Hibernation and Hedgehogs
As the days shorten and the nights draw in, many hedgehogs are gathering and storing food ready for the lean winter months, and some are preparing to hibernate.
Posted on 5th September 2024
To prepare for hibernation, hedgehogs will build up their fat reserves by eating as many worms, beetles and caterpillars as they can find.
They might build their own shelter from materials such as fallen leaves and sticks, however they also like to make a home under stacks of logs and garden sheds.
Hedgehogs will hibernate any time from October to April, depending on how mild the weather is.
In the UK the only mammals to truly hibernate are hedgehogs, dormice and bats.
The reason they hibernate is to survive for long periods of time without food which may become scarce during certain times of year.
They enter a sleep like state, by slowing their heart rate and breathing and lowering their body temperature and metabolism.
Sometimes hedgehogs wake up to go and look for food or go the toilet.
You can help hedgehogs this winter by following these top tips:
- Put out a shallow dish of fresh water and meat, such as cat or dog food, regularly.
- Make a hedgehog home to provide a safe hibernation site.
- Make sure hedgehogs have easy access to your garden by leaving 13cm x 13cm gaps in your hedges or fencing.
- Keep a corner of your garden wild to offer shelter and avoid using pesticides such as slug pellets.
- Remember to check any bonfires and collected piles of leaves for hedgehogs before lighting or disposing of them.
Read more about hedgehogs and how you can help by visiting: www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk
