If it happens to have a hedgehog hibernate in your garden, leave it alone and don't disturb it. Hedgehogs typically hibernate from November to March. During these months, try to avoid disturbing them with very loud noises, going close to them, or destroying their nest.
Hedgehogs have home ranges they like to keep to, but are not territorial so will not fight to defend these areas. Radio-tracking studies have found that hedgehog home ranges vary during the year (and between sexes). On average, they are around 10—20 hectares in size.
Ten or more different individuals may visit a garden over several nights, which could mean that 'your hedgehog' is in fact probably a number of different individuals visiting at different times.
Varying from increased human population and development, to climate change and reduced prey availability. Rural factors affecting hedgehogs: Widespread use of pesticides means less bugs for hedgehogs to eat. Larger fields make it difficult for hedgehogs to travel around.
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.
Encouraging hedgehogs
You can also try to provide hedgehogs with supplementary food and water. This is particularly useful during periods of drought when natural insect foods may be harder to come by. Never feed hedgehogs milk or bread.
Fill it with lots of hedgehog-safe food and water at sunset, ideally using a hedgehog food bowl and a hedgehog water bowl. Only put out small amounts of food as this is to supplement their diet. Clear away any uneaten food in the morning and refill the dishes each evening so the food and water is always fresh.
Routinely we expect to see hedgehogs come out in the evening around 9.30pm and go back to bed by 5am. Hedgehog living in the garden where there is food will often come out when the food arrives as they hear the clink of a bowl or the munching of another hedgehogs with their acute hearing and come out immediately.
It might be that a hedgehog has just gone somewhere else to find food for a little while. Also hedgehogs can wake from hibernation if disturbed or the weather conditions change, so they might be about looking for food when the ground is frozen and easy meals are hard to come by.
A hedgehog in your garden during the day could either be a healthy foraging female who is pregnant or still looking after their young, or it may be an more serious indicator of a hedgehog in trouble.
Essential Oils: I have been advised that oils that are considered "hot" are toxic to hedgehogs. Oils that are considered hot: Cassia, Cinnamon Bark, Clove, Hyssop, Lemongrass, Ocotea, Oregano, Peppermint, Thieves, and Thyme. These are often contained in blends.
Leave out foods like tinned dog or cat food and crushed cat or dog biscuits. Supply good quality, meaty hedgehog food from wildlife food suppliers. Never feed hedgehogs milk or bread - milk can cause diarrhoea and bread isn't very nutritious.
Summer is the time of year when you are most likely to actually see hedgehogs in your garden. Though they are nocturnal creatures, nights are so short in the summer months and hedgehogs have so much to do, that it's not unusual to spot a healthy hedgehog out and about in the daylight.
You might also find that gently throwing a towel over the hedgehog causes it to curl up, making it easier to catch. Then, take the hedgehog to a wildlife rescue centre. If you can't do this immediately keep the hedgehog somewhere warm and quiet indoors, and offer them a small amount of suitable food and water.
Hedgehogs usually give birth in June and July, though the hoglet season can begin in early spring following a mild winter and stretch until autumn. The average litter size is four or five young, though can be as many as seven. However, they usually only wean two or three successfully.
For short periods of time, you can put your hedgehog in an exercise ball and let him run around the house. The exercise balls are not substitutes for the wheel, but they are a great way to allow your hedgehog to get some good exercise for an hour or so at a time.
The poo of a healthy hedgehog is black to dark brown in colour. Each poo is around 1.5 to 5 centimetres long. They are sausage shape, with one or both ends slightly pointed. They are often almost sparkly due to the bits of beetle skeleton they contain.
What can I feed hedgehogs? Hedgehogs will relish any combination of meat-based wet dog or cat foods, or dry cat/kitten food. Just remember, they will be getting most of their food from insects and worms in the wild, and this food is only supplementary. Specially made hedgehog food is also widely available.
The most important invertebrates in their diet are worms, beetles, slugs, caterpillars, earwigs and millipedes. As well as these, they also eat a wide range of other insects. More infrequently, they will take advantage of carrion, frogs, baby rodents, baby birds, birds' eggs and fallen fruit.
You can still tell if they are thereby: Listening for piggy snuffling noises after dark. Looking out for hedgehog poo, about an inch long, shiny black and bullet-shaped. Looking out for hedgehog tracks.
Motion activated sprinkler repellents provide an innovative way to deter unwanted animals, such as hedgehogs. They use a blast of water to safely and effectively scare away intruders and keep your garden free of pests.
However, you should try to use gloves when handling a hedgehog for your own health and safety. Hedgehogs can bite you, but very rarely will that happen. This usually happens when they are young and think your fingers are going to feed them (if they have been fed via a syringe as they had no mother).
Where does hedgehog sleep? In the wild, as they do not have any hide box or shelters given to them, as long as they are able to find any dead leaves, hedgerows, a pile of hays, log pile, or thick hedge, they will assemble these items together to form a comfortable nest for themselves.
Keller says, “With appropriate care and keeping, your hedgehog will live about five years, and some even live longer than eight years.” If you have any questions about hedgehogs, contact your local veterinarian.