falling into hibernation. Be sure to provide your hedgehog with lots of insulation, with bedding and blankets.
In times of cold weather, hedgehogs huddle together to help keep themselves warm, but can't stay too close because of their prickly spines. It's not that hedgehogs don't want to huddle together, but rather that they just can't, no matter how much they want to.
Hedgehog heating pads are another great way to keep your hedgehog warm. You'll pretty much see owners split down the middle when it comes to pads vs lamps. The best way to use them is by placing them underneath half of the cage.
Hedgehogs need environmental temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees. Keep your hedgehog's cage away from drafts, direct sunlight, or cold areas. You may want to provide your hedgehog with a small warm spot in his cage where he can go to get warm but would also be able to get away from if he feels too warm.
If a noise is loud to you, it is probably too loud for your hedgehog as well. Observe the sounds your hedgehog is making towards you as well. If he is purring, he is happy and content.
HEATSTROKE AND DEHYDRATION
If they are laying on their sides then it is very serious. Often seen in the summer months but also dehydration can be a problem in the winter months.
A hedgehog that is cold or feels cool to the touch is in serious danger. Captive bred hedgehogs are not accustomed to hibernation and can die from, what to them is, an unnatural torpor. Warming up a hedgehog too quickly can do more harm than good. A warm, gentle heat is preferred over forceful, direct heat.
Swaying and wobbling are two things that sometimes accompany hedgehog hibernation. If you notice any of these it's important to take them seriously because it could indicate wobbly hedgehog syndrome too. There are some other obvious signs of hedgehog hibernation that you'll want to look out for.
their ears, chin, along the edge of their quill line or skirt, belly fur or feet.
Hedgehogs are most comfortable between 74° and 76°F, which is 23° to 24°C. If the temperature gets too low, your hedgehog may ball up and try and go into hibernation, which could be fatal. If the temperature is too high, which is above 80°F or 27°C, your hedgehog could be headed towards heat stroke.
The ideal range is between 75°F and 85°F. However, they will tolerate temperatures between 72°F and 90°F. Hedgehogs can go into a hibernation-like state of inactivity when temperatures are too hot or too cold. invertebrates varies greatly.
So, should we be putting bedding in hedgehog houses? On balance yes we should. A hedgehog box is not a natural environment. Placing natural materials like leaves, dry grass, straw or hay in it will make it feel more natural for the hog.
Hedgehogs are burrowing animals, so a fleece blanket will help make your carrier comfortable and warm. Hedgehogs feel safest in small confined spaces, so a small animal carrier or a small cat carrier is best. If your enclosure is bigger, put a larger blanket in it so your hedgehog can hide.
Cages with a wire bottom should be avoided because your hedgehog could easily injure a foot in the wire. Cages with a plastic bottom and wire walls may be used, as long as the space between the bars is 1 inch (2.5cm) or less. Bigger is always better so your hedgehog can have plenty of room for exercise!
The answer is YES… as long as it's being eaten. It's difficult to tell exactly when hedgehogs will begin hibernation, so when you start to see that food is not being taken, you can stop putting so much out and perhaps just offer a few dry cat biscuits that don't go off so quickly.
If you accidentally uncover a hibernating hedgehog, please do not move it. Cover it over again with a thick layer of dry leaves and leave it to sleep. Put some water and some cat/dog food nearby in case you have woken it up and it comes out of hibernation.
Busy roads cause mortalities and they can also disrupt dispersal routes for hedgehogs. New developments usually lack any connectivity between gardens. Hibernation habitat, typically scrubby or brambly areas, are frequently lost through over management or development.