The Hedgehog or to give it its Latin name Erinaceinae, is a fascinating creature that inhabits the woodlands and undergrowth of many different countries. 17 related species can be found in parts of Asia, Africa, Western Europe, and New Zealand, and the Erinaceus europaeus is native to Europe and mainland Britain.
Hedgehog Habitat
Hedgehogs can live in a wide number of natural habitats including forests, woodlands, hedgerows, and fields all of which make up the British countryside, including back gardens! The adults will sleep in nests made up of grass, moss, straw, plants and leaves and any garden debris they can find, and these will typically be found under a bush, shrub or garden shed! A hedgehog does not sleep in the open as this can leave them vulnerable to predators. A hedgehog is a nomad and can cover over a mile in distance in 1 night but will always return to the nest he has made. Due to this, a fully enclosed garden is not suitable for a rescue hedgehog, but holes can be made in fences to allow the Hedgehog to get in and out.
Hedgehog diet
What do hedgehogs eat? Hedgehogs are insectivores and will eat all the bugs in your garden. Hedgehog food normally consists of beetles, caterpillars, earwigs, earthworms, slugs, millipedes, and fly larvae, so they are really good at keeping “pests” under control. If you have a hedgehog nest in your garden, you could place a bowl of food and water as a top-up should you wish. For this, you can use dog or cat wet food and cat biscuits too. This should be a supplement to their diet only, and they should not be fed on this exclusively.
Things to avoid.
Hedgehogs should never be given milk to drink, as they are lactose intolerant and this can cause gastric upset, severe illness and even death. Only offer fresh water change this frequently and ensure topped up at all times. Both food and water should be provided in a flat container to improve access for the hedgehog and avoid them getting stuck and drowning. Mealworms should be avoided, as whilst hedgehogs do eat mealworms in a natural environment, these are few and far between and provide a “junk food snack” with limited nutritional value. By giving mealworms to the hedgehog, you are not providing many nutrients and run the risk of the hedgehog refusing healthy food in favour of the mealworms. If you do wish to give mealworms, use the live mealworms only and never give the dried version, although it would be our advice to not give them at all.
Insecticides such as slug pellets should not be used in gardens frequented by Hedgehogs as they may well eat the poisoned insect or the poison itself.
Nocturnal
Hedgehogs are nocturnal and will rarely be seen during the day. If seen during the day, it is likely that the hedgehog is ill and requires medical attention. The exception to this is a pregnant female or mother who will look for nesting materials, in preparation to give birth or extra food for her young. In contrast to a sick hedgehog, she will be bright and alert and will bustle along quickly as she completes her task.
Pregnancy and birth
The mother has one litter a year and will give birth in the summer months. The nest or nursery will often be under a bush, hedge or even a garden shed, and she will prepare this during her 35-day pregnancy. A litter will have approximately 8 babies or hoglets (sometimes called urchins) and the male has no part in the upbringing of these babies. The hoglet will stay with the mother until they are independent at 8 weeks of age. Do not disturb this nursery as the mother will abandon her babies if they have human scent on them.
Spines
The hoglets are born with their first spines just under their skin and these will appear fairly soon after birth. These are hollow spines and are soft and flexible. They are replaced by the harder spines at 6-8 weeks and again at approximately 4 months of age. These spines are made from keratin and are part of the hedgehog's defence. If under attack the hedgehog will curl into a ball to ensure the spines are full surrounding the hedgehog, protecting the soft underparts. Hedgehogs will lose their adult spines on occasion, but excessive loss can be an indication of ill health.
Hibernation
The hedgehog will typically hibernate from late December/ early January, depending upon the weather and the individual hedgehog. The hedgehog will prepare for hibernation and should reach a good body weight of at least 600g by late November. They will store enough fat reserves to see them through the winter months until late March / early April. If you have visiting hedgehogs in your garden, you can encourage them to eat by putting food out for them and weighing them if they will allow.
Overwintering
If a hedgehog does not reach his minimum 600g body weight, it will mean he does not have enough fat reserve to see him through the winter. This may be because he was born in the later summer months and has not had time to accrue enough weight, or it may be that hibernation started early due to a cold snap in the weather. In this case, overwintering needs to be done, to prevent the hedgehog going into hibernation. These hedgehogs will need to be kept indoors at a constant temperature of 18 degrees celcius and in an area where natural light patterns occur. Feed the hedgehog cat or dog food or commercially bought Hedgehog food. Start thinking about releasing the hedgehogs once the winter frosts are over. Do this by turning off the heating to their enclosure, move them to an outside area such as a garage or shed until finally releasing them into the garden, making sure the garden is not enclosed and the hedgehog can wander.
